Paul Anka Net Worth

What Is Paul Anka's Net Worth?

Paul Anka is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor who has a net worth of $80 million. Paul Anka is one of the most successful and enduring singer-songwriters in modern music, with a career that has stretched across more than six decades. He first rose to fame as a teenager in the late 1950s, becoming one of the era's earliest pop idols. His breakthrough came at age 15 with "Diana," a song he wrote himself that became a global hit and launched him into international stardom. He followed with a string of chart-toppers, including "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "Lonely Boy," "Puppy Love," and "You Are My Destiny," establishing himself not only as a magnetic performer but also as a gifted songwriter capable of crafting deeply memorable melodies.

Anka's influence extended far beyond his own recordings. In 1966, he wrote the English lyrics for Frank Sinatra's defining anthem, "My Way," one of the most famous and enduring songs of the twentieth century. He also wrote Tom Jones's hit "She's a Lady," as well as themes for major film and television projects, including the iconic opening for "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he continued to record and tour while securing his reputation as a versatile writer who could adapt to changing musical styles.

In the 1970s, Anka scored another major hit with "(You're) Having My Baby," which introduced him to a new generation of listeners. Over the decades, he built an extensive catalog performed by artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Michael Jackson. His career also included acting roles, stage work, and ongoing global tours. Anka eventually became a naturalized American citizen, and his longevity in the entertainment industry reflects a rare combination of songwriting talent, business savvy, and cultural staying power. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the most prolific and influential pop composers of his era. Jason Bateman is Paul's son-in-law through his marriage to his daughter, Amanda Anka.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Paul Anka was born on July 30, 1941, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Camelia and Andrew, were both of Lebanese Christian ancestry; his mother was an immigrant from Lebanon, while his father came from Syria. As a youth, Anka sang with the St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral choir and studied piano under Winnifred Rees. Later, while attending Fisher Park High School, he was part of a vocal trio known as the Bobby Soxers. At the age of only 14, Paul recorded his first single, "I Confess."

Rise to Fame

In 1956, Anka traveled to New York City to audition for Don Costa at ABC Records. The song he performed, "Diana," would soon become one of his biggest hits. Released in 1957, it went all the way to #1 on both the US and Canadian music charts, making it one of the top-selling singles ever by a Canadian artist. Paul continued his success in 1958, releasing four songs that hit the top 20; among them were "It's Time to Cry," which made it to #4, and "(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings," which peaked at #15. At only 17 years of age, this success made Anka one of the most prominent teen idols of the time. He went on to tour in the UK and Australia, performing in the latter country alongside Buddy Holly. For Holly, Anka wrote the song "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," which the former artist recorded just before his untimely death in 1959.

Among his other credits at the time, Paul wrote the famous theme for "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." In 1960, he wrote "Teddy," which became a top 20 hit for Connie Francis, and he later wrote the English lyrics to Frank Sinatra's version of "My Way." While acting, Anka also began writing songs for films, including "Lonely Boy," which he sang in "Girls Town," and the theme to the war film "The Longest Day." By the end of the '60s, Anka's career was largely derailed by the British Invasion; as a result, he directed his attention primarily to contemporary and big-band standards and was a regular performer at Las Vegas casinos.

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Career in the 1970s and 80s

In the early '70s, Anka signed with Buddah Records and released two albums: "Paul Anka" and "Jubilation." For the former album, released in 1971, Paul wrote "She's a Lady." Although his version failed to chart, the song became a huge hit when Welsh singer Tom Jones released his version later in the year.

After over a decade without a top 25 hit, Anka signed with United Artists. Partnering with singer Odia Coates in 1974, he finally made a comeback with the #1 hit "(You're) Having My Baby." Two more duets by Anka and Coates cracked the top 10: "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" and "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone." Another duet, "(I Believe) There's Nothing Stronger Than Our Love," hit #15. In 1975, Paul had another hit on his hands with "Times of Your Life," a jingle he recorded for Kodak. The jingle was so popular that Anka turned it into a full song, which made it to #7 on the US pop chart. Other hits included "Anytime (I'll Be There)," which Anka wrote for Sinatra, and "Hold Me 'Til the Mornin' Comes," released in 1983 as Paul's final top 40 hit in the US.

Recordings in the 1990s and 2000s

In 1998, Anka released his album "A Body of Work," his first new American studio release since 1983's "Walk a Fine Line." The album included contributions by Patti LaBelle, Celine Dion, and Kenny G, among others. This was followed by 2005's "Rock Swings," an album composed of big-band arrangements of modern rock songs. Anka later released the albums "Songs of December," which hit #58 in Canada, and "Duets," released in 2013.

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Acting Career

After having roles in such films as "Let's Rock," "Verboten!," "Girls Town," "The Private Lives of Adam & Eve," and "Look in Any Window," Anka made his first appearance in a major film in 1962's "The Longest Day," playing an army private. Later on, he guest-starred in the made-for-television Perry Mason movie "The Case of the Maligned Mobster" and played a yacht broker in the Kurt Russell comedy film "Captain Ron." In 1995, Paul voiced himself in the annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode of "The Simpsons," and the next year, he appeared in the ensemble crime comedy film "Mad Dog Time." Later credits include the 2001 film "3000 Miles to Graceland," the NBC series "Las Vegas," and the dramedy series "Gilmore Girls," on which he played a version of himself.

Personal Life

In 1963, Paul married Anne de Zogheb, the daughter of a Lebanese diplomat. They went on to have five daughters: Amelia, Anthea, Alicia, Amanda, and Alexandra. Paul's daughter, Amanda, is married to actor Jason Bateman.

In 1999, Paul hired a Swedish personal trainer named Anna Åberg. A year later, Paul divorced his first wife, Anne. In 2005, Paul and Anna Anka welcomed a son. In 2008, Paul and Anna married. In December 2009, Anna called the cops on Paul after getting into a fight because Anna fired one of their housekeepers. In her police report, Anna alleged that Paul had pointed a gun at her, but the home's surveillance system showed no evidence that this happened. Paul filed for divorce the very next day. In February 2010, Paul sued Anna for defamation. In the lawsuit, Paul alleged that Anna had been arrested for felony domestic battery against him in November 2009. The day after Paul filed the lawsuit, Anna took out a restraining order against him. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in July 2010, and the divorce was finalized later that year.

In June 2017, Paul gained full custody of Ethan, and Anna was barred from contacting her son after Ethan testified that he had "an intense dislike of his mother." Anna appealed the decision in August 2017, and Paul criticized her, saying, "Narcissists never quit, and that's what's going on here. Anna is a sore loser. She has nothing but time and has no caring for her children."

In 2016, Anka married Lisa Pemberton in Beverly Hills. They divorced in 2020.

One fun fact about Paul's ex-wife, Anna Anka, is that she had a brief cameo in the 1994 comedy "Dumb and Dumber." Anna, then credited as Anna Åberg, is one of the three bikini models who step off the tour bus at the very end of the movie to ask Lloyd and Harry (Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels) for directions. Anna is the first model who steps off the bus at the 27-second mark in the video below. She has two lines. Her first line, "hej allihopa," means "hello everyone," and her second line, "Hej då," means "bye."

Real Estate

In April 2007, Paul paid $3.9 million for a 6,000-square-foot mansion in Westlake Village, California. He listed this home for sale in August 2024 for $10 million.

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