Tom Shadyac is an American director who has a net worth of $5 million dollars. Tom is most famous for directing some of the most-successful comedy films of all time, including “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”, “The Nutty Professor”, “Liar Liar”, “Bruce Almighty”, and “Evan Almighty”.
Born in Falls Church, Virginia, Tom Shadyac graduated from the University of Virginia, where he was studying to become a lawyer, and then went on to film school at the University of California-Los Angeles. He made a name for himself as a writer/director during graduate school, with his award-winning short film, “Tom, Dick, & Harry”. His first professional job was working as a joke writer for Bob Hope. He would go on to write and/or direct such comedies as “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”, “The Nutty Professor”, “Liar Liar”, “Bruce Almighty”, and “Evan Almighty”. Shadyac wrote and directed the first Ace Ventura, which was the surprise hit of 1996. Considering Jim Carrey’s lackluster star power of the time, the first Ace Ventura had extremely low expectations from its studio. The movie was filmed on a shoe-string budget of $15 million. It eventually went on to gross over $100 million worldwide. He also produced such films as “Nutty Professor II: The Klumps”, “Accepted”, and “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry”.
“I made about $5 million on Liar Liar and I owned a piece of Bruce Almighty and it ended up grossing over a billion so I made over $30 million on that one.”
– Tom Shadyac
Philanthropy: After a severe bike accident, Tom chose to simplify his life. He proceeded to donate much of his wealth to charity, and selling many of his possessions. He sold a 17,000 square foot mansion, a private jet and a garage full of exotic cars. At one point he calculated that whenever he used the jet, it cost $44,000 an hour. He reportedly gave away more than $50 million dollars in total. He subsequently moved into Paradise Cove, an upscale trailer park, in Malibu. Tom documented his journey in the film, “I Am”.
Tom Shadyac Quotes:
“I believe I was my least successful when I ‘had it all’… I didn’t need a private jet. It costs $44,000 to fly for an hour and a half, someone doesn’t even make that in a year… The more I give away the wealthier I feel. For everything I ‘gave up’, so much more was returned. The trappings of fame and fortune are exactly that – a trapping. It’s called the spoils of success for a reason.”
And perhaps his most insightful revelation:
“No one is ever looking to have a more robust IRA when they are on their deathbed. They are saying, ‘I am so happy that I had the opportunity to love this family, to be a part of something’ .”
| Net Worth: | $5 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Dec 11, 1958 (63 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Comedian, Actor, Film Producer, Film director, Screenwriter, Television producer, Author |
| Nationality: | United States of America |