Frank McCourt Net Worth: Career, Death & Lifestyle
Irish-American author, teacher, and writer Frank McCourt had a staggering net worth of $1.2 billion at the time of his death.
On August 19, 1930, Frank was born in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
He was a fantastic writer and an incredible instructor. After 30 years of teaching English in high school, he decided to write his life story.
His novel, “Angela Ashes,” made him an overnight sensation worldwide.
He accepted several honors for his work, including the prestigious Pulitzer Prize. The book is a heart-wrenching memoir of his childhood suffering.
Frank was a member of the National Arts Club and a recipient of The International Center’s Award of Excellence in New York.
He was named “Irish American of the Year” by Irish America magazine in 1998.
Similarly, he earned the American Academy of Achievement’s Golden Plate Award in 1999.
Furthermore, Frank received an honorary degree from the University of Western Ontario in 2002.
Frank McCourt | Quick Facts
To understand more about Frank McCourt, let’s look at his quick facts.
| Birth Name | Francis McCourt |
| Professional Name | Frank McCourt |
| Nick Name | McCourt, Frank |
| Birth Date | August 19, 1930 |
| Age | 93 Years Old |
| Death | July 19, 2009 |
| Birth Place | Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Weight | N/A |
| Height | N/A |
| Religion | Christian |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American, Irish |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | White |
| Profession | Novelist, Writer, Memoirist. Teacher |
| Father’s Name | Malachy Gerald McCourt |
| Mother’s Name | Sr Angela Sheehan |
| Build | Average |
| Horoscope | Leo |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Siblings | Malachy McCourt, Michael McCourt, Alphie McCourt |
| High School | Leamy National School |
| College |
|
| Notable Works |
|
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse |
|
| Children | 1 |
| Active Years | 1957-2009 |
| Social Media | N/A |
| Last Update | April, 2024 |
Frank McCourt | Net Worth and Income
Novelist, teacher, and writer Frank McCourt had a whopping $1.2 billion net worth when he departed.
Three decades after coming to America, he became a novelist as an undereducated and malnourished 19-year-old from Limerick.
His astonishing memoir “Angela’s Ashes” is his first and best-known work.
Although some critics questioned the truth of McCourt’s gloomy account of his boyhood, the book received widespread critical acclaim.
It was a best-seller that was later adapted into a decent picture, making him a wealthy superstar.
According to his publishers in New York, Frank’s writings sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in 2016 as they printed a 20th-anniversary edition of “Angela’s Ashes.”
His journey from poor boy to creative star was dramatic, and many Americans embraced him, though the Irish were less impressed.
Despite his celebrity status and money, McCourt remained cheerful and kind to others, especially the young.
He had an unshakeable, almost ideal trust in the value of education and its significance in society, which he fought for his entire life.
According to the American Association of University Professors, the typical full-time college professor earns $103,803 in an academic year, incorporating all instructor kinds and university categories.
Hence, Frank must have made a lot of money throughout his 30 years of teaching career.
Frank McCourt’s Net Worth in Different Currencies
Let’s look into Frank McCourt’s net worth in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | € 1,139,148,000 |
| Pound Sterling | £ 973,248,000 |
| Australian Dollar | A$ 1,712,194,800 |
| Canadian Dollar | C$ 1,550,634,000 |
| Indian Rupee | ₹ 92,892,000,000 |
| Bitcoin | ฿ 36213.20 |
Frank McCourt | Houses and Cars
Houses
Frank McCourt’s net worth was a massive $1.2 billion.
He relocated to a gorgeous converted farmhouse on 24 acres in Roxbury, Connecticut, after the success of his biography.
Similarly, he spent his last minutes in a New York apartment.
However, his house and property details are not revealed to the public.
Cars
Frank, unlike most billionaires, wasn’t a vehicle enthusiast.
He only used cars for the purpose of traveling.
He didn’t have a large car collection, and he rarely showed off his rides.
As a result, we couldn’t dig any information about his cars.
Frank McCourt | Lifestyle, Death and Vacation
Lifestyle
Talented writer Frank lived a comfortable and humble lifestyle with a net worth of $1.2 billion.
McCourt was the oldest of seven children of his parents.
His mother, Angela Sheehan, was an Irish Catholic from Ireland, and his father, Malachy McCourt, was a former IRA member from Ballymoney in Antrim.
They eventually wedded in New York and attempted to make a better life for themselves there.
During the Great Depression in 1934, Frank’s parents were forced to relocate from New York to Limerick after only four years.
That was largely due to his father, who had odd jobs and spent his low earnings at the neighborhood pub.
The McCourts returned to their hometown, only to fall deeper into poverty.
Their conditions deteriorated so badly in Limerick that three of his siblings died as children.
When Frank was 11 years old, his father moved to Liverpool, England, to look for a better job.
To make ends meet, his mother worked various jobs in Limerick.
Moreover, McCourt’s father left the family when he was 13 years old. He dropped out of school in order to assist his mother in keeping the family afloat.
Although his minor thieving occasionally provided for his siblings, he also did several odd jobs.
During this period, he used to set aside a little portion of his earnings to fund his greatest ambition of returning to America.
When he was 19 years old, McCourt left Ireland to work in America. He traveled from Cork to New York City by sea.
Frank made roughly $26 each week and handed $10 to his mother in Limerick.
Furthermore, during the Korean War, he served in the United States Army.
Personal Life & Death
Frank married Alberta Small, whom he met at NYU, and had a daughter, Margaret, in 1961.
In 1979, they divorced. McCourt married Cheryl Floyd, a psychotherapist, for the second time in 1984, and they divorced in 1989.
Frank married Ellen Frey McCourt, his third wife, in Milford, Pennsylvania, in 1994, five years after they met in New York City’s Lion’s Head club.
He met Ellen in 1989 when she was 35 years old, and he was 59 years old and retired from high school teaching.
His brother commended her as a woman who loved Frank and helped him open up his artistic side and write his novels, describing the prior two marriages as challenging.
In May 2009, it was revealed that McCourt had been diagnosed with melanoma and was in recovery, undergoing home chemotherapy.
On July 19, 2009, a month before his 79th birthday, he died of cancer with meningeal complications at a Manhattan hospice.
After his demise, Frank’s ashes were divided among his siblings, wife, and daughter.
Vacations
Frank lived a difficult life before he kissed success. He didn’t have much time to travel and enjoy himself due to his workload.
But after being financially stable, he traveled the world, seeing and experiencing all the wonders of nature.
Fans from all over the world travel to Limerick, Ireland, after getting inspired by his novel.
Visitors are frequently astonished by the history of the location.
Frank McCourt | Charity
He founded an organization called “The McCourt Foundation” in 1992. The charity is based in Boston and Los Angeles.
The McCourt Foundation (TMF) has been working to improve the lives of families & patients affected by health issues in the neurology community and beyond.
TMF is now an organization whose aim is to inspire individuals and groups to make a difference and build a healthier society.
Likewise, Frank had supported “Action Against Hunger.”
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Frank McCourt | Movies, Books, Investments, and Endorsements
Movies
Frank featured in several television series and movies in his career.
Based on his book, two movies, “Angela’s Christmas Wish” (2020) and “Angela’s Ashes” (1999), were released.
Similarly, he appeared in the television shows such as “Rome Is Burning” (2009), “Tavis Smiley” (2007), “Charlie Rose” (2006), “Kelly” (2005), and many more.
Furthermore, Frank cameoed in documentaries like “Historic Pubs of Dublin” (2008), “Home” (2006), “Joyce to the World” (2004), and others.
Books
After publishing his autobiography, McCourt got success, thus kickstarting his career as a writer.
He wrote, “Tis” (1999), a sequel to “Angela’s Ashes” that picks up where the book left off and focuses on his life when he returned to New York.
In addition, Frank wrote “Teacher Man” (2005), a book on his teaching experiences.
“Irish… and How They Got That Way,” a 1997 musical with a diverse blend of Irish music, was written by McCourt.
Investments
Frank McCourt’s net worth was an enormous $1.2 billion at his death.
Not much is known of his investment plans and ventures. Nonetheless, one thing is sure; his greatest investment was his education.
The knowledge became his best investment, as it was responsible for his later success.
Endorsement
“The Frank McCourt High School,” a public high school, was established in 2009 by the New York City Department of Education and many community partners.
His brother opened the “Frank McCourt Museum” in Leamy House, Hartstonge Street, Limerick, in 2011.
The Leamy School, where Frank and his brother attended, was the last name of the structure.
Sadly, the museum was shut down in 2019.
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Frank McCourt | Career
McCourt used his educational advantages to get into New York University; he was admitted on a one-year probationary basis if he maintained a B average.
Frank received a bachelor’s degree in English from New York University in 1957. He taught in Manhattan at six different schools.
He graduated from Brooklyn College with a master’s degree in 1967.
At the end of the 1960s, he spent 18 months at Trinity College Dublin, where he failed to acquire a Ph.D. before returning to New York City.
Moreover, he became a regular English professor at Stuyvesant High School following his Ph.D. studies.
McCourt wrote about his experiences educating immigrant moms at New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn in a 1997 New York Times article.
After that, he started writing memoirs and other literature pieces, which made him extremely popular.
Some Interesting Facts About Frank McCourt
- When Frank was 11 years old, he almost died of typhoid disease.
- Frank’s formal schooling in Limerick ended at the age of 13 when he was rejected as a student at the Irish Christian Brothers’ high school.
- McCourt started working when he was just 13 years old.
FAQs
Was Frank McCourt’s mother against Angela’s Ashes?
Shortly before her demise in 1981, McCourt’s mother disputed the honesty of his claims, shouting from the crowd during a live show of his memories that it was “all a bundle of crap.” However, the story was through his eyes, so we cannot say it is a complete lie.
What was Frank McCourt’s job during the Korean War?
In 1951, McCourt joined the Korean War and was sent to Bavaria for two years to train the dogs and fight.
How long did it take to write Angelas Ashes?
The memoir was written within 13 months.
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