Peter Billingsley Earns Royalties From A Christmas Story That Makes Up His Huge Net Worth

June 2024 · 5 minute read

Peter Billingsley is a 51-year-old American actor, producer, and director who was born on April 16, 1971. He is also known as Peter Billingsley-Michaelsen and Peter Michaelsen. 

The actor is famous for his role in A Christmas Story, released in 1983, where he played the character of Ralphie Parker. He is also famous for working in The Dirt Bike Kid, and Death Valley. Aside from working on movies and series, he has also worked on commercials. In the 1980s, he played Messy Marvin in Hershey’s chocolate commercials.

Born to Alwin Michaelsen and Gail, he started his journey in the entertainment industry at a young age. He had four siblings in the family. All five of the children of Alwin and Gail had acting careers when they were young. Some of their siblings had a brief acting career whereas he went on to work in the industry for the long run. 

He starred in the Christmas comedy film, A Christmas Story released in 1983 which was directed by Bob Clark. He is arguably most known for his character in the movie. 

How Much Royalties Do Peter Billingsley Make From “A Christmas Story?”

Peter Billingsley does not get any royalties from the movie A Christmas Story in which he played the role of the 9-year-old Ralphie Parker. 

On the other hand, his costar Zack Ward who played the role of a bully named Scut Farkus receives royalties. He stated that he gets royalty cheques from time to time, but the amount is not that much. He got about $1800 every two years. The royalties came in Canadian dollars instead of US dollars because the movie was shot in Canada. 

According to Looper, the actor playing the role of Ralphie went to the Dan Patrick Show to talk about the movie and was asked whether he got any royalties and if he still receives them for his work. He replied that he did not get any royalties and it was a bummer. 

At first, the movie was not a major hit over the years the film got a fan following and gained recognition. He claimed that in the past during the movie release timeline contracts did not really include royalty compensation and people did not know it was going to be aired on television as much as it is now. The contracts that were made before did not include royalties and compensations. 

The movie revolves around the life of Ralphie Parker who lived in Hammond, Indiana. It starts with an adult Ralphie narrating his favorite Christmas story. The nine-year-old wanted a Red Ryder carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle for Christmas but his mother did not approve of his idea. On Christmas morning, he opens the presents and becomes disappointed seeing that he did not get a rifle.

His father shows him the last present which was the rifle. After many things occur during the day time, he sleeps with the gun by his side and the adult self remembers the gift as one of the best Christmas presents that he received. 

The sequel, A Christmas Story Christmas to the original movie A Christmas Story released on November 17 on HBO Max. The fans of the original film antipcated the sequel and are excited to watch the 2022 movie. 

Peter Billingsley Net Worth 2022

The American actor and producer, Peter Billingsley has an estimated net worth of $12 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

The actor has been working since he was two years old, and his first role was in a Geritol commercial with Betty Buckley. With more than a hundred television advertisements in the 1970s and 1980s, he earned money from a young age which add to his net worth. He has played major roles in some popular movies and series throughout his career. 

His earnings estimation are from his assets and career as a film director, film producer, actor, TV director, and theatrical producer. With his successful career, he was able to earn a decent of money and built a million-dollar empire. 

Peter Billingsley’s Income Sources

Peter Billingsley has performed in many movies. He is also a producer and has produced many films, television shows, and theatre, and a director. 

The actor owns a 5200-square-foot mansion in Manhattan Beach, California that cost $3.175 million as per Celebrity Net Worth. 

His huge net worth is not just from his profession as an actor but also as a director and producer.

One of his famous movies is A Christmas Story. Another role that he is famous for is Jack Simmons in “The Dirt Bike Kid” which was released in 1985. He played the main role of a young boy who lived with widowed his mother. He buys a dirt bike with magic powers with the money his mother gave him for groceries.

He even won the Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor in a Feature Film, The Dirt Bike Kid, in 1985. 

He was appointed as a child ambassador to NASA’s space program in the early 1980s. The program sadly ended in 1986 when a Challenger experienced a fatal catastrophic explosion.

He has a long list of acting in movies and television shows such as Arcade, Russkies, Who’s The Boss, and many more. He has worked on many television ads including a commercial for Hershey’s chocolate syrup. 

Furthermore, he has been a co-producer of the movies Made, Elf, Wild West Comedy Adventure, Zathura: A Space Adventure, and many more.

He has also worked as a director of the movie Couples Retreat and Term Life. 

Recently, he has worked on the sequel to A Christmas Story where he plays the role of Ralphie.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7u7PRZ6WerF%2Bau3DDyKSgaKiVqbKzecGio6WhnpzArbHYZpyaqp6oerO72JqjraGVqHqnvs6mZJplk52%2Fqr%2FTppisZaOpvLPFjK2fmqxdoq6ssdJmrKllmJ7AbrTUoJxmppWperi70a2faA%3D%3D