With a net worth of $140 million, Ricky Gervais is a British-born actor, comedian, writer, and director who was born in the United Kingdom. A large portion of his net worth may be attributed to his work as a writer and producer on the television series The Office.
The show first aired as a limited-run British series in 2001, and it has since expanded internationally. In 2005, it was converted into an American television series, which broadcast 201 episodes over nine seasons and received positive reviews.
The American version of The Office is one of the most profitable series in the history of syndication, raking in billions of dollars in royalties and fees each season. As a result, whenever a deal is renewed or the program is sold to a new platform, Gervais continues to earn tens of millions of dollars from the show.
Early Life
Ricky Dene Gervais was born on June 25th, 1961, in Reading, England, and is well known for his comedy. Ricky's father was a French-Canadian who had returned to his homeland, and he was reared as the youngest of four children.
In the years after secondary school, Gervais pursued a degree in philosophy at University College London, graduating with honors. Gervais met his wife, Jane Fallon while studying at the University of Leicester. They have been together since 1982.
Early Career
Having failed in his quest to become a pop sensation, Ricky Gervais began his entertainment career as a radio personality. In his capacity as XFM's head of speech, he had the opportunity to meet Stephen Merchant, whom he later employed as an assistant. The two would go on to collaborate on the television series The Office.
Ricky Gervais began his television career creating sketches for the British comedy show The Sketch Show, then went on to host The 11 O'Clock Show, where he was known for being purposely controversial and politically wrong. Ricky Gervais is a British comedian and actor. He also had a role in a comedy series called Meet Ricky Gervais, which was a moderate success but not very memorable.
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Breakthrough With The Office
While studying film production in 1999, Stephen Merchant developed a seven-minute short film for a project as part of his coursework. The character of David Brent, played by Ricky Gervais in the upcoming television series The Office, was included in the short film.
The short film was presented to high-ranking BBC workers, who were impressed and asked Gervais and Merchant to write a pilot script for them. BBC approved the pilot screenplay that was written by the duo, which resulted in the show being shown.
Initially, The Office was a disappointment. It was only available for a brief six-episode run, and only a small number of people cared to watch it. However, word of mouth ultimately spread, and people began to purchase DVDs in large quantities.
It wasn't long before it became evident that there was a strong desire for a second season to air. The BBC has once again given the green light for the upcoming season, much to the delight of fans across the world.
After the successful release of this second season in 2003, Gervais and Merchant were widely regarded as comedy masterminds. Following the popularity of The Office in the United Kingdom, the program was recreated in the United States, with Gervais and Merchant serving as producers on the new version.
In addition, The Office has been remade for audiences in a variety of different countries, including Brazil, Sweden, France, and a slew of other countries. Afterward, Gervais remarked that the positive critical reception he received for The Office enabled him to achieve success in the American entertainment sector in the next years.
Syndication Earnings
Throughout the original run of The Office, Gervais and his co-creator Stephen Merchant earned tens of millions of dollars in different producer and creator credits, which they have continued to earn today.
A significant portion of Ricky's fortune has accrued as a result of extraordinarily lucrative syndication and licensing agreements signed in more recent years. Ricky has at least a 10% stake in The Office's syndication equity points, according to IMDB. In other words, he receives a tenth of the total revenue earned by the performance as compensation.
Ricky Gervais has amassed an estimated net worth of more than $100 million before taxes as a result of his syndication sales.
A $500 million fee was paid by Comcast's NBC in June 2019 for the rights to broadcast The Office beginning in 2021. Previously, the show has been shown on Viacom-owned networks such as Comedy Central. The program has also been available on Netflix for quite some time.
After The Office
Following the popularity of The Office, Ricky Gervais went on to star in a slew of other television shows. The first of them was Extras, a television series in which well-known celebrities played comic versions of themselves on imaginary film production sets.
In 2010, Gervais launched his television show, The Ricky Gervais Show, which continues to this day. In addition, Ricky Gervais played a role in the development of series such as Derek, Life's Too Short, An Idiot Abroad, and After Life, among others.
Stand-Up Comedy
Since the 1990s, Ricky Gervais has been a popular stand-up comedian on the comedy circuit. Immediately following the success of The Office, he launched a successful stand-up career, and he has since performed around the country with his act. Netflix has shown many of his comedy specials, including one that aired last year.
Film
Throughout his career, Ricky Gervais has taken roles in several high-profile films. Earlier in his career, he voiced the character “Bugsy” in the animated film Valiant in 2005. One of his most well-known parts was in the 2006 film Night at the Museum, in which he portrayed the director of a museum.
He went on to repeat the role in the film's sequels. Within a few years, Gervais had secured roles in films like Ghost Town, The Invention of Lying, and Special Correspondents, among others.
Ricky has won seven BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Golden Globe Awards — a ceremony that he has hosted five times – as of this writing.
Netflix
According to reports, Ricky received a $20 million payment from Netflix for a standup special in 2018. Netflix had already purchased his program “Humanity,” which was supposedly also purchased for $20 million, according to reports.
Ricky made a total of $25 million between June 2017 and June 2018 through his numerous enterprises. That was enough to propel him to the top of the list of the world's highest-paid comedians, ranking him in the top five.
Personal Life
Ricky Gervais and his partner, Jane Fallon, have chosen not to get married or have children. Although Gervais has been involved in several charitable causes, he is best known for supporting animal rights.
In 2015, it was reported that Ricky Gervais had pledged to leave his entire fortune to animal rights charities. He is vehemently opposed to all forms of hunting, poaching, and illegal animal trading. Because of his various actions and donations for animal welfare, Ricky Gervais has won numerous awards and has been praised by groups such as PETA. In addition, Gervais is a firm atheist and a supporter of same-sex marriage.
In 2006, the couple spent around $6.5 million on a London home. They listed this property for sale in 2015 for $11.8 million. In 2016 they moved into a new home which they acquired for a little under $16 million.
