Frank McCourt Net Worth & Biography

A fantastic writer and an outstanding teacher, Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York, in the United States on August 19, 1930. After 30 long years of teaching high school English, he made up his mind to put his life in writing. His book titled “Angela’s Ashes” made him an instant success around the world and has won him many prestigious awards including the renowned Pulitzer Prize. The eldest of his seven siblings, McCourt and his family experienced severe levels of hardship during his childhood days. His father abandoned the family when he turned 13, and this prompted him to leave school to make some money to assist his mother in keeping the family alive. He did several odd jobs and also engaged in petty thievery to feed his siblings. McCourt eventually left Ireland to return to the United States to work as a 19-year-old. He served in the United States Army during the Korean War, and after his service to the nation, he went to New York City and registered at New York University where he completed his graduation with a degree in education. Then in 1967, he completed his master’s degree from the reputed Brooklyn College. Henceforth, he adopted the profession of a teacher and started giving English lessons at schools including McKee High School and Stuyvesant High School. He retired after contributing thirty years in the education field. Later on after his retirement, McCourt started to write about his depressing childhood. Hence, the book, “Angela’s Ashes”, was published in 1996 by Scribners. The book achieved phenomenal success and sold over 5 million copies. He became famous and earned critical acclaim internationally. The famous author passed on in New York City on July 19, 2009.

Early Life: Childhood, Education

The Irish-American teacher and writer, Francis McCourt, was born on August 19, 1930, in New York City’s Brooklyn borough. He was the son of Irish Catholic immigrants Malachy Gerald McCourt, Sr., and Angela Sheehan.

Frank lived in New York with his parents and younger siblings. The family later relocated to Ireland, where Frank and his siblings were raised in abject poverty until he turned 19 and returned to the United States to look for better opportunities

Achievements: Awards & Honors

Frank’s phenomenal book, “Angela’s Ashes”, which achieved a huge international success, led him to win many awards for his work as an author. He was awarded the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the ABBY Award, and the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1997, he was honored with a Pulitzer Prize for his Angela Ashes.

Asides from Angela’s Ashes, his most popular book, McCourt, in 1999, wrote a memoir which depicts his story when he came back to the United States of America till he became a teacher. In 2005, he authored his third book, Teacher Man, which narrates his experiences in the education field.

Personal Life: Marriages, Children

McCourt first married Alberta Small in August 1961. He had met her at New York University. They had a daughter together before their divorce in 1979.

In November 1984, he married a second time to the American psychotherapist Cheryl Floyd, and they divorced five years afterward.

He married Ellen Frey McCourt for his third marriage on August 13, 1994, five years after meeting her at the Lion’s Head bar in New York City. After the unexpected success of his memoir, the couple lived together in New York City and Roxbury, Connecticut. He met Ellen in December 1989, when he was 59 and she was 35. At that time he had retired from teaching high school English. His brother Malachy, and some of his friends, described his wife Ellen as a woman who helped Frank to open up his creative side, and also encouraged his writing. Frank started writing his book “Angela’s Ashes” after his marriage to Ellen and finished it 13 months later.

Death

In May 2009, it was announced that the writer had been treated for melanoma and that he was undergoing home chemotherapy. Two months later, he died from cancer, with meningeal complications, a month before his 79th birthday.

His mother, Angela McCourt, and father, Malachy McCourt, predeceased him, in 1981 and 1985, respectively. He was survived by his brothers Michael, Malachy, and Alphie. After his passing, Frank McCourt’s ashes were shared between his brothers, his wife, and his daughter.

Frank McCourt Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Assets

Frank McCourt had a net worth of $1 billion at the time of his passing in 2009. He was an Irish-American writer who made his way up the ladder of success from his days as a struggling poor child who had to do different demeaning jobs in order to feed his younger ones to his days as a high school teacher who later had his breakthrough as an author.

Before his passing, Frank owned a comfortable home in Roxbury, Connecticut. His most notable works are  “Angela’s Ashes” (1996), “Tis: A Memoir” (1999), and “Teacher Man” (2005).