Tommy Chong is a male born in Edmonton. He is a comedian, musician, director, and actor. Over the course of his career, his net worth is $20 million and he grew his reputation for being one half of the comedy duo Cheech & Ching.
His diverse career in the entertainment industry has opened him up to more opportunities and he worked with his partner Cheech Marin to create successful comedy albums and other films that have worked to their success and helped earn their career and financial success.
Although Tommy Chong eventually parted ways with Marin, he went on with working in film and television to maintain his reputation and take on new projects. Chong has also enjoyed success as a musician. He has several albums as a solo artist and others with collaborations. We will enlighten you more about Tommy Chong in this post.
Early Life of Tommy Chong
Thomas B. Kin Chong is his birthname but he is popularly known as Tommy Chong. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on May 24, 1938. Chong was raised by a Scottish-Irish mother while his father was of Chinese ancestry.
Tommy Chong attended school but he dropped out at age 16 and started playing guitar as a way of making a living and have fun in life.
Tommy Chong’s Music Career
Although Tommy started with playing guitar to make a living after dropping out of school, he ended up playing guitar as part of The Shades band. He then relocated to Vancouver with the band as a way to seek new opportunities.
The band released a few singles and Tommy partnered with some of the bandmates to open a nightclub. The band then signed with Gordy Records in 1965 and released their hit “does Your Momma Know About Me.”
The single went on to reach position 29 on the Billboard charts. The band then renamed to The Vancouvers and they toured Detroit and was part of the opening for the Jackson 5. Tommy ended up getting fired for appearing late to a gig. The incident saw him leave the group and it ended up disbanding shortly.
Tommy Chong and Cheech Marin – Career Influence
Tommy met Cheech Marin in the late 60s in Vancouver. The two ended up bonding because of their love for marijuana. Their string connection enabled them to form a comedic duo and they started performing stand-up routines.
The duo’s biggest success was in 1978 when they released the Up in Smoke film. Despite having a small budget for it, the film raked in $44 million at the box office. The duo had a good time and enjoyed success together until they ended up splitting at some point.
Tommy Chong’s Net Worth
Tommy has made much success throughout his career. He has diversified his career to include being a comedian, actor, musician, and director. With such a diverse portfolio, that’s how he managed to have a net worth of $20 million.