How much money did they make... - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

BensonFan · 06-08-2006, 09:40 PM

...Ok, I'm sure Robert Guillaume got nothing near what Ray Romano or Kelsey Grammer made per episode of their respective shows but I'm totally curious as to what his pay was. And the other characters on the show.

Any guesses? Is there anyway to find this out (for those of us who are nosy!)?

BensonFan · 05-20-2007, 10:18 PM

Ok, I'm responding to my own post from last year because I was just wondering about this again.

Does anyone have any ideas? Educated guesses?

blink · 05-22-2007, 11:09 PM

There's really no way of knowing for sure the amount paid to the actors on a television series because it is usally determined by the ratings, the decade in which the series was made and how many seasons they appeared on the series. Although some of the salaries paid to the leading actors on top ten rated series these days maybe outlandish we have to take into account that Benson was made back in the eighties and it was never a top ten show. I can however take a wild guess going by what I've read over the years. Robert Guilaume may have made a salary in the high five digit to low six digit range per episode.The supporting cast members James Noble, Inga Swenson and Rene Aberjonois could have made as much as fifty thousand dollars per episode by the end of the shows run. Juvenile supporting actors are only paid about half as much as adults due to the fact that the number of hours they may work a day is limited by law and they must be schooled on the set which has to be paid for by the producers. One interesting thing that I've found out is that on the first season of a series the supporting actors are often only paid the SAG ( screen actors guild) minimun wage which was fifteen hundred dollors a week back in the eighties. Good thing the producers provided their wardrobes. It's only after the series has been picked up for the second season that their salaries are upped considerably.

BensonFan · 05-23-2007, 08:02 PM

Thanks for the info--that was the sort of thing I was looking for--just some general ballpark figures. Even taking into consideration the time this show was filmed ('79-'86), those are still pretty decent chunks of change. I wouldn't mind getting one of those paychecks every week!

GSU2004 · 05-29-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BensonFan

...Ok, I'm sure Robert Guillaume got nothing near what Ray Romano or Kelsey Grammer made per episode of their respective shows but I'm totally curious as to what his pay was. And the other characters on the show.

Any guesses? Is there anyway to find this out (for those of us who are nosy!)?

Many times you can find actors/actresses discussing that interviews that you may run across especially if they are upset about the difference in what they made compared to others. It should be about your passion and many people can bring out the best in a character whereas some of these others just read lines and keep it moving.

Scoobiedoo30 · 06-30-2007, 02:18 AM

I have always wonder

06-08-2006, 09:40 PM	#1
BensonFan Board Psychologist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 16, 2004 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 2,733	How much money did they make... ...Ok, I'm sure Robert Guillaume got nothing near what Ray Romano or Kelsey Grammer made per episode of their respective shows but I'm totally curious as to what his pay was. And the other characters on the show. Any guesses? Is there anyway to find this out (for those of us who are nosy!)?
	__________________ HEY, SONY: Thank you for Benson, Season 2! Now can we get started on Season 3 plans?

06-30-2007, 02:18 AM	#6
Scoobiedoo30 Member Forum Superstar Join Date: Jun 27, 2002 Location: KENNER, LOUISIANA Posts: 27,654	I have always wonder
	__________________ Who Dat

05-20-2007, 10:18 PM	#2
BensonFan Board Psychologist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 16, 2004 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 2,733	Ok, I'm responding to my own post from last year because I was just wondering about this again. Does anyone have any ideas? Educated guesses?

05-22-2007, 11:09 PM	#3
blink Member Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 17, 2004 Location: Texarkana AR. Posts: 950	There's really no way of knowing for sure the amount paid to the actors on a television series because it is usally determined by the ratings, the decade in which the series was made and how many seasons they appeared on the series. Although some of the salaries paid to the leading actors on top ten rated series these days maybe outlandish we have to take into account that Benson was made back in the eighties and it was never a top ten show. I can however take a wild guess going by what I've read over the years. Robert Guilaume may have made a salary in the high five digit to low six digit range per episode.The supporting cast members James Noble, Inga Swenson and Rene Aberjonois could have made as much as fifty thousand dollars per episode by the end of the shows run. Juvenile supporting actors are only paid about half as much as adults due to the fact that the number of hours they may work a day is limited by law and they must be schooled on the set which has to be paid for by the producers. One interesting thing that I've found out is that on the first season of a series the supporting actors are often only paid the SAG ( screen actors guild) minimun wage which was fifteen hundred dollors a week back in the eighties. Good thing the producers provided their wardrobes. It's only after the series has been picked up for the second season that their salaries are upped considerably.

05-23-2007, 08:02 PM	#4
BensonFan Board Psychologist Senior Member Join Date: Mar 16, 2004 Location: Chicago, IL USA Posts: 2,733	Thanks for the info--that was the sort of thing I was looking for--just some general ballpark figures. Even taking into consideration the time this show was filmed ('79-'86), those are still pretty decent chunks of change. I wouldn't mind getting one of those paychecks every week!