What Is Albert Brooks’ Net Worth, Career, Biography, Facts, Age, Life Story

Albert Brooks is an American actor, comedian, writer, and director who has a net worth of $30 million. Brooks gave an Academy Award-nominated performance in 1987’s “Broadcast News,” and he has appeared in more than 30 other film and television projects, including “Terms of Endearment” (1983), “Drive” (2011), and “This Is 40” (2012). Albert voiced Marlin in “Finding Nemo” (2003) and “Finding Dory” (2016), Tiberius in “The Secret Life of Pets” (2016), and numerous characters on “The Simpsons” (1990–2021).

He wrote and directed the films “Real Life” (1979), “Modern Romance” (1981), “Lost in America” (1985), “Defending Your Life” (1991), “Mother” (1996), “The Muse” (1999), and “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World” (2005). Brooks released the stand-up comedy album “Comedy Minus One” in 1973, and he followed it with 1975’s “A Star Is Bought,” which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Recording. Albert published the book “2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America” in 2011.

Early Life

Albert Brooks was born Albert Lawrence Einstein on July 22, 1947, in Beverly Hills, California. His mother, Thelma Leeds, was an actress and singer, and his father, Harry Einstein, was a radio comedian. Albert’s brother Bob Einstein, who was better known as “Super Dave Osborne,” appeared on shows such as “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Arrested Development,” and sadly, he passed away in 2019 shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. Brooks’ other brother, Cliff, is a founding partner of L.A.’s Dailey Advertising. Albert’s half-brother, Charles Einstein (who passed away in 2007), wrote for the television series “Lou Grant” and “Playhouse 90.” Brooks grew up in a Jewish household, and he attended Beverly Hills High School, where Rob Reiner and Richard Dreyfuss were his classmates. After graduation, he enrolled at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, but he dropped out after his freshman year to pursue a career in comedy.

Career

Albert began going by “Albert Brooks” professionally, joking, “The real Albert Einstein changed his name to sound more intelligent.” In the late ’60s and early ’70s, he was a regular guest on talk shows and variety shows, and in 1969, he made his first appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” (he would appear 30 more times before Carson retired in 1992). In 1969, Brooks began booking acting jobs, appearing on “Marcus Welby, M.D.” and “Insight,” followed by “The Odd Couple” (1970), “Love, American Style” (1971), and “The New Dick Van Dyke Show” (1972). In 1975, he wrote and directed short films that appeared on “Saturday Night Live,” and he also wrote and directed the 1976 short film, “The Famous Comedians School.” Albert made his big screen debut in 1976’s “Taxi Driver,” then he appeared in 1980’s “Private Benjamin” and co-wrote, directed, and starred in 1979’s “Real Life” and 1981’s “Modern Romance.” In 1983, he appeared in “Twilight Zone: The Movie” and “Terms of Endearment,” and he directed and starred in 1985’s “Lost in America,” which he co-wrote with frequent collaborator Monica Johnson.

In 1987, Albert co-starred with William Hurt and Holly Hunter in “Broadcast News,” which was preserved in the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry in 2018 for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Brooks began the 1990s by writing, directing, and starring in 1991’s “Defending Your Life,” then he appeared in 1994’s “The Scout” (which he also wrote) and “I’ll Do Anything.” Albert and Monica Johnson co-wrote 1996’s “Mother,” which Brooks starred in and directed, then he appeared in “Critical Care” (1997) and “Out of Sight” (1998) and voiced Jacob the Tiger in “Dr. Dolittle.” (1998). He co-wrote, directed, and starred in 1999’s “The Muse,” appeared in “My First Mister” (2001) and “The In-Laws” (2003), and voiced Marlin in the 2003 hit “Finding Nemo,” which grossed $940.3 million at the box office. Albert reprised his role in 2016’s “Finding Dory,” which was even more successful, bringing in $1.029 billion.

Brooks wrote and directed 2005’s “Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World,” in which he played a fictionalized version of himself, and in 2007, he voiced Russ Cargill in “The Simpsons Movie.” In 2008, Albert had a recurring role on Showtime’s “Weeds,” playing the estranged father-in-law of Mary-Louise Parker’s Nancy Botwin. He earned numerous awards for his performance as gangster Bernie Rose in 2011’s “Drive,” and the following year, he appeared in the Judd Apatow film “This Is 40.” Brooks then appeared in “A Most Violent Year” (2014) and “Concussion” (2015) and lent his voice to “The Little Prince” (2015) and “I Love You, Daddy” (2017). He also voiced Tiberius the red-tailed hawk in 2016’s “The Secret Life of Pets,” which grossed $875.5 million worldwide.

Personal Life

Albert married artist Kimberly Shlain on March 15, 1997. The couple welcomed son Jacob in October 1998 and daughter Claire in March 2000. Before marrying Kimberly, who is the daughter of writer/surgeon Leonard Shlain, Brooks reportedly dated actress Carrie Fisher and singer Linda Ronstadt.

Awards and Nominations

In 1988, Brooks received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for “Broadcast News.” The film also earned him an American Comedy Award and Boston Society of Film Critics Award. For “Drive,” Albert received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture and awards from the African-American Film Critics Association, Black Film Critics Circle Awards, National Society of Film Critics Awards, Satellite Awards, and several film critic associations.  Brooks and Monica Johnson shared the award for Screenwriter of the Year at the 1997 ShoWest Convention, and they won a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay for “Mother” and also received Best Screenplay awards from the National Society of Film Critics Awards for “Mother” and “Lost in America.” Albert and his “Finding Dory co-stars won the #SQUAD award at the 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards, and the “Le Petit Prince” cast earned a Behind the Voice Actors Award for Best Vocal Ensemble in a TV Special/Direct-to-DVD Title or Short. Brooks also received two Behind the Voice Actors Award nominations for “Finding Dory,” Best Male Lead Vocal Performance in a Feature Film and Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film.

Real Estate

In 1992, Brooks paid $3.7 million for a 5,100 square foot home in Bel Air. He sold the four-bedroom, five-bathroom home, which previously belonged to Merv Griffin, for $6.3 million in 2012. In 2014, Albert purchased a 4,475 square foot home in Santa Monica for $4.5 million.