Will Ferrell Net Worth [Is There Anything He Can't Do?]

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Profession/Career:	Actor, Producer, Writer, Comedian
Net Worth:	$165 million
College:	University of Southern California (USC)
Major/Degree:	Sports Journalism
Real Name:	John William Ferrell
Date of Birth (Age):	July 16, 1967 (56 years old)
Place of Birth:	Irvine, California
Heights:	6ft 3 in

Frequently Associated With

Zach Galafianakis
Saturday Night Live (SNL)
John C. Reilly
Kevin Hart
Chad Smith
Adam McKay
Viveca Paulin
Patrick Ferrell
Mark Wahlberg

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What is Will Ferrell’s Net Worth?

Will Ferrell’s net worth is a cool $165 million.

His earlier money comes from the time he spent as a Saturday Night Live cast member, but the majority of his net worth by and large comes mainly from the movies he’s starred in and produced over the years.

Will Ferrell’s Early Life

Will Ferrell early life consisted of a positive outlook throughout. He was born to a famous musician father Roy Lee Ferrell Jr. who was a keyboardist for the Righteous brothers, and to a mother Betty Kay who was an elementary school teacher. When he was just 8 years old, his parents divorced, and he reminisces how he thought at the time that it was awesome he could celebrate two separate Christmases instead of just one.

Will always stated that his suburban neighborhood in Irvine was a dull and lackluster experience, and he always had to make up for it with his comedic talent and imagination.

He said of himself, “I wasn’t a class clown or anything like that, but I remember being with my teacher Mr. Chad in the first grade, and he told the class that they were going to do some exercises that day. He meant they were doing math exercises, but I stood up and started to do some jumping jacks. I still don’t know what possessed me to do that to this day, but my friends all cracked up at it.”

In high school, he played for the school football team and read the high school’s morning announcements using various character voices. He also went to USC for sports journalism and worked as a sports commentator for awhile before his joined the entertainment industry.

Did Will Ferrell Grow Up Poor?

Will Ferrell did not grow up poor. He was born and raised in Irvine, California, which has some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in all of California. It’s a city that’s recently been flooded with investor home purchases due to how safe and desirable the city is.

However, it doesn’t necessarily mean he was filthy rich growing up. He did say that growing up, he had a limited budget, although that measure is often relative. Even wealthy kids will often have a budget set by their parents, even if only to learn a valuable life lesson about money management.

How Will Ferrell Got Started In Comedy

Will Ferrell In The Groundlings

Although Will Ferrell has always been into comedy, he didn’t have much success until 1994, when he join the improv group The Groundlings. Between the Groundlings, taking classes and auditioning for tv shows, Ferrell also got a job at an auction house via his friend and future wife, Viveca Paulin.

Will Ferrell In Saturday Night Live

While being in The Groundlings, a producer for SNL saw Will Ferrell perform and loved him. He was asked to audition for Lorne Michaels, who also loved him. Will Ferrell joined SNL in 1995 and stayed for a whole 7 years, until 2002. While in SNL Will Ferrell gained popularity and fans everywhere, he also created countless amazing characters. By the time he left, he became the highest-paid SNL cast member at $350,000 salary for the season.

Will Ferrell’s Biggest Break

Although he was famous before the movie, his real big break in terms of monetary compensation came from the success of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)where he made $7 million from that movie alone. Since then, he’s consistently made double or more that amount for each film he’s starred in.

Will Ferrell’s Most Notable Movies

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004): This comedy film, directed by Adam McKay, stars Ferrell as the lead character, a popular news anchor in the 1970s.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006): Ferrell stars as a fictional NASCAR driver in this comedy film, directed by Adam McKay.

Step Brothers (2008): In this comedy film, Ferrell stars alongside John C. Reilly as two middle-aged men who become stepbrothers.

Elf (2003): Ferrell stars as Buddy, a human who was raised by elves at the North Pole, in this Christmas comedy film directed by Jon Favreau.

Blades of Glory (2007): Ferrell stars alongside Jon Heder as two rival figure skaters who are forced to team up and compete as a pairs team in this comedy film directed by Will Speck and Josh Gordon.

The Other Guys (2010): Ferrell stars alongside Mark Wahlberg as two New York City police officers who uncover a financial scam in this action-comedy film, directed by Adam McKay.

Zoolander (2001): Ferrell plays the role of Mugatu, a fashion designer and the main antagonist of this comedy film, directed by Ben Stiller.

Old School (2003): Ferrell stars alongside Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn as three friends who start a fraternity on a college campus in this comedy film, directed by Todd Phillips.

The Campaign (2012): Ferrell stars alongside Zach Galifianakis as two rival politicians running for the same congressional seat in this comedy film, directed by Jay Roach.

Will Ferrell and Mattel’s CEO

Will Ferrell appeared on the big screen as Mattel’s CEO in the 2023 blockbuster Barbie. The portrayal, shall we say, was not exactly flattering to the CEO, the movie makes the CEO out to be some sort of a villain.

Ynon Kreiz, the CEO as Mattel, publicly responded to the parody part and took it like a champion. Ynon stated that the company as a whole takes what they do very seriously but when it comes to themselves, they don’t take themselves that seriously and found the parody to be very funny and suiting to the movie.

What is Will Ferrell’s comedy style?

Will Ferrell’s comedy style is often characterized by his willingness to fully commit to outrageous and over-the-top characters. He excels at physical comedy, often using his body language and facial expressions to generate laughs. Ferrell’s performances frequently involve a combination of improvisation, absurd humor, and a fearless approach to embracing comedic situations.

One notable aspect of Ferrell’s comedy style is his ability to play characters who are oblivious or oblivious to their own eccentricities. He often portrays characters with exaggerated personalities, showcasing their quirks and idiosyncrasies in a humorous way. Whether he’s playing an overconfident news anchor in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” or a man-child who refuses to grow up in “Step Brothers,” Ferrell brings an infectious energy and comedic timing to his roles.

Ferrell is also known for his willingness to engage in physical comedy, often throwing himself into physically demanding and outrageous scenes. From engaging in absurd dance sequences to performing slapstick comedy, he has a knack for using his body to elicit laughter.

Additionally, Ferrell is known for his improvisational skills, honed during his time on “Saturday Night Live.” He has a talent for thinking on his feet and coming up with hilarious lines and reactions in the moment, which adds an element of spontaneity to his performances.

Overall, Will Ferrell’s comedy style can be described as larger-than-life, absurd, and committed. He embraces the ridiculous and uses his physicality and comedic timing to create memorable and entertaining characters. His ability to fully embody these characters and deliver lines with a deadpan sincerity contributes to his unique brand of comedy.

Will Ferrell’s Wife

Will Ferrell is married to Viveca Paulin, who is also an actress and producer. Her home country is Sweden, and the two of them split their time between Los Angeles, New York City, and Sweden. Viveca has appeared in several films including:

Money Talks
A Night at The Roxbury
Ralph Breaks The Internet

Will Ferrell’s Family

Will and his wife have three children together. From oldest to youngest, they are:

Magnus (born in 2004)
Mattias (born in 2006)
Axel (2010)

He also has a younger brother by the name of Patrick Ferrell who is also an actor and a director. He has appeared alongside Will in the movie Elf, as well as in A Night at the Roxbury, which you may recall Will’s wife Viveca having been in.

Will Ferrell’s Philanthropy

One of Will Ferrell’s favorite charities to donate to is Cancer for College. It’s a charity that gives scholarships to young cancer survivors, and he has consistently and continues to consistently make charitable contributions to the organization.