Richard Curtis Net Worth

What is Richard Curtis's Net Worth?

Richard Curtis is a British screenwriter, director, and producer who has a net worth of $30 million. Richard Curtis is best known for working in the romantic comedy genre, having written such hit romcom films as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill," "Bridget Jones's Diary," and "Love Actually," the last of which he also directed. Curtis also co-created the television sitcoms "Blackadder" and "Mr. Bean" and co-founded the British charity Comic Relief.

Early Life and Education

Richard Curtis was born on November 8, 1956 in Wellington, New Zealand to Glyness and Anthony. His father was a refugee from Czechoslovakia. The family lived in a number of different places during Curtis's childhood, including Sweden and the Philippines. They finally settled in the United Kingdom when Curtis was 11. There, he attended Papplewick School in Ascot and Appleton Grammar School in Warrington. Curtis went on to attend Harrow School on a scholarship. At Harrow, he worked on the weekly newspaper The Harrovian and directed a performance of the play "The Erpingham Camp." For his higher education, Curtis went to Christ Church at the University of Oxford, where he earned a degree in English language and literature. While at Oxford, he collaborated with actor Rowan Atkinson in the Oxford Revue.

Television Career

After working as a co-writer on Rowan Atkinson's BBC Radio 3 series "The Atkinson People" in 1978, Curtis began writing for television. He became a regular writer for the sketch comedy show "Not the Nine O'Clock News," where he again collaborated with Atkinson. After the end of that show in 1982, Curtis co-created and began writing for Atkinson's "Blackadder" sitcom series, which was comprised of four installments aired between 1983 and 1989. He also co-wrote the one-off episodes "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" and "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years," both of which aired in 1988. Also during the decade, Curtis served as a writer on the ITV satirical puppet show "Spitting Image."

In the 1990s, Curtis reunited with Atkinson to create and co-write the ITV sitcom "Mr. Bean," starring Atkinson as the bumbling titular character. The show ran through 1995. During the run of "Mr. Bean," Curtis wrote the 1991 BBC television film "Bernard and the Genie" and created the BBC sitcom "The Vicar of Dibley" in 1994. He also wrote for the latter. In the 21st century, Curtis has written a number of television films, including "The Girl in the Café," "Mary and Martha," and "Esio Trot." He also co-created the series "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency," based on the novel series by Alexander McCall Smith, and wrote episodes of "Casualty" and "Doctor Who."

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Film Career

In 1989, Curtis made his big-screen debut as the writer of the romantic comedy "The Tall Guy." The film stars his longtime collaborator Rowan Atkinson, as well as Emma Thompson and Jeff Goldblum. Curtis went on to have his international breakthrough in 1994 as the writer of the romantic comedy "Four Weddings and a Funeral," his first of many films to star Hugh Grant. Made on a relatively small budget, the film was a massive hit, becoming the highest-grossing British film in history. For his original screenplay, Curtis earned Oscar, WGA, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations. He next co-wrote the big-screen adaptation of his sitcom "Mr. Bean," called "Bean," which was released in 1997. Concluding the decade, Curtis wrote the romantic comedy "Notting Hill," starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. The film ended up breaking the record set by "Four Weddings and a Funeral" for the highest-grossing British film of all time.

Curtis's first film of the new millennium was the romantic comedy "Bridget Jones's Diary," an adaptation of Helen Fielding's novel. He co-wrote the screenplay with Fielding and Andrew Davies. Starring Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant, the film was another big hit for Curtis. He continued his success as both the writer and director of the Christmas romantic comedy "Love Actually," which came out in 2003. Featuring an ensemble cast including such actors as Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, and Keira Knightley, the film went on to become a Christmas movie staple. Curtis next co-wrote "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," a sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary" released in 2004. He went on to both write and direct the period dramedy "The Boat That Rocked," a 1960s-set film about a pirate radio station operated on a boat in the North Sea. It came out in 2009 to poor reception.

In 2010, Curtis was hired by DreamWorks to rewrite a screenplay draft of the World War I drama "War Horse" that had been penned by Lee Hall. Based on Michael Morpurgo's novel and its stage adaptation, the film, directed by Steven Spielberg, came out in 2011 to critical and commercial success. Curtis subsequently wrote and directed the science-fiction romance "About Time," starring Rachel McAdams and Domhnall Gleeson and released in 2013. Following that, he wrote Stephen Daldry's 2014 crime drama "Trash," based on the novel by Andy Mulligan. Four years later, he was credited with the story for the musical film "Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again." Curtis followed that by writing Danny Boyle's musical "Yesterday," about a struggling musician who discovers he's the only person in the world who remembers the Beatles, and becomes famous for performing their music. Released in 2019, it was a commercial success. Since then, Curtis has written the 2023 Christmas fantasy comedy "Genie" and co-written the 2024 animated Christmas comedy "That Christmas."

Philanthropy

Heavily involved in philanthropy, Curtis co-founded the British charity Comic Relief with comedian and actor Lenny Henry in 1985. Launched in response to the famine in Ethiopia, the charity uses comedy performed by actors to raise money for global causes. Through its annual telethon Red Nose Day, Comic Relief has helped raise over £1 billion.

Among his many other philanthropic endeavors, Curtis has been involved with the organization Make Poverty History, the Live 8 benefit concerts, and the Robin Hood tax, 10:10, Make My Money Matter, and Rewriting Extinction campaigns. For his charitable work, Curtis received the BAFTA Humanitarian Award in 2008 and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2024.

Personal Life

In 2023, Curtis married broadcaster Emma Freud. They have four children and reside in Notting Hill. Curtis also has a country home in Walberswick, Suffolk.

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