Net worth & personal profile
Markie PostNet Worth
The $12M estate estimate tested against four decades of television, unknown salaries and residuals, a $5.8M home sale, her husband, two daughters and the false claims in the old profile.
Markie Post's net worth at her death is not independently established. Celebrity Net Worth publishes a $12 million estimate, but no reviewed source provides a probate inventory, trust accounting, contract history, residual statements, debts or taxes. A reported $5.8 million sale of the family home in 2022 is a gross estate-era transaction—not proof of a $12 million personal estate.
Source · CC BY 2.0 · Displayed crop
The essentials
The $12 million figure is a publisher estimate at death. No reviewed source supplies the probate inventory, trust accounting, debts and taxes needed to reproduce it. [1]
The family's Toluca Lake home reportedly sold for $5.8 million in 2022 after a 1991 purchase for a little over $1 million. That is a gross estate-era transaction, not a disclosed net inheritance. [1]
SAG-AFTRA confirms that residuals can pass to a beneficiary or heir, but the amount depends on production, contract year, work and market. No public statement values Post's residual stream. [11]
The estimate · Television career · Salary & residuals · Home & estate · Family & legacy · Evidence
Markie Post spent four decades on television, moving from game-show production to The Fall Guy, Night Court and Hearts Afire before later character roles. That career supports continuing recognition and possible residual income. It does not reveal a public estate inventory or make the different $5 million, $15 million and $20 million claims in the former profile reliable.
This review replaces those contradictions with the current $12 million outside estimate and shows why it cannot be independently verified. It also corrects the old page’s fabricated marriages, son, awards, hosting work, investments and claim that Post was still alive. Net Worth VIP — methodology
01 / The estate estimate
The $12M claim has no public probate calculation
Celebrity Net Worth currently estimates that Post was worth $12 million when she died in August 2021. The publisher does not provide a probate inventory, trust accounting, bank and investment schedule, residual valuation, debts, medical costs, taxes or distribution statement.
The earlier Net Worth VIP article was less reliable still. Its structured field said $5 million, its body opened at $20 million and its conclusion settled on $15 million. It supported none of those totals with contracts or estate records and continued to describe Post in the present tense.
This profile therefore leaves the structured value blank. Twelve million dollars is displayed as an outside estimate at death, not a current fortune or an established amount inherited by her family.
02 / From production to prime time
Game shows opened the door; three series defined the career
Post entered television behind the camera, working on game shows and serving as an associate producer on Alex Trebek’s Double Dare. Her first substantial regular acting role was bail bondswoman Terri Michaels on The Fall Guy from 1982 to 1985.
She first appeared on Night Court as a guest, then joined full time in the third season as public defender Christine Sullivan. The role lasted seven seasons and became her signature. Hearts Afire followed from 1992 to 1995 opposite John Ritter, extending a run of major network roles across more than a decade.
Later work included There’s Something About Mary, Scrubs, Chicago P.D. and The Kids Are Alright. The Television Academy records no Primetime Emmy nominations for Post, contradicting the old article’s two nominations and Golden Globe win. A Hallmark biography instead documents a shared CableACE producer award for a children’s special.
03 / Salary and residuals
Reruns can pay an estate, but the public numbers are invented
No reliable source reviewed here publishes Post’s per-episode salary for The Fall Guy, Night Court or Hearts Afire. The old page’s annual figures from $150,000 to $800,000 were editorial inventions, as were its later $200,000 estate-residual entries.
SAG-AFTRA explains that residuals depend on the contract in force, the performer’s work, production type and exhibition market. Its current guidance also confirms that a beneficiary or heir may receive residuals after a performer’s death. Those rules establish a potential payment channel, not the amount of Post’s checks.
The Night Court revival renewed interest in the franchise, but the Associated Press does not report a payment to Post’s estate. A new program, reruns of the original and use of a deceased performer’s image or performance can involve different rights. None should be converted into estate income without a statement or contract.
04 / Home and estate
The $5.8M home sale is evidence, not the whole estate
Celebrity Net Worth reports that Post and Michael A. Ross paid a little over $1 million for a Toluca Lake home in 1991. A contemporary local interview supports the long family connection: Post described the home she built in Toluca Lake.
The property was listed after her death and reportedly sold for $5.8 million in August 2022. That figure is the gross sale price. It does not disclose title shares, mortgage balance, construction and renovation costs, selling expenses, capital-gains tax or how proceeds were allocated between a surviving spouse, trust and estate.
Los Angeles Superior Court explains that probate research requires a case number and that some estate or trust material can remain restricted. None of the reviewed reporting supplies a public inventory for Post. The sale can therefore anchor one asset transaction, but it cannot verify a $12 million net estate.
05 / Family and legacy
Michael Ross, two daughters and work through cancer treatment
Post married writer and producer Michael A. Ross in February 1982. They remained married until her death. Their daughters are Kate Armstrong Ross and Daisy Schoenborn; contemporary obituaries also noted a granddaughter. The old profile’s son Will, 1997 divorce and later marriage to Richard Jordan were false.
She died in Los Angeles on August 7, 2021, at age 70. Her family described a three-year, ten-month battle with cancer. Reliable reporting names cancer but does not establish the specific pancreatic-cancer diagnosis claimed in the old FAQ.
Post continued acting during treatment, including Christmas Reservations and The Kids Are Alright. Her public legacy rests on that work and on the continuing visibility of the original Night Court—not on an invented current project or a guessed annual estate income.
The evidence, with its limits
| Figure | What it measures | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|
| $12M | Celebrity Net Worth’s estimate at her 2021 death | A probate inventory or audited estate value |
| A little over $1M | Reported 1991 joint home purchase price | Post’s later individual cost basis or equity |
| $6.275M | 2022 asking price after her death | A completed sale or inheritance value |
| $5.8M | Reported August 2022 gross sale price | Net proceeds after debt, costs, tax and ownership allocation |
| Seven seasons | Full-time Night Court run as Christine Sullivan | Per-episode salary or lifetime residuals |
| No nominations | Television Academy’s Primetime Emmy record for Post | Absence of all awards outside the Academy database |
| Amount undisclosed | Potential residuals payable to a beneficiary or heir | Annual estate income or the value of those rights |
Financial record
The money timeline
Markie Post dies at age 70PersonalNot disclosedDetails & source
Amount and context
Not disclosed · USD
She died from cancer after continuing to work during nearly four years of treatment.
Open source for Markie Post dies at age 70 ↗Hearts Afire extends the network runCareerNot disclosedDetails & source
Amount and context
Not disclosed · USD
Post starred opposite John Ritter in the CBS comedy through 1995.
Open source for Hearts Afire extends the network run ↗Christine Sullivan becomes her signature roleCareerNot disclosedDetails & source
Amount and context
Not disclosed · USD
She joined Night Court full time in season three and remained through the 1992 finale.
Open source for Christine Sullivan becomes her signature role ↗The Fall Guy becomes the acting breakthroughCareerNot disclosedDetails & source
Amount and context
Not disclosed · USD
Post played bail bondswoman Terri Michaels through 1985, her first major regular network role.
Open source for The Fall Guy becomes the acting breakthrough ↗Double Dare puts Post behind the cameraCareerNot disclosedDetails & source
Amount and context
Not disclosed · USD
She served as an associate producer on the Alex Trebek game show before her acting career took hold.
Open source for Double Dare puts Post behind the camera ↗Amounts describe different financial measures and retain their original currencies. They must not be added together as personal wealth. Our methodology.
Common questions
Questions, answered
What was Markie Post's net worth when she died?
Her estate value is not independently established. Celebrity Net Worth publishes a $12 million estimate at her 2021 death, but no reviewed source provides a probate inventory, trust accounting, debts, taxes or a reproducible residual valuation.
How much did Markie Post make from Night Court?
No reliable source reviewed here discloses her salary or total Night Court compensation. The old profile’s annual salary figures were unsourced editorial estimates and have been removed.
Does Markie Post's estate still receive residuals?
SAG-AFTRA confirms that residuals can be payable to a beneficiary or heir. The amount depends on the contract, production, work and market, and no public statement reviewed here discloses what Post’s estate or beneficiaries receive.
Who was Markie Post's husband?
Writer and producer Michael A. Ross was her husband from February 1982 until her death in August 2021. The old profile’s claims of a 1997 divorce and later marriage were false.
How many children did Markie Post have, and what caused her death?
She had two daughters, Kate Armstrong Ross and Daisy Schoenborn. She died from cancer on August 7, 2021, after a three-year, ten-month battle; reliable reports reviewed here do not specify the cancer type.
Follow the evidenceSources & reading22 links
- Celebrity Net Worth — Markie Post ↗
Publishes the $12 million estimate and reports the purchase and later sale figures for the Toluca Lake home; no probate inventory is supplied.
- Associated Press via The Washington Post — Markie Post obituary ↗
Confirms her death from cancer, seven-season Night Court run, television career, second husband and two daughters.
- Los Angeles Times — Markie Post obituary ↗
Reports her career, continued work during treatment and family statement.
- Television Academy — Markie Post ↗
Official career record: The Fall Guy, Night Court, Hearts Afire, dates of birth and death, and no Primetime Emmy nominations.
- TVLine — Markie Post obituary ↗
Names husband Michael A. Ross and daughters Kate Armstrong Ross and Daisy Schoenborn; records her final screen work.
- Entertainment Tonight — Markie Post obituary ↗
Confirms nearly four years of cancer treatment and her husband, daughters and granddaughter.
- Forbes — Night Court star Markie Post dies ↗
Records her career arc, family survivors and producer credit; publishes no estate value.
- CNN via ABC17 — Markie Post dies after cancer ↗
Quotes the family statement describing a three-year, ten-month cancer battle and continued acting during treatment.
- Hallmark Channel — Backyard Wedding press kit ↗
Contemporary biography identifying Michael Ross, daughters Kate and Daisy, and her shared CableACE producer award.
- Lewis & Clark College — In Memoriam ↗
Official alumni record of her 1972 degree class and August 7, 2021 death.
- SAG-AFTRA — Residuals 101 ↗
Explains that residual formulas depend on the contract year, production type, work performed and exhibition market.
- SAG-AFTRA — Unclaimed Residuals ↗
Confirms that beneficiaries and heirs can receive performer residuals; it provides no amount for Post's estate.
- SAG-AFTRA — donating residuals ↗
Confirms that a deceased performer's beneficiary can direct future residuals, demonstrating that such rights may continue after death.
- Associated Press — Night Court revival ↗
Documents the franchise revival and identifies Post among the late original stars; it does not disclose estate payments.
- Los Angeles Superior Court — probate records ↗
Official guidance explaining that a case number is needed and that some probate or trust materials may be restricted.
- Patch — Markie Post and Toluca Lake ↗
Contemporary interview connecting Post to the Toluca Lake home she said she built.
- Encyclopedia.com — Markie Post ↗
Reference biography for her parents, education, February 1982 marriage to Michael Ross and daughters Kate and Daisy.
- Wikimedia Commons — Markie Post at the 1988 Emmys ↗
Portrait by Alan Light, licensed CC BY 2.0.
- Net Worth VIP — Tom Selleck ↗
Companion profile for a long network-television career with private contracts and property evidence.
- Net Worth VIP — Danny DeVito ↗
Companion actor-producer profile separating credits, company activity and personal wealth.
- Net Worth VIP — Meryl Streep ↗
Companion long-career actor profile built around sourced compensation and asset limits.
- Net Worth VIP — methodology ↗
Why an outside estimate, gross property sale, residual right and estate value remain separate.
