American comedy Taxi followed the day-to-day lives of a group of New York City taxi drivers, all working at the fictional Sunshine Cab Company.
The hit show ran for five seasons between 1978 and 1982, with the first four seasons airing on ABC and the final one on NBC. During its run, Taxi was nominated for a stunning 31 Emmy Awards. It scored 13 wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series for three consecutive years.
Taxi also launched the careers of some major Hollywood stars, including Danny DeVito and Christopher Lloyd. Read on to take a look at the Taxi stars then and now, and discover which cast member is the wealthiest today. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
Randall Carver played goofball cabbie John Burns in the first season of Taxi. Unfortunately, the writers didn’t bring Carver back for the second season, feeling John was too similar to Tony Danza’s character Tony.
Before Taxi, Carver had had a handful of minor movie roles, including 1969’s Midnight Cowboy and 1974’s Time to Run. He also guest-starred in numerous television series, including Emergency! and the beloved period drama The Waltons.
While Carver never quite "made it big" in Hollywood, he has continued to work steadily as an actor.
Sticking to his sitcom roots, Carver appeared in The Norm Show and Malcolm in the Middle during the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2007, he also acted alongside screen legend Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson's period drama There Will Be Blood.
Information about Carver's fortune is scarce, though online sources estimate his net worth at between $500,000 (£388.8k) and $1.3 million (£1m).
Having made guest appearances in earlier seasons, Carol Kane joined the main cast of Taxi for the final two series of the show. She played Latka’s love interest and eventual wife, Simka Dahblitz, who hailed from the same fictional country. Kane won two Emmy Awards for her performance in the show.
No stranger to critical acclaim, Kane was already an Oscar-nominated actress before joining Taxi, earning the nod for her leading role in the 1975 romance movie Hester Street. In 1977, she also appeared in Woody Allen’s star-studded rom-com Annie Hall.
When Taxi ended, Kane continued to enjoy success as an actress. Notable roles included the 1987 fantasy epic The Princess Bride and 1993's Addams Family Values. In the latter, she appeared alongside her former Taxi co-star Christopher Lloyd.
More recently, she has starred in Amazon Prime's Hunters, as well as in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend.
Today, the sitcom starlet's reported net worth is a cool $3 million (£2.3m).
Marilu Henner played Sunshine Cab Company sweetheart Elaine O'Connor Nardo throughout all five seasons of Taxi. Her breakout role as the struggling artist and single mother earned her five Golden Globe nominations.
Before landing her big break in Taxi, Henner featured in the original 1971 stage production of Grease as Marty. She made her first big-screen appearance in 1977's Between the Lines, a comedy-drama.
Following Taxi, Henner scored minor acting gigs in the likes of 1988’s Ladykillers, as well as a vocal role in Batman: The Animated Series in the early 1990s.
However, much of Henner's success has come from areas outside of acting, and she has forged a career as a successful health and lifestyle writer. Notable books by the New York Times best-selling author include Total Memory Makeover and Marilu Henner’s Total Health Makeover.
In total, Henner's diverse portfolio has earned her a reported $12 million (£9.3m) net worth.
Judd Hirsch played Alex Reiger, Taxi's main protagonist, for all five seasons of the show. Hirsch won two Emmy Awards for his stellar performance as the advice-giving cab driver and was nominated for various other accolades.
A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, Hirsch was already a successful stage actor before Taxi. However, the sitcom would catapult him to new heights of fame.
After Taxi, Hirsch landed the starring role in the NBC series Dear John from 1988 to 1992. Between 2005 and 2010, he also had a recurring role in the CBS crime drama Numb3rs.
Hirsch's notable silver screen roles include the 1996 Hollywood blockbuster Independence Day and its 2016 sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence. More recently, he also acted in Netflix's 2019 hit Uncut Gems, and currently stars in TV sitcom The Goldbergs.
Today, Hirsch boasts a reported net worth of $12 million (£9.3m).
Tony Danza rose to fame as Tony Banta, a cab driver and aspiring boxer. Danza appeared in all five seasons of Taxi and received a Golden Globe nomination for his role.
Just like his Taxi character, Danza was a professional boxer before landing his breakout role – albeit a far more successful one. Danza was reportedly spotted by a producer for the show at a boxing gym in New York, and the rest, as they say, is history!
After Taxi, Danza landed the starring role of pro-baseball-player-turned-housekeeper Tony Micelli in the ABC sitcom Who’s The Boss? He remained on the show for its entire duration, from 1984-1992, before landing a recurring role on Hudson Street between 1995 and 1996. From 2004 to 2006, the actor hosted the daytime talk show The Tony Danza Show – not to be confused with the sitcom of the same name, which ran between 1997 and 1998.
Other noteworthy credits to Danza’s name include the 1994 Disney flick Angels in the Outfield as well as the 2013 rom-com Don Jon, which he starred in alongside the likes of Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore.
In total, Danza has reportedly amassed a net worth of $40 million (£31.1m) from his career in showbiz.
Christopher Lloyd played Reverend Jim "Iggy" Ignatowski, a cab driver who described himself as "the living embodiment of the Sixties". Lloyd’s portrayal of the scatter-brained former hippie scored him two Emmy Awards.
Before Taxi, Lloyd worked as a Broadway actor and also appeared in the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, which featured his future Taxi co-star Danny DeVito.
In 1985, two years after Taxi had ended, Christopher Lloyd landed the career-defining role of "Doc" Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy. Undoubtedly, the part of the wacky inventor remains his most iconic role to date, although it isn’t the only quirky character Lloyd has brought to life. In the early 1990s, he also played Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and its sequel Addams Family Values.
Outside of these beloved roles, Lloyd has worked continuously as a film and television actor. In 2016, he even returned to his sitcom roots, making a guest appearance on the popular series The Big Bang Theory.
Today, Lloyd reportedly boasts a net worth of $40 million (£31.1m).
Danny DeVito is a national treasure now, but it was his role as bullying dispatcher Louie De Palma that gave him his big break, landing him both an Emmy and a Golden Globe.
Before Taxi, DeVito acted in numerous stage productions and also played Martini in the 1975 movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – a part he had previously played in the 1971 off-Broadway production.
Today, DeVito boasts numerous iconic roles under his belt and has starred in everything from 1984's Romancing the Stone to 2019's Jumanji: The Next Level. He's also famed for his voice acting, most notably in Disney's Hercules. Presently, DeVito has returned to his sitcom roots and currently stars in FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Outside of acting, DeVito has also found success as a producer and director, with credits for movies including Pulp Fiction and Erin Brockovich, with the latter winning the prestigious Best Picture Academy Award. He also directed, produced, and starred in 1996’s Matilda, which was adapted from the beloved Roald Dahl book.
The multi-talented DeVito has reportedly amassed a total fortune of $80 million (£62.2m).
Moving onto cast members who are sadly no longer with us, the late Jeff Conaway played resident heartthrob Bobby Wheeler, a cab driver and aspiring actor.
Conaway starred as Bobby Wheeler in four seasons of Taxi and received two Golden Globe nominations for his role. Unfortunately, Conaway's substance abuse problems meant his main part was reduced to a guest role by the start of the fourth season, and he eventually left the show.
Besides Taxi, Conaway’s most famous role was as T-Bird Kenickie in the 1978 film adaptation of the musical Grease. In the early 1970s, Conaway had starred in the Broadway production of Grease, playing the lead role of Danny Zuko; Danny was famously played by John Travolta in the movie. Prior to Taxi, Conaway also guest-starred in another beloved sitcom, Happy Days.
After departing Taxi, Conaway continued to act, although he never achieved the same heights of fame again. His most notable role was as security chief Zack Allan in the space opera series Babylon 5. Conaway appeared in 74 episodes of the show between 1994 and 1998.
In a bid to get sober, Conaway featured in the first two seasons of the VH1 reality show Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew in 2008. Sadly, Conaway never entirely overcame his addictions, and he passed away in 2011 at the age of 60. At the time of his death, he was reportedly worth $250,000 (£194.4k).
The late comedian Andy Kaufman played quirky immigrant mechanic Latka Gravas for all five seasons of Taxi. Latka famously had multiple personality disorder, which allowed Kaufman to flex his comedy chops by playing a range of wacky characters. In 1979 and 1981, Kaufman was nominated for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globes for his performance.
Originally a stand-up comedian, kooky Kaufman gained attention in small comedy clubs during the early 1970s for his "Foreign Man" character, who spoke with a heavy accent and claimed to be from Caspiar, a fictional island located in the Caspian Sea. By 1975, Kaufman had performed his act on Saturday Night Live, and the Taxi showrunners were eager to have him on their series. His famed "Foreign Man" character was then developed into Latka Gravas.
In 1984, just one year after Taxi ended, Kaufman tragically died from lung cancer at 35 years old. His memory lives on, however, and in 1999, Jim Carrey portrayed the beloved comic in the biopic Man on the Moon. The critically acclaimed film chronicles Kaufman’s life and rise to stardom.
At the time of his death, Kaufman reportedly boasted a net worth equivalent to $3 million (£2.3m) today.
Now discover which Cheers star is the richest today