What is Jon Favreau’s net worth?
| Net Worth | $100 Million |
| Source of Wealth | Actor & Director |
| Date of Birth | October 19, 1966 |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 6 ft 0.5 in (1.85m) |
| Place of Birth | Queens, New York |
| Star Sign | Libra |
| Religion | Jewish |
| Marital Status | Joya Tillem (Married) |
The Usual Intro
Jon Favreau is an acclaimed member of Hollywood’s entertainment community. He is an actor, producer, director, screenwriter, and voiceover artist with a net worth of $100 million dollars.
He is most well-known for his work on the Iron Man series, where he directed and also acted in the film as Tony Stark’s friend and bodyguard, Happy Hogan.
Before the Spotlight
Jon Favreau was born in Queens, New York in 1966. He was an only child and both of his parents were educators in the New York public school system. His heritage is a mixed one. On his mother’s side, he is Jewish and Russian. His father was Catholic and came from a mixed Italian and French-Canadian family. He was exposed to many different cultures as a child and he has used his awareness of different cultural norms in many of his films.
Favreau attended high school at The Bronx High School of Science, which is a school exclusively for gifted students. He left high school to attend Queens College, but he didn’t graduate from that institution. Instead, he started to pursue a career in comedy. He secured a position performing improv in Chicago. He was a member of ImprovOlympic and the Improv Institute.
The Journey to Success
Favreau’s film career began in 1993 when he secured a role in the hit film Rudy. He played the titular character’s tutor, named D-Bob. This was the start of a slow-growing career for Favreau. From there he secured several more roles in minor films and TV shows, including a spot in Seinfeld as Eric the Clown in the episode “The Fire” in 1994.
It wasn’t until 1996 when Favreau took a leap and moved to Los Angeles, that he started to make his big breakthrough into the film industry. He was an actor and screenwriter for the film Swingers, alongside Vince Vaughn. He had several smaller roles on tv, including a guest appearance on Friends and another in The Sopranos.
Favreau started directing films in 2001 when he created the movie Made, which he was also the screenwriter for. In 2003 Favreau entered the marvel film concept, which he would go on to find major success with during later years. His first marvel role was in the 2003 Daredevil film, which was not a huge success. He played lawyer Foggy Nelson. That same year he had what would amount to his first starring role in The Big Empty.
By this time, Favreau was becoming well known for his work not just as an actor, but as a comedy writer and film director. In 2003 he made his first major film: Elf. Starring Will Ferrell and with a supporting cast that included Zooey Deschanel, Peter Dinklage, and James Caan, the film was a huge success and an instant holiday favorite.
During this time Favreau continued to pick up small parts in films where he would become more recognized. He took a small role in the film Something’s Gotta Give alongside Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. That also came out in 2003, the same year as Elf. He jumped around to a few more projects for another year or so following that, appearing in the rom-com The Break Up and on TV series like My Name is Earl and The Apprentice.
In 2006 everything started to change dramatically for Favreau, as he secured the position of director for the Iron Man film that would be the start of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) franchise. He was also credited as an executive producer on the project. Favreau took the role of Happy Hogan, which had him star alongside Robert Downey Jr. in the popular film. Favreau continued to work with Marvel for some time, going on to direct Iron Man 2, which is still considered one of the greatest MCU films to this day. For Iron Man 3 Favreau stepped away from the role of director, but was credited as an executive producer and continued to play the role of Happy Hogan.
Moving on from Marvel as a director, but continuing to play Happy Hogan as called upon, including in the hit Spiderman films, Favreau worked briefly on the film John Carter as a director and supporting actor, and then took minor roles in several of Vince Vaughn’s projects, including Four Christmases and Couples Retreat.
Jon Favreau started his career as a voice actor by taking on the role of the leader of the Mandalorian Death Watch in the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which aired from 2008-2014. This would be the start of Favreau’s time working with the Star Wars franchise, which he would later go on to film a Disney+ series with as a director.
One of Favreau’s biggest projects was the 2014 film Chef, which is a critically acclaimed film that Favreau wrote, directed, co-produced, and starred in. This was a huge success for Favreau. The film grossed over $45 million and put him on the map for many critics as a skilled and versatile member of the Hollywood elite. In 2019, Favreau developed this film into a cooking show that aired on Netflix. Called The Chef, this show offered Favreau the chance to get in the kitchen with celebrity friends of his for the entertainment of viewers.
After Chef, Favreau went on to direct the live-action The Jungle Book film in 2016 and then directed The Lion King shortly after. In 2018 Favreau was announced as the executive producer, writer, and director for The Mandalorian. This was the start of a new successful franchise for Disney and Star Wars, and much of the creative design was due to Favreau’s energy.
Making his debut in documentary work, Favreau was the executive producer for the hit Apple TV+ series Prehistoric Planet, which lends the famous voice of David Attenborough to lifelike scenes of dinosaurs roaming the earth.
The Best Moments
- 1993: Secured his first role in the film Rudy
- 2001: Favreau directed his first film, Made
- 2006: Favreau directed the Iron Man film, which provided him with an ongoing role as Happy Hogan. He would go on to also direct Iron Man 2
- 2014: Favreau wrote, directed, starred, and produced the hit film Chef
- 2018: Favreau produced and directed the Disney+ series The Mandalorian
The Private Side
Jon Favreau married a doctor by the name of Joya Tillem, and they have been married for over 20 years. They have a son and two daughters. Their son, Max Favreau, played the child version of Peter Parker who meets Tony Stark in the first Iron Man.
Favreau is also the creator and CEO of Golem Creations, which is a production company based out of Hollywood. He has been nominated for dozens of awards, including several primetime Emmy’s, a Golden Globe, a Grammy, Critics Choice Awards, and Producers Guild of America Awards.
He won the Saturn Award for Best Director in 2008 as well as The Visionary Award in 2019. He also was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Visual Effects Society Awards in 2018.
Jon Favreau’s Related YouTube Video
Jon Favreau on The Lion King, Beyoncé & New Star Wars Series
Famous Quotes From Jon Favreau
Here are some popular quotes from the famous actor Jon Favreau:
- “I like happy endings in movies. I think life has a happy ending. When it’s all said and done, it’s all something worthwhile, and I want my movies to reflect that. There are enough things to be sad about. When you pop in a movie, let the message be one that’s one of hope.”
- “Of course I danced a lot when I was making ‘Swingers.’ The swing music scene was big in Hollywood, and I went to places like The Derby. And, after I wrote it and was trying to get it made, I would go every week so I’d be good at dancing.”
- “You have an hour and a half or two hours – maybe two and a half hours – in a movie, and it has to be a self-contained three-act structure. It’s like a rock and roll song. Certain things have to happen for it to be a toe-tapper and get people excited, leaving the theater.”
The Social World
Here are some social media stats from Jon Favreau:
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Jon Favreau credits much of his success to his passion for the art of filmmaking and his decision to “return to the basics” with his film Chef after directing the first Iron Man film. He was able to bring in a number of celebrity friends in this film to star alongside him in a project that was entirely his own.
Another major lesson that led to his success was to learn many different skills that would help him succeed in the film industry. His production company works directly with Lucas Films and is the key production company behind The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett for Disney+.
The Unusual Stuff
- Known far and wide for his work with the MCU on the Iron Man films and as Happy Hogan, Favreau has worked even more with the Star Wars franchise than he has with Marvel.
- He has been married for over 20 years and has three children. He is the husband of a successful physician.
- He is a college dropout who moved to Chicago to pursue improv rather than complete his degree.
- He credits his childhood pastime of playing Dungeons and Dragons with his success in film writing and directing.
Answering Frequent Questions
Where did Jon Favreau go to school?
Favreau went to high school in Queens and then attended Queens College, but did not complete his degree.
What was Jon Favreau’s first major success?
Jon Favreau found huge success with the blockbuster holiday comedy Elf in 2003.
What does Jon Favreau credit for his success?
Favreau claims that growing up playing Dungeons and Dragons helped him to become creative and develop a background in storytelling, imagination, and understanding tone.
The Closing Remarks
Favreau is still young by Hollywood standards and has already found a great deal of success across the filmmaking industry, even earning a Lifetime Achievement Award for his combination of acting, directing, writing, and producing roles. In 2019 Favreau was announced as a Disney Legend at the D23 convention, an honor to his many successful projects with the Disney brand.
