Scatman Crothers Net Worth - Pulptastic

Scatman Crothers, a famous actor and musician, had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of his death in 1986. He was best known for his roles as Louie the Garbage Man on the sitcom “Chico and the Man” and Dick Hallorann in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining.” Crothers was also a prolific voice actor in animated shows like “Harlem Globetrotters,” “The Transformers,” and “Hong Kong Phooey.”

Aside from his voice acting, Crothers appeared in several films including “Lady Sings the Blues,” “Friday Foster,” “The Shootist,” and “Zapped!”

Early Life and Music Career

Scatman Crothers, born Benjamin Crothers on May 23, 1910 in Terre Haute, Indiana, began his music career as a teenager. He taught himself to play the guitar and drums and also learned to sing.

Scatman Crothers’ Musical Career

Scatman Crothers formed a band in Akron, Ohio in the 1930s and performed on the radio. He earned the nickname “Scatman” due to his love for scat singing. After moving to California in the 40s, Crothers performed frequently in Los Angeles and traveled to other cities to perform. Capitol Records released several of his singles, including “Television Blues” and “I’d Rather Be a Hummingbird.” High Fidelity Records also released his album “Rock and Roll with Scatman Crothers.” Crothers went on USO tours with Bob Hope and performed with Slim Gaillard.

Scatman Crothers’ Acting Career

Scatman Crothers began his acting career in the 1950s, with his first major role in Douglas Sirk’s “Meet Me at the Fair.” He appeared in multiple films throughout the decade, including “East of Sumatra” and “Walking My Baby Back Home.” In the 60s, Crothers had roles in “The Sins of Rachel Cade” and “The Patsy,” as well as uncredited parts in several films.

During the 70s, Crothers appeared in a string of films, including “Bloody Mama,” “Lady Sings the Blues,” “The King of Marvin Gardens,” and “Truck Turner.” He had five film credits in 1975 alone, including “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” In the latter half of the 70s, Crothers had roles in “Stay Hungry,” “The Shootist,” and “Scavenger Hunt.”

In the 80s, Crothers had arguably his most famous role as Dick Hallorann in “The Shining.” He also appeared in “Bronco Billy,” “Zapped!,” “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” and “The Journey of Natty Gann.” Crothers’ final film credit was in “The Transformers: The Movie,” in which he reprised his voice role as Jazz from the television series.

Scatman Crothers Early Television Career

Scatman Crothers began his television career with appearances in episodes of “The Adventures of Jim Bowie,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Beany and Cecil,” and “Bonanza.” He later voiced the character George “Meadowlark” Lemon on the Saturday morning cartoon “Harlem Globetrotters” and continued voice acting in shows like “The New Scooby-Doo Movies” and “Hong Kong Phooey.”

Crothers’s biggest role in the 70s was as Louie the Garbage Man on the NBC sitcom “Chico and the Man.” He also made guest appearances on shows like “Bewitched,” “Nichols,” “Kojak,” “Mannix,” “Sanford and Son,” and “Charlie’s Angels,” and played Mingo in the ABC miniseries “Roots.”

In the early 80s, Crothers appeared in episodes of “Laverne & Shirley,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “Benson,” and “Taxi.” He also lent his voice to the animated series “Trollkins” and played Sam in the short-lived television adaptation of “Casablanca.” Later in the decade, Crothers voiced characters on two animated series: “The Transformers” and “Paw Paws.” He also made an appearance on the legal drama series “The Paper Chase.”

Marriage and Death

Scatman Crothers tied the knot with Helen Sullivan in 1937. The couple stayed married for almost five decades until Crothers’s demise from lung cancer in late 1986. He was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills region of Los Angeles, California.