| Celebrated Name: | Jack Benny |
|---|---|
| Real Name/Full Name: | Benjamin Kubelsky |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age at the time of death: | 80 years old |
| Birth Date: | 14 February 1894 |
| Date of Death: | 26 December 1974 |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 1.72 m |
| Weight: | 82 Kg |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse (Name): | Mary Livingstone (m. 1927–1974) |
| Children: | Yes (Joan Benny) |
| Dating/Girlfriend (Name): |
N/A |
| Profession: | American stand up comedian, Vaudevillian, radio, television and film actor, violinist |
| Net Worth in 2024: | $30 million |
| Last Updated: | December 2024 |
An American comedian, radio, television and film actor, a violinist, and a vaudevillian, Jack Benny was an influential comedian known for his opportune comic timing and his ability to cause unrestrained laughter. Unlike broad jokes, his jokes were subtle. As a leading 20th century American entertainer, his notable verbal inflection and acute timing achieved him a large number of audiences very quickly.
You must have grown curious by now to get more insights into the life of this influential American comedian!
Maybe you know about Jack Benny very well, But do you know how old was he at the time of his death and what is his net worth in 2024? If you do not know, We have prepared this article about details of Jack Benny’s short biography-wiki, career, professional life, personal life, today’s net worth, age, height, weight, and more facts. Well, if you’re ready, let’s start.
Early Life & Biography
Born as Benjamin Kubelsky to Jewish Parents Meyer Kubelsky and Emma Sachs Kubelsky, who emigrated from Poland to America, Benny began to study violin at the age of 6. His parents were highly ambitious about his career as a professional violinist. Benjamin was a dreamer, but being poor at studies, he was expelled from school, after which he joined his father’s business as a saloon owner and a haberdasher.
In 1911, he started playing the violin in local theatres. In 1917, Benjamin Benny left to join his business show to enter the United States Navy in World War 1. After his return from war, he received a sound pressure from another performer Ben Bernie regarding his name since Benjamin had developed a one-person act “Ben K. Benny: Fiddle Funology.” Hence he adopted a sailor’s name Jack and thus the name Jack Benny.
In 1926, Jack instantly fell for Sadie Marks and married the following year. Sadie was called in to fit in the role of a dumb girl and proved herself to be a natural comedienne. She adopted the name of Mary Livingstone and collaborated with Benny throughout his career. In 1932, he was invited into Ed Sullivan’s radio program, uttering his first persuading speech on the radio, “This is Jack Benny talking. There will be a slight pause while you say, Who cares?….”
Personal Life
Sadie Marks was working in the hosiery section of the Hollywood Boulevard branch, where Benny courted here in 1926. The following year they married and later adopted a daughter Joan Naomi who was born in 1934.
Age, Height, and Weight
Being born on 14 February 1894, Jack Benny was 80 years old at the time of his death. His height was 1.72 m tall and weighed 82 Kg.
Career
At the age of 15, Benny started his career playing the violin in local theatres for $7.5 a week, after which he was expelled from school for his being poor in studies. In 1912, he teamed up with Cora Salisbury, a 45-year-old widow who needed a partner for acting. Ben had changed his name to Ben K Benny because of his name resemblance to another violinist. They started to add comic elements to their show, which earned him the reputation of being a musician as well as a comedian.
Also, during World War 1, he entertained the troops with his art. However, Jack Benny became a national figure with his radio show, “The Jack Benny Show,” which ran from 1932 to 1948 on NBC and from 1949 to 1955 on CBS. The Stand-up comedian was a television performer too. There was not much of a difference between the TV shows and the radio talks except for some visual gags.
Even personalities like Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, and Walt Disney became guests at his appearance. Jack Benny had also acted in movies, namely, “Bright Moments,” “Chasing Rainbows,” “Medicine Man,” “Mr Broadway,” etc. His most famous film being, the Academy Award winner “The Hollywood Revue of 1929”, “Broadway Melody of 1936”, “George Washington Slept Here,” “Charley’s Aunt.”
Awards & Achievements
Jack Benny is a leading American entertainer inducted into the Hollywood Hall of Fame in 1960, Television Hall of Fame in 1988, National Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. He was also inducted as a Laureate of the Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln by the governor of Illinois in 1972 for his splendid contribution in the field of performing arts. The Order of Lincoln is the state’s highest honor. Another of his achievements was the issuance of a stamp in 1991 honoring comedians, by the US Postal Service.
Net Worth & Salary of Michael Lewis in 2024
Jack Benny’s net worth as of December 2024 stood at $30 million.
Jack Benny had a brilliant gift for bringing laughter to not only people around him but a nation as a whole. In 1974, the world lost a comedian due to pancreatic cancer, which was declared inoperable. He was one of the top stars of radio, television, and stage for well over 50 years. His likable stage persona delighted audiences not only in the United States but in the whole world. What was unique about him? Born in a humble family and being a determined boy, he had an unusual comedic method, and his expert timing made him a sensation that he rightly deserved. This man is worth remembering for generations to come.