Steve Carell set to start shooting for new HBO comedy — his deadpan humor earned him millions

"The Office" fame Steve Carell is set to return in a comedic role in a new series with HBO. According to Variety, it will be a single-camera comedy series from Ted Lasso co-creator, Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses. Speaking to Collider, Lawrence shared that the series will begin shooting this spring. However, a release date for the show hasn't been decided.

With this, Carell's career is set to witness new heights after a successful stint on the big screen. Carell has been on a roll with several successful projects which have helped him amass a staggering net worth. 

Steven John Carell was born in Concord, Massachusetts, as the youngest of four brothers. In his childhood, Carell performed plays with his family and he later joined a reenactment group that portrayed the 10th (North Lincoln) Regiment of Foot. He attended high school at Middlesex School and graduated with a history degree from Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in 1984. During college, Carell joined the student improvisational comedy troupe Burpee's Seedy Theatrical Company and worked as a DJ at the campus radio station under the name "Sapphire Steve Carell."

He further performed in the comedy musical "Knat Scatt Private Eye," and appeared in a 1989 commercial for Brown's Chicken restaurant chain. Carell joined the Chicago comedy troupe The Second City in 1991 and concurrently made his film debut in the comedy-drama "Curly Sue." Further, he joined as a cast member on the ABC sketch comedy program "The Dana Carvey Show,” in 1996. The show aired for only 7 episodes, but Carell later played the role of Gary in the animated spin-off, "The Ambiguously Gay Duo." The segment lived on and continued "Saturday Night Live".

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s Carell appeared in several short-lived television series, such as "Over the Top", "Watching Ellie", and "Come to Papa" (2004). He also appeared as a correspondent for the late-night talk and news satire program "The Daily Show" from 1999 to 2005, featuring in regular segments like "Even Stevphen" with Stephen Colbert, and "Produce Pete." Eventually, Carell bagged his first major film role in the hit comedy "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy", starring alongside Will Ferrell.

However, Carell’s career breakthrough came in 2005, when he was cast in the leading role in the NBC American remake of the British series "The Office." The show is a mockumentary that documents life at Dunder Mifflin, a mid-sized paper supply company. The role of Michael Scott, the company's regional manager, shot Carell into the spotlight, after struggling in the first season. The show turned out to be a blockbuster hit and Carell won a Golden Globe Award and Television Critics Association Award in 2006 for his performance. He also received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations throughout the run. Carell "The Office" in 2011 but returned for the series finale in 2013.

In 2005, Carell also appeared in the film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin". Further alongside “The Office”, Carell appeared in films like "Evan Almighty", "Dan in Real Life", "Get Smart" and the hit comedy "Date Night".

In 2010, he voiced the character of Gru in the animated family film "Despicable Me". He reprised the role for the sequels "Despicable Me 2", "Despicable Me 3", “Minions”, and “Minions: The Rise of Gru”.

One of Carell’s most critically acclaimed roles came in the true-crime drama film "Foxcatcher." He appeared alongside Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor and the Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor.

In 2015, he appeared in "The Big Short" which earned him another Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Carell’s other film credits include, "Freeheld", "Café Society", "Battle of the Sexes", "Beautiful Boy", "Vice", and "Welcome to Marwen". Carell then made a return to television with the Apple TV+ drama series "The Morning Show," in 2019. The next year he appeared in the Netflix comedy "Space Force" and starred in Hulu's "The Patient", in 2022. He then appeared in the film “Asteroid City” playing the role of a motel manager in 2023.

Most recently, Steve Carell joined hands with his former co-star at “The Office” and filmmaker, John Krasinski, for the upcoming action-animated comedy “IF”. Set to release in May this year, the film consists of an A-list star cast including Ryan Reynolds, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon, among others.

In the early seasons of “The Office” Carell was paid a salary of $175,000 per episode. However, as the show’s popularity increased, Careel earned a salary of $300,000 per episode. He further took additional pay as he served as the producer, writer, and director, for some episodes. To this day, he continues to make money from syndication. Thus, Carell is estimated to have made over $7 million from the show.

For “The Morning Show”, Carell reportedly made about $750,000 per episode for his first season as per Variety. For the Netflix show “Space Force”, Carell made around $1 million per episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter. As the show lasted for a total of 17 episodes, he is estimated to have made about $17 million.

For the film “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, Carell was paid $500,000, according to Vulture. Further for “Evan Almighty” he made $5 million, for “Date Night” he was paid, $12.5 million, for “Dinner for Schmucks” he got $12 million and he received $15 million for the film "Crazy Stupid Love."

Actor, comedian, producer, writer, and director, Steve Carell has an estimated net worth of $80 million as of December 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Carell is best known for his role as Michael Scott in the globally hit comedy series, “The Office”. He also voiced the popular character of Gru in the “Despicable Me” franchise. Throughout his career, Carell has seamlessly transitioned from TV to film and back to TV again, appearing in productions like “Date Night”, “The 40-year-old Virgin”, “Evan Almighty”, “Little Miss Sunshine”, and more.