Michael Joseph “Mike” Farrell, Jr. was born on 6 February 1939, in St. Paul, Minnesota USA, to parents Agnes Sarah Cosgrove and Michael Joseph Farrell Sr., of Irish descent. He is an actor, writer, director and producer, probably best known for playing Captain B.J. Hunnicutt in the 70s hit television series “M*A*S*H”.
So just how wealthy is Mike Farrell at present? As reported in mid-2016, Farrell has established a net worth over $10 million, his wealth being mostly accumulated during his years in the entertainment industry.
Mike Farrell Net Worth $10 Million
When Farrell was two years old his family moved to Hollywood, where he attended West Hollywood Grammar School and later Hollywood High School. Upon matriculating he entered the Marine Corps for two years, and then enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) while also studying acting at the Jeff Corey Workshop.
Farrell began his acting career by taking minor parts in several television series of the 60s, such as “Combat”, “I Dream of Jeannie” and “The Monkees”, as well as with minor roles in the movies “The Graduate” and “The Americanization of Emily”. His television parts eventually led him to become part of the hit NBC soap opera “Days of Our Lives” in 1968, taking the role of Scott Banning for two years; his net worth was starting to rise. The ’70s saw him taking leading roles in TV series “The Interns” and “The Man and the City”. Signing a four-year contract with the Universal Studios, Farrell took a lead role in the television movie “The Questor Tapes”, and went on to guest star in numerous shows, such as “Bonanza”, “Banacek”, “Marcus Welby, M.D.” and “The New Land”.
In 1975 Farrell was cast in the series “M*A*S*H” for the newly created role of Captain B.J. Hunnicutt, remaining eight years in the show, until its cancellation in 1983. He also got the opportunity to write and direct a number of episodes which brought him additional praise. The series was popular in many English-speaking countries around the world, including repeat showings, and enabled Mike to enter Hollywood stardom, as well as greatly increasing his net worth.
After “M*A*S*H”, Farrell took roles in a number of movies including “Sex and a Single Parent”, “Prime Suspect”, “Choices of the Heart”, “Private Sessions” and “Memorial Day” which he also co-produced. Farrell also hosted “Saving the Wildlife” for PBS and “The Best of the National Geographic Specials”.
In 1985, in partnership with the late producer Marvin Minoff, he created a production company which released a number of TV and feature films, such as the 1988 “Dominick and Eugene” and the 1998 Robin Williams film “Patch Adams”. Farrell went on to appear in the movies “A Deadly Silence”, “The Price of the Bride”, “Incident at Dark River” and “The Whereabouts of Jenny” among other, and provided the voice for Jonathan Kent in the animated series “Superman” in 1996. In 1999 he became part of the NBC melodrama series “Providence”, taking the role of veterinarian Jim Hansen; he remained in the series for five seasons, which also significantly added to his wealth. The 2000s saw Farrell in the hit series “Desperate Housewives”.
Farrell has published two books, an autobiography “Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist” in 2007 and “Of Mule and Man” in 2009, adding to his net worth.
When it comes to his personal life, Farrell married teacher Judy Hayden in 1963 and has two children with her – Hayden also had a recurring role in “M*A*S*H” as a nurse. They divorced in 1983. He has been married to actress Shelley Fabares since 1984, with whom he appeared in “Superman” too.
Farrell has been an activist for a number of political and social causes, devoting himself the most to promoting human rights and peace delegations to a number of countries around the world, and opposing the death penalty, which earned him various honors and awards. He is also an animal right activist. He co-founded Artists United to Win Without War, an organization protesting the war in Iraq, and has been active in the Screen Actors Guide, being named first vice-president of the Guild in LA in 2002.
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