Michael Penn Net Worth

What is Michael Penn's Net Worth?

Michael Penn is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and composer who has a net worth of $10 million. That is a combined net worth with his wife since 1997, fellow singer Aimee Mann.

Michael Penn rose to prominence with his hit 1989 song "No Myth." "No Myth" reached #4 on the US Modern Rock chart and #13 on the Hot 100 chart. His single "This & That" reached #10 on the US Modern Rock chart and #53 on the Hot 100.  He has since composed numerous scores for film and television, including for the films "Boogie Nights," "The Last Kiss," "Sunshine Cleaning," and "Solitary Man" and for the television series "Girls" and "Masters of Sex." Among his other credits, Penn has frequently collaborated on songs with his wife, singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. He is the older brother of actors Sean Penn and the late Chris Penn.

Early Life and Education

Michael Penn was born on August 1, 1958 in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. He is the eldest son of actress Eileen Ryan and television director and actor Leo Penn; his younger brothers are actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. As a teenager, he attended Santa Monica High School.

Doll Congress

Penn began his professional music career as a member of the 1980s Los Angeles alternative rock band Doll Congress. He joined Gabriele Morgan, Patrick Warren, Larry Rott, and Rafael Gayol. Originally the band's guitarist and bassist, Penn eventually began contributing lead vocals and songwriting. Doll Congress released two records before disbanding in 1987.

Michael Penn in 1990 (Photo by Gie Knaeps/Getty Images)

Solo Albums and Singles

In 1989, Penn launched his solo recording career with his debut album, "March." The album spawned the hit single "No Myth," which reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Penn went on to win the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist. His second album, 1992's "Free-for-All," was not as commercially successful, although it did spawn the Modern Rock radio hits "Seen the Doctor" and "Long Way Down (Look What the Cat Drug In)." Penn didn't release his third album, "Resigned," until 1997. That was followed by "MP4: Days Since a Lost Time Accident" in 2000. Penn released his fifth album, "Mr. Hollywood Jr., 1947," in 2005. Following a long hiatus, he put out the single "A Revival" in 2020.

Film and Television Scores

Penn has composed numerous scores for films and television shows. His first major film was Paul Thomas Anderson's 1996 film "Hard Eight," which he worked on with fellow composer Jon Brion. The next year, Penn independently composed the score to Anderson's "Boogie Nights." Michael also made a brief cameo in the movie, as a recording studio tech who is not a fan of the music created by the characters played by Mark Wahlberg and John C. Riley. The other actor in the scene, the studio owner, is played by Robert Downey Sr., the father of… Robert Downey Jr:

In 2001, he did the score for "The Anniversary Party," directed by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming. Penn next composed the score for Bob Odenkirk's 2003 directorial debut "Melvin Goes to Dinner." In 2006, he wrote the music for the romantic dramedy "The Last Kiss." Penn composed scores for two films in 2008: the documentary "American Teen" and the dramedy "Sunshine Cleaning." The following year, he wrote the music for the drama "That Evening Sun."

In 2010, Penn did the score for the Michael Douglas film "Solitary Man." A couple of years later, he began composing music for the HBO television series "Girls." Penn soon began scoring the Showtime television series "Masters of Sex," which premiered in 2013 and ran through 2016. Returning to film, he scored the dramedies "Carrie Pilby" (2016) and "Boundaries" (2018). In the latter year, Penn also contributed music to the new television series "Here and Now," on HBO, and "Good Girls," on NBC. His subsequent credits as a composer have included the films "Hollywood Stargirl" (2022), "Fairyland" (2023), and "I Love You Forever" (2024).

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Other Musical Contributions

Penn has made contributions to a number of songs and albums by other artists, including many by his wife, singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. He contributed guitar and/or vocals to Mann's albums "I'm with Stupid" and "Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo," and collaborated with Mann on the song "Two of Us" from the 2001 film "I Am Sam." Elsewhere, Penn has appeared on tracks by such artists as Thelonious Monster and Liz Phair. He has also produced songs by Phair.

Personal Life & Real Estate

Penn first met singer-songwriter Aimee Mann while contributing to her 1995 album "I'm with Stupid." The couple went on to marry in late 1997. With musician and talent manager Michael Hausman, Penn and Mann formed the independent music collective United Musicians.

In June 2001, Michael and Aimee paid $808,000 for a home in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood. Today this home is worth $3-4 million.

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