Eric McCormack Net Worth

What Is Eric McCormack's Net Worth?

Eric McCormack is an American-Canadian actor, singer, and producer who has a net worth of $20 million. Eric McCormack is best known for his award-winning performance as Will Truman on the groundbreaking NBC sitcom "Will & Grace." Over a career spanning more than three decades, McCormack has become one of television's most recognizable faces, balancing his comedic timing with dramatic range across stage, film, and TV.

After graduating from Toronto's Ryerson University, McCormack spent several years performing with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival before transitioning to screen work. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s, appearing in TV movies and series such as "Street Justice" and "Lonesome Dove: The Series." His career breakthrough came in 1998 when he was cast as Will Truman, a witty gay lawyer, on "Will & Grace." The series became a cultural milestone for LGBTQ representation and ran for eight successful seasons, earning McCormack an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2001.

Following the show's original run, McCormack appeared in a variety of projects, including "The Andromeda Strain," "Trust Me," "Perception," and "Travelers," the latter earning him renewed acclaim for his nuanced portrayal of an FBI agent possessed by a time-traveling consciousness. He also reprised his role as Will in the 2017–2020 "Will & Grace" revival, reintroducing the characters to a new generation.

Off-screen, McCormack has remained active in theater, music, and advocacy, particularly for cancer research and LGBTQ rights. His versatility, warmth, and enduring appeal have secured his place as one of television's most beloved and enduring stars.

Early Life

Eric McCormack was born Eric James McCormack on April 18, 1963, in Toronto, Canada. His mother was a homemaker, and his father worked as a financial analyst for an oil company. He is the oldest of his three siblings, and the family has Scottish ancestry. As a child, Eric was shy but found comfort in theater. He attended high school at the Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute, where he was active in the school's theater department. Filmmaker and future husband to Elton John, David Furnish, was McCormack's classmate.

After performing in the musical "Godspell," Eric made the decision to pursue acting as a career. Upon graduating from high school in 1982, he went to Ryerson University School of Theatre in Toronto. He didn't finish his degree and instead chose to take a position working at a Shakespeare festival in Ontario. He worked there for five seasons until deciding that he would rather pursue acting on television and film.

Early Career

McCormack made his onscreen acting debut in 1986, appearing in the television special "The Boys from Syracuse" and the Shakespearean TV movie "Twelfth Night." He continued taking small roles in minor productions until moving to LA. His debut on American television came in 1991 with a guest-starring role in an episode of the CBS show "Top Cops." After his first appearance on American television screens, it didn't take long for Eric to start landing larger roles. In 1992, he starred in the film "The Lost World" as well as its sequel "Return to the Lost World." The following year, he was given a recurring role in the television series "Street Justice," which would only run for two seasons.

From 1994 to 1995, McCormack played Colonel Francis Clay Mosby in more than 40 episodes of the Western television show "Lonesome Dove: The Series" / "Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years."

McCormack auditioned several times for the role of Ross Geller in the sitcom "Friends," but the part went to David Schwimmer instead. In 1997, he had minor roles on several comedy television shows in addition to starring in the made-for-television film "Borrowed Hearts." Eric was cast as a regular in the one-season NBC sitcom "Jenny," but he was let go after the pilot, as the studio decided to cut his character. His breakthrough role on the sitcom "Will & Grace" would come the next year, in 1998.

Will & Grace

When Eric McCormack first read the script for "Will & Grace," he immediately knew the lead role of Will Truman was a perfect fit. Though McCormack himself is not gay, he later explained that he related deeply to the character's humor, intelligence, and emotional sensitivity. Created by David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, the series paired McCormack with Debra Messing, alongside Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland and Megan Mullally as Karen Walker. The ensemble's chemistry and comedic timing became central to the show's success, helping "Will & Grace" redefine what a modern network sitcom could be.

The show premiered in September 1998 to strong ratings, drawing around 8.6 million viewers for its pilot episode, and quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Over its original eight-season run, "Will & Grace" earned 83 Emmy nominations and 18 wins, with each of the main cast members taking home at least one award. McCormack received four Emmy nominations and won the 2001 award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He also earned five Golden Globe nominations for his performance, including one in 2018 for the show's revival.

The original series concluded in 2006, but in 2017 NBC announced that "Will & Grace" would return for a reboot. Initially greenlit for ten episodes, the revival's first season was expanded to sixteen due to strong audience response, followed by thirteen more for a second season. The revival proved successful both critically and commercially, running for three additional seasons before officially ending in 2020.

"Will & Grace" Salary

At the height of "Will & Grace," McCormack and Debra Messing each earned $250,000 per episode in base salary, not including backend royalties and residuals. That rate amounted to approximately $6 million per season, placing them among the highest-paid sitcom actors of the early 2000s.

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Other Work

McCormack's career primarily includes work on television shows and in theatrical plays, but he has acted in a few feature films. He starred alongside Eddy Murphy and Kelly Preston in the 1998 comedy-drama "Holy Man." The same year, he received praise for his performance in the comedy "Free Enterprise," which also featured William Shatner, but the film only played in a small number of theaters in LA. Eric's next non-television film wouldn't be until 2005 with "The Sisters," which saw a limited theatrical release but won him an award for Outstanding Actor at the Dixie Film Festival. In 2009, he starred alongside Renée Zellweger and Kevin Bacon in the comedy-drama "My One and Only," which grossed over $3 million worldwide after its limited release was expanded. McCormack found far more success on television than on the big screen. Even when cast with other talented actors, many of his films only saw a limited release. He played a supporting role in the 2013 political thriller "Knife Fight" with Rob Lowe, Julie Bowen, and Jennifer Morrison, but despite a talented cast, it was only shown in two theaters and grossed a mere $5,661. From 2016 to 2018, he starred on the Netflix science fiction series "Travelers," which lasted three seasons.

Personal Life

Eric McCormack met Janet Holden on the set of "Lonesome Dove: The Series," where she worked as an assistant director. They begand dating and married in 1997. They have a son named Finnegan and have homes in both LA and Vancouver. Unfortunately, Janet filed for divorce in November 2023 after 26 years of marriage.

He maintains dual citizenship between Canada and the US and has been an American citizen since 1999. In 2010, he received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto, and in 2018, he was given one on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Eric has supported a number of charitable organizations throughout his career and serves as an honorary board member of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. He and his wife received the Angel Award for their work with Project Angel Food, an organization that works to provide meals to people who are suffering from chronic illnesses. He has served as the Stand Up To Cancer Canada Ambassador as well as an ambassador for the Canadian Cancer Society's "Plaid for Dad" campaign. His father died of prostate cancer in 2008, and his mother beat breast cancer before dying of bladder cancer in 2006.

Real Estate

In 1999, Eric and Janet paid just under $1 million for an impressive mansion in the LA suburb of Toluca Lake. Today, the house is worth at least $4 million.

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