Martin Lawrence Net Worth (Updated 2023)

Table of Contents

Martin Lawrence is an American actor, superstar standup comedian, writer, producer, director, and talk show host from Frankfurt, Germany who has a net worth of $120 million US as of 2023. The popular comedian rose to fame during the 1990s and established himself as a leading actor in the Hollywood industry.

Martin is probably best known for his outstanding role as Maurice Warfield in the American sitcom What’s Happening Now!! in which he appeared from 1987 to 1988 and earned several more accolades after his debut appearance on the show.

During his career as a successful actor and comedian, he received numerous awards including the BET Comedy Awards, as well as 2 NAACP Image Awards, 3 Kids Choice Awards nominations, and MTV Movie Award nominations.

Martin Lawrence entered the industry in the 21st century by appearing as an FBI agent in the film Big Momma’s House which he also produced. Although the film received negative reviews it still became a commercial success by grossing over $100 million at the box office.

As a result of his success with the film, he entered the list of biggest comic actors in the coming years, also Martin was one step closer to getting into the elite $20- million club. That was the time when he started getting offers to appear in some big projects and starred in films such as Do The Right Thing and Boomerang. His role as Bilal in the comedy film House Party also earned him a lot of success.

Net Worth 2023:

Name	Martin Lawrence
Net Worth	$120 Million
Age	57
Monthly Income	$2 Million +
Annual Salary	$25 Million
Profession	Actor, Comedian
Gender	Male
Zodiac Sign	Aries

Early Life:

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence was born on the 16th of April 1965, in Frankfurt, West Germany to parents John Lawrence and Chlora. He is of Afri#an-American descent.

His father used to work as a police officer and was serving in the U.S. military when Martin was born while his mother did many jobs throughout her life to financially support the household.

Martin has a brother Robert and two sisters namely Ursula Lawrence and Rae Proctor. Martin was named after American personality Martin Luther King Jr. a civil rights and John F. He was just 8 years old when his parents decided to get separated and the two divorced in 1973.

After that, he spent most of his childhood in Landover, Maryland, a suburb of Washington D.C, where he rarely saw his dad when John was working as a cop.

During his teens, Lawrence was excellent at boxing, he began competing in the mid-Atlantic in the 90-pound section for Golden Glove boxing champions. Martin attended Fairmont Heights School and then Eleanor Roosevelt High School before eventually graduating from Friendly High School.

During his studies in high school, he became a local boxing contender while living in Apple Grove. However, his dreams of becoming a professional boxer went to an end when he got a broken eye.

Lawrence then developed an interest in the field of entertainment so he decided to study acting and performance artist at Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative.

Career:

Martin started his career in the Greater Washington D.C. Metro area where he began performing as a standup comedian. That was the same time when he did odd jobs to feed himself.

He was discovered by comedian Ritch Snyder who saw Lawrence while performing standup. Ritch encouraged him to start his professional career and join Improv’s showcase, so Martin quickly packed the bags and flew to New York City.

Lawrence got a chance to perform at Star Search where his performance helped him to grab the attention of directors and led him to get a role in the television series titled What’s Happening Now!!. Martin continued to find minor roles in television and film when the show ended.

The breakthrough moment of his career came in 1989 when Lawrence got his major role in the film Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee in which he played the supporting role. Then in 1992, he became the host of HBO’s Def Comedy Jam. In the same year, he started his own sitcom for Fox titled Martin in which he had a starring role from 1992 to 1997.

He played various roles and performed in multiple films throughout the early 1990s. He starred in different projects including House Party, House Party 2, Boomerang, You So Cra#y, and many more.

On February 19, 1994 Lawrence was named to become the host of Saturday Night Live which he hosted and showed his unique talent.

He started appearing in several super hit movies including Blue Streak, Big Momma’s House, Nothing To Lose, Trilogy, Life, Blue Streak, Open Season, Wild Hogs, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, College Road Trip, as well as the Big Momma’s House Franchise.

Breakthrough:

Martin’s blockbuster movies are including Blue Streak, Big Momma’s House, and Nothing To Lose. He starred in the film Big Momma’s House 2 which grossed more than $28 million at the box office in its first week and opened at number one in North America.

Martin and Jamie Foxx appeared in the fictional film The Skank Robbers during the BET Awards in 2009. Lawrence then got the role of Big Momma in the 2011 movie Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son which was the 3rd sequel.

In early 2003 it was revealed that Martin would be the topper up with Kelsey Grammar in a comedy for Lionsgate television. In the very next year, Lawrence announced that the sequel of Bad Boys 3 is about to complete.

Martin has teamed up with some high-profile celebrities such as Eddie Murphy, Luke Wilson, John Travolta, and of course Will Smith. In 1997 Lawrence went on to star in comedy movies appearing as the 2nd lead shortly after “Martin” went off the air.

His other breakthrough moment came when Martin became the cast of the popular films Bad Boys franchise in which he starred alongside the legendary Will Smith. In 1995 the first movie was released followed by the second and third films in 2003 and 2020 respectively.

Personal Life:

Martin Lawrence began dating Lark Voorhies an actress, singer, and model, and the two got engaged in 1993. Their relationship did not last long and Martin broke up by stating that he was engaged to somebody else.

Later in 1995, Lawrence married Miss Virginia USA (a former beauty queen) Patricia Southall. On January 15, 1996, the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter named Jasmine Lawrence. Their marriage life ended in the following year when they got divorced.

In 1997 Martin started dating Shamicka Gibbs and the two tied a knot on July 10, 2010. Their wedding ceremony was held at Lawrence’s house in Beverly Hills.

On November 9, 2000, Shamicka gave birth to her first daughter named Iyanna Faith. Then in August 2002, the couple’s daughter Amara Trinity was born. Due to irreconcilable differences, Martin filed for divorce and they separated their ways and sought joint custody of the daughters.

In March 2017 Martin engaged Roberta Moradfar an aesthetics nurse practitioner. Roberta’s Instagram confirmed they are in a relationship.

Legal Issues:

In 1995 Martin Lawrence found himself in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center hospital after a violent fury on the set of A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. He was later hospitalized again owing to dehydration and tiredness. In 1997 Lawrence was arrested after punching a man in a nightclub in Hollywood.

Later while preparing for the film Big Momma’s House he collapsed from heat exhaustion and was in a coma for three days, he almost died as his body temperature hit 107 degrees. His breathing was assessed by a ventilator while he was in a coma.

In 1996 Lawrence became increasingly erratic and found himself behind the bars after brandishing a weapon in the center of an intersection on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles California and trying to take a pi*tol on a flight.

He was arrested for two years probation as well as a fine. In 1997 his “Martin” co-star Tisha Campbell-Martin sued him, after accusing sexual abuse and harassment on an off-set.

Biography:

Full Name	Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence
Nickname	Martin
Age	57 years old
Date Of Birth	April 16, 1965
Birth Place	Frankfurt, Hesse, West Germany
Nationality	American-German
Hometown	Frankfurt, West Germany
Height	5 ft 7.5 in (171 cm)
Weight	74 kg (163 pounds)
Eye Color	Dark Brown
Hair Color	Black
Education Qualification	Graduated
Father	John Lawrence
Mother	Chlora (nee Bailey)
Sisters	Ursula and Rae
Brother	Robert
Religion	Christianity

Awards & Achievements:

Martin Lawrence started his acting career at an early age and he has received various awards and accolades throughout his career. His excellent performance on the Martin series led him to win 2 NAACP Image Awards in the category of Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

He further won 1 BET Comedy Award and has been nominated for the Kids’ Choice Award, MTV Movie Award, and some other accolades.

Salary Details:

In 1997 Lawrence starred in the superhit movie Nothing to Lose for which he earned $6 million.

He then continued to appear in movies and started getting more money from his appearance including $8.8 million for Life 1999, $20 million for Blue Streak 1999, and $13 million for What’s the Worst That Could Happen? 2001, $16.5 million for Black Knight 2001, $20 million for National Security 2003, and $20 million for Bad Boys II 2003, among others.

In 2020 he reprised his role in the third film of Bad Boys for Life, which became massively successful at the box office by grossing over $112 million in its first four days.

Car Collection:

Martin Lawrence is a proud owner of many luxurious and customized cars including the 1967 “Plymouth Barracuda” $87,000, “Ferrari 458 Italia” $250,000, “Porsche Boxter” $60,000, “Porsche Panamera” $90,000, and “Aston Martin V12 Zagato” which cost him about $240,000.

1967 Plymouth Barracuda $87 thousand
Ferrari 458 Italia $250 thousand
Porsche Boxter $60 thousand
Porsche Panamera $90 thousand
Aston Martin V12 Zagato $240 thousand

House:

For many years Lawrence owned a beautiful mansion located in the Beverly Park neighborhood in Beverly Hills, it’s where he and his former wife Shamika Gigs had their wedding.

After that, the mansion was available for rent at $200,000 a month in June 2012. Then in June 2013, the property hit the market for $26.5 million and he eventually sold it to Los Angeles real estate developer Bruce for $17.2 million.

Lawrence then bought a newly constructed mansion in the suburban community of Encino California. The property was originally listed for 7.1 million and then lowered to $6.6 million and boasts more than 10,000 square feet of space. The house offers seven bedrooms and seven and a half bathrooms.

This three-story mansion was securely walled and gated as well as featured an abundance of glamorous luxuries including 6 fireplaces, massive garage space for 4 cars, a heated negative edge swimming pool, and boasted long and wide views over the San Fernando Valley.

Martin Lawrence moved to his 120-acre spread nestled into the rolling hills near historic personal Ville Virginia. The property was up on the market for $8.5 million and this 24,000 square feet property boasts 5 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.