Billy Morrissette is an American actor, writer, and director best known for roles in Pump Up the Volume (1990) and Vegas Vacation (1997), and for writing and directing the indie dark comedy Scotland, Pa. (2001). Based on publicly documented career earnings, industry benchmarks for independent film work, and a confirmed Brooklyn real estate transaction that alone generated a $3.9 million gross gain, a reasonable net worth estimate for Billy Morrissette as of June 2026 sits in the range of $3 million to $6 million, with $4 million being the most defensible middle figure given available evidence.
Billy Morrisette Net Worth: Updated Estimate and How It’s Calculated
Marcus Finewood
16 Jun 2026
First, make sure you have the right Billy
The name is spelled and searched in several ways: Morrissette, Morrisette, Morrison, Morrisette. Before diving into numbers, it helps to confirm you're looking at the right person. Billy Morrissette (two r's, two s's, two t's) is the actor/writer/director from the early 1990s Hollywood scene. He is not Alanis Morissette, not Billy Morrison the guitarist, and not Billy Morris the rock musician.
He is also distinct from Billy Moore (boxer or otherwise) and other Billy-named public figures profiled on this site. If you meant the boxer Billy Moore, separate sources are needed because his net worth is a different profile than Billy Morrissette. If you meant Billy Moore instead of Billy Morrissette, check the latest billy moore net worth breakdown for the correct individual and figures.
The clearest identifiers for this specific person: he appeared in the 1990 film Pump Up the Volume, had a role in the 1997 National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation, wrote and directed Scotland, Pa. in 2001, and was married to actress Maura Tierney from 1993 until their divorce.
If those references match your search, you're in the right place.
How net worth estimates actually get made (and why they differ)
Net worth estimates for mid-tier entertainment figures like Morrissette are built from a combination of public records, reported deals, industry salary benchmarks, and property data. No single source hands you a certified balance sheet. What researchers do instead is aggregate: film/TV acting credits get mapped to known pay scales for comparable roles, writing and directing credits are assessed against typical independent film fees, real estate transactions come from county property records (which are public and verifiable), and interviews or press coverage occasionally surface deal specifics.
The reason you'll see wildly different figures on different celebrity net worth aggregator sites is methodology: some use outdated salary data, some extrapolate aggressively from a single data point, and many don't account for liabilities (mortgages, taxes, debt). The most trustworthy approach focuses on what can actually be verified, acknowledges what can't, and gives a range rather than a single suspiciously round number. If you want more detail on the final range for billy morrison net worth, see the latest snapshot in the conclusion section. That's the approach used here.
Billy Morrissette's net worth snapshot
The most defensible estimate for Billy Morrissette's net worth as of June 2026 is approximately $4 million, with a credible range of $3 million to $6 million. The lower bound accounts for taxes, living costs, and career gaps in the years after his most active Hollywood period. The upper bound reflects the full realized gain from documented real estate plus accumulated career earnings if invested conservatively over two decades. There is no publicly disclosed investment portfolio, business ownership stake, or current salary that would push the figure significantly higher without speculation.
| Estimate Tier | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative floor | $3 million | Real estate gain minus taxes and carrying costs, modest career earnings |
| Most defensible midpoint | $4 million | Real estate gain plus documented career credits at industry benchmarks |
| Upper range | $6 million | Career earnings reinvested, possible residuals and additional undisclosed assets |
| Speculative ceiling (not supported) | $10 million+ | Some aggregator sites inflate without sourcing; not supported by available data |
Where the money came from: income streams and career earnings
Acting fees
Morrissette's acting career spans the late 1980s through the 2010s with a mix of studio films and television guest work. Supporting and featured roles in studio productions like Vegas Vacation (a National Lampoon/Warner Bros. release) typically paid scale-plus rates for Screen Actors Guild members in the mid-1990s, which ranged from roughly $50,000 to $200,000 depending on billing and days worked. Pump Up the Volume, an early career credit, would have been a lower-budget production with correspondingly modest fees.
His guest role on HBO's Girls (Season 1, 2012, playing George in episode 10) reflects the kind of single-episode guest work that pays SAG day or weekly rates, generally $5,000 to $20,000 per episode at that tier. Across a career of supporting film roles and occasional TV guest work, cumulative acting earnings likely fall in the $500,000 to $1.
5 million range before taxes.
Writing and directing Scotland, Pa.
Scotland, Pa. (2001) is Morrissette's most significant creative achievement as a hyphenate. Writing and directing an independently produced feature that achieves theatrical distribution typically earns a writer-director a combined fee in the range of $75,000 to $250,000 for a low-budget indie, plus potential backend participation if the film turned a profit. Scotland, Pa. received solid critical reception and Playbill covered Morrissette's creative process in early 2002, suggesting promotional momentum. The film also starred and was co-produced in association with Maura Tierney. Backend earnings on indie films are notoriously difficult to calculate, but the film's continued availability and cult status would generate modest ongoing royalties.
Real estate (the most documented income event)
This is the most concrete, verifiable number in the Morrissette financial profile. According to Mansion Global's reporting on NYC property records, Morrissette purchased a 5,600-square-foot Brooklyn townhouse in Fort Greene in 2009 for $1. 34 million and sold it in early 2017 for $5. 237 million.
That's a gross gain of approximately $3. 9 million over eight years, before transaction costs (typically 5 to 6 percent of sale price), capital gains taxes, carrying costs, and any renovation expenses. A net post-tax gain realistically in the $2. 5 million to $3 million range from this single transaction represents the most verifiable chunk of his wealth.
Buying in Fort Greene in 2009 (near the bottom of the post-financial-crisis market in Brooklyn) and selling in 2017 (near a local peak) was well-timed.
Residuals and passive income
SAG-AFTRA members with credits on theatrical films and network/cable television earn residuals when those properties are rerun, licensed, or streamed. Morrissette's credits on Vegas Vacation and his Girls appearance would generate modest ongoing residuals, likely a few thousand dollars per year in aggregate as streaming platforms license older content. These are not wealth-changing numbers but they're real and ongoing.
Financial timeline: career milestones that shaped his wealth
- 1990: Pump Up the Volume acting credit. Early career entry into SAG productions, building union standing and modest initial earnings.
- 1992-1993: Meets and marries Maura Tierney. Personal and professional overlap; Tierney's rising career (she became a prominent ER cast member) brought higher-profile networking and collaborative opportunities.
- 1997: Vegas Vacation supporting role. National Lampoon/Warner Bros. studio film, likely the highest single acting fee of his career up to that point.
- 2001: Scotland, Pa. released. Writing and directing debut generates a combined creative fee and positions him as a hyphenate talent, expanding future earning potential.
- 2009: Purchases Fort Greene, Brooklyn townhouse for $1.34 million. Excellent timing given post-crisis pricing in a neighborhood that would appreciate sharply.
- 2012: Guest role on Girls Season 1 (HBO). Maintains active SAG status and adds a high-profile prestige TV credit, contributing modestly to earnings and residuals.
- 2017: Sells Brooklyn townhouse for $5.237 million. Gross gain of approximately $3.9 million. This is the single largest documented financial event in his public record.
- 2017-2026: Limited new major credits in public record. Wealth likely maintained through residuals, investments of real estate proceeds, and any undisclosed projects.
Assets, liabilities, and wealth drivers worth investigating
The Brooklyn townhouse sale in 2017 is documented, but what happened to those proceeds is not publicly disclosed. If reinvested in real estate, equities, or other assets, the value could have grown further. If consumed by living expenses, taxes, and career gaps, the net figure would be lower. Here's what to look for when trying to build a more complete picture:
- Current real estate holdings: Search NYC and other jurisdiction property records for any post-2017 purchases under his name.
- Active SAG-AFTRA membership: Active members with credits continue earning residuals; check IMDb for any post-2017 credits that may not be widely covered.
- Production company or LLC filings: Writer-directors often hold rights through corporate entities; state business registries (particularly New York and California) can surface these.
- Divorce settlement records: Morrissette and Tierney divorced; depending on jurisdiction and timing, settlement terms could affect net worth either positively or negatively, though these records are typically sealed or private.
- Liabilities: Mortgage payoff on the Brooklyn property, any ongoing real estate debt, and income tax obligations from the 2017 sale would reduce gross wealth.
How to find the latest reliable numbers (and spot bad ones)
Celebrity net worth aggregator sites vary wildly in quality. Some update regularly with sourced data; many publish round numbers ($5 million, $10 million) with no methodology disclosed. Here's how to evaluate what you find:
- Prioritize sources that cite specific transactions or earnings events (like the Mansion Global property report) over sites that just list a number.
- Cross-check any figure against known facts: if a site claims $10 million for Morrissette but can't point to income events that would support it beyond the real estate sale, treat it skeptically.
- Check IMDb Pro for current representation and recent credits, which can indicate active earning.
- Use county property record databases (NYC ACRIS for New York transactions) to verify any real estate data independently.
- Look for dates on the estimate: a figure published before 2017 would miss the property sale entirely and significantly understate his wealth.
- Industry salary databases and union contract disclosures (SAG-AFTRA publishes minimum rates) help you sanity-check acting fee estimates against what was plausible for his credit level and era.
If you're researching Billy Morrissette specifically and coming across figures attributed to other similarly named figures (Billy Morrison the guitarist, Billy Morris of Warrant, or others covered on this site), double-check the career context. The name similarity creates real confusion across net worth databases, and a misattributed figure can skew an estimate by millions. The confirmed markers for this Billy are the Scotland, Pa. directing credit and the Fort Greene property transaction. Those two data points anchor everything else.
FAQ
How can I tell whether a net worth figure online is for the right Billy Morrissette?
Most quick “net worth” posts for this name mix up multiple Billy Morrisette/Morrisette-style individuals. Use anchor identifiers from the profile (Pump Up the Volume, Vegas Vacation, Scotland, Pa., Maura Tierney marriage, and the Fort Greene townhouse transaction) before you treat any number as relevant to this specific person.
Why is the estimate a range instead of a single number?
The $3 million to $6 million range is built to account for unobserved variables, mainly taxes, transaction costs, and what happened after the 2017 sale. If you assume the proceeds were reinvested conservatively, you are usually closer to the middle, about $4 million, rather than the extremes.
Do acting residuals significantly change Billy Morrissette’s net worth?
The article treats residuals as real but modest, because most supporting film/guest TV work typically produces smaller residual streams than lead credits. In practice, residual checks are usually too small to move the overall net worth dramatically, but they can add steady income year to year.
How much of the Brooklyn townhouse “$3.9 million gain” would not be money in hand?
Transaction costs can materially reduce the “gross gain” narrative. A typical sale involves commissions, transfer taxes, and closing fees, often around 5% to 6% of the sale price, and capital gains taxes plus any holding-period carrying costs further reduce the net outcome.
What information is missing that would most affect the top end of the net worth estimate?
The estimate is constrained by what is verifiable. Without public disclosures of investments, business ownership, or a current compensation figure, you cannot responsibly assign large upside beyond the anchored assets and career earnings framework.
Why do some sites show Billy Morrissette’s net worth much higher than $6 million?
If someone sees an unusually high number (for example, $10 million or more), the most common causes are aggressive extrapolation from one property, outdated salary assumptions, or mixing this person with a similarly named public figure. Cross-check whether the estimate explicitly ties back to the Scotland, Pa. credit and the Fort Greene transaction.
How do mortgages, renovations, or other debts change the estimate from property records?
Net worth estimates are sensitive to the timing of purchases and sales, and to whether renovations occurred. Even modest improvements or added debt (like mortgages or HELOCs) can change the net proceeds, while market moves between 2009 and 2017 influence the gross difference.
If I only need one practical number, should I use $3 million, $4 million, or $6 million?
Because the article’s methodology includes taxes and uncertainties, the “most defensible middle” is the point that best reconciles anchored assets with typical income and spending patterns. If your goal is decision-making (not exact accounting), using about $4 million as a working estimate is usually more reliable than picking the low or high end.
What determines how much ongoing money comes from older projects like Vegas Vacation and Girls?
Residuals and licensing income depend on what platforms carry the titles, how often they are streamed, and the underlying contract terms. You can expect relatively low ongoing amounts for a guest credit, but not zero, especially if older catalog content continues to be licensed.
What would be the best new evidence to update this net worth estimate in 2026 or later?
If you want to update the estimate, the most impactful next data points are any confirmed major real estate transactions after 2017, any public information about new producing or writing deals, and any recent credited acting work with reported compensation. Small TV guest roles late in a career usually do not outweigh a major asset event.
