Joan Cusack Biography, Spouse or Husband – Richard Burke and Net Worth

Quick Facts

Modern followers of film and television shows who are also fans of the drama-comedy hit show, Shameless, are most likely to be familiar with the face and works of Joan Cusack. Her prominent career is extend all the way back to 1988 when she made Working Girl and In & Out. Not one to hog the spotlight, she has quietly been delivering spectacular performances in various projects since she began professional acting in 1979. She is also a part of the Cusack family of actors and actresses which says a lot about her choice of career.

Biography of Joan Cusack

What do you get when an actor and a mathematics teacher marry? There is no official answer to that question but in the case of the Cusacks, you get five children all of whom are entertainers like their father. Their father, Dick Cusack was an actor and documentary filmmaker. Perhaps out of love for her father’s work, or simply her love for her father, Joan, like the rest of her siblings, pursued a career in acting.

Joan Cusack and her siblings were raised in Evanston Illinois, even though she was born in New York on October 11, 1962.

Before she dived straight into Hollywood, she first of all graduated from the Evanston Township High School before moving ahead to the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she completed her higher education in 1984, earning a Bachelor’s degree in English. As a young child, she spent some time in the theatre working with the Piven Theatre Workshop, the Story Theatre, and The Ark.

Shortly after graduation, Joan Cusack started his journey into the film industry, appearing in films such as My Bodyguard and Sixteen Candles. As she grew older, both as a person and in the industry, she appeared in Working Girl, which was released in 1988. Her performance in the movie was met with critical and commercial success which in turn scored her an Oscar nomination during the award season. It further became her breakthrough role and established her as a talent to be reckoned with in Hollywood.

Before the 80s drew to a close, she starred in a few other films like Say Anything and Broadcast News. As an actress with strong comedic chops, she was a cast member in NBC sketch show, Saturday Night Live for a year – from 1985 to 1986.

The actress took a brief break from active acting in the early 90s but returned with a critically acclaimed performance in In and Out. Her performance in the film earned her a second Oscar nomination. She equally received other nominations for her performance including a Golden Globe, Satellite Award, New York Film Critics Award and the American Comedy Award. Joan Cusack’s return to active filmmaking in the 90s was rounded up with acclaimed performances in Arlington Road, Cradle Will Rock, Runaway Bride and as a voice actress for Jessie in Disney/Pixar animation blockbuster, Toy Story 2. She won the Annie Award for Voice Acting in Toy Story 2.

From the 80s to the 90s, Joan established herself as one of Hollywood’s best-supporting actresses. Her reputation kept her busy, even as the new millennium rolled in. She starred in films like High Fidelity and School of Rock and reprised her role as Jessie in Toy Story 3.

Joan Cusack is more of a film actress and had done very little Television work before she took on the role in Shameless. Her only major television show before Shameless was a voice role as the narrator in Peep and the Big Wide World. Since Shameless, on which she starred in 44 episodes between 2011 and 2015, and was nominated for four Emmy awards, winning one, she has starred in other shows like Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Outside of acting, she was a commercial spokesperson for U.S Cellular and she, along with her brother, were part of the group of actors and actresses who signed a “Not in my Name” resolution, in opposition to the United States Government’s invasion of Iraq.

Net Worth

Joan Cusack has starred in a couple of commercially successful films and has a variety of major award nominations and wins to her name. This resume has enabled her to amass a net worth of $8 million.

Spouse or Husband – Richard Burke

Joan Cusack’s private life is as peaceful as any actress would want, going by the standards of Hollywood. She has been married to Richard Burke since 1996 and there has not been any sign of discord between the two, they seem to be as in love as ever with every passing year. Richard is a lawyer and the President and CEO of Envoy Global, Inc. Although she suffered a miscarriage once, the couple has two sons, Dylan John and Miles. They live in Chicago, Illinois.

Also Read: Top 10 Richest People in the world with full biography and details.