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Laurence Fishburne is an American actor best known for his roles in the Matrix movies, Black-ish, and CSI. Having started his career in Hollywood in the 1970s, Fishburne has appeared in more than 120 movies and television series.
But it’s not only his acting career that has impacted his success. Lawrence Fishburne’s net worth is also affected by his work as a producer, his podcast work on Bronzeville, and his real estate investments. Continue on to discover Fishburne’s most successful projects and follow his career from its start until the present day.
Early Life
Laurence John Fishburne III was born in Augusta, Georgia, on July 30, 1961. His mother, Hattie Bell Crawford, taught mathematics and science at junior high school. His father, Laurence John Fishburne, Jr., was a juvenile corrections officer.
Following his parents’ divorce, Fishburne went to Brooklyn, New York, with his mother. His father came to see him once a month. Fishburne graduated from the former Lincoln Square Academy, which had shut down in the 1980s.
Acting Career
Fishburne’s acting career began when he was only 11 years old. He got a small part in the 1972 television film If You Give a Dance, You Gotta Pay the Band. Despite his young age and lack of professional acting experience, his performance was highly praised by critics.
One of Fishburne’s earliest projects was the coming-of-age drama, Cornbread, Earl and Me in 1975. He played the role of a young boy who was the sole witness when police fatally shot his friend and local basketball hero, Cornbread.
One Life to Live
In 1974, he was cast as Joshua Hall in the television soap One Life to Live. It was the first of his early projects where he was credited as Larry Fishburne. He stayed on the show for three years and had a thriving career on television in the 1980s. He had roles in episodes of Trapper John, M.D., M*A*S*H, and Hill Street Blues.
Apocalypse Now
On the big screen, Fishburne’s next role was in the 1979 Francis Ford Coppola film Apocalypse Now. It starred veteran actors Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and Martin Sheen. It gave Fishburne his first taste of being in a box office hit, with gross earnings of $104.7 million against a budget of $31.5 million.
Pee-wee’s Playhouse
In 1986, Fishburne was selected to play the recurring role of Cowboy Curtis in Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. It was packaged as a children’s show. However, it actually also catered to adult audiences. Fishburne was on the show from the first to the final season.
Boyz n the Hood
The year after the show ended, Fishburne played the character of Jason “Furious” Styles in John Singleton’s coming-of-age film Boyz n the Hood. He joined Cuba Gooding Jr., Ice Cube, and Angela Bassett in the cast. The film went on to make $57.5 million on a budget of $6.5 million.
By the 1990s, Fishburne started getting wider recognition for his acting. In 1992, he performed on stage in the play Two Trains Running and won a Tony Award for his performance. In 1993, he won his first Primetime Emmy for his guest role in the drama anthology TriBeCa.
What’s Love Got to Do with It
In 1994, his performance as Ike Turner Sr. in What’s Love Got to Do with It won him an Academy Award nomination in the Best Actor category. With a budget of $15 million, the film grossed $39.1 million worldwide.
After the success of What’s Love Got to Do with It, Fishburne received two more Emmy nominations for The Tuskegee Airmen and Miss Evers’ Boys.
Event Horizon
Fishburne had a starring role in 1997 for the sci-fi horror film Event Horizon. It only grossed $26.7 million at the global box office against a production budget of $60 million. However, over the years the movie has gained a cult following. It was recently re-released to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary.
The Matrix
The film franchise that would have the largest impact on Laurence Fishburne’s net worth would be the Matrix movies. In 1999, he joined the cast as Morpheus, the hacker and mentor of Keanu Reeves‘s Neo. It went on to make an incredible $467.2 million from theaters worldwide, with a production budget of $63 million.
The Matrix Reloaded
In 2003, the second film in the Matrix franchise was released, and Fishburne returned with the rest of the original main cast. This time, the film had a larger budget of $150 million, which more than quadrupled its total gross earnings of $741.8 million. The movie’s box office success makes it Fishburne’s second-highest-grossing film.
Fishburne’s salary for the first film was not disclosed. However, for this second installment, he reportedly received a salary of $15 million, and he also received a percentage of the film’s total box office revenues.
The Matrix Revolutions
Barely six months later, The Matrix Revolutions was released. Fishburne reprised his role as Morpheus in the Matrix trilogy for the last time. Once more, he received a reported salary of $15 million plus 3.75% of the backend earnings.
The film raked in $427.3 million against a budget of $150 million, making it Fishburne’s sixth-highest-grossing film as of 2022.
Mystic River
As if two huge blockbusters in one year were not enough, Fishburne also appeared in the crime drama Mystic River. Directed by Clint Eastwood and co-starring Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and other big stars, the film was also a huge commercial success. It ended its theater run with total gross revenues of $156.6 million compared to a budget of $25 million.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Laurence Fishburne’s net worth would again get a huge boost when he was cast as Dr. Raymond Langston in the highly-rated forensics crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He stayed on the show from 2008 to 2011, appearing in a total of 60 episodes. With a salary of $350,000 per episode, his total earnings from the series added up to more than $20 million.
Contagion
Fishburne had another good year in 2011 as he played the role of Dr. Ellis Cheever in the medical thriller Contagion. The actor joined an ensemble cast that included Matt Damon, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. It was directed by Steven Soderbergh.
The film had a production budget of $60 million and made more than double that amount at $136.5 million.
Man of Steel
In 2013, Fishburne joined the cast of Man of Steel as Perry White, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet. It drew in $668 million from theaters worldwide against a production budget of $225 million.
As of 2022, Man of Steel is Fishburne’s third-highest-grossing film.
Hannibal (2013 – 2015)
Fishburne’s television career continued to flourish as he was chosen to play the main character in the psychological thriller series Hannibal. Based on the Thomas Harris novels, which were also the inspiration for the movies, Hannibal aired for three seasons. It also received numerous accolades throughout its run. Fishburne received no shortage of praise either, winning the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2015.
The NBC series was another sizable impact on Laurence Fishburne’s net worth, as he was reportedly paid $175,000 per episode. With 39 episodes in total, Fishburne made $6.8 million for his work on the series.
Black-ish
Another highly successful television series would come for Fishburne in 2014 when he starred in the sitcom Black-ish. He was also an executive producer of the show, which earned him two Emmy nominations. It ran for eight seasons, and Fishburne was present for 89 episodes.
With a salary of $200,000 per episode, which includes both his acting and producing paycheck, Fishburne took home close to $18 million for the entire duration of the series.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Fishburne would return to the role of Perry White in 2016 for the DC sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It had a slightly higher budget of $250 million and generated a much higher revenue of $873.6 million. As of 2022, this is Fishburne’s highest-grossing film.
John Wick: Chapter 2
In 2017, Fishburne would join the cast of the John Wick franchise, also reuniting with Matrix co-star Keanu Reeves. He played an underground crime lord known as The Bowery King. The film was a box office success, earning $171.5 million against a budget of $40 million.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Fishburne would return in two years to reprise his role in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. With a budget of $75 million, it was able to double the revenues of the previous film, finishing with a total of $328.3 million in box office gross earnings.
The fourth installment of the franchise is currently in post-production and is set for release in 2023. Fishburne again plays the role of The Bowery King.
Recent Work
Fishburne’s most recent appearances were in the spy thriller All the Old Knives and Netflix’s fantasy film The School for Good and Evil. He also appeared in seven episodes of the action comedy MacGruber in 2021 as Gen. Barrett Fasoose.
Other Ventures
Also adding to Laurence Fishburne’s net worth is his work as a producer. The list of films released under his production company, Cinema Gypsy Productions, includes Once in the Life in 2001 and Akeelah and the Bee in 2006.
Real Estate
A portion of Laurence Fishburne’s net worth also comes from his real estate investments. The star purchased a two-bedroom penthouse in the Upper West Side of New York City from the Jezebel restaurant owner Alberta Wright. The apartment was sold to Fishburne without Wright using a real estate broker, thus the price Fishburne paid has not been made public.
The penthouse had last been on the market in the early 1990s, and, at that time, it had an asking price of $785,000. In 2005, it was estimated that similar apartments in the neighborhood would go for around $2 million.
Personal Life
In 1985, Fishburne married actress Hajna O. Moss. They have a son named Langston, who is also an actor, and a daughter named Montana. They divorced in the early 1990s.
Fishburne then had a relationship with actress Victoria Dillard from 1992 to 1995. Then he dated actress Gina Torres for a few months before tying the knot in 2002. The couple welcomed their daughter Delilah in 2007. Ten years later, Fishburne filed for divorce, which was finalized in May 2018.
Laurence Fishburne’s Net Worth Today
As of 2022, Laurence Fishburne’s net worth is estimated at $30 million. While his acting career has a sizable impact on that amount, his production company and real estate investments also affect his net worth.
Fans of Fishburne can look forward to seeing him next in 2023’s John Wick 4 as well as Francis Ford Coppola’s highly anticipated Megalopolis, which also stars Adam Driver, Shia LaBeouf, Dustin Hoffman, and Forest Whitaker.
Additionally, Fishburne has more than ten additional projects coming that are in various stages of development.
