| Full Name | Lawrence Gene David |
|---|---|
| Net Worth | $800 million USD |
| Date of Birth | July 2, 1947 |
| Age | 75 |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Profession | Comedian, writer, producer, actor |
| Known For | Co-creating and starring in the TV series Seinfeld, creating and starring in the TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm |
| Awards | Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Writers Guild of America Awards, Producers Guild of America Awards |
| Social Media | Twitter, Instagram |
Have you ever wondered what the net worth of Larry David is? Well, Larry David has had a wildly successful career as an actor, comedian, director, and television producer.
He and Jerry Seinfeld created the series Seinfeld and David was the head writer and producer for the first 7 seasons.
After Seinfeld, he went on to create Curb Your Enthusiasm, a hit series on HBO that he wrote and starred in.
With all of these accolades, As of May 2023, Larry David has an estimated net worth of $400 million dollars.
Let’s take a look at his career and see how he was able to go from a struggling actor to one of the richest comedians in the world.
Table of Contents
Early Life
David was born on July 2nd, 1942, and was raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn.
He attended Sheepshead Bay High School and went on to get his bachelor’s from the University of Maryland in history.
It was at college that David found out that he could make people laugh just by being himself.
He had no real direction at the time so this was a profound insight for him. He knew from then on he wanted to pursue a career in comedy.
David took on a lot of jobs to finance himself while pursuing his passions.
He enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and got a job as a store clerk, limousine driver, and historian.
He landed his first job in comedy when he became a writer for ABC’s Fridays, a weekly late-night live comedy show.
After Fridays, he went on to become a writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL) but quickly got tired of his job as a writer as he wanted to be a cast member instead.
The studio granted him one sketch on the show, which aired at 12:50 AM, the last time slot available.
David was fed up and quit his job at SNL in 1985. For the next 4 years, David tried his hand as a stand-up comedian.
He never amassed much success. However, in 1989, his life would change forever.
Larry David Seinfeld
Although David struggled through a lot of his early comedic years, he was able to meet some great comics along the way.
Comedians such as Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and most notably Jerry Seinfeld.
In 1989, David and Seinfeld teamed up to create their pilot, The Seinfeld Chronicles. This was later shortened to just Seinfeld.
The show was an immediate success and is ranked Number 1 on TV Guide’s list of, The 50 most entertaining television series.
Although David didn’t star in the show, he wrote 62 of the 180 episodes.
He was also the primary inspiration for the show’s character George Costanza, the neurotic, self-loathing friend of Jerry Seinfeld.
David left Seinfeld on friendly terms after the sixth season but came back to write the series finale in 1998. From there, it was time for him to find his next venture.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
After Seinfeld, HBO aired a one-hour special from David called, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999.
The special was a hit and led to a television series on HBO one year later called Curb Your Enthusiasm.
David has said that the show is based on a fictionalized version of himself.
The show was another instant success and eventually led to the pop-culture expression, “Larry David moment,” meaning accidentally creating an awkward situation.
The show was nominated for 30 Primetime Emmy Awards, with one win, and also won a Golden Globe.
Larry David Net Worth 2001
When Seinfeld first aired in 1989, David owned 7.5% of the show’s equity.
As the show grew in popularity through the 90s David was able to negotiate a deal to boost his equity percentage to 15%.
This couldn’t have been timed better as Seinfeld landed its first syndication deal for $1.7 billion in 1998.
This means that the syndication of Seinfeld had earned David an estimated $250 million in 1998 alone. So, by the early 2000s, Larry David was already a hundred millionaire.
Larry David Net Worth Growth
| Year | Net Worth (in millions USD) | Contributing Factors |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $0.5 million | Income from stand-up comedy and writing |
| 1990 | $10 million | Success of “Seinfeld” as co-creator and writer |
| 2000 | $150 million | Syndication royalties from “Seinfeld” and success of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as creator and star |
| 2010 | $300 million | Continued success of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and other writing and producing projects |
| 2020 | $400 million | Success of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and other writing and producing projects, as well as investments and business ventures |
Larry David Net Worth 2023
Still, As of May 2023, the net worth of Larry David is $400 million dollars.
David has received 27 Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe Award nominations.
His work on Seinfeld Seinfeld won him two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1993, just four years into the show running.
There was a point when David was almost a billionaire. However, he had a divorce in 2007 that cut his net worth in half.
To this day, David makes around $40-50 million annually between his syndication deals, DVD sales, merchandise, and other royalties.
Key Takeaways
Now that you know what the net worth of Larry David is and how he built it, let’s take a look at some of the most important lessons we can take from his journey.
What Do People Come to You For?
David, like most college students, didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life.
However, he realized in college that people found him funny, and would come to him for laughs.
The best way to figure out what you should pursue in life is to ask yourself, “What do people come to me for?”
If you can figure this out, you can find a way to make money off skills and talents you may not even know you have.
If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them?
You may be thinking that’s a typo, but it isn’t. Larry David originally wanted to join SNL as a cast member but they wouldn’t let him on the show.
Fed up with just being a writer, he decided to create a pilot for Seinfeld that ended up eclipsing SNL in viewership.
So if they won’t let you join them, use that anger to create something even better.
Patience Is The Key to Success
Larry David was a struggling comedian all the way up until he was 47 years old.
So many people try something for 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years and then decide to quit. You need patience if you want to achieve your goals.
The bigger your goal the more patience you will need. Success isn’t easy.
Most people don’t fail at achieving their goals, they simply give up on them.