What was Wayne Rogers's Net Worth?
Wayne Rogers was an American actor who had a net worth of $75 million at the time of his death in 2015. Wayne Rogers was best known for playing Captain 'Trapper' John McIntyre on the CBS television series "M*A*S*H." He also had main roles on the shows "City of Angels" and "House Calls," and appeared in such films as "The Glory Guys," "Chamber of Horrors," "WUSA," "The Hot Touch," and "Ghosts of Mississippi." Rogers later established a career as an investor and financial strategist, and served as a regular panel member on the Fox Business Network program "Cashin' In."
Early Life and Education
Wayne Rogers was born as William Wayne McMillan Rogers III on April 7, 1933 in Birmingham, Alabama. He was educated at Ramsay High School in Birmingham and the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. For his higher education, Rogers went to Princeton University, from which he earned a degree in history in 1954. After graduating, he joined the US Navy and served as a navigator on the USS Denebola.
Start of Television Career
Rogers made his first appearance on television with a guest role on "Gunsmoke" in 1959. The following year, he appeared in an episode of the anthology series "The Millionaire." Rogers returned to "Gunsmoke" with a different guest role in 1962, and also appeared in an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" the same year. Over the rest of the decade, he had guest roles on such shows as "Honey West," "Combat!," "The Invaders," and "The Big Valley."
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M*A*S*H
In 1972, Rogers had his breakthrough role as Captain 'Trapper' John McIntyre on the CBS war comedy series "M*A*S*H," based on Robert Altman's film of the same name. He starred alongside Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr, Gary Burghoff, and McLean Stevenson, among others. Rogers remained on the show until the end of the third season in 1975; he left on sour terms, having felt scorned by the writers' decision to cede much of his character's spotlight to Alan Alda's Hawkeye. Additionally, Rogers had gotten into a contract dispute with the producers. The role of Trapper John was later played by Pernell Roberts on the spinoff series "Trapper John, M.D."
Further Television Career
After leaving "M*A*S*H," Rogers appeared in the television film "Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan." In 1976, he starred as private detective Jake Axminster on the short-lived NBC series "City of Angels." The year after that, Rogers starred in the television film "It Happened One Christmas." He landed his next main role in 1979, as Dr. Charley Michaels on the CBS sitcom "House Calls," based on the film of the same name. Costarring Lynn Redgrave, and then Sharon Gless, the series ran for three seasons through 1982. Rogers subsequently appeared in the CBS miniseries "Chiefs." In 1985, he played Colonel Tony Nelson in the television film "I Dream of Jeannie… Fifteen Years Later," taking over the role originated by Larry Hagman. A few years later, Rogers hosted the short-lived CBS stunt show "High Risk." Closing out the decade, he appeared in the ABC television film "Passion and Paradise." Rogers was in another television film, "Miracle Landing," in 1990. He didn't appear much on the small screen during the rest of the decade, but did have a five-episode role on "Murder, She Wrote" from 1993 to 1995.
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Film Career
Rogers made his film debut with a bit part in Robert Wise's 1959 film noir "Odds Against Tomorrow." He had a slightly bigger role in the 1965 Western "The Glory Guys." In 1966, Rogers appeared in the psychological horror film "Chamber of Horrors," and in 1967 had a small role in the Paul Newman prison drama "Cool Hand Luke." He went on to appear in two more films with Paul Newman, 1970's "WUSA" and 1972's "Pocket Money." Rogers had his first lead role in a film in the 1981 crime comedy "The Hot Touch," in which he played an accomplished art forger. Later in the decade, he had significant roles in "The Gig" and "The Killing Time." Rogers's other notable film credits include the 1996 courtroom drama "Ghosts of Mississippi," the 1999 drama "Love Lies Bleeding," and the 2001 crime film "Frozen with Fear."
Financial Career
Beyond acting, Rogers established a career as an investor, money manager, and financial strategist. In both 1988 and 1990, he testified before the US House Committee on the Judiciary as an expert witness to promote the retention of banking laws enacted under the Glass-Steagall legislation of 1933. Later, Rogers appeared as a regular panel member on the Fox Business Network program "Cashin' In." Elsewhere, he was the head of the stock-trading investment firm Wayne Rogers & Co., and sat on the board of directors of the Fortune 100 company Vishay Intertechnology.
Personal Life and Death
Rogers was married to his first wife, actress Mitzi McWhorter, from 1960 until their divorce in 1983. They had two children together. Rogers wed his second wife, Amy Hirsh, in 1988; they were together until Rogers's passing.
On New Year's Eve, 2015, Rogers died from complications of pneumonia. He was 82 years of age.
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