William H. Macy Net Worth

What is William H. Macy's Net Worth and Salary?

William H. Macy is an American actor, writer, and director who has a net worth of $45 million. That is a combined net worth with his wife, Felicity Huffman. William H. Macy gained widespread recognition in the 1990s, thanks to his standout roles in critically acclaimed films such as "Fargo" (1996), where his portrayal of the bumbling car salesman Jerry Lundegaard earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. His career trajectory continued to rise with a variety of performances in films like "Boogie Nights" (1997), "Magnolia" (1999), and "Jurassic Park III" (2001), showcasing his ability to seamlessly transition between drama, comedy, and action genres.

Macy's work on television is also notable, with his long-running role as Frank Gallagher on the hit Showtime series "Shameless" (2011–2021). His portrayal of the dysfunctional, alcoholic patriarch earned him critical praise and several award nominations, further solidifying his place as a prominent figure in entertainment. Macy's acting career has been marked by his ability to bring depth to complex characters, often playing flawed yet relatable individuals.

Beyond acting, Macy has worked as a producer and director. His directorial debut, "Rudderless" (2014), which he also starred in, received positive reviews. Over the years, Macy has become known for his naturalistic acting style, earning him a reputation as one of Hollywood's most reliable and respected talents. With an enduring career that spans more than four decades, William H. Macy remains a key figure in the entertainment industry, celebrated for his wide-ranging talent and unwavering commitment to his craft.

Early Life

William H. Macy was born William Hall Macy Jr. on March 13, 1950, in Miami, Florida. His father, William, was a World War II veteran who received an Air Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross, and his mother, Lois, married William Sr. after her first husband died in the war. Macy was raised in Georgia, where his father ran an Atlanta construction company, and then Maryland, where William Sr. ran an insurance agency. Macy attended Allegany High School in Cumberland, graduating in 1968, and then enrolled at West Virginia's Bethany College to study veterinary medicine. He transferred to Vermont's Goddard College, where he learned from playwright David Mamet; the two would later become co-founders of Chicago's St. Nicholas Theater and New York's Atlantic Theater Company. William is also an alumnus of New York City's HB Studio.

Early Career

After he graduated from college in 1972, Macy appeared in several David Mamet plays, originating roles in "American Buffalo" and "The Water Engine." William lived in Chicago and Los Angeles, then in 1980, he relocated to New York City, where he performed in more than fifty Broadway and Off-Broadway productions. He made his television debut in the 1987 miniseries "The Awakening Land" and his film debut in the 1980s "Somewhere in Time." Throughout the 1980s, Macy guest-starred on "Spenser: For Hire" (1985–1988), "Kate & Allie" (1986), and "The Equalizer" (1987) and appeared in the films "The Last Dragon" (1985) and "Radio Days" (1987). He appeared in the "Law & Order" pilot (though it actually aired as the sixth episode of the series) in 1990 and returned as a different character in 1992.

Film Success

Macy made several popular films during the 1990s, including "Benny & Joon" (1993), "Searching for Bobby Fischer" (1993), "Murder in the First" (1995), "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995), "Air Force One" (1997), and "Pleasantville" (1998), and he earned critical acclaim for his performance as Jerry Lundegaard in 1996's "Fargo." In 2002, William portrayed Bill Porter, a real-life salesman with cerebral palsy, in the television film "Door to Door" (which he also wrote), and in 2006, he lent his voice to "The Simpsons," appeared in the Stephen King anthology series "Nightmares and Dreamscapes," and narrated the animated series "Curious George." Around this time, Macy appeared in the films "Jurassic Park III" (2001), "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie" (2002), "Seabiscuit" (2003), "Sahara" (2005), and "Thank You for Smoking" (2005). In 2007, he co-starred with Tim Allen, John Travolta, and Martin Lawrence in "Wild Hogs," which grossed $253.6 million at the box office.

In 2009, William starred in the David Mamet play "Speed-the-Plow" on Broadway after Jeremy Piven dropped out, and the following year, he landed the lead role in the "Shameless" pilot. The show's eleventh (and final) season premiered in December 2020, and Macy's performance has earned him several awards and nominations. While starring on "Shameless," William has managed to find time to appear in more than a dozen films, such as "Walter" (2015), "Room" (2015), and "Blood Father" (2016). He has also directed the films "Rudderless" (2014), "The Layover" (2017), and "Krystal" (2017) as well as three episodes of "Shameless," and he wrote "Rudderless," the television films "The Con" (1998), "The Wool Cap" (2004), and "Family Man" (2008), and the 2012 "Shameless" episode "Can I Have a Mother."

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College Bribery Scandal

On March 12, 2019, Macy's wife, Felicity Huffman, was arrested by FBI agents in connection to a widespread college bribery scandal. Felicity allegedly paid $15,000 to have someone change her daughter's incorrect answers on the SAT. When Huffman was arrested, the FBI agreed to release her on bond after Felicity was able to show that she and William own at least $20 million worth of real estate and have $4 million worth of liquid assets. Macy was not charged with any crimes, but Huffman served 11 days in a federal prison in October 2019 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Her sentence also included a year of probation and 250 hours of community service, and she was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.

Personal Life

William married actress Felicity Huffman on September 6, 1997, after 15 years of on-and-off dating. They have two daughters, Sophia (born December 1, 2000) and Georgia (born March 14, 2002). After filming "Door to Door," Macy was inspired to get involved with the United Cerebral Palsy Association, and the organization named him a national ambassador in 2003. William enjoys playing the ukulele, riding motorcycles, and woodturning, and he was featured on the cover of "Fine Woodworking" magazine's" Wood Turning Basics" issue in 2007.

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Awards and Nominations

In 1997, Macy received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Fargo," and the film earned him awards from the 20/20 Awards, Awards Circuit Community Awards, and Film Independent Spirit Awards. He has been nominated for 14 Primetime Emmys, winning Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for "Door to Door" in 2003. William has earned five Golden Globe nominations, three American Comedy Award nominations, and 13 Online Film & Television Association nominations, and he was inducted into the OFTA TV Hall of Fame in 2018. He has won four Screen Actors Guild Awards: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for "Door to Door" in 2003 and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for "Shameless" in 2015, 2017, and 2018.

Macy has also won awards from the Boston Film Festival (Film Excellence Award, 2002), Catalina Film Festival (Stanley Kramer Social Artist Award, 2014), Cinequest San Jose Film Festival (Maverick Tribute Award, 2003), Denver International Film Festival (John Cassavetes Award, 2003), Lone Star Film & Television Awards (Best TV Actor and Best TV Teleplay for "The Con," 1999), and Prism Awards (Performance in a Comedy Series for "Shameless," 2012), and he has received Satellite Awards for his performances in "A Slight Case of Murder" (2000), "Happy, Texas" (2000), "Door to Door" (2003), and "Shameless" (2017 and 2018). William received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

$20 Million Real Estate Portfolio

In the fallout of their bribery scandal, it was revealed that Felicity and William owned $20 million worth of real estate at that point (March 2019).

The smallest property in their portfolio is a cabin in upstate Vermont near Macy's alma mater, Goddard College. He purchased the property in the 1980s, long before he ever met Felicity Huffman. Macy described the property in a 2006 article in The New York Times:

"My little cabin actually started as three cabins. They were part of a motel called Toy Town, and they sat out on Route 2 until Daphne, the woman I bought the place from, moved them. I hooked them together, so although the cabin is only about 400 square feet, it has about 12 roof lines. On one side of the largest cabin there was a little door that opened to a fuse box. I didn't have electricity, but I left the door there. One summer, for no good reason, I opened the door and a writhing mass of garter snakes fell out all over my feet. I jumped so high I left one of my shoes."

Director Paul Thomas Anderson wrote the script for Magnolia while he was staying at Macy's cabin. In fact, the film was inspired by those snakes, as once Anderson saw one, he was too scared to go outside.

The Macy-Huffman real estate portfolio also includes a 27-acre property in Little Woody Creek, just north of Aspen, Colorado. It is the site of Huffman's childhood home and where she and Macy were married. The original house that Huffman grew up in had to be demolished because it was not up to code. The couple had it rebuilt with modern upgrades, and the renovated home was the subject of a 2018 feature in Architectural Digest. The "old-new house", as the couple calls it, is the same basic structure as the one Huffman grew up in, just bigger and 100 feet to the left of its original location. Each of the five bedrooms has its own bathroom. Growing up, Huffman shared one bathroom with her six sisters. Today, this property is worth more than $10 million.

This wasn't the couple's first time in Architectural Digest. In 2000, the magazine profiled the completed restoration of the couple's Hancock Park area of Los Angeles home. They bought the 1920s Mediterranean-style home after getting married in 1997. They also own a small home in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge.

When Desperate Housewives ended, Huffman and Macy purchased a 4,566 square foot, five-bedroom, three-bathroom home in the Outpost Estate neighborhood in Los Angeles. They bought the house next door to their Hollywood Hills home, which gave them a three-acre compound with two main houses. Huffman and Macy's home is valued at $4 million. The combined two lot compound is worth $8-10 million.

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