As one of the most talked-about figures, Peter Falk has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What Was Peter Falk's Net Worth?

Peter Falk was an American actor, producer, director, and writer who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death in 2011. Peter Falk was best known for his Emmy-winning performance as Lieutenant Columbo on the NBC/ABC crime drama "Columbo" (1968–1978; 1989–2003). Falk also produced the series, wrote the 1993 episode "It's All in the Game," and directed the 1972 episodes "Blueprint for Murder" and "Étude in Black."

Peter had more than 100 acting credits to his name, including the films "Murder Inc." (1960), "Pocketful of Miracles" (1962), "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), "Murder by Death" (1976), "The In-Laws" (1979), "The Great Muppet Caper" (1981), "The Princess Bride" (1987), "Made" (2001), "Corky Romano" (2001), and "The Thing About My Folks" (2005) and the television series "The Dick Powell Theatre" (1962–1963), "Ben Casey" (1964), and "The Trials of O'Brien" (1965–1966). He earned Academy Award nominations for "Murder Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles," and he performed in Broadway productions of "Saint Joan" (1956), "Diary of a Scoundrel" (1956), "The Iceman Cometh" (1956–1957), "The Passion of Josef D." (1964), and "The Prisoner of Second Avenue" (1971–1973). In 2006, Falk published the memoir "Just One More Thing: Stories from My Life." Peter was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2008 and largely faded from the public eye soon thereafter. He passed away in June 2011.

At the peak of the series in the late 1970s, Peter earned $300,000 per episode, which is the same as earning around $750,000 per episode today after adjusting for inflation.

In 1956, he moved to Greenwich Village and soon began appearing in Broadway productions. Falk made his TV debut in a 1957 episode of "Robert MontgomeryPresents," and his first film was 1958's "Wind Across the Everglades." He then appeared in the films "The Bloody Brood" (1959), "Pretty Boy Floyd" (1960), "Murder Inc." (1960), "Pocketful of Miracles" (1961), "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), "Attack and Retreat" (1964), "The Great Race" (1965), "Too Many Thieves" (1967), and "Machine Gun McCain" (1969) and guest-starred on "Naked City" (1958; 1960; 1961), "Have Gun – Will Travel" (1960), "The Untouchables" (1960; 1961), "The Twilight Zone" (1961), "Alfred HitchcockPresents" (1961), "Dr. Kildare" (1963), "Wagon Train" (1963), and "Ben Casey" (1964). From 1965 to 1966, he played Daniel O'Brien on the CBS series "The Trials of O'Brien."

While working as a management analyst with Hartford's Connecticut State Budget Bureau, Falk joined the local theater group the Mark Twain Masquers. He appeared in plays such as "The Crucible" and "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" and studied acting with Eva Le Gallienne at the White Barn Theatre. Around this time, Peter quit his job, and after a few months with the Le Gallienne group, Eva wrote him a letter of recommendation to give to an agent at New York's William Morris Agency.

Peter Falk was born Peter Michael Falk on September 16, 1927, in The Bronx, New York. Peter was the son of Michael Falk and Madeline Hochhauser. His father owned a dry goods and clothing store, and his mother was an accountant. Falk grew up in Ossining, and his parents were Jewish. When Peter was 3 years old, he had to have his right eye surgically removed due to a retinoblastoma. Because of this, he spent most of his life wearing an artificial eye. During his youth, Falk played basketball and baseball, and he told "Cigar Aficionado" in 1997, "I remember once in high school the umpire called me out at third base when I was sure I was safe. I got so mad I took out my glass eye, handed it to him and said, 'Try this.' I got such a laugh you wouldn't believe."

Peter made his stage debut in a Camp High Point production of "The Pirates of Penzance" at the age of 12. He attended Ossining High School, where he excelled in sports and was elected senior class president. After graduating in 1945, he enrolled at Hamilton College, but he soon tried to join the armed services. Falk was rejected as a result of his missing eye, but he was accepted by the United States Merchant Marine. He spent over a year with the Merchant Marines, serving as a mess boy and cook, then he briefly returned to college. He wrote in his autobiography, "I didn't stay long. Too itchy. What to do next? I signed up to go to Israel to fight in the war on its attack on Egypt. I wasn't passionate about Israel, I wasn't passionate about Egypt—I just wanted more excitement … I got assigned a ship and departure date but the war was over before the ship ever sailed." Peter earned a bachelor's degree in political science and literature from The New School for Social Research in 1951 and a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University's Maxwell School in 1953.

In summary, the total wealth of Peter Falk reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.