Net Worth: | $2.5 Million |
Date of Birth: | Oct 17, 1963 (57 years old) |
Gender: | Male |
Height: | 6 ft (1.85 m) |
Profession: | Actor, Comedian, Voice Actor, Screenwriter, Television producer, Presenter, Film Producer |
Nationality: | Canada |
Norm MacDonald Net Worth and Salary: Norm MacDonald is a Canadian-born actor, writer, and stand-up comedian who has a net worth of $2.5 million. While he is a well-known comedian, Macdonald is also an accomplished screenwriter with credits on a number of sitcoms. In addition, Norm is famous for his appearances on the show “Saturday Night Live.”
Over the course of his career, he has appeared in a number of films and television shows. Many publications consider Norm Macdonalds to be one of the best stand-up comedians of all time. Norm is famous for his deadpan comedic style, which has become steadily more minimalist over the years.
Early Life: Norman Gene Macdonald was born on October 17th of 1959 in Quebec City, Canada. Raised alongside two brothers by parents who were both teachers, Norm attended high schools in Quebec and Ottawa. His brother Neil later became a journalist with CBC News. Norm’s father Percy served with the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II and helped to liberate the Netherlands.
Career: Macdonald began his career in Ottawa by performing stand-up comedy at Yuk Yuks. By the mid-1980s, Norm was considered one of the top up-and-coming comics in Canada. In 1990, he appeared on the show “Star Search” as a contestant. Towards the early 90s, he booked a job as a writer on the sitcom “Roseanne.”
Macdonald’s big break came in 1993 when he was offered a place on “Saturday Night Live.” He quit writing for “Roseanne” and began doing impressions of celebrities like Larry King, David Letterman, Quentin Tarantino, and many others on the “SNL.” During his second season on the show, Norm became well-known for hosting the “Weekend Update” segment of “SNL.”
Norm’s performances on the “Weekend Update” were well-received but quite controversial. He often made jokes about taboo subjects and denigrated high-profile celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, and Marion Barry. O.J. Simpson was the subject of considerable flogging by Macdonald, as he continuously implied Simpson was guilty during his infamous murder trial. He also attacked Michael Jackson’s sexuality and alleged pedophilic activities.
After five years, Norm left “SNL” in 1998. NBC president Don Ohlmeyer explained that Macdonald’s removal was due to low ratings, but Norm argued that he was told to leave because of his jokes about O.J. Simpson (who was Olmeyer’s close friend). He later explained that the person who had written those jokes was fired from “SNL” at the same time and that Ohlmeyer had thrown a party for the jurors that acquitted O.J.
While it may be true that “there’s no such thing as bad press,” the rift between Ohlmeyer and Macdonald affected his ability to promote his new film, “Dirty Work.” Ohlmeyer refused to run ads for the movie on his network. This decision was eventually overturned, however the film ads were never shown during episodes of “SNL.” Norm later came to the conclusion that Ohlmeyer didn’t remove him from “SNL” specifically because of the O.J. jokes, but rather because he had a habit of disobeying Ohlmeyer’s orders.
The film “Dirty Work” was released in 1998. Macdonald starred in the film and also co-wrote it. The film received negative reviews from critics and failed to break even at the box office. He then voiced the character of Lucky the Dog in Eddie Murphy’s “Dr. Dolittle.” He reprised this voice acting role in both of the following sequels.
In 1999, Norm started hosting “The Norm Show,” which was later renamed simply “Norm.” It ran for three seasons on ABC. He then appeared in the film “Man on the Moon.” In 2000, he appeared alongside Dave Chappelle in the film “Screwed.” He then made an appearance on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,” winning $500,000 for charity. In 2005, he booked a voice acting role in “The Fairly OddParents.”
Towards the mid-2000s, Macdonald started filling in for Dennis Miller for the “Miller Time” segment on the “O’Reilly Factor.” During this period, he also appeared on shows like “My Name Is Earl,” “Match Game,” “Celebrity Jeopardy,” and “Million Dollar Password.” In 2009, he started portraying a fictionalized version of himself on FX’s “The Norm Macdonald Reality Show.” In 2013, he launched the podcast “Norm Macdonald Live.” In 2015, he acted as a judge for “Last Comic Standing.” In 2018, he started hosting a new talk show called “Norm Macdonald Has a Show,” which debuted on Netflix.
Brand Endorsements: In 2006, Norm Macdonald worked as a voice actor in commercials for Bell Mobility, a Canadian telecommunications company. In 2007 and 2008, Norm was a voice actor for a number of AT&T commercials. In 2012, he became a spokesperson for Safe Auto Insurance Company. In 2015, he portrayed Colonel Sanders in a number of KFC commercials.
Relationships: In 1990, Norm Macdonald married Connie Macdonald. The pair had a child together in 1993, and their divorce was finalized by 1999.
Gambling Addiction: Norm once suffered from a serious gambling addiction, which reached a boiling point during his days working on “Saturday Night Live.” He reportedly left each night immediately after filming his segment, driving to Atlantic City and gambling late into the night. Eventually, things even worse when he moved into a building with a casino in the lobby. He had admitted that he was only able to save about $200,000 from his “Saturday Night Live” salary, despite earning millions. He also stated that his gambling addiction started when he won a six-figure sum at a craps table in Atlantic City. Ostensibly, the “rush” caused him to keep going back for more.
Macdonald once revealed that he lost all of his money on three separate occasions while gambling, and that the most he ever lost at one time was a sum of $400,000. All that being said, Norm is a relatively skilled poker player, placing 20th out of 827 contestants at the No-Limit Texas Hold ’em event at the 2007 World Series of Poker. He won about $14,000 as a result.
Real Estate: In 2015, Norm Macdonald put his condo in Santa Monica on the real estate market with a price tag of $2.2 million. The apartment features 1,630 square feet of living space with ocean views. In addition, the property is located just two blocks away from the famous Santa Monica beach. He had originally purchased the property for $1.75 million back in 2008. Around 2015, reports suggested that Macdonald had purchased another property in Playa Vista for $750,000.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7u7PRZ6WerF%2Bau3DDyKSgaKafp7puucCcm6imkaGxtHnNnqtmr5%2Bnwal5waKmoKqRpbW6ecKaqZ6domKuuK3RnapmnpGYwW6tzZ1kpaGWmnq0wM6rsGg%3D