Harry Shearer Net Worth

What Is Harry Shearer's Net Worth and Salary?

Harry Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, director, producer, and radio host who has a net worth of $85 million. Harry Shearer is known for his long-running roles on "The Simpsons" (1989–present), his work on "Saturday Night Live" (1979–1980; 1984–1985), the fictional comedy band Spinal Tap, and his radio program "Le Show." (1983–present). Harry began his career as a child actor, and he has more than 190 acting credits to his name, including the films "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), "The Fisher King" (1991), "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997), "The Truman Show" (1998), "A Mighty Wind" (2003), and "For Your Consideration" (2006) and the television series "Laverne & Shirley" (1976–1982) and "Jack & Jill" (1999–2001).

Shearer wrote, directed, and produced the 2001 film "Teddy Bears' Picnic," and he directed and produced the 2010 documentary "The Big Uneasy." He served as a co-writer, musician, and composer on "This Is Spinal Tap" and as a composer on 1997's "Waiting for Guffman." With Spinal Tap, Shearer has released the albums "This Is Spinal Tap" (1984), "Break Like the Wind" (1992), and "Back from the Dead" (2009), and he has also released the comedy albums "It Must Have Been Something I Said" (1994), "Dropping Anchors" (2006), "Songs Pointed and Pointless" (2007), "Songs of the Bushmen" (2008), "Greed and Fear" (2010), and "Smalls Change" (2018). Harry has published three books: "Man Bites Town" (1993), "It's the Stupidity, Stupid: Why (Some) People Hate Clinton and Why the Rest of Us Have to Watch" (1999), and "Not Enough Indians" (2006).

Simpsons Salary

According to their latest contract, each principal voice actor on "The Simpsons" makes $400,000 per episode. That translates into around $9 million per season.

Early Life

Harry Shearer was born Harry Julius Shearer on December 23, 1943, in Los Angeles, California. His parents, Dora, a bookkeeper, and Mack Shearer, were Jewish immigrants from Austria and Poland who encouraged his early curiosity and humor. At age four, Harry began piano lessons with a local teacher whose daughter was a child actress. When that teacher later became a children's talent agent, she arranged an audition for Harry on "The Jack Benny Program" radio show. He landed the role at age seven, marking the beginning of a lifelong career in entertainment.

As a young performer, Shearer appeared in films including "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" (1953), "The Robe" (1953), and "The Egyptian" (1954), and guest-starred on the TV anthology series "Omnibus" (1953). He later credited legendary voice actor Mel Blanc with mentoring him in his early years, helping him develop the range and control that would later define his voice work.

Shearer attended UCLA, where he majored in political science and worked for the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin. He also edited the campus humor magazine, Satyr, and began broadcasting at Pasadena's KRLA radio station as a newscaster. After earning his degree, he spent a year in graduate school at Harvard and briefly worked in the California State Legislature before teaching high school English and social studies in 1967–68.

His path returned to comedy when he joined The Credibility Gap, a Los Angeles radio comedy group that included Michael McKean, Richard Beebe, and David Lander. The group's sharp political satire made them local cult favorites on stations KRLA and KPPC-FM before they transitioned to live performance. When McKean and Lander joined "Laverne & Shirley," The Credibility Gap disbanded, and Shearer pivoted to writing for television, contributing to "Fernwood 2 Night" (1977) and co-writing Albert Brooks' 1979 mockumentary "Real Life."

Early Career and "Saturday Night Live"

In 1979, Shearer joined NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as both a performer and writer, recruited on the recommendation of Al Franken. However, his experience was far from positive. He later described the atmosphere at "SNL" as "a living hell" and left after one season. Five years later, while promoting "This Is Spinal Tap," Shearer returned as a guest host and was invited to rejoin the cast for the 1984–85 season, alongside Christopher Guest. His second stint was similarly short-lived, and he departed again after expressing frustration with the show's creative direction.

"This Is Spinal Tap"

Shearer's defining work as both writer and performer came with 1984's "This Is Spinal Tap," co-written with Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean. The film, a mockumentary about a fictional heavy metal band, became a landmark in comedy and is now preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Shearer's portrayal of bassist Derek Smalls remains one of his signature roles, and the *Spinal Tap* brand has continued through concerts, albums, and a high-profile royalties lawsuit against Vivendi decades later.

"The Simpsons"

In 1989, Shearer joined the cast of "The Simpsons," voicing many of the show's most recognizable characters, including Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, Principal Skinner, Smithers, Kent Brockman, and Reverend Lovejoy. His extraordinary vocal range and ability to define multiple personalities helped shape the tone and texture of the series, which has become the longest-running primetime comedy in television history. Over more than 700 episodes and 30-plus seasons, Shearer's performances have earned industry-wide acclaim, and he has reprised his roles in "The Simpsons Movie" (2007) and numerous video games tied to the franchise.

Other Film and Television Work

Outside of "The Simpsons," Shearer has maintained a long and varied career in film, music, and satire. He appeared in Christopher Guest's mockumentaries "A Mighty Wind" (2003), "For Your Consideration" (2006), and "Mascots" (2016), and composed music for "Waiting for Guffman" (1997). He co-wrote the satirical stage production "J. Edgar! The Musical," which premiered in 2003 at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival with Kelsey Grammer and John Goodman.

Shearer's other screen credits include roles in "My Stepmother Is an Alien" (1988), "Dick" (1999), and the television special "Nixon's the One" (2012), where he portrayed Richard Nixon. He has guest-starred on dozens of television series, including "Miami Vice," "Murphy Brown," "Friends," "ER," and "New Girl." From 2007 to 2009, he voiced Mayor Whoozle on the animated children's show "Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!"

Writing, Radio, and Later Work

Beyond acting, Shearer has built a respected career as a writer, journalist, and satirist. He has contributed columns to the *Los Angeles Times Magazine*, *Newsweek*, and *Slate*, and became a blogger for *The Huffington Post* in 2005. For decades, he has hosted "Le Show," a long-running syndicated radio program blending political commentary, interviews, and music.

In 2020, Shearer starred in the digital series "The Salon," continuing his long-standing commitment to independent and experimental media. His work—across television, film, radio, and print—reflects a lifelong devotion to political satire, character performance, and the craft of comedy.

Spinal Tap Royalties Lawsuit

In 2016, Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer joined forces in a legal battle against Vivendi, the French media conglomerate that owned the rights to "This Is Spinal Tap" through its subsidiaries StudioCanal and Universal Music Group. The four creators alleged that Vivendi had engaged in fraudulent accounting practices that deprived them of millions in profits from the film's enduring success in home video, music, and merchandising. Despite the film's cult popularity and steady revenue over decades, the creators claimed they had received only $179 in total royalties by 2013. The lawsuit sought up to $400 million in damages and accused Vivendi of deliberately concealing profits through "straight-lining," a process that blended earnings from profitable films with less successful ones to obscure true returns.

Timeline of Key Events:

• 2016: Harry Shearer files the initial suit against Vivendi and StudioCanal.
• 2017: Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest join the lawsuit, escalating it into a full-scale fight over creative rights and royalties.
• 2018: A federal judge allows core fraud and contract claims to proceed.
• 2019: The group reaches a settlement with Universal Music Group over soundtrack rights, ensuring the music rights would eventually revert to the creators.
• 2020: The parties reach a broader settlement with Vivendi and StudioCanal, restructuring their relationship and resolving all outstanding claims.
• 2021: The creators establish Authorized Spinal Tap LLC, giving them direct control over the film's trademarks, characters, and future licensing.

The financial terms were never publicly disclosed, but the settlement marked a major victory for the "Spinal Tap" team, restoring creative control and transparency after decades of disputed royalties.

In September 2025, Rob, Michael, Christopher, and Harry reunited for "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues."

LEON NEAL/AFP/Getty Images

Personal Life

Harry married folk singer Penelope Nichols on June 12, 1974, and they divorced in 1977. Shearer then wed singer-songwriter Judith Owen on March 28, 1993, and they launched the record label Courgette Records in 2005. Harry owns a home in New Orleans, and he has regularly attended the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival since the late '80s. Shearer has often spoken out about the failure of New Orleans' levee system, and his 2010 documentary "The Big Uneasy" is about "the structural failures that led to flooding during Hurricane Katrina" that was "a product of negligence and poor management by the Army Corps of Engineers." Harry received an honorary doctorate from Maryland's Goucher College in 2006.

Awards and Nominations

Shearer has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for "The Simpsons" in 2014. He was also nominated in that category in 2009, and his other nominations were for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series for "America 2-Night" (1978) and Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program for "Saturday Night Live" (1980). Harry has earned three Grammy nominations for Best Comedy Album, for "Songs Pointed and Pointless" (2008), "Songs of the Bushmen" (2009), and Spinal Tap's "Back From the Dead" (2010). He won a CableACE Award for Original Song for "This Week Indoors" in 1988, and for "A Mighty Wind," he won a Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Music and shared a Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Ensemble Cast with his co-stars. The film also earned a Best Music nomination from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards and Best Ensemble nominations from the Gold Derby Awards and Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards.

Shearer received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival and a Rogue Award at the 2011 Ashland Independent Film Festival, and he was honored with a Visionary Award for "The Big Uneasy" at the 2011 Washington DC Independent Film Festival. In 2001, "This Is Spinal Tap" won a DVD Exclusive Award for Best DVD Audio Commentary. Harry has received four Behind the Voice Actors Award nominations for "The Simpsons," two for Best Male Vocal Performance in a Television Series in a Supporting Role (2013 and 2016) and two for Best Vocal Ensemble in a Television Series – Comedy/Musical (2014 and 2015). "The Simpsons" has also earned him nominations from the Online Film & Television Association Awards (Best Voice-Over Performance, 2001 and 2008) and the "TV Guide" Awards (Favorite Villain – Mr. Burns, 2014). In 2006, the "For Your Consideration" cast received a Gotham Independent Film Award nomination for Best Ensemble Performance.

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