Jeff Wald Net Worth – $2 million
Introduction
Have you ever thought about the people that actually get musicians and actors their gigs?
Because if you thought they just walk into a studio and get hired, or that they find the big roles on online job boards, you’d be surprised.
The person who actually deals with the phone calls, the contracts, and the networking is their manager.
Jeff Wald has been one of the best of his time.
He was responsible for managing huge names like Sylvester Stallone, Peter Allen, and Marvin Gaye, just to name a few.
But acting talent wasn’t the only thing he used his golden hand on.
He also successfully managed musical groups like Deep Purple and Crosby Stills & Nash.
In this article, we’ll talk about who Jeff Wald is and what his career trajectory has looked like.
We’ll touch on his net worth as well as his personal life too.
The Origin Story
Jeff Wald was a talent manager as well as a TV and film producer from the United States.
He is most well known for becoming the talent manager of several big names at the time, such as Miles Davis and Donna Summer.
But, he has also been a successful producer with shows and movies like Switched at Birth and The Helen Reddy Show under his belt.
His rise to notoriety was, arguably, his work relationship with his wife of 18 years, Helen Reddy.
It was under his management she became the successful actress and TV show host she was.
He put all his time and knowledge into developing her career. Under his guidance, she became one of the biggest names of the 70s.
She even won a Grammy because of her hit single I Am Woman. While their marriage didn’t last, their friendship and her fame stayed alive until her dying day.
Career Trajectory
Wald started his career during the early years of the 1960s.
He was initially part of the William Morris Agency mailroom generation, which was a talent agency located in Holywood through which several famous entertainers passed through.
The mailroom generation was the name given to the people that completed the agency’s talent management internship between 1940 and the 2000s.
Seven years after that first Holywood stint, he moved to Chicago to become a talent buyer for The Happy Medium (a big jazz club at the time), The London House (a restaurant-jazz club), and Mister Kelly’s (a very famous nightclub).
As a talent buyer, it was his job to find the perfect artists to perform at each venue week in and week out.
After a successful year in Chicago, Wald decided to move back to LA.
From there, it was a steady rise to success within the entertainment industry, and in 2016, thanks to his well-earned experience within his field, he was inducted into the Personal Managers Hall of Fame.
Later, he was the CEO of his own entertainment agency called Aria Multimedia Entertainment.
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Personal Life
Jeffrey Wald was born in January of 1944 in the big apple – New York City.
His first wife, Helen Reddy, he met at a mutual friend’s party in the mid-60s.
They married in 1966.
It was a whirlwind romance between the two that would span the next 18 years.
Together, they had two children.
A boy named Jordan Sommers and a girl named Traci Sommers.
Note – Helen passed away on 29 September 2020 in LA. She was 78.
Shortly after they divorced, Jeff Wald met his second wife. American actress Candy Clark.
Candy was mostly known for her role as Debbie Dunham in the movie American Graffiti which came out in 1973 to much success.
For her role, she also received a nomination for the Academy Award’s Best Supporting Actress award.
They got married in 1987, but their relationship only lasted a year. By 1988 they were divorced, and Jeff was single again.
He met his third and current wife, Deborah Benson Wald, and married her in 1990.
Deborah is a photographer, actress, and photo editor.
With her, he shares his third child named Sarah May Sommers.
She was the photo editor for one of the coffee table books his company Aria Multimedia Entertainment published.
Coincidentally, the book was edited and created by his son Jordan as well.
Death
Wald passed away on November 12, 2021, in Los Angeles.
He was 77.
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Jeff Wald – Net Worth
So, how much was Jeff Wald worth? Wald earned most of his wealth from working years and years in the entertainment industry. Therefore, at the time of his death, talent manager Jeff Wald has an estimated net worth of $2 million.
From producing movies to co-founding his own talent agency, his streams of income have allowed him to amass a large net worth.
His most notable income stream is notably his several years as a talent manager (both within other agencies as well as his own) of top Hollywood names.
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