Samuel Atkinson Waterston was born on the 15th November 1940, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA of British ancestry. Sam is an actor, director and producer, probably best known for appearing in the role of Sydney Schanberg in the film “The Killing Fields” (1984), and playing Jack McCoy in the TV series “Law & Order” (1994-2010), for which he won a Golden Globe award. He has been an active member of the entertainment industry since 1964.
Have you ever wondered how rich is Sam Waterston as of early 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Sam’s net worth is as high as $15 million and the main source of this amount of money is his successful acting career.
Sam Waterston Net Worth $15 Million
Sam Waterston was raised with three siblings by father George Chychele Waterston, a teacher, and mother Alice Tucker, who was a painter. He went to the Brooks School and the Groton School, and then enrolled at Yale University from which he graduated with a BA degree in 1962. Furthermore, Sam also attended the Sorbonne, the Clinton Playhouse, and the American Actors Workshop, which helped him to gain a basis to his professional acting career.
Before he made his film debut, Sam firstly introduced himself to theater, appearing in several plays such as “Much Ado About Nothing”, and “Hamlet”. His screen debut was as Mark in the TV series “Dr. Kildare” in 1965, and he made his film debut in “The Plastic Dome OF Norma Jean” (1966), and the following year he was cast as Oliver in the film “Fitzwilly”. He was building his career, and ten years after it all began, he was cast in his first lead role, as Nick Caraway in Jack Clayton`s “The Great Gatsby” (1974). After that appearance, he appeared in high profile films such as “Interiors” (1978), with Diane Keaton and directed by Woody Allen, “Hopscotch” (1980), by Robert Neame, and “Heaven`s Gate” (1980). The 1980s only increased the number of his appearances, and his overall net worth. 1984 was the turning point in his life when he portrayed Sydney Schanberg in the already mentioned film, but the popularity of the film, brought his career to another level. During the 1980s he appeared in films “Freedom To Speak” (1982), in which he portrayed Theodore Roosevelt, “Devil`s Paradise” (1987), “Welcome Home” (1989), “Crimes And Misdemeanors” (1989), “Lincoln” (1988), which was his first portrayal of Abraham Lincoln, which he repeated two more times over the course of his successful career. The 1990s brought a few memorable roles, the most recognizable as Jack McCoy in the highly popular TV series “Law & Order” (1994-2010), but he was also cast as Forrest Bredford in the TV series “I`ll Fly Away” (1991-1993). Furthermore he appeared in films “Serial Mom” (1994), “Shadow Conspiracy” (1997), “The Proprietor” (1996), and “The Journey Of August King” (1995).
Although he was mainly focused on the long running TV series “Law & Order”, Sam still played in several films in the beginning of the 2000s, such as “The Commission” (2003), and “Le Divorce” (2003). Thanks to the popularity of the original series, in 2000 another series began to air, entitled “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” which lasted until 2010, and which further increased Sam`s overall net worth. The end of the series brought new roles to Sam, as he was featured in the TV series “Newsroom” (2012-2014), as Charlie Skinner. Most recently, Sam has appeared in the film “Anesthesia” (2015), as Prof. Walter Zarrow, and he was also cast as Sol Bergstein in the TV series “Grace And Franke” (2015-2016). Furthermore, his net worth will increase as he is to appear in the film “Miss Sloane”, which is scheduled for the release in 2017.
Overall, Sam is a highly successful actor, having appeared in more than 90 film and TV titles, for which he has also received several prestigious nominations and awards, including Best Actor in a Dramatic Series for his work on “I`ll Fly Away”, and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his work on “Law & Order”, among many other.
Regarding his personal life, Sam Waterson was first married to Barbara Rutledge-Johns (1964-75), and they have a son James, who is an actor as well. A year later, he married Lynn Louisa Woodruff, with whom he has three children. Sam is known as a philanthropist, who earned a Goodermote Humanitarian Award in 2012 for his work with a number of organizations, like The United Way, and Meals on Wheels, among others.
