What Is Nora Ephron’s Net Worth?

Nora Ephron, a prolific American journalist, screenwriter, novelist, director, and producer, had a net worth of $40 million at the time of her death in 2012. She was best known for her successful romantic comedies, which earned her three Academy Award nominations.

Ephron wrote and produced numerous films, including “When Harry Met Sally…,” “My Blue Heaven,” “Sleepless in Seattle,” “You’ve Got Mail,” and “Julie & Julia.” She also directed eight of her films and co-wrote many of her screenplays with her sister Delia. Ephron wrote several plays, including “Imaginary Friends,” “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” and “Lucky Guy,” which was nominated for a Tony Award in 2013. Additionally, she published seven books, including “Heartburn,” “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman,” and “I Remember Nothing: And Other Reflections.”

Unfortunately, Ephron passed away in June 2012 from complications of acute myeloid leukemia.

Nora Ephron’s Background

Nora Ephron was born on May 19, 1941, in New York City, and grew up in a Jewish household in Beverly Hills, California. Her parents were screenwriters and playwrights, and all four of their daughters pursued writing careers. Ephron attended Beverly Hills High School and earned a political science degree from Wellesley College in 1962.

Nora Ephron’s Career Highlights

Nora Ephron started her career as a White House intern during John F. Kennedy’s presidency. She faced gender discrimination while applying to write for “Newsweek” and eventually left the publication to take part in a class action lawsuit against it. Ephron later worked as a reporter for the “New York Post” and co-wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award-nominated film “Silkwood.”

Ephron went on to write and produce several successful romantic comedies, including “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Sleepless in Seattle,” which were both box office hits. She also directed and produced several films, including “You’ve Got Mail” and “Julie & Julia.”

Nora Ephron’s Marriages and Family

Nora Ephron was married twice in her lifetime. Her first marriage was to writer Dan Greenburg on April 9, 1967, and they divorced in 1976. Soon after, she married journalist Carl Bernstein on April 14th of that year. They had two sons, Jacob and Max, before divorcing in 1980 due to Bernstein’s affair with journalist Margaret Jay. This inspired Ephron to write the novel “Heartburn,” which was later adapted into a film.

Ephron’s third and final marriage was to screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi on March 28, 1987. They remained together until her death.

Ephron’s son Jacob co-wrote and directed the 2016 HBO film “Everything Is Copy — Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted,” which won an Audience Prize for Documentary Feature at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Nora Ephron’s Estate Worth More Than $27 Million

Nora Ephron, who was diagnosed with myelodysplasia in 2006, chose not to tell her friends or colleagues about her condition for fear that it would affect her career. She died in 2012 from pneumonia, which was a complication of leukemia. Her memorial service was attended by many famous personalities.

According to recent reports, her estate was worth more than $27 million, which is higher than the original estimate of $15 million. She left around $22 million to her husband and other funds for her family members. Stocks and other investments besides real estate accounted for over $10 million and her real estate holdings were worth more than $12 million.

In her will, Nora specified that $100,000 of her estate should be used to pay for her memorial service at Lincoln Center.

Awards and Nominations

Ephron was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, for “Silkwood” in 1984, “When Harry Met Sally…” in 1990, and “Sleepless in Seattle” in 1994. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Screenplay – Motion Picture and a BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay – Original for “When Harry Met Sally…,” and a BAFTA nomination for Best Screenplay – Original for “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Ephron was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award by the Writers Guild of America Awards in 2003 and received nominations for Best Drama Written Directly for the Screen for “Silkwood”, Best Adapted Screenplay for “Julie & Julia”, and Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for “When Harry Met Sally…” and “Sleepless in Seattle”.

She was posthumously inducted into the Online Film & Television Association Film Hall of Fame in 2018 and received a Crystal Award from the Women in Film Crystal Awards in 1994. In 2007, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.

Ephron also received the Icon Award at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in 2008 and a Muse Award from the New York Women in Film & Television in 1992. “Julie & Julia” was named Best Movie by a Woman at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards in 2009, and Ephron and her sister Delia shared a Golden Apple Award from the Casting Society of America.

Ephron was posthumously nominated for a Tony for Best Play for “Lucky Guy” in 2013 and received nominations from various other awards, including the 20/20 Awards, AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Awards Circuit Community Awards, Edgar Allan Poe Awards, and Satellite Awards.

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