Wayne Eliot Knight was born on 7 August 1955, in New York City USA. When people hear the name Wayne Knight, they naturally think about comedy, and they are not mistaken, as he is an actor who is primarily a comedian. He is best known for his role as the mailman Newman from the television show “Seinfeld”, in which he starred from 1992 to 1998. Knight’s acting career started in the ‘70s, since when he has starred in a number of films and Broadway shows.
So how rich is Wayne Knight today? Sources estimate that Wayne’s net worth is $8 million, so he is not only popular but also quite wealthy, having accumulated his fortune from his acting career over more than 35 years in the industry.
Wayne Knight Net Worth $8 Million
Wayne was still very young when his family decided to move to Cartersville, Georgia, so that Wayne’s father could work in the textile industry. As a student, Wayne took an interest in sports, especially football. Wayne then attended the University of Georgia, but dropped out before graduation, despite the fact that he was an honours student (he eventually graduated in 2008.). Wayne decided to pursue a career in acting, in hindsight the right decision, since he indeed has become a famous actor. After leaving college he went to work at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia where two years later he gained an internship, and became a member of Actors’ Equity Association and decided to go to New York. However, at first it was difficult for him to find a job and make a living. Fortunately, after two years he appeared on Broadway and so his acting career began.
In 1979 Wayne Knight appeared for the first time on the Broadway stage in the comedy “Gemini”. Later he appeared in the plays “Mastergate” and “Sweet Charity”, in which he shared the stage with Christina Applegate. Wayne Knight is well-known for his roles in such 80s and early ‘90s films such as “Dirty Dancing”as “JFK”, “Basic Instinct” and “Jurassic Park”. Knight’s acting in the notorious interrogation scene with Sharon Stone attracted Steven Spielberg’s attention, and he immediately chose Wayne to act in his movie “Jurassic Park”. Wayne has acted in other well-known films such as “Dead Again”, and “Space Jam”. Acting in such popular films by respectable directors like Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone significantly increased Knight’s net worth.
Later Wayne Knight mainly focused his acting career on television, including in the aforementioned long-running “Seinfeld” series.. He also appeared in television series “Third Rock from the Sun”, “CSI: NY” and “That ’70s Show”. In 2009, Wayne appeared in an episode of the television series “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, where he once again played the role of Newman from “Seinfeld”. In November 2012 Wayne Knight again appeared on Broadway, in the play “Elf the Musical”, in which he played the role of Santa.
Moreover, Wayne is a voice actor, and has worked on a number of cartoons. For example, he voiced the elephant Tantor in “Tarzan” and the toy store manager Al McWhiggin in “Toy Story 2”.
In his personal life, Wayne married Paula Sutor in 1996 but the couple divorced in 2006. Today Wayne Knight has been married to his wife Clare de Chenu since 2006, and together they have a son.
