Inside Meshach Taylor's Fortune: Meshach Taylor's Total Wealth in Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

As one of the most talked-about figures, Meshach Taylor has built a significant fortune. In this article, we dive deep into the assets and career highlights.

What Was Meshach Taylor's Net Worth?

Meshach Taylor was an American actor who had a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of his death in 2014. Meshach Taylor was best known for his Emmy-nominated performance as Anthony Bouvier on the CBS series "Designing Women" (1986–1993), and he also played Shel Baylor on the CBS sitcom "Dave's World" (1993–1997). Taylor had more than 70 acting credits to his name, including the films "Damien: Omen II" (1978), "The Howling" (1981), "Mannequin" (1987), "Class Act" (1992), and "Friends and Family" (2001) and the television series "Lou Grant" (1979–1981), "Buffalo Bill" (1983–1984), "Hill Street Blues" (1982; 1986), "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" (2004–2007), and "Criminal Minds" (2012; 2014). Meshach also appeared on Broadway, playing Lumiere in "Beauty and the Beast" in 1998. Sadly, Taylor died of colorectal cancer in June 2014 at the age of 67.

Early Life

Meshach Taylor was born on April 11, 1947, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of Joseph T. Taylor and Hertha Mae Ward. Joseph was the former dean of students at New Orleans' Dillard University, and he also served as Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis' first dean of arts and sciences. After Taylor's family relocated from New Orleans to Indianapolis, Meshach attended Crispus Attucks High School, where he became interested in acting. He graduated in 1964, then he studied dramatic arts at Wilmington College in Ohio and Florida A&M University. He left college just a few credits shy of graduation and began working as a State House reporter for the Indianapolis AM radio station WIFE. He went by the on-air name Bruce Thomas for that job, and when he hosted a community-affairs show on the TV station WLWI, he went by Bruce Taylor. Meshach later finished college, earning a theatre arts degree from Florida A&M in 1993.

Career

Taylor made his professional acting debut in a national tour of the musical "Hair," and he was a member of Chicago's Organic Theater Company and Goodman Theatre. In Chicago, he won a Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play in 1977 for Athol Fugard's "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead," and he earned a nomination in that category for David Rabe's "Streamers, Native Son" in 1979. Meshach won an Emmy for playing Jim in a production of "Huckleberry Finn" for the Chicago TV station WTTW, and he hosted the Chicago television series "Black Life." He moved to Los Angeles in 1977, and the following year he made his film debut in "Damien: Omen II." He then appeared in the film "Stony Island" (1978) and guest-starred on "Barnaby Jones" (1978), "The Incredible Hulk" (1979), and "Lou Grant" (1979–1981). In the '80s, Taylor appeared in the films "The Howling" (1981), "The Beast Within" (1982), "Explorers" (1985), "Warning Sign" (1985), "One More Saturday Night" (1986), "Inside Out" (1986), "The Allnighter" (1987), and  "House of Games" (1987) and guest-starred on "The White Shadow" (1980), "M*A*S*H" (1981), "Barney Miller" (1982), "Cagney & Lacey" (1982), "The Golden Girls" (1985), "Melba" (1986), "Days of Our Lives" (1986), "ALF" (1986), "Hill Street Blues" (1982; 1986), "What's Happening Now!" (1985; 1987), and "Punky Brewster" (1987).

Meshach co-starred withDabney Coleman,Joanna Cassidy, andGeena Davison the NBC sitcom "Buffalo Bill" (1983–1984), and he played Hollywood Montrose in 1987's "Mannequin" and 1991's "Mannequin: On the Move." In 1986, he began portraying Anthony Bouvier on the CBS sitcom "Designing Women" alongsideDixie Carter,Annie Potts,Delta Burke, andJean Smart. The series aired 163 episodes over seven seasons and earned Taylor a Primetime Emmy nomination. He reprised his role in one episode of the 1995 spin-off "Women of the House."

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In summary, the total wealth of Meshach Taylor reflects strategic moves.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.