Net Worth Ranker
What Is Steve Martin’s Net Worth?
Steve Martin, a multifaceted American entertainer renowned for his comedic acting, writing prowess, and musical talent, has amassed a considerable net worth estimated at $140 million. This substantial wealth is not solely derived from his acting career but also encompasses his impressive art collection, valued at over $50 million, and real estate holdings in California, worth more than $30 million combined.
Sources of Steve Martin’s Wealth
Martin’s journey to financial success began with his early work as a writer. At the young age of 23, he secured his first Emmy Award for his contributions to “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” He further honed his writing skills on “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” and “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour,” laying the foundation for his future success. His transition to performing in 1969 marked a pivotal moment, propelling him into a long and prosperous career as an entertainer.
His frequent appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” where he made 56 appearances between 1972 and 1992, “The Gong Show,” and “Saturday Night Live,” catapulted him to household name status. His comedy albums also enjoyed immense popularity, earning him multiple Grammy Awards. By the late 1970s, Martin’s stand-up performances filled arenas, paving the way for his focus on feature film work.
Martin’s love for film manifested early in his career, with his short film “Live Action” receiving an Oscar nomination. His subsequent film roles in iconic movies such as “The Jerk,” “Pennies from Heaven,” “All of Me,” “Roxanne,” “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Parenthood,” “Father of the Bride,” “Leap of Faith,” “Shopgirl,” and “The Pink Panther” reboot solidified his status as a comedic legend. His contributions extend beyond acting, as he has released eleven studio albums, showcasing his musical talents in both comedy and music. A skilled bluegrass musician, Martin has had three albums reach #1 on the US Bluegrass charts and has won two Grammy Awards for his musical endeavors.
Beyond his performing career, Martin is a prolific writer, having penned numerous scripts, novels, and children’s books. His diverse creative pursuits have contributed significantly to his overall net worth.
Steve Martin’s Art Collection
Steve Martin is a distinguished art collector, renowned for his discerning taste and impressive acquisitions. While the full extent of his collection was once shrouded in secrecy, it is now known to be worth between $50 and $100 million. Martin’s foray into art collecting began in the late 1960s with the purchase of a painting by Los Angeles-based artist Ed Ruscha. He soon added a piece by 19th-century American artist James Gale Tyler to his growing collection.
By the late 1980s, Martin was acquiring pieces at prices in the single-digit millions. In 1987, he acquired Edward Hopper’s “Captain Upton’s House” (1927) for $2.3 million from the Internal Revenue Service, which had repossessed the collection from convicted tax evader Andrew Crispo. Today, this piece is estimated to be worth between $20 and $30 million.
In 1999, Martin purchased Edward Hopper’s “Hotel Window” for $10 million from Malcolm Forbes, heir to Forbes Magazine. Forbes had acquired the painting at the same 1987 IRS/Andrew Crispo auction for $1.3 million. Martin later sold “Hotel Window” in 2006 for $27 million, setting a record for a Hopper sale, exceeding the previous record by a factor of ten.
Reportedly, Martin’s art collection encompasses a diverse range of modern and contemporary pieces, including works by renowned artists such as Edward Hopper, Pablo Picasso, Roy Lichtenstein, Willem de Kooning, David Hockney, Georges Seurat, Francis Bacon, and Lucian Freud. He also demonstrates an appreciation for contemporary American artists like Eric Fischl and Cindy Sherman.
In 2001, 28 items from his art collection were showcased at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art, offering a glimpse into his curated collection.
Real Estate Investments
Steve Martin’s real estate portfolio reflects his appreciation for luxurious and architecturally significant properties. In January 1995, he purchased a home in Beverly Hills for $3.175 million. The 7,000-square-foot residence, built in 1939, features multiple structures surrounding a large lawn with a pool and outdoor entertaining area.
In 1997, Martin expanded his Beverly Hills holdings by acquiring the adjacent 1.1-acre property for $995,000. This property included a 4-bedroom home. In 2019, he sold the neighboring parcel for $2.22 million. Currently, his main Beverly Hills property is estimated to be worth at least $10 million.
In the early 2000s, Martin acquired an architecturally significant estate in Montecito, California, known as “The Mud House.” Designed and built in the 1970s by architect Richard Coate, Jr., the home is constructed entirely of poured concrete and is considered an important example of Modernist concrete architecture, also known as Brutalism. A 30-minute documentary from 1974 chronicles the construction of “The Mud House.”
The 7,400-square-foot residence is partially underground and includes three bedrooms and four bathrooms. The guest house offers an additional two bedrooms and one bathroom. Martin listed the home for sale in 2015 for just under $11 million but ultimately did not find a buyer. Based on comparable sales of similar properties in the area, “The Mud House” is now likely worth closer to $20 million.
Early Career and Stand-Up Success
Born Stephen Glenn Martin on August 14, 1945, in Waco, Texas, Steve Martin’s early life laid the groundwork for his future success. He grew up in Inglewood and Garden Grove, California, attending Garden Grove High School, where he was a cheerleader. He held a job selling guidebooks at Disneyland from 1955 to 1958 and later worked at Fantasyland’s magic shop in 1960. At 18, Martin began performing music, magic, and comedy at Knott’s Berry Farm.
After graduating from high school, Martin studied drama and poetry at Santa Ana College before transferring to UCLA to study theater in 1967. While in college, he performed at local clubs. He dropped out of UCLA at age 21.
In 1967, Nina Goldblatt, Martin’s former girlfriend, submitted his work to Mason Williams, the head writer of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.” Williams hired Martin as a writer, and the writing staff won an Emmy for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety, or Music in 1969. Martin also made his first TV appearance on the show (1968) and went on to write and perform for “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour” from 1971 to 1973.
In the mid-1970s, Martin’s frequent appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “The Gong Show,” “The Muppet Show,” and “Saturday Night Live” propelled him to national recognition. His stand-up comedy albums, “Let’s Get Small” (1977) and “A Wild and Crazy Guy” (1978), achieved platinum status and earned him two Grammys. “A Wild and Crazy Guy” featured the song “King Tut,” which reached #17 on the “Billboard” Hot 100 chart and sold over a million copies. He also released “Comedy Isn’t Pretty” in 1979 and “The Steve Martin Brothers” in 1981.
Acting and Writing Career Milestones
In 1977, Martin starred in “The Absent-Minded Waiter,” which he also wrote, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film, Live Action. He then starred in 1979’s “The Jerk,” which he co-wrote with Carl Gottlieb and Michael Elias. The film grossed $100 million worldwide and is considered one of the funniest movies of all time.
Throughout the 1980s, Martin starred in films such as “Three Amigos,” “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” and “Parenthood.” He appeared in 17 films in the 1990s, including the “Father of the Bride” movies, “Leap of Faith,” and “Bowfinger.” While Martin focused more on music in the 2000s, he also appeared in films such as “Bringing Down the House,” “Shopgirl,” “Baby Mama,” and “It’s Complicated,” as well as “The Pink Panther” and “Cheaper by the Dozen” movies. In 2020, Martin reprised the role of George Banks for the short “Father of the Bride, Part 3(ish).” Since 2021, he has portrayed Charles-Haden Savage in the television series “Only Murders in the Building,” showcasing his enduring talent and versatility.
Martin is the author of 12 books, including “Picasso at the Lapin Agile and Other Plays” (1996), “Pure Drivel” (1998), “Shopgirl” (2000), and “Born Standing Up: A Comic’s Life” (2007). He also wrote the screenplays for “The Jerk,” “Three Amigos,” “Roxanne,” “Bowfinger,” and several other films. Martin wrote the script and music (with Edie Brickell) for “Bright Star,” which ran on Broadway from February to June 2016 and embarked on a national tour the following year. The play won a Drama Desk Award and 2 Outer Critics Circle Awards. His play “Meteor Shower” premiered on Broadway in November 2017, starring Amy Schumer, Keegan-Michael Key, and Laura Benanti. In 2020, he released a collection of cartoons with Harry Bliss called “A Wealth of Pigeons.” In 2022, he published the memoir, “Number One Is Walking: My Life in the Movies and Other Diversions,” and in 2023, Martin released the audiobook co-written with Adam Gopnik, “So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin.” In 2023, Martin played banjo on the Kelly Clarkson single, “I Hate Love.”
Musical Achievements and Personal Life
Steve Martin began playing banjo at age 17 and has incorporated it into his stand-up comedy act. He contributed to Earl Scruggs’ “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” in 2001, winning a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance. Martin released the album “The Crow: New Songs for the 5-String Banjo” in 2009 and won a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album. He began touring with bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in September 2009 and recorded the album “Rare Bird Alert” (2011) with them. Martin collaborated with Edie Brickell on the 2013 album “Love Has Come for You,” and the title track won him his fifth Grammy (Best American Roots Song). Martin and Brickell collaborated again on 2015’s “So Familiar” and the musical “Bright Star.” In 2017, Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers released “The Long-Awaited Album.”
Martin was in a relationship with Bernadette Peters from 1977 to 1981; he wrote the character of Marie in “The Jerk” with Peters in mind, and the pair also starred in “Pennies from Heaven” together. Steve was married to actress Victoria Tennant from 1986 to 1994 and married writer Anne Stringfield in 2007. Steve and Anne welcomed a daughter in December 2012, making him a first-time dad at 67.
Steve Martin has received numerous awards, including 5 Grammys, 2 People’s Choice Awards, 2 Writers Guild of America awards, an Emmy (1969), a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor (2005), and a Kennedy Center Honor (2007). He received an honorary Academy Award in 2004 and lifetime achievement awards from the American Comedy Awards (2000), American Film Institute (2015), and the Las Vegas Film Critics Society (2010). Martin was ranked #6 on Comedy Central’s 2004 list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics, and in 2011, the International Bluegrass Music Association named him Entertainer of the Year.
