What Was George Segal's Net Worth?
George Segal was an American actor, producer, and banjo player who had a net worth of $8 million at the time of his death in 2021. Segal was probably best known for playing Jack Gallo on NBC's "Just Shoot Me!" (1997–2003) and Albert "Pops" Solomon on ABC's "The Goldbergs" (2013–2021), and he earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Nick in the film "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966).
George had more than 120 acting credits to his name, including the films "Ship of Fools" (1965), "The Owl and the Pussycat" (1970), "Fun with Dick and Jane" (1977), "Look Who's Talking" (1989), "The Cable Guy" (1996), and "Love & Other Drugs" (2012) and the television series "Murphy's Law" (1988–1989) and "Retired at 35" (2011–2012). He also produced the film "The Black Bird" (1975) and released the albums "The Yama Yama Man" (1967), "A Touch of Ragtime" (1974), and "Basin Street" (1987). Segal performed on Broadway as well, appearing in productions of "Gideon" (1961–1962), "Rattle of a Simple Man" (1963), "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1985), and "Art" (1998–1999). Sadly, George died in March 2021 at the age of 87.
Early Life
George Segal was born George Segal Jr. on February 13, 1934, in Great Neck, New York. Though he came from a Jewish family, Segal's parents, Frannie and George Sr. (a malt and hop agent), raised him in a secular household. George grew up with two older brothers, John and Fred, and his sister, Greta, passed away from pneumonia before Segal was born. At age 9, George saw the 1942 film "This Gun for Hire" and became interested in becoming an actor. He also learned to play the ukulele and banjo during his youth, and he told the "Chicago Tribune," "I started off with the ukulele when I was a kid in Great Neck. A friend had a red Harold Teen model; it won my heart. When I got to high school, I realized you couldn't play in a band with a ukulele, so I moved on to the four-string banjo." After George Sr. died in 1947, Frannie and George moved to New York City. Segal attended the Pennsylvania boarding school George School, graduating in 1951, then he enrolled at Haverford College. He later transferred to Columbia University's Columbia College, earning a Bachelor of Arts in drama and performing arts in 1955. George played banjo at both of the colleges he attended, and at Columbia, he performed with a dixieland jazz band that went by numerous different names, including Bruno Lynch and his Imperial Jazz Band and the Red Onion Jazz Band. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army and was a member of the band Corporal Bruno's Sad Sack Six.
Career
After studying with Uta Hagen and Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Segal landed a job as an understudy for a 1956 production of "The Iceman Cometh," and he made his Broadway debut in "Gideon" in 1961. That year he also signed a contract with Columbia Pictures and appeared in his first film, "The Young Doctors." George then guest-starred on "Naked City" (1963), "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" (1963), and "The Doctors and the Nurses" (1963–1964) and appeared in the TV movies "Death of a Salesman" (1966) "The Desperate Hours" (1967), and "Of Mice and Men" (1968) and the films "The Longest Day" (1962), "Act One" (1963), "The New Interns" (1964), "Ship of Fools" (1965), "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (1967), "Bye Bye Braverman" (1968), and "No Way to Treat a Lady" (1968). From 1965 to 1991, he appeared in 47 episodes of "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," and in 1966, he co-starred with Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Sandy Dennis in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" The film earned Segal an Oscar nomination and was preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 2013 for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In the '70s, George appeared in films such as "Loving" (1970), "Born to Win" (1971), "A Touch of Class" (1973), "The Terminal Man" (1974), "The Black Bird" (1975), and "Lost and Found" (1979), and he co-starred with Barbra Streisand in 1970's "The Owl and the Pussycat" and with Jane Fonda in 1977's "Fun with Dick and Jane." In 1976, he co-hosted the Academy Awards with Goldie Hawn, Gene Kelly, Robert Shaw, and Walter Matthau.
In the '80s, Segal appeared in the films "The Last Married Couple in America" (1980), "Carbon Copy" (1981), "Killing 'em Softly" (1982), "Stick" (1985), "Run for Your Life" (1988), and "All's Fair" (1989), and he co-starred with John Travolta and Kirstie Alley in 1989's "Look Who's Talking." The film grossed $297 million against a $7.5 million budget, and George reprised the role of Albert with a cameo in 1993's "Look Who's Talking Now." In 1987, he starred as Andy Kooper on the CBS sitcom "Take Five," and from 1988 to 1989, he played Daedalus Patrick Murphy on the ABC crime drama "Murphy's Law." Segal then appeared in the films "For the Boys" (1991), "Me Myself & I" (1992), "Joshua Tree" (1993), "It's My Party" (1996), "Flirting with Disaster" (1996), and "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996), and he co-starred with Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, Jack Black, and Leslie Mann in the 1996 Ben Stiller-directed comedy "The Cable Guy," which brought in $102.8 million at the box office. George had recurring roles on the syndicated series "High Tide" (1994), the ABC/NBC sitcom "The Naked Truth" (1995–1997), and the HBO sketch comedy series "Tracey Takes On…," and he voiced Dr. Benton C. Quest on the Cartoon Network's "The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest" from 1996 to 1997.
From 1997 to 2003, George played Jack Gallo on the sitcom "Just Shoot Me!" alongside Laura San Giacomo, Wendie Malick, Enrico Colantoni, and David Spade. The series aired 148 episodes over seven seasons and earned Segal two Golden Globe nominations. After "Just Shoot Me!" ended, he appeared in the films "Heights" (2005), "Three Days to Vegas" (2007), "Made for Each Other" (2009), "Elsa & Fred" (2014) and the 2009 blockbuster "2012," which grossed $791.2 million at the box office. George portrayed Lee Eastman in the 2000 TV movie "The Linda McCartney Story," then he guest-starred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (2003), "Private Practice" (2007), "The War at Home" (2007), "Boston Legal" (2008), "Pushing Daisies" (2009), and "Entourage" (2009). In 2010, Segal co-starred with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in the film "Love & Other Drugs," and from 2011 to 2012, he played Alan Robbins on TV Land's "Retired at 35" alongside his "Bye Bye Braverman" co-star Jessica Walter, who passed away in March 2021 just one day after George's death. From 2013 to 2021, Segal portrayed Albert "Pops" Solomon, the father of Wendi McLendon-Covey's Beverly Goldberg on the sitcom "The Goldbergs," which is set in the '80s. At the time of George's death, the series was in its eighth season.
Personal Life
George married film editor Marion Sobel on November 19, 1956, and they welcomed daughters Elizabeth (born in 1962) and Polly (born in 1966) before divorcing in 1983. Segal wed Linda Sue Rogoff on October 9, 1983, and they were together until her death in June 1996. On September 28, 1996, Segal married Sonia Schultz Greenbaum, who was a classmate of his at George School. George and Sonia remained married until his death in 2021.
Death
On March 23, 2021, George passed away as the result of complications from bypass surgery at the age of 87. After the sad news was announced, the cast and crew of "The Goldbergs" released a statement about Segal, writing, "He was kind, sweet, beyond talented and funny. George was the true epitome of class and he touched all of our lives so deeply. It was an honor and a privilege to have him as a colleague and friend all of these years. It is no surprise to any of us that knew him so well that he is a true national treasure. He will be missed by all. POPS, we will miss your banjo playing and your infectious laugh." The show paid tribute to Segal and his character in the episode "Couple Off" the following month with a montage of some of his best moments on the series that ended with the message "We will miss you, George."
Awards and Nominations
Segal earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in 1967, and he received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for "No Way to Treat a Lady" in 1969. George was nominated for five Golden Globes, winning Most Promising Newcomer – Male for "The New Interns" in 1965 and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for "A Touch of Class" in 1974. His other nominations were for Best Supporting Actor for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1967) and Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical for "Just Shoot Me!" (1999 and 2000). Segal was named Best Actor for "A Touch of Class" at the 1973 Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards, and in 2020, "The Goldbergs" received a Merit – Honorary Award at the CinEuphoria Awards. George earned two Laurel Award nominations, for New Faces, Male in 1965 and Male Supporting Performance for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in 1967. He received a CableACE Award nomination for Actor in a Theatrical or Non-Musical Program for "The Deadly Game" in 1983, and he earned a Satellite Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical for "Just Shoot Me!" in 2002. In 2015, Segal and his "Kaguya-hime no monogatari" castmates shared a Behind the Voice Actors Award nomination for Best Vocal Ensemble in an Anime Feature Film/Special. In 2017, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Real Estate
In 1998, Segal paid $900,000 for a 2,000+ square foot condo in Los Angeles. The two-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home went on the market for $2.15 million in February 2022.
