Net Worth Ranker
What Is Armand Assante’s Net Worth?
Armand Assante, a seasoned American actor and producer, has accumulated a net worth of $2 million. His career, spanning several decades, has faced financial challenges in recent years, including a bankruptcy filing in 2011 and the foreclosure of a home in 2014.
Armand Assante’s Career Highlights and Achievements
Assante’s career boasts over 140 acting credits. He won a Primetime Emmy for his compelling portrayal of mobster John Gotti in the 1996 TV movie “Gotti.” He also starred as Dr. Michael Powers on the NBC soap opera “The Doctors” from 1975 to 1976, and as Sal Dash on the BET drama “The Family Business” (2018-2019). His filmography includes notable films such as “Prophecy” (1979), “Private Benjamin” (1980), “I, the Jury” (1982), “Q&A” (1990), “Judge Dredd” (1995), “American Gangster” (2007), and “Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn” (2013). He also featured in miniseries like “Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story” (1987), “Jack the Ripper” (1988), and “The Odyssey” (1997), and in TV series such as “ER” (2006), “NCIS” (2007), “October Road” (2008), and “The Deuce” (2018-2019). In 2005, he starred in and executive produced the film “Dot.Kill.”
In 2013, Armand Assante ventured into the premium cigar business with the launch of Ora Vivo Cigars. A significant honor came in 2010 when he received a star on Toronto’s Italian Walk of Fame.
Early Life and Education
Armand Anthony Assante, Jr. was born on October 4, 1949, in New York City. He has Irish and Italian heritage. His mother, Katharine, was an English teacher, music teacher, and poet, while his father, Armand Sr., was an artist. Armand grew up in Cornwall, New York, attending Cornwall Central High School before graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1969.
Armand Assante’s Career Beginnings and Breakthrough Roles
Armand Assante made his film debut in 1974 with “The Lords of Flatbush,” although his role was ultimately cut from the final version. The following year, he appeared on “How to Survive a Marriage” and in the TV movie “First Ladies Diaries: Rachel Jackson,” before securing a role as Dr. Michael Powers on “The Doctors.” Throughout the late 1970s, he made guest appearances on “Kojak” (1977) and “Mrs. Columbo” (1979) and appeared in films such as “Paradise Alley” (1978) and “Prophecy” (1979).
The 1980s saw Assante take on roles in “Little Darlings” (1980), “Private Benjamin” (1980), “Love and Money” (1982), “Unfaithfully Yours” (1984), “Belizaire the Cajun” (1986), “The Penitent” (1988), and “Animal Behavior” (1989). He also starred in several TV movies, including “Sophia Loren: Her Own Story” (1980), “Rage of Angels” (1983), “Why Me?” (1984), “A Deadly Business” (1986), “Stranger in My Bed” (1987), “Hands of a Stranger” (1987), and “Passion and Paradise” (1989). A notable role during this period was as detective Mike Hammer in the 1982 film “I, the Jury,” and his portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1987 miniseries “Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story.”
The 1990s and Beyond: Continued Success in Film and Television
In the 1990s, Assante’s film career continued with roles in “Q&A” (1990), “The Mambo Kings” (1992), “Hoffa” (1992), “Trial by Jury” (1994), “Judge Dredd” (1995), and “Striptease” (1996). He also portrayed Bugsy Siegel in “The Marrying Man” (1991) and Odysseus in “The Odyssey” (1997). His performance as John Gotti in the 1996 HBO movie “Gotti” earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe nomination. In 2021, it was announced that he would reprise his role in “Gotti 2: The Final Chapter, Facts Undisputed.”
The 2000s and beyond saw Armand Assante voicing Tzekel-Kan in the 2000 animated film “The Road to El Dorado,” and appearing in numerous films, including “Looking for an Echo” (2000), “Last Run” (2001), “One Eyed King” (2001), “Partners in Action” (2002), “Tough Luck” (2003), “Citizen Verdict” (2003), “Consequence” (2003), “Dot.Kill” (2005), “The Third Wish” (2005), “Two for the Money” (2005), “Rambam: The Story of Maimonides” (2005), “Funny Money” (2007), “California Dreamin'” (2007), “The Man Who Came Back” (2008), and “Breaking Point” (2009). In 2007, he played philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in “When Nietzsche Wept” and co-starred in “American Gangster.”
On television, Assante guest-starred on “Push, Nevada” (2002), “Chuck” (2010), “Human Target” (2010), and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2015), and had recurring roles on “ER” (2006), “NCIS” (2007), and “October Road” (2008). He also appeared in films such as “Magic Man” (2010), “Jesse” (2011), “The Night Never Sleeps” (2012), “Dead Man Down” (2013), “The Fix” (2013), “Once Upon a Time in Brooklyn” (2013), “In Between Engagements” (2014), “Diamond Cartel” (2015), “Beyond the Game” (2016), and “The Wanderers: The Quest of The Demon Hunter” (2017), and narrated “Power of Silence” (2017).
More recently, from 2018 to 2019, he played Sal Dash on “The Family Business” and had a recurring role on “The Deuce.” His recent film credits include “Con Man” (2018), “Darc” (2018), “The P.I.M.P.” (2018), “The Brave” (2019), “Infamous Six” (2020), “The Match” (2021), and “A Song to Kill For” (2021).
Awards and Nominations
Armand Assante has received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for “Gotti” in 1997. His other nomination was for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for “Jack the Ripper” (1989). He has also garnered four Golden Globe nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture for “Jack the Ripper” (1989), Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for “Q & A” (1991), and Best Performance by an Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for “Gotti” (1997) and “The Odyssey” (1998). “Gotti” also earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, and he received a nomination as a member of the “American Gangster” cast as well.
Assante and his “The Red Maple Leaf” co-stars won an Action on Film Award for Outstanding Cast Performance – Feature at the 2016 Action on Film International Film Festival. “The Wanderers: The Quest of The Demon Hunter” earned him a Festival Prize for Best Performance at the 2017 Unreal Film Festival and a Most Valuable Player award at the 2018 Garden State Film Festival. In 2007, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Westchester Film Festival, and in 2017, “The Man Who Unlocked the Universe” won the Ischia Documentary Feature Award at the Ischia Global Film & Music Festival. Armand has also earned nominations from the Annie Awards (“The Road to El Dorado”), Gopo Awards (“California Dreamin'”), Online Film & Television Association (“The Odyssey”), and Satellite Awards (“The Odyssey”).
Personal Life and Financial Challenges
Armand Assante married Karen McArn on February 28, 1982, and they had two daughters, Alessandra and Anya, before divorcing in 1994. Karen also appeared alongside Armand in the 1992 film “The Mambo Kings.” As part of their 1997 divorce settlement, Armand agreed to pay Karen $15,000 per month until she reached the age of 59.5 years.
In October 2011, Armand Assante filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. At the time of the filing, Karen was 52 years old and was due to receive $15,000 per month for another 7.5 years, totaling $1.35 million. In February 2012, Karen Assante sued Armand, claiming he owed her $1.8 million in matrimonial support.
Bankruptcy and Farm Foreclosure Details
According to one of Armand’s former accountants, his income decreased nearly 80% following the September 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent economic downturn. In 2005, to improve his financial situation, Armand was advised to refinance the mortgage on his large farm estate in Orange County, New York. The initial interest rate was 16%. The refinance resulted in a 30-year, $1.5 million mortgage with a 10% interest rate. However, he later claimed that he became a victim of predatory lending as he struggled to keep up with the payments.
The refinance increased his monthly mortgage payment from $11,000 to $16,000, and coupled with the $15,000 monthly spousal support payment, Armand’s monthly obligations totaled $31,000. In October 2011, Armand Assante filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Poughkeepsie, New York, in an effort to prevent foreclosure on the 222-acre horse farm and to regain financial stability. The bankruptcy filing indicated approximately $36,000 in unpaid taxes from 2006, 2007, and 2009, and $12,000 owed to the Screen Actor’s Guild’s credit union. He had also incurred $150,000 in legal fees and owed $66,000 to an accounting firm.
In early 2014, Armand Assante’s horse farm was scheduled for auction due to foreclosure. His lawyer claimed that the bank had refused settlement offers and intended to foreclose on the $3.5 million property. The lawyer stated that Assante, like many in the entertainment industry, experienced a significant and sustained decrease in income after the September 11 attacks. Assante described the property as “my home” and “something I built with my father,” expressing his desire to leave it as a legacy to his children.
Ultimately, Armand Assante retained one of the three plots of land that comprised his original 222 acres, which included the home he built with his father. The other two lots were sold off, with one of them being listed for $2.75 million in 2021.
