Ricky Gervais is a comedian, actor, director, producer, and writer from England. He is best known for creating and starring in the British mockumentary sitcom The Office. He has also starred in Extras, Life’s Too Short, and After Life.
What Is Ricky Gervais’ Net Worth?
As of late 2022, Ricky Gervais’ net worth is estimated to be $140 million. This makes him one of the highest-paid comedians in the world.
Early Life
Ricky Dene Gervais was born in Reading, England on June 25th, 1961 to Lawrence Raymond Gervais and Eva Sophia. His father had been repatriated from France to Canada, and Ricky was the youngest of four siblings growing up.
He first attended Whitley Park Infants School, then Whitley Park Junior School before Ashmead Comprehensive School for secondary education.
After his secondary education, Gervais studied philosophy at University College London. Gervais met Jane Fallon while in Uni with whom he has now been in a relationship for thirty-eight years.
Career Beginnings
Ricky Gervais began his career as a musician and later transitioned into comedy.
Gervais and college friend Bill Macrae’s band, Seona Dancing, was signed by London Records in 1983. The duo released two singles that failed to achieve commercial success in the UK charts.
He then worked as an assistant events manager at the University of London Union, and later as a booking agent for the Bartle Bogle Hegarty advertising agency.
Ricky Gervais’ first step in his television career was writing sketches for the British comedy show The Sketch Show. After this, he hosted The 11 O’Clock Show, where he became famous for being unplanned irreverent, and often politically incorrect. Additionally, he had a leading role in the comic show Meet Ricky Gervais.
The Office Success
The Office beginning came about when his co-creator Stephen Merchant created a seven-minute short film in 1999 while he was studying film production. In the short film, Gervais played the character of David Brent—which would become his future role in the television show. BBC executives saw the short film and requested a pilot script from Gervais and Merchant.
In 1988 Gervais and his co-creator Stephen Merchant wrote a pilot episode for a sitcom called The Office, which was eventually commissioned by the BBC. It ran for two series on BBC2 before being picked up by NBC in the US, where it became a global phenomenon.
The Office was his chance to do well in the American entertainment industry and propelled his net worth even further. In NBC’s nine-season run, it is estimated that Ricky Gervais made $5 million per episode of The Office. This means that he made at least $45 million from the show in total while it was on the air.
The American version of the television series has earned billions in royalties and fees throughout its history. He also had a backend deal that gave him a cut of the show’s profits. When a syndication deal is renewed or The Office is sold to a new platform, such as Comedy Central, or Netflix, Gervais earns tens of millions of dollars in syndication sales.
How Much Does Ricky Gervais Make from ‘After Life’?
Ricky Gervais’ net worth is largely thanks to his work on the show ‘After Life’. He both writes and stars in the show, which has been a hit with audiences and critics alike.
It is estimated that Gervais earned $2 million per episode of ‘After Life’. This means that he has made at least $24 million from the show so far.
Ricky Gervais Other TV Shows
His first show was Extras, a mockumentary-style sitcom following the behind-the-scenes of a fictional British sitcom. The show starred Gervais, Ashley Jensen, and Stephen Merchant.
In total, there were six episodes in Extras’ two seasons. The first season aired on BBC2 in 2005 while the second season was broadcast on HBO in 2007.
The show was a success, and Gervais won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2007. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2006.
In 2011, Gervais created another show for HBO called Life’s Too Short. The show was a mockumentary following the day-to-day life of Warwick Davis, who played himself. The show only lasted for one season but was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming.
His other shows are Derek and Idiot Abroad.
Ricky Gervais has also made cameos in numerous films and television shows, including The Simpsons and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Talk Shows, And Podcasts
Apart from his comedic talk show Meet Ricky Gervais, Gervais was one of the first comedians to cash in podcasts. The Ricky Gervais Show, a podcast that he hosted was a success and gave birth to spin-off features such as Ricky’s World-Famous Film Review. So far the podcast was downloaded over 300 million times which earned him a reported $20 million.
Films
He has also written and starred in a number of successful films, such as Special Correspondents, The Invention of Lying, the animated film Valiant, and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Ricky Gervais has also done voice work for a number of films and television shows, including The Simpsons and Despicable Me 2.
Stand-Up Comedy
Gervais has also had a remarkable stand-up career. He has toured the world with his stand-up comedy shows and has released a number of successful comedy specials. Most recently he has entered into a deal with Netflix to stream his specials.
In 2017 alone, Ricky Gervais grossed over $32 million from his Humanity Tour which was a huge success. This made him one of the highest-earning comedians in the world.
Ricky Gervais has also released a number of other successful comedy specials, including Animals and SuperNature’ He has earned millions from these specials.
Awards
Ricky Gervais has won numerous awards for his work on The Office, including seven BAFTA Awards, five British Comedy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globes.
In 2006, he received the Rose d’Or award for his work on Extras (2005–2007), and in 2004 a poll found him to be the third most influential person in British culture. Gervais has also achieved success with his stand-up comedy tours and specials, including Live 8 in 2005.
In 2015, he was presented with the Humane Society’s Genesis Award for his efforts in informing social media users about animal welfare. In 2014, he was voted London’s most influential Twitter user.
Endorsements and Charities
In addition to his work as a comedian, writer, and actor, Ricky Gervais has also made money from endorsements and investments.
He is involved in many animal charities and most recently endorsed the book Remembering Bears a fundraising book aimed at raising funds for the conservation of bears. He has also helped raise funds for Animal Asia.
Ricky Gervais has been lauded by multiple organizations, winning awards for his contributions to animal welfare.
He is also a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage and an atheist.
He is also an honorary member of the National Secular Society located in the United Kingdom.
Ricky Gervais Net Worth Growth
Gervais continues to tour and release new comedy specials, films, and tv shows. He also signed a deal with Netflix worth $80 million and is slated to release more new stand-up comedy specials.
His $140 million net worth as of 2022 will continue to grow to make him one of the richest comedians in the world.
