Net Worth Ranker
What Is Katey Sagal’s Net Worth?
Katey Sagal, a celebrated American actress and musician, boasts a substantial net worth of $40 million. This figure represents the combined financial standing of Katey and her husband, writer and producer Kurt Sutter, since their marriage in 2004. Sagal’s enduring presence on television screens, particularly her iconic role as Peggy Bundy on “Married…with Children,” has significantly contributed to her financial success.
Katey Sagal’s Early Life and Career Beginnings
Catherine Louise Sagal was born on January 19, 1954, in Los Angeles, California, into a family deeply rooted in show business. Her mother, Sara Zwilling, was a singer, producer, and television writer, whose life was cut short by heart disease in 1975 when Katey was just 21. Her father, Boris Sagal, a Ukrainian immigrant, worked as a director. Boris Sagal’s remarriage to dancer/actress Marge Champion in 1977 added another layer to Katey’s family dynamic. Tragically, Boris Sagal died in 1981 in an accidental helicopter incident while directing the NBC miniseries “World War III” at the Timberline Lodge in Oregon. The accident occurred when he walked into the blades of a helicopter. Three of Sagal’s four siblings also pursued careers in acting. Katey Sagal attended the California Institute of the Arts, where she honed her skills in singing and acting, marking the beginning of her journey in the entertainment industry in the early 1970s.
Katey made her on-screen debut in the TV movie “The Failing of Raymond” in 1971. Soon after, she landed a role in Mary Tyler Moore’s “Mary,” where she portrayed a newspaper columnist, before securing her iconic part as Peggy Bundy on “Married…with Children” alongside Ed O’Neill, Christina Applegate, and David Faustino. Her portrayal of the red-haired, lower-class, sex-starved, lazy, and free-spending wife of Al Bundy made her a household name. The show enjoyed a run of over a decade. After “Married…with Children,” Sagal guest-starred on the children’s cartoon “Recess.” In 1998, Matt Groening created a character for Sagal in his science-fiction animated comedy “Futurama.” She voiced purple-haired mutant spaceship captain Leela. The show was canceled after four seasons but developed a cult following. Due to its increasing popularity, Comedy Central commissioned two more seasons of “Futurama,” in 2010 and 2013. Katey guest-starred in three episodes of “That ’70s Show” and starred in the short-lived 2000 NBC sitcom “Tucker.” In 2002, Sagal was cast as the wife of John Ritter in the sitcom “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.” Following the death of John Ritter, the show was canceled in 2005. Sagal also appeared on “Lost,” “The Winner,” and “Eli Stone” before landing the role of Gemma Teller Morrow on “Sons of Anarchy,” which was created by her husband and aired from 2008 to 2014. In 2010, Katey hit the stage in Randy Newman’s musical “Harps & Angels.” Sagal received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in September 2014. In 2015, she co-starred in “Pitch Perfect 2” as the mother of Hailee Steinfeld’s character. Her other TV and film credits include “Smart House,” “House Broken,” “Imagine That, “Campus Confidential,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Shameless,” “Dead to Me,” “Superior Donuts,” and a cameo on “Glee.” Since 2019, she has played the recurring role of Louise, Dan Conner’s love interest, in “The Conners.” In 2021, Sagal starred as Annie “Rebel” Bello on the ABC drama “Rebel.”
Katey Sagal’s Diverse Career and Income Streams
Katey Sagal’s career extends beyond acting, encompassing a successful singing career. In the early 1970s, she provided backing vocals for Bob Dylan, showcasing her musical talent early in her career. She also contributed as a backup singer for Bette Midler’s The Harlettes and on Gene Simmons’ self-titled solo album, as well as for Etta James and Tanya Tucker, further solidifying her reputation as a versatile performer. In 1976, she was a member of The Group with No Name and contributed to their album “Moon over Brooklyn.” Katey has two albums of her own: 1994’s “Well…” and 2004’s “Room.” Sagal has also contributed to soundtracks for “Loose Cannons,”, “Silent Rage,” and “Sons of Anarchy.”
From 1989 to 1994, Sagal received numerous award nominations for her role as Peggy on “Married…with Children,” including two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress in a Television Musical or Comedy. In 2005, she won a Prism award for her work on “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter.” In 2010, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama for her role on “Sons of Anarchy.” Katey was nominated for four other awards for her work on the show and won another Prism award in 2013.
Katey Sagal’s Real Estate Investments
Katey Sagal’s real estate portfolio reflects strategic investments and property transactions over the years. In 2005, a year after marrying Kurt Sutter, they purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles for $3.7 million. They later listed the property for $4.75 million in 2010 but ultimately sold it for $3.8 million in December of that year. The buyer was “American Idol” house musician Rickey Minor. Also in December 2010, Katey and Kurt acquired a new 1.5-acre home in a gated community in Bel Air called Moraga Estates for $3.7 million. They purchased the home from “Desperate Housewives” creator Marc Cherry. Katey and Kurt sold their Bel Air mansion for $7.7 million in April 2022. In February 2022, Katey and Kurt paid $5.8 million for a home in the Hollywood Hills that dates back to the early 1920s. These real estate ventures have undoubtedly contributed to Katey Sagal’s net worth.
Personal Life and Philanthropy
From 1978 to 1981, Sagal was married to musician Freddie Beckmeier. She was married to Rick Springfield drummer Jack White from 1993 to 2000. They had two children together, Sarah Grace in 1994 and Jackson James in 1996. Katey married writer-producer Kurt Sutter in October 2004 in Los Angeles. Their daughter, Esme Louise, was born in 2007 via a surrogate mother. Sagal is actively involved with the Human Rights Campaign, the Alzheimer’s Association, and the non-profit charity Friendly House. She and Sutter live in Los Angeles.
While working on “Married…with Children” in 1991, Sagal learned she was unexpectedly pregnant. A pregnancy storyline was written into the show immediately. However, in October 1991, she had to have an emergency C-section in her third trimester, ending sadly in the stillbirth of a daughter. Her pregnancy on the show was then treated as a “dream sequence.” The writers on the show deliberately did not include her pregnancies in the storylines, opting instead to write off her absences as Peggy traveling the world. In scenes where she was shown, her stomach was obscured, such as in a taxi. The stillbirth of her daughter inspired her to write the lyrics for “You Can’t Hurry the Harvest,” which appears on her second album, “Well…”.
