Who was Sir Michael Parkinson and what was his net worth?
MCHAEL Parkinson was known as the king of chat shows with a television career that spanned 50 years and saw him interview icons such as Muhammad Ali and Sir Elton John.
But what was the net worth of the late legend? Here’s what you need to know…
Who was Sir Michael Parkinson?
Sir Michael Parkinson was an English broadcaster who was born on March 28, 1935, in Cudworth, West Riding of Yorkshire.
He passed away at the age of 88 in August 2023 after a short illness.
He was best known for presenting his television talk show, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982, and then from 1998 until his retirement in 2007.
Michael was knighted in the 2008 New Year’s Honours List.
He married his wife Mary in 1959 and the couple went on to have three children together – Andrew, Nicholas, and Michael Jr.
What was his net worth?
Michael’s net worth was an estimated $15million (£11.7million).
His wealth mostly came from his prestigious prime-time slot for his former chat show on both BBC and ITV.
In 2006, it was revealed he received £115,000 for his once-a-week Sunday Supplement programmes from the BBC.
Since finishing his talk show, Michael also appeared in commercials for SunLife’s Guaranteed Over 50 Plan life insurance.
What happened in his Meg Ryan interview?
Michael conducted numerous notable interviews over the course of his long career but the one that sticks out is an awkward 2003 episode of Parkinson with Meg Ryan.
The actress appeared on the programme to promote an erotic thriller, In The Cut, but refused to answer Michael’s questions about the change in role from her usual romantic comedies.
An uncomfortable exchange followed in which Michael said: “What would you do now if you were me?” to which a frosty Meg replied: “Why not wrap it up?”
Both parties later insisted the other was to blame with Michael labelling the interview his “most difficult TV moment,” and that her behaviour to his fellow guests whom she seemingly turned her back on was unforgivable.