What Was Comedic Genius Garry Shandling's Net Worth At The Time of His Death?

Larry Shandling once declined the offer to replace David Letterman and host "The Late Late Show"

PUBLISHED DEC 13, 2023

Garry Shandling arrives at the world premiere of "Iron Man 2". Getty Images | Photo by Frazer Harrison

Name	Garry Shandling
Net worth	$20 million
Salary	N/A
Annual income	N/A
Sources of income	Stand-up comedy, acting, writing, direction, producing
DOB	29 November 1949
Age	66 years (at the time of death)
Gender	Male
Nationality	United States of America
Profession	Comedian, actor, writer, producer

Garry Shandling's Net Worth at The Time of His Death

Comedian, actor and writer Garry Shandling had an estimated net worth of $20 million at the time of his death in 2016, as per Celebrity Net Worth. Shandling was best known for his work on "It's Garry Shandling's Show" and "The Larry Sanders Show", which won him massive critical acclaim and numerous awards. Regarded as a "comic genius," Shandling also co-created, wrote and produced these shows. He tragically died in 2016 at the age of 66.

Garry Shandling during 2006 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival Aspen | Getty Images | Photo by Jeff Kravitz

Sources of Income

Shandling began his career in the mid-1970s, writing for the show "Sanford and Son" (1975–1976). He then wrote for "Welcome Back, Kotter" (1976) and "The Harvey Korman Show" (1978). He made his stand-up comedy debut in 1978 at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood.

After a few years of performing stand-up on the road, he caught the attention of a talent scout who helped him achieve his long-standing dream of performing on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" in 1981. He frequently served as a guest host on the show.

He then collaborated with Showtime for the comedy special "Garry Shandling: Alone in Vegas" and then with HBO for "Garry Shandling: Stand-Up." In 1985, Shandling created "It's Garry Shandling's Show". The Showtime series aired 72 episodes out of which 15 were written by Garry, over four seasons.

He launched "The Larry Sanders Show" on HBO in 1992. He starred in the show which ran for 89 episodes over six seasons. In 1998, Shandling directed the episodes "As My Career Lay Dying," "Adolf Hankler," and "I Buried Sid."

Shandling was offered $5 million in 1993 to replace David Letterman when the late-night host moved from NBC to CBS, and he was also asked to take over "The Late Late Show.” Shandling declined both offers and chose to continue "The Larry Sanders Show."

Shandling hosted the Grammy Awards four times in the early 1990s and the Primetime Emmy Awards in 2000 and 2004. He further hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 1987.

Career in Films

Shandling made his big screen debut in the 1993 film "The Night We Never Met." He later appeared in the films "Mixed Nuts" (1994), "Hurlyburly" (1998), "What Planet Are You From?" (2000), "Town & Country" (2001), "Trust the Man" (2005), "Iron Man 2" (2010), "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014) and more.

Real Estate Assets

Shandling purchased a massive 6,100-square-foot home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles in 1990. The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom house was listed on the market for sale for $13.5 million the day before his sudden death. The house ultimately sold for $10.65 million, five months after the listing, as per Celebrity Net Worth. Shandling also owned the TSB (Tough Strong Bold) 44 boxing gym in Santa Monica, California.

Personal Life

Garry and his fiancée Linda Doucett, who played Darlene on "The Larry Sanders Show," lived together from 1987 to 1994. However, the split bitterly as Shandling fired Doucett from the series, and she sued him in retaliation for wrongful termination and sexual discrimination. Since then Shandling was reportedly single.

Michael Fuchs, Linda Doucett and Garry Shandling during 1994 Emmy Awards | Getty Images | Photo by Jeff Kravitz

Death and Estate

On March 24, 2016, Shandling collapsed at his Brentwood home and was rushed to the Providence Saint John's Health Center. However, he passed away and his autopsy revealed that he died of pulmonary embolism, after a blood clot traveled to his lungs from his leg, as per an AP report.

A small portion of Shandling's estate, worth about $668,000, went to his best friend/lawyer Bill Isaacson. The rest of his wealth was kept in a private trust. In 2019, the estate gave $15.2 million to the David Geffen School of Medicine. UCLA also named a 6,400-square-foot space in Geffen Hall as the Garry Shandling Learning Studio.