Category:
Richest Celebrities › Actors
Net Worth:
$8 Million
Birthdate:
May 25, 1970 (54 years old)
Birthplace:
Upper Darby
Gender:
Male
Height:
6 ft (1.84 m)
Profession:
Comedian, Actor, Television producer, Screenwriter, Rapper, Film Producer, Author, Voice Actor
Nationality:
United States of America
Jamie Kennedy is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $8 million. Most widely recognized for his sketch comedy, stand-up, and his role as Randy Meeks in the “Scream” trilogy (19962000), Kennedy has appeared in, written, and produced such programs as “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment” (20022004) and “Blowin’ Up” (20062007). Jamie has more than 100 acting credits to his name, including the films “Romeo + Juliet” (1996), “Bowfinger” (1999), and “Malibu’s Most Wanted” (2003) and the television series “Ghost Whisperer” (20082010) and “Heartbeat” (2016). He produced and starred in the stand-up comedy specials “Unwashed” (2006), “Uncomfortable” (2010), and “Stoopid Smart” (2020), and he released the rap/comedy album “Blowin’ Up” with Stu Stone in 2006. In 2003, Kennedy published the autobiography “Wannabe: A Hollywood Experiment.”
Jamie Kennedy was born James Harvey Kennedy on May 25, 1970, in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. He grew up in a Catholic household with mother Josie, father Bob, four older sisters, and an older brother. Jamie attended Monsignor Bonner High School, and after graduating in 1988, he began working as an extra in Hollywood.
In 1989, Kennedy had uncredited roles in the films “Dead Poets Society” and “Skin Deep,” and after auditioning for more than 80 commercials and failing to book any of them, he took a telemarketing job and realized that he was great at selling things. Asking himself, “Why not sell myself?,” Jamie created the false persona of talent agent “Marty Power” and gained the attention of real managers and agents. Kennedy’s first credited role was in the pilot of the TV series “V.R. Troopers” (1994), and he soon guest-starred on “California Dreams” (1994), “Unhappily Ever After” (1995), and “Ellen” (1995). He got his big break in 1996 when he co-starred with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” and played fan-favorite Randy Meeks in the Wes Craven horror film “Scream.” Both films were hits, with “Romeo + Juliet” grossing $151.8 million at the box office and “Scream” bringing in $173 million. Jamie reprised the role of Randy in 1997’s “Scream 2” and 2000’s “Scream 3,” which grossed $172.4 million and $161.8 million, respectively.
After “Scream,” Kennedy appeared in the films “Clockwatchers” (1997), “As Good as It Gets” (1997), “Starstruck” (1998), “Enemy of the State” (1998), and “Three Kings” (1999), and he co-starred with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy in the 1999 comedy “Bowfinger.” In the early 2000s, he appeared in “Boiler Room” (2000), “Bait” (2000), “The Specials” (2000), “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001), and “Pretty When You Cry” (2001), and in 2002, he got his own show, “The Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” which aired 62 episodes on The WB and was the network’s highest-rated new show in 2002. Jamie then wrote and starred in 2003’s “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” and in 2005, he created the reality series “The Starlet” and co-created the Fran Drescher sitcom “Living with Fran.” In 2006, Kennedy and Stu Stone starred on the MTV reality series “Blowin’ Up,” and in 2007, Jamie starred in the film “Kickin’ It Old Skool” and guest-starred on “Criminal Minds.” In 2008, he produced the documentary “Heckler” and began playing Eli James on the CBS series “Ghost Whisperer,” appearing in 45 episodes.
Jamie starred on and produced the 2012 series “Kennedy’s Court,” then he appeared in “The Hungover Games” (2014), “Buddy Hutchins” (2015), “Tremors 5: Bloodlines” (2015), and “Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le” (2016). He played Dr. Casey Callahan on the NBC series “Heartbeat” in 2016, and he guest-starred on “Lucifer” in 2017. Kennedy appeared in the 2018 films “Surviving the Wild,” “Spinning Man,” and “Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell,” followed by “Trick” (2019), “Roe v. Wade” (2020), and “Last Call” (2021). Jamie has lent his voice to numerous projects, including “Slacker Cats” (2001), “Dr. Dolittle 2” (2001), “Da Mb” (20012002), “King of the Hill” (2003; 2004), “Crank Yankers” (2004), “Dinotopia: Quest for the Ruby Sunstone” (2005), “Farce of the Penguins” (2006), “The Cleveland Show” (20092013), and “Fanboy & Chum Chum” (20092014). He also hosts the podcast “Hate To Break It To Ya with Jamie Kennedy.”
Jamie began a relationship with his “Ghost Whisperer” co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt in March 2009, and they split up a year later. Kennedy later told “People” magazine, “People weren’t rooting for a good relationship. That was really hard to deal with. You see snarky headlines and eventually you just have to stop reading that stuff.” In 2016, while appearing on ” The Doctors” to promote “Heartbeat,” Jamie revealed that he was diagnosed with congenital heart block at age 10 and had a pacemaker inserted four years later.
In 1998, Kennedy won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Horror for “Scream 2,” and in 2011, Halloween Horror Nights honored Jamie and his “Scream” co-star David Arquette with an Eyegore Award for their work in the franchise. In 2004, Kennedy was named Comedy Star of Tomorrow at the ShowEast Convention, and “Going to Pot” won the Best Documentary award at ITVFest in 2010. In 2021, Jamie and several of his “Roe v. Wade” castmates shared a Best Actor Supporting award at Menchville Baptist Church’s Christian Film Festival. In 2002, Kennedy received a Teen Choice Award nomination for TV – Choice Personality, and in 2003, he was nominated for Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for “Malibu’s Most Wanted” as well as Choice TV Personality and Choice Comedian. In 1996, Jamie and his “Romeo + Juliet” co-stars earned a Best Cast Ensemble nomination from the Awards Circuit Community Awards.
In 1998, Kennedy paid $529,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the Hollywood Hills, and he sold it for $1.3 million in 2007. That year he purchased a 2,342 square foot home in Los Feliz for $2.15 million, and he put it on the market for $1.9 million in 2012. He relisted the three-bedroom home for $1.889 million in 2014.
