Richard Dreyfuss's Net Worth Grew With His Hollywood Career
The veteran actor has strained the relationship due to a shocking controversy.
Published Nov. 20 2025, 12:39 p.m. ET
The money that flows through modern Hollywood is very different from what actors could earn decades ago. Richard Dreyfuss built his career years before massive streaming contracts became desirable across the industry. The Hollywood landscape evolved to become a billion-dollar business that appears to grow larger every year.
What is Richard's net worth? Here's what we know about the cash that was generated through the actor's performances on both the big and the small screen. Appearing in Jaws turned out to be one of the best decisions the performer ever made.
What is Richard Dreyfuss's net worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Richard holds a net worth valued at $5 million. The first movies that allowed the actor to establish himself in Hollywood were American Graffiti and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. With those paychecks in the bag, Richard was ready to take over the big screen once again.
The artist's career is also remembered for stories such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the adaptation that allowed Richard to be reunited with Steven Spielberg.
Richard Dreyfuss
Actor
Net worth: $5 million
Richard Dreyfuss is a Hollywood actor known for his roles in films such as Jaws and American Graffiti. Over the course of several decades, Richard has taken advantage of his talents to become an industry powerhouse. The actor has three children, but his relationship with them is complicated.
Birth name: Richard Stephen Dreyfus
Birthdate: Oct. 29, 1947
Birthplace: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Father: Norman Dreyfuss
Mother: Geraldine Dreyfuss
Some decisions can be disastrous for an actor's wallet. Despite his profitable Hollywood endeavors, Richard admitted in 2017 that he was broke (via Daily Mail). The actor mentioned, "It's a hard thing to admit. I have a greater body of work than any actor I know. I have created, I don't know, maybe 50 or 60 films that I am intensely proud of."
One of the reasons included in the report for the actor's misfortunes was how Hollywood mostly hires young people for the roles they need to fulfill.
Richard Dreyfuss has a complicated relationship with his children.
Even Hollywood superstars can have concerning issues at home. USA Today reports that Ben Dreyfuss, the journalist who happens to be Richard's son, is estranged from his father. The separation between the performer and his son took place due to a dangerous controversy.
Harry Dreyfuss is another one of Richard's kids. Ben went online to support Harry against fellow actor Kevin Spacey at the peak of the MeToo movement.
The post gave other people the opportunity to come forward with their own MeToo stories, but these narratives involved Richard himself.
Ben claims: "That tweet prompted someone to MeToo my dad. He blames us for that. This led to years of acrimony." (via Ben's X account). The connections between the Dreyfuss family apparently haven't been properly healed since the incident took place.
Richard continues to carry the legacy of his Hollywood career, while his children publicly state that they don't get along with him anymore. There are some things that money can't simply fix.