Tommy Chong is a man of many talents. His career ranges from being a musician, director, actor, comedian, and cannabis rights activist. In this article, we’ll discuss everything from Tommy Chong net worth to his career, personal life, and more.
Tommy is based in the USA, whereas he was born in Alberta, Canada. He has been playing around various roles throughout his career ever since the early 1960s.
If you love to binge-watch sitcoms like many of us, you probably already remember him from “That ’70s Show.”
Now that you know about Tommy Chong’s multifaceted career, we know you would like to quench your thirst more. After all, who doesn’t like to know about their favorite celebrities?
We will dish out every detail about him starting from how old he is, his height, and even his achievements.
Keep reading, as we will also unravel Tommy Chong’s net worth in 2021.
Tommy Chong Net Worth and Overview
Net Worth | $10 Million |
Date of Birth | 24 May, 1938 |
Age | 82 years old |
Height | 6 feet 2 inches |
Source of Wealth | Entertainment Industry and Activism |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Last Updated | February, 2021 |
Early Life
Tommy Chong was born on May 24, 1938, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was named Thomas B. Kin Chong.
His mother, Lorna Jean, had a Scott Irish and French lineage, while his father, Stanley Chong, was Chinese. His mother worked as a waitress, and his father was a truck driver.
Tommy’s childhood was difficult due to having monetary problems as his father was wounded in World War II.
His family moved to a conservative neighborhood in Calgary, Canada, at Tommy’s early years. He then attended Crescent Heights High School.
As he grew a fascination for music, he started playing guitar to make a living besides studying. But he soon dropped out of high school at the age of 16 due to losing interest in academics.
Career
Chong’s career started off as a guitarist in the year 1960 for the band “The Shades.” It was a rhythm and blues genre band.
The band’s debut album “Does Your Mama Know About Me” reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart at the 29th position. The band soon moved to Vancouver, British Columbia.
They kept changing their name but settled on “Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers” at last. Chong was fired from the band, and later on, the band split.
In 1971, Tommy took the first steps toward his comedy career by forming a duo named “Cheech and Chong.” He had Cheech Marin, who is an American standup comedian, as his partner.
“Cheech and Chong” made a name for its different stances on drug use like marijuana and their comical opinions.
Marin and Tommy co-wrote many comedy albums, while 4 were nominated for the Grammy Award for Comedy Album.
The duo also released a couple of feature films, whereas “Up in Smoke” (1978) happened to be their big break.
Tommy Chong got involved in mainstream acting, which led to the “Cheech and Chong” split in 1985. The comedy film “Far Out Man” was his solo project where he directed, starred, and had written it.
He featured in several other movies like “Up in Smoke,” “Pauly Shore Is Dead,” “Half Baked,” and many more.
He even voiced the character “Yax” in “Zootopia” in 2016. Tommy played the recurring fan-favorite character “Leo” in “That ’70s Show.” He appeared in other TV shows like “Nash Bridges,” “South Park, “Sliders,” and many others.
Chong was one of the most senior contestants who made it to the semi-finals of the 19th season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
“Los Cochinos”, got a Grammy for the “Best Comedy Recording,” which Tommy shared with Cheech. He also earned many Grammy nominations and BTVA nomination for “Feature Film Voice Acting.”
Highlights and Achievements
- Best Comedy Recording for Grammy in 1974 (Album “Los Cochinos”) shared with Cheech Marin
- “High Times Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2013.
Age, Height, and Weight
Tommy Chong was born on May 24, 1938, which makes him 82 years as of now. He is known to be 6 feet 2inches tall, while his weight is 81 kg. He is a Gemini.
Personal Life
Chong married Maxine Sneed in Canada in the 1960s. They have raised two daughters together named Robbi and Rae Dawn. The couple unfortunately split in 1970.
Chong married again in 1975, and this time Shelby Fiddis. The couple has 3 biological children named Paris, Gilbran, and Precious, and they adopted Marcus Chong. The couple is still together even today.
Tommy got American citizenship in the late 1980s with one of his “The Shades” bandmate. Chong has been battling prostate cancer and colorectal cancer for many years.
He claims his medical and marijuana treatment and hemp oil to be the reason for keeping him still alive.
Criticism
Tommy Chong is certainly not known for having a clean record. He is known as a godfather for all marijuana-related activities.
He publicly works as a Cannabis activist and advocates for the health benefits that it brings.
He has even spent time in prison as he was accused of financing a company named Nice Dreams.
It was initiated by his son, Paris, in 1999, which sold drug paraphernalia and bongs. Tommy pleaded guilty and admitted distributing over 7000 bongs.
The US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan released a statement saying that Tommy would face the same consequences irrespective of being a celebrity.
This angered his fans and led to a movement named “Free Tommy Chong.” which led to his early release.
Tommy Chong Net Worth in 2021
Tommy Chong has been in the entertainment industry for nearly all his life. This veteran actor, director, comedian, writer, musician, and activist has a net worth of around $10 Million as of 2021.
Chong clearly has a questionable past, but yet he has a mass fan following. He also has a vast social media following on Instagram with 2.6 million followers.
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Hi, I am Kunika and as you can guess, I love numbers. I started Browsed Magazine to share interesting numbers behind celeb’s net worth, the most expensive stuff around, and top lists that’ll take you in for a surprise.