Jeff Conaway Net Worth

What Was Jeff Conaway's Net Worth?

Jeff Conaway was an American actor who had a net worth of $250 thousand at the time of his death in 2011. Jeff Conaway's career in show business began during his years as a student at NYU, appearing in TV commercials and in a school production of "The Threepenny Opera," in which he played the lead role. His big screen debut came in 1971 in the film "Jennifer on my Mind." From there, Conaway was cast in the original Broadway production of "Grease" as an understudy to Barry Bostwick and various others. He eventually inherited the lead role from Bostwick when he left the production. It was on "Grease" that he first worked with his friend John Travolta, and they would later appear together in the film adaptation.

In 1975, Jeff made his move into series television with a guest role on "Happy Days." This eventually led to what would become his signature role, struggling actor Bobby Wheeler on the sitcom "Taxi." Conaway left the show after its third season due to problems with drug abuse and creative difficulties. He continued to work in film and TV until his addiction problems caused him to be a part of the TV show "Celebrity Rehab" in 2008. Jeff had more than 90 acting credits to his name, including the films "Pete's Dragon" (1977), "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark" (1998), and "Jawbreaker" (1999) and the television series "Wizards and Warriors" (1983), "Murder, She Wrote" (1984–1994), and "Berrenger's" (1985). He also played Mick Savage on the soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" from 1989 to 1990 and Zack Allan on the science-fiction series "Babylon 5" from 1994 to 1998. In May 2011, Conaway died from pneumonia with sepsis.

Early Life

Jeff Conaway was born Jeffrey Charles William Michael Conaway on October 5, 1950, in Manhattan, New York. He grew up in Astoria, Flushing, and Queens, and he was the son of actress Helen Conaway (who used the stage name Mary Ann Brooks) and actor / producer / publisher Charles Conaway. Jeff's parents divorced when he was three years old, and he subsequently lived with his mother and two older sisters. He also spent some time living in South Carolina with his grandparents, which caused him to have enough of a Southern accent to land a role in the Tennessee-set play "All the Way Home" when he accompanied his mother to a casting call. Conaway made his Broadway debut in the play, which ran for more than 300 performances and earned a Tony nomination for Best Play. He was in the play during its entire Broadway run, then he performed in a national tour of the play "Critic's Choice." Jeff also modeled during his youth and attended the Quintano School for Young Professionals. At the age of 15, he joined the rock band 3+1⁄2, then he enrolled at the North Carolina School of the Arts before later transferring to New York University.

(Photo by Eric Isaacs/FilmMagic)

Career

As a college student, Conaway appeared in TV commercials and played the lead role in an NYU production of "The Threepenny Opera." His first film was 1971's "Jennifer on My Mind," which he appeared in alongside Robert De Niro and Barry Bostwick. In 1972, he was an understudy for several roles in a Broadway production of "Grease," and he eventually succeeded Bostwick as Danny Zuko. His friend John Travolta later joined the cast as Doody, and the pair reunited in the 1978 film adaptation, with Travolta starring as Danny Zuko and Conaway playing Kenickie. In the '70s, Jeff also appeared in the films "The Eagle Has Landed" (1976), "Pete's Dragon" (1977), and "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden" (1977), and he guest-starred on "Happy Days" (1975–1976), "Movin' On" (1975), "Barnaby Jones" (1976–1977), "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" (1976), and "Kojak" (1978). From 1978 to 1982, he played Bobby Wheeler on the Emmy-winning sitcom "Taxi." In the '80s and '90s, Conaway appeared in films such as "The Patriot" (1986), "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark" (1988), "Tale of Two Sisters" (1989), "Total Exposure" (1991), "Eye of the Storm" (1992), "Sunset Strip" (1993), "Shadow of Doubt" (1998), and "Jawbreaker" (1999), and he starred in and directed "Bikini Summer II" (1992).

In 1983, Jeff starred as Prince Erik Greystone on the CBS series "Wizards and Warriors," and from 1984 to 1994, he appeared in four episodes of " Murder, She Wrote." In 1985, he played John Higgins on the primetime soap opera "Berrenger's," followed by the role of Mick Savage on the daytime soap opera "The Bold and the Beautiful" from 1989 to 1990. From 1994 to 1998, Conaway starred as Zack Allan on "Babylon 5," and he reprised his role in the TV movies "Babylon 5: The River of Souls" (1998), "Babylon 5: Thirdspace" (1998), and "Babylon 5: A Call to Arms" (1999). In the 2000s, he appeared in the films "Do You Wanna Know a Secret?" (2001), "The Biz" (2002), "Pan Dulce" (2004), "The Pool 2" (2006), "Living the Dream" (2006), "The Utah Murder Project" (2006), "Ladron" (2010), and "Dark Games" (2011). Jeff also guest-starred on "L.A. 7" (2000) and "She Spies" (2004), and his final project was a voice role on "Planet Houston" (2012), which was dedicated to him.

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Personal Life

Jeff was married three times. When he was 21, he married a dancer he had been dating for two years. The marriage was later annulled. From 1980 to 1985, Conaway was married to Rona Newton-John, the sister of his "Grease" castmate Olivia Newton-John. During that marriage, he was stepfather to Emerson Newton-John, who grew up to become a professional race car driver. From 1990 to 2000, Jeff was married to Kerri Young.

In the late '80s, Conaway sought treatment for substance abuse problem. He relapsed by the mid-2000s, and he was forced to leave the VH1 reality series "Celebrity Fit Club" in 2006 to go to rehab. In 2008, he began appearing on VH1's "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew," on which he revealed that he was addicted to alcohol, painkillers, and cocaine. Jeff had injured his back while filming "Grease," and the pain worsened after he lifted boxes at his home, so he used substances to manage his pain. He returned for the second season of "Celebrity Rehab," and during his time on the show, he used a wheelchair, often couldn't speak clearly, and told Dr. Drew that he was considering suicide. Conaway also said that older boys tortured him during his youth and that he was molested as a child. With the support of John Travolta, Jeff took courses from the Church of Scientology to help him cope with depression and drug addiction, but he had no intention of becoming a Scientologist.

Death

Conaway was found unconscious on May 11, 2011, and was taken to Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center. It was originally believed that he had overdosed on pain medication, and he was listed in critical condition. Drew Pinsky, who had previously treated Jeff for substance abuse, said that Conaway was suffering from pneumonia with sepsis and had been placed into an induced coma. Jeff's family removed him from life support on May 26th, and he passed away the next morning at the age of 60. According to his doctor, "What happens is, like with most opiate addicts, eventually they take a little too much … and they aspirate, so what's in their mouth gets into their lungs … That's what happened with Jeff." An autopsy revealed that Conaway's death was caused by several factors, including "septic emboli, aortic valve endocarditis, coronary artery disease, pneumonia and encephalopathy."

Awards and Nominations

Conaway earned Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor, Comedy or Musical Series for "Taxi" in 1978 and 1979. in 2007, Jeff and his "Taxi" co-stars won a Medallion Award at the TV Land Awards.

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