Lawrence Kasdan Net Worth

What is Lawrence Kasdan's net worth? 

Lawrence Kasdan is an American filmmaker who has a net worth of $40 million. Lawrence Kasdan is known for writing or co-writing such films as "The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," and "The Bodyguard," and for co-writing and directing such films as "The Big Chill," "The Accidental Tourist," and "Grand Canyon." For the latter three films, he earned a total of four Academy Award nominations. Kasdan also directed the Disney+ documentary television series "Light & Magic."

Early Life and Education 

Lawrence Kasdan was born on January 14, 1949 in Miami Beach, Florida to Jewish parents Sylvia and Clarence. He has three siblings, including Mark, who also became a filmmaker. Raised in Morgantown and Wheeling, West Virginia, Kasdan had a precarious childhood marked by financial instability. To escape his circumstances, he found solace in the movies, particularly those by John Sturges and David Lean. After graduating from Morgantown High School in 1966, Kasdan worked odd jobs at a glass factory and a supermarket. He went on to attend the University of Michigan, where he won the Hopwood Award scholarship prize four times for his writing. Intent on becoming a screenwriter and director, Kasdan was admitted to UCLA's writing program, but soon returned to Michigan after being frustrated by his experience in Los Angeles. He ultimately went back to the University of Michigan, earning his master's degree in education in 1971.

Career Beginnings

With his master's degree in education, Kasdan intended to become a high school English teacher until he was able to get his breakthrough in Hollywood. However, he found it extremely difficult to find teaching jobs, and instead took a job as an advertising copywriter in Detroit. Although he didn't enjoy this work, he was very successful and won some awards.

Film Career, Part 1

Kasdan's first screenplay credit was on "The Empire Strikes Back," the first sequel to "Star Wars." He had actually rewritten the script drafted by George Lucas, which was based on the original script by Leigh Brackett. Released in 1980, "The Empire Strikes Back" was a massive hit, becoming the highest-grossing film of the year. Kasdan went on to co-write the screenplays to the "Star Wars" sequels "Return of the Jedi" (1983) and "The Force Awakens" (2015), both similarly huge box-office successes. Additionally, with his son Jonathan, he co-wrote the screenplay to the "Star Wars" spinoff film "Solo" (2018). Between his first two "Star Wars" films, Kasdan wrote the screenplay to Steven Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," the highest-grossing film of 1981. The same year, he wrote the screenplay to Michael Apted's romantic dramedy "Continental Divide," and both wrote and directed the erotic thriller "Body Heat."

Kasdan's second film as director was the 1983 ensemble dramedy "The Big Chill," which he co-wrote with Barbara Benedek. For the film, which focuses on a college reunion in the aftermath of a friend's suicide, Kasdan earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and won the WGA Award. The third film he directed, the Western "Silverado," came out in 1985; he co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Mark. Kasdan went on to co-write, co-produce, and direct the romantic drama "The Accidental Tourist," which came out in 1988. Based on the novel by Anne Tyler, it stars William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, and Geena Davis. "The Accidental Tourist" was a critical and commercial success, and earned Kasdan Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Film Career, Part 2

Kasdan began the 1990s with the black comedy "I Love You to Death," the first film he directed from another writer's screenplay (John Kostmayer). The following year saw the release of the ensemble drama "Grand Canyon," which Kasdan co-wrote with his wife and also directed. The film earned him his fourth Academy Award nomination, for Best Original Screenplay. Kasdan's next screen credit was on the romantic thriller "The Bodyguard"; although released in 1992, he had originally written the screenplay in 1975. Starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the film was an enormous hit. Much less successful was the 1994 Western "Wyatt Earp," also starring Costner.

Kasdan had a solid commercial success in 1995 with the romantic comedy "French Kiss." Two years after that, he made a rare acting appearance on screen, playing Dr. Green in James L. Brooks's romantic comedy "As Good as it Gets." Closing out the decade, Kasdan had a box-office flop with the dramedy "Mumford." His only film in the '00s was the 2003 science-fiction horror film "Dreamcatcher," based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. It earned negative reviews from critics and bombed at the box office. Kasdan's next film, "Darling Companion," didn't come out until 2012. Independently financed by his production company, it too was a critical and commercial failure.

Television Career

In 2022, Kasdan directed his first major project for television, the documentary series "Light & Magic." Consisting of six episodes, the series tells the history of the visual effects company Industrial Light & Magic, founded by George Lucas in 1975. "Light & Magic" premiered on Disney+ to strong reviews from critics.

Personal Life

In 1971, Kasdan married Mary Goldman, a fellow student at the University of Michigan. Together, they have two sons named Jake and Jonathan, both of whom are filmmakers.

Real Estate

In 1985, Lawrence and Mary paid $2.8 million for a mansion in Beverly Hills. Today this 7,000-square-foot home is likely worth $14-16 million.