How Woody Allen Achieved A Net Worth of $140 Million

Woody Allen is an iconic figure in Hollywood. The actor, playwright, and author has made hundreds of millions of dollars in his lifetime. He has accumulated an estimated net worth of $140 million, but how did he do it? We looked into his career and personal history to find out more about the ways that Mr. Allen amassed a large fortune. Here is what we learned.

His early years

According to Celebrity Net worth, he was born in Brooklyn, New York, on the first of December in 1935. His parents were Nettie, a bookkeeper for the delicatessen owned by her family, and his father Martin, a waiter, and jewelry engraver. The couple named him Allan Stewart Konigsberg. Woody grew up in a Jewish family. His grandparents were immigrants from Lithuania and Austria. When he was just 17 years old, he had his name legally changed to Heywood Allen and adopted the nickname Woody. Woody studied communication and film at New York University, but after failing the "Motion Picture Production" class, he dropped out. He transferred to New York City College and studied film for a semester in 1954.

Woody's early career

Woody got his introduction to show business on the television series "The Herb Shriner Show." He was hired as a scriptwriter for "The Tonight Show" before Johnny Carson. He was also a writer for the comedic series "Candid Camera." His beginnings were humble. Woody decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy. In 1961 he began performing in small clubs at Manhattan's Greenwich Village sector. Allen released the comedy album "Woody Allen in 1964, for which he earned a Grammy nomination. He continued as a comedian, then made a career turn as a writer for Broadway plays. Some of his most iconic works include "Play It Again, Sam" in 1969 and "Don't Drink The Water" in 1966. He graduated to film work in 1965, writing the script for "What's New, Pussycat?" He also became a director launching this part of his career with the film "What's Up, Tiger Lily?" in 1966. Allen branched into many aspects of the entertainment industry. He tried his hand at acting in some of the films he wrote, produced, and directed. One example is "Take the Money and Run" in 1969, as well as work as a writer, director, and producer.

Allen's most iconic works

Woody Allen gained international acclaim as an actor and director. one of his most famous works was "Annie Hall," considered to be his best and brightest work. The film won Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director with actress Diane Keaton scooping up a Best Actress Academy Award. Woody Allen also won multiple honors such as the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement, nine British Academy Film Awards, and a Tony nomination. He has directed 49 feature films and one short. Allen is also credited with directing or writing 14 theater productions.

Allen has had a few ups and downs

According to Cheatsheet, Woody Allen published a book of his memoirs. In the book, he shared personal information about a few of the people in his life and this was not well received by those that he told on. The book about his memoirs stirred up a great deal of controversy.

A $68 million movie deal that Allen brokered with Amazon didn't go through as he had hoped. In 2018, Allen was accused of multiple counts of sexual misconduct. This made the internet giant uncomfortable with moving ahead with the movie deal. Amazon was frustrated with Allen because of the negative press as well as his refusal to work with some of the best talents in the business to fulfill his end of the agreement. This leads us to believe that he is a bit difficult to work with. Allen had made several comments that inflamed strained relations with several actors who did not want to be associated with him and this became an issue for the promotion of his movies. When Amazon backed out of the deal, Allen promptly hired a legal team to bring a lawsuit against Amazon for breaking the contract. The suit Allen filed was settled out of court. Mr. Allen received an undisclosed amount of money in the out of court settlement.

His work is eclectic

Woody Allen has gained a reputation for writing offbeat comedy that is different from most other styles. Before he launched his career as a comedian he wrote for other comedians and television shows. During the nearly ten years he worked for others, he was carefully honing his talents and forming his brand of comedy that would stand out from the rest. Allen's style, according to Project Hatch, was intellectual as well as self-deprecating. This style is something that the rest of the herd could not offer, and it helped Woody to carve a unique niche for himself in the entertainment industry.

Final thoughts

Woody Allen has made his fortune in the entertainment business. He is a talented writer to put his skills to the best use of working for others. After he honed his talents, he went into business for himself. He had something to offer the world that was new and refreshing. Allen appealed to those who "got" his intellectual sense of humor, but it wasn't everyone's cup of tea. He worked hard for several decades to keep us all entertained with his eclectic sense of humor. Woody Allen is one of the funniest and most brilliant playwrights of our time. Allen was busy writing, directing, producing, and occasionally acting, so he didn't have time to enter other industries. He didn't need to. Allen maintained his focus on the things that were in line with his best skills. In the end, Allen has earned a handsome reward for his efforts. Woody has had his ups and downs. The road hasn't always been easy for him, but he always seems to manage to land on his feet.