Samuel Michael Simon was born on 6 June 1955, in Los Angeles, California USA, of Estonian-Jewish ancestry through his father. He and was a television producer and director, actor, cartoonist and professional poker player, as well as a philanthropist, but best known for creating the animated sitcom TV series “The Simpsons”in the late 1980s. He passed away in March 2015 from colorectal cancer.
So just how rich was Sam Simon? Authoritative sources estimate that Sam’s net worth was over $100 million, with an approximate annual salary of $20-30 million in is later years, with the majority of his net worth coming from his career as a television producer, in particular his association with “The Simpsons”.
Sam Simon Net Worth $100 Million
Sam Simon was educated at Beverley Hills High School, and then attended Stanford University ostensibly on a football scholarship, but quickly dropped that, and graduated in 1977 having concentrated on psychology, even though he was never keen on studying. Simon began his career by working as a cartoonist for newspapers, and then moved on to work as a writer at Filmation Studio, where he created several animated shows, including the popular “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids”. He then created and wrote a sitcom called “Shaping Up”, in which the main stars were Leslie Nielsen and Jennifer Tilly. However, it wasn’t until 1989 when Fox network premiered his co-created animated show “The Simpsons” that Sam Simon received considerable critical acclaim and public exposure. An instant commercial success, the show was developed by Simon, James L. Brooks and Matt Groening, and the popularity of the series grew immensely so that currently “The Simpsons” has aired 25 seasons and a total of 552 episodes. The longest-running animated sitcom featuring some of the most beloved animated characters, “The Simpsons” has won 27 Primetime Awards, a Peabody Award, as well as 30 Annie Awards, in addition to being given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Subsequently, the film entitled “The Simpsons Movie” was released in 2007, generally to positive reviews and box office takings of $527 million.
Needless to say, it secured Sam Simon an impressive annual salary, but during the making of “The Simpsons”, Sam Simon helped co-create the sitcom entitled “The George Carlin Show” with George Carlin and Alex Rocco in the main roles. Simon then directed an episode of “Friends”, “The Michael Richards Show” and “The Norm Show”, as well as consulted and directed “The Drew Carey Show” starring Drew Carey, Ryan Stiles and Craig Ferguson. All contributed to his net worth.
When Simon left “The Simpsons”, he retired from the television as well. Simon’s only further project was a comedy series called “Anger Management” with Charlie Sheen and Selma Blair.
Simon’s contributions to the entertainment industry were rewarded with Primetime Emmy Awards, Emmy Outstanding Animated Program award, as well as Writers Guild of America Award.
In his personal life, Sam Simon was married twice, firstly to Jennifer Tilly,(1984-91) and then very briefly to actress and model Jami Ferrell in 200. For the last three years of his life he was partnered by Jenna Stewart. Sam Simon was also an noed philanthropist, founding The Sam Simon Foundation that helps hungry families in Los Angeles on a daily basis. In addition to that, he donated to PETA, as well as Sea Shepard Organization. Sam died in 2015 in Pacific Palisades, California at the age of 59.