What is Mark Mothersbaugh's Net Worth?
Mark Mothersbaugh is an American musician, composer and artist who has a net worth of $15 million. Mark Mothersbaugh is known for co-founding and serving as the lead singer and keyboardist of the band Devo. He also has a prolific career writing scores for films, television series, and video games. He composed music for popular animated series such as "Rugrats," on which the character "Chuckie Finster" was modeled after him. Mothersbaugh has also composed for several Wes Anderson films including "The Royal Tenenbaums," "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou," "Rushmore," and "Bottle Rocket."In his other work, Mothersbaugh has released some solo studio albums and created multimedia art pieces.
Early Life and Education
Mark Mothersbaugh was born on May 18, 1950 in Akron, Ohio to Robert Sr. and Mary. He has two younger brothers named Bob and Jim who also became musicians, as well as two sisters named Amy and Susan. Mothersbaugh was educated at Woodridge High School, and then at Kent State University.
Devo
While attending Kent State, Mothersbaugh met fellow students Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis. The trio went on to form the band Devo, short for "devolution," which Casale and Lewis came up with in reference to the devolution of the human race, a reflection of the Kent State shootings that killed Casale's friend Jeffrey Miller. Devo later added Casale's brother Bob and Mothersbaugh's brother Jim; after Jim left, the band brought on Alan Myers. In 1977, Devo released its first single, "Mongoloid." The following year, the band released its debut studio album, "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!" Next came "Duty Now for the Future," released in 1979. Devo had its commercial breakthrough in 1980 with its third album, "Freedom of Choice," which spawned the group's biggest hit song, "Whip It." It was during this time that the band pioneered its signature look with its iconic red energy dome hats.
Devo followed "Freedom of Choice" with the album "New Traditionalists." Subsequent releases were "Oh, No! It's Devo," "Shout," "Total Devo," and "Smooth Noodle Maps." Devo then went on a hiatus from 1991 to 1996. The group didn't record another single until "Watch Us Work It" in 2007, and didn't come out with another studio album until 2010's "Something for Everybody." Alan Myers passed away three years after that, followed by Bob Casale's passing in 2014. Devo continues to tour and perform.
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Film Scores
Mothersbaugh is a prolific composer of film scores. Early on in his career, with Devo, he created the score for the 1982 film "Human Highway," in which he also appeared alongside his band mates. Devo also did the soundtracks to the 80s films "Revenge of the Nerd II: Nerds in Paradise" and "Slaughterhouse Rock." Mothersbaugh subsequently became a solo composer in the 90s, writing the scores to such films as "It's Pat," "The New Age," "The Last Supper," "Happy Gilmore," "Bottle Rocket," "Rushmore," and "Drop Dead Gorgeous."
In the early 00s, Mothersbaugh provided the scores to "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Sorority Boys," "Thirteen," and "Good Boy!," among other films. He subsequently scored such titles as "Envy," "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou," "Mama's Boy," "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," and "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs." Mothersbaugh continued his prolific composing work into the 2010s and beyond. His credits include a number of franchises, such as the "21 Jump Street," "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Hotel Transylvania," and "Lego Movie" films. Mothersbaugh also scored such films as "Beatriz at Dinner," "Thor: Ragnarok," "The Willoughbys," and "The Mitchells vs. the Machines."
Television Scores
For television, Mothersbaugh has composed scores to many children's shows, including "Rugrats," "Clifford the Big Red Dog," and "Beakman's World." He also contributed original music to such series as "Grosse Pointe," "LAX," "Big Love," "Enlightened," "House of Lies," "The Last Man on Earth," "Disenchantment," and "What We Do in the Shadows." With John Enroth, Albert Fox, and his brother Bob, Mothersbaugh scored the Netflix true crime documentary series "Tiger King" in 2020. He reunited with Enroth and Fox to score the adult animated sitcom "Close Enough." In 2022, Mothersbaugh created the theme music for the period romantic comedy series "Our Flag Means Death." His other credits have included "Regular Show," "The Carrie Diaries," "Grandfathered," "Summer Camp Island," and "Dirty John."
Video Game Scores
Beyond film and television, Mothersbaugh has created scores for some video games. Credits include the puzzle game "Boom Blox," the skateboarding sequel "Skate 3," and the third-person shooter platform game "Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart." Mothersbaugh also produces video game music through his company Mutato Muzika; notably, he produced Josh Mancell's scores for the "Crash Bandicoot" and "Jak and Daxter" series.
Other Ventures
Due to his lifelong myopia and astigmatism, Mothersbaugh has been involved with eyewear manufacturer Shane Baum. Through a joint venture, he designed his own branded frames for sale.
Among his other activities, Mothersbaugh creates multimedia art pieces incorporating everything from postcards to rugs and musical instruments. He is also a collector of song poems and unusual musical devices, such as Raymond Scott's Electronium.
Personal Life
Mothersbaugh was previously married to actress Nancye Ferguson. After their divorce, he married film music manager Anita Greenspan, with whom he has two adopted daughters from China.
Los Angeles Mansion
For over a decade, Mark and his wife Anita Greenspan have lived in a large modern mansion in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. The 7,000 square-foot home is likely worth $8-10 million. In August 2020 Mark and Anita got into a very public spat with a group of neighbors who were renting a house across the street. The neighbors were a group of 17, 18 and 19 year old TikTok stars who rented the nearby mansion for a reported $50,000. The group, which called the property "the Sway House," had the police called on their extremely loud parties dozens of times, to the point where eventually the city shut off electricity to the mansion,
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