Denis Leary Net Worth and Salary: Denis Leary is an American actor and comedian who has a net worth of $30 million. He is probably best known for starring in and creating the show ‘Rescue Me’. As a result of his creative contribution to this show, Leary received two Primetime Emmy nominations – one for acting and one for writing. In addition, Denis wrote and starred in the FX series “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.”
Outside of television work, Leary has appeared in a number of films. These include “The Ref,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Draft Day.” In addition, Denis is an established voice actor with roles in well-known animated films such as “A Bug’s Life” and the “Ice Age” franchise.
Early Life: Denis Colin Leary was born on August 18, 1957 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Raised in a Catholic household of Irish immigrants, Leary holds both Irish and American passports. Oddly enough, Denis’ third cousin is Conan O’Brien. After graduating from high school, Leary attended Emerson College, where he met Mario Cantone – another comedian. The pair eventually became very close friends.
During his college years, Denis founded the Emerson Comedy Workshop, which is now an important part of the school’s culture. Although Leary graduated from Emerson College in 1981, he remained at the school for the next five years, working as a teacher. During this period, he taught comedy-writing. Many years later, Denis was awarded an honorary doctorate by Emerson College.
Career: Career Denis Leary’s career began in the comedy clubs of Boston. In 1990, he appeared on “The Rascals Comedy Hour”, which helped him gain notoriety. He then appeared on shows such as ‘Lenny Clarke’s Late Show’ while also working as a writer. After developing his stage persona, Leary appeared on the MTV show “Remote Control”. A famous revelation about REM helped him become more famous as well. In the 1990s, Leary released two comedy albums: “No Cure for Cancer” and “Lock ‘n Load.”
In the 90s, Leary began his film career with films such as “The Sandlot”, “Monument Ave.”, “The Matchmaker”, “Suicide Kings”, “Wag the Dog”, “Demolition” and “The Ref”. Towards the 2000s, he continued with roles in films such as “Draft Day” and “Dawg”. Leary’s career took a major step forward after booking the lead in “The Job.” He followed that up by co-creating “Rescue Me” and landed the lead role in the series. In recognition of his creative contribution to the series, Leary won two Emmy Awards.
Denis is also an established voice actor with a number of notable credits. In “A Bug’s Life,” he played a ladybug named Francis, while he also played the saber-toothed tiger Diego in the “Ice Age” movies. Leary later narrated the film Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series. In terms of commercial work, Denis’ voice has been featured in commercials for MLB 2K18 (a baseball video game) and Ford F-150 pickup trucks.
(Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Relations: In 1989, Leary married Ann Lembeck. The pair later had two children together. Ann was an English instructor at Emerson College when she and Denis met, and she has published a number of books.
Controversies: Denis Leary has been accused of plagiarism in the past. Many observers have pointed this out: that Leary appears to have stolen material from the legendary comedian Bill Hicks, who died in 1994. Hicks noticed this, and their previously close relationship ended as a result. Many people pointed out that he even smoked cigarettes just like Hicks, and many of his mannerisms were essentially identical.
Various comics have confronted Leary about it. When Denis released his album “No Cure for Cancer”, Bill was furious. Although he dismissed the seriousness of Denis’ plagiarism in the past, he could not ignore the fact that, according to many comics, Leary had taken “huge chunks of his material, line by line”.
Leary has also been embroiled in controversy after the release of his book, “Why We Suck: A Guide to Staying Fat, Strong, Lazy, and Stupid.” In this book, he wrote that autism was an “explanation for why child care idiots can’t compete academically,” telling parents “your child is not autistic. He’s just stupid. Or lazy. Or both”. Denis later claimed the quote was taken out of context and publicly apologized to parents of autistic children.
Real Estate: In 2007, Denis Leary was reported to be buying a three-bedroom flat in Soho. Leary paid $3.95 million for the residence, which is located at 497 Greenwich Street. Described as “chic” and “understated”, the Manhattan apartment features details such as glass walls and exceptional views.
In 1997, Denis and Ann paid $795,000 for an 1850s farmhouse in Roxbury, Connecticut. The couple spent most of their time in New York due to their careers, and this country home allowed them to reconnect with nature, offering a wide range of meadows, forests and a nearby lake. One later, they paid a total of $600,000 for the two neighboring estates. The result was a 51-acre property. They took the original main house down to the studs in a massive renovation, eventually building a 6,000-square-foot mansion. They made a number of notable renovations, including an additional room, a gym, and a game room. The main residence has five bedrooms and there is also a caretaker’s house, a range and a barn with horse stalls. If that wasn’t enough, the grounds also boast a tennis court and even an ice rink. In 2016, they put the property up for sale for $4.9 million. As of this writing, they still own the property.
