Net Worth Ranker
What Is Melissa Joan Hart’s Net Worth?
Melissa Joan Hart, a multifaceted American entertainer with a career spanning acting, directing, producing, writing, singing, and business, has accumulated a net worth of $13 million. She gained initial recognition in the early 1990s through her role as the lead on Nickelodeon’s “Clarissa Explains It All,” which featured 65 episodes from 1991 to 1994. Her prominence increased further with her starring role in the ABC/WB series “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” which spanned 163 episodes from 1996 to 2003. More recently, she co-starred with Joey Lawrence in “Melissa & Joey” on ABC Family, a show that ran for 104 episodes between 2010 and 2015. Beyond her acting roles, Melissa Joan Hart has engaged in various projects, including producing, directing, and starring in films, as well as managing her production company, Hartbreak Films, thus increasing her net worth.
Melissa Joan Hart’s Early Career and Rise to Fame
Melissa Joan Hart was born on April 18, 1976, in Smithtown, New York. Her mother, Paula Voje, worked as a producer and talent manager, and her father, William Hart, was a carpenter, shellfish purveyor, and entrepreneur. She grew up in Sayville, New York, with her four siblings—Trisha, Elizabeth, Brian, and Emily—before moving with her mother and siblings to New York City following her parents’ divorce in the early 1990s. In 1994, her mother married Leslie Gilliams, a television executive, and through this union, she has three half-sisters—Alexandra, Samantha, and MacKenzie. Hart’s early exposure to the entertainment industry played a crucial role in her career and subsequent accumulation of her net worth.
At the age of four, Hart started her professional acting career in a television commercial for Splashy, a bathtub doll. She continued to appear regularly in commercials, starring in 25 before turning five. Her early work also included appearances on shows like “Kane & Abel” (1985), “The Equalizer” (1986), and “Another World” (1986). She also starred in the Emmy Award-winning TV movie “Christmas Snow” (1986). In 1989, she was an understudy in a Broadway production of “The Crucible”, which starred Martin Sheen. These early roles were instrumental in building her foundation as an actress and gradually adding to her net worth.
Her breakthrough role came in 1991 when she was cast as the lead in “Clarissa Explains It All” on Nickelodeon. The show aired for four successful seasons. Hart received critical acclaim for her performance, earning four consecutive Youth Artist Award nominations, winning three of them. This success significantly raised her profile in the entertainment industry, solidifying her position and future earnings potential, thereby increasing her net worth.
Following the end of “Clarissa Explains It All,” Hart attended New York University but left to take on the lead role in the television film “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” in 1996. The film’s popularity led to a television series of the same name, which aired for seven seasons on ABC and The WB until 2003. From 1999 to 2000, Hart voiced the animated show “Sabrina: The Animated Series,” which ran for 65 episodes. During this same period, she guest-starred on “Touched by an Angel” and appeared in several television movies, including “Twisted Desire” (1996), “The Right Connections” (1997), “Two Came Back” (1997), “Silencing Mary” (1998), “Sabrina Goes to Rome” (1998), “Love, American Style” (1999), and “Sabrina Down Under” (1999). The “Sabrina” franchise was a major contributor to her net worth, providing consistent income and opportunities for other ventures. The show’s popularity boosted her earnings and influence in the industry.
Acting, Directing, and Business Ventures Contributing to Melissa Joan Hart’s Net Worth
In 1999, Hart made her directorial debut with an episode of the Disney Channel show “So Weird,” followed by an episode of Nickelodeon’s “Tania” in 2001. From 2001 to 2002, she directed six episodes of “Sabrina.” After “Sabrina” ended in 2003, Hart directed her first movie, “Mute” (2005), a 15-minute short film starring her sister Emily. She also starred in television films like “Holiday in Handcuffs” (2007) and “My Fake Fiance” (2009), appeared in an episode of “Law & Order: SVU” (2007), and directed a music video for her husband Mark Wilkerson’s band, Course of Nature. Directing added another dimension to her career and opportunities for income, thereby improving her net worth.
In 2009, Hart participated in the ninth season of “Dancing with the Stars” with partner Mark Ballas. In 2010, she began starring in the ABC Family sitcom “Melissa & Joey” alongside Joey Lawrence. The show’s premise involved her character caring for her incarcerated sister’s children, hiring Lawrence’s character as a nanny. “Melissa & Joey” aired for four seasons, ending in August 2015. Other projects include the Netflix series “No Good Nick” (2019) and the animated Nickelodeon show “The Casagrandes.” Her continuous involvement in various television projects has ensured a steady income stream, which is vital to her overall net worth.
Melissa Joan Hart’s entrepreneurial spirit also contributes to her financial portfolio. In May 2009, she opened a candy shop named SweetHarts in Sherman Oaks, California, fulfilling a “childhood dream.” Although the store closed in December 2011 after a lawsuit, it briefly added to her business ventures. The shop later reopened under the same name with new owners before closing for good in 2015. In a collaboration with Huggies Pull-Ups, Hart created a diary with video entries documenting her son Mason’s potty-training process. In March 2010, she appeared in an advertisement campaign for Gain laundry detergent. In 2015, Hart and her husband Wilkerson launched their fashion line, King of Harts. These business ventures and endorsements reflect her diversification efforts to boost her net worth.
Personal Life, Real Estate Investments, and Their Impact on Melissa Joan Hart’s Net Worth
Hart married musician Mark Wilkerson on July 19, 2003, in Florence, Italy. They met at the Kentucky Derby in May 2002. Their wedding preparations were documented in the television miniseries “Tying the Knot,” produced by Hartbreak Films and aired on ABC Family. They have three sons, born in 2006, 2008, and 2012. Hart identifies as Presbyterian and attends church with her family every Sunday. Politically, she supported Mitt Romney in his 2012 presidential bid. In 2016, she joined Gary Johnson’s Libertarian Party campaign as its Connecticut chairperson. While personal and political activities don’t directly reflect on her earnings, they do impact her public image and possible future opportunities, which, in turn, affects her net worth.
Melissa Joan Hart has made several real estate investments throughout her career. In October 1997, during the height of her “Sabrina” success, she purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills for $865,000. She sold this property in 2003 to singer Raphael Saadiq for $1.4 million, realizing a profit of $535,000. In April 2003, around the same time as her Hollywood Hills sale, Hart acquired a home in Encino, California, for $2.5 million from Adam Venit, a former agent to Adam Sandler. She sold this home in 2005 for $3.15 million, earning a profit of $650,000. These real estate transactions showcase her ability to make lucrative investments, adding significantly to her net worth.
In 2005, Hart bought a home in Sherman Oaks, California, for $2.4 million but sold it just seven months later in December 2005 for $2.55 million to Wayne Brady, making a modest profit of $150,000. In 2014, she purchased a home in Studio City, California, for under $1 million, located across from the “CBS Radford” studio where “Melissa & Joey” was filmed from 2010 to 2015. In 2016, she turned the property into a rental, offering it for $6-8,000 per month. Renting out properties provides a passive income stream that contributes to her net worth. Since 2005, Hart has divided her time between a home in Incline Village, Nevada, purchased for $950,000, and a property in Westport, Connecticut. Her diverse real estate holdings reflect a well-rounded investment strategy that supports her financial stability and overall net worth.
