The short answer · Estimate
About $50 million
That is the only published figure for Max Baer Jr.’s net worth, and it comes from one estimate site, Celebrity Net Worth [2]. His checkable money came from producing films, above all the self-financed Macon County Line [3], a jury award of more than $2 million against ABC [1][7] and the Beverly Hillbillies licensing rights he got from CBS in 1991 [1]. Baer has never published his finances, so treat $50 million as an estimate.
Confidence: low. Only one estimate exists, it is undated and shows no method, and his share of his films’ profits has never been reported.
Max Baer Jr. at a glance
Max Baer Jr. is an American actor, producer and director, born in 1937, best known as Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies [1].
| Full name | Maximilian Adelbert Baer Jr. [1] |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 December 1937, Oakland, California, U.S. [1] |
| Age | 88 (October 2026) [1] |
| Parents | Boxing champion Max Baer Sr. and Mary Ellen Sullivan [1] |
| Education | Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Santa Clara University [1] |
| Occupation | Actor, producer, director, entrepreneur [1] |
| Years active | 1960 to 1991 [1] |
| Known for | Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies, 1962 to 1971, 273 episodes [1] |
| Films he produced | Macon County Line (1974), Ode to Billy Joe (1976) [3][4] |
| Spouse | Joanne Kathleen Hill, married 1966, divorced 1971 [1] |
How we estimate Max Baer Jr.’s net worth
We estimate Max Baer Jr.’s net worth by setting the one published estimate beside the deals, fees and property prices that news reports and film records give. None of these figures is official.
| Source | What it says | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Net Worth [2] | Net worth $50 million | Undated, read 7 October 2026 |
| Wikipedia [1] | No net worth figure; gives film budgets and grosses, the CBS rights deal and the casino land price | Read 7 October 2026 |
| Las Vegas Advisor [10] | No net worth figure; lists each casino attempt and the property he bought | 24 February 2019 |
Our method
One number, one origin. Celebrity Net Worth gives $50 million [2]. Many other pages in search results repeat its opening sentence word for word, so they are copies, not second opinions. Other figures in search results trace to no page we could open, so we don’t use them, and we don’t widen the one estimate into a range.
Gross is not pay. The AFI Catalog reports $35 million at the domestic box office and $11 million in domestic rentals for Macon County Line [3]. Neither figure is Baer’s pay. His share as producer has never been published, so we don’t add it to anything.
Property we could not confirm. Celebrity Net Worth also lists property sales [2] that we could not match to any news report we could open. We leave their prices out.
Costs. Film income is paid before tax, agents and partners, and Baer promised others a cut: the Ode to Billy Joe writer got $250,000 plus a profit share [4]. Land bought for a casino that was never built earns nothing until it is used or sold. Gross revenue is not net worth.
We update this page when a new deal, sale or filing moves the range; the “updated” date changes only then. The same method is used for all our net worth estimates; read how we research.
Where Max Baer Jr.’s money comes from
Max Baer Jr.’s money comes from producing films, a jury award, Beverly Hillbillies licensing and Nevada property. His pay as Jethro was small by his own account [6]; the larger sums came after the show ended in 1971 [1]. Our page on Johnny Galecki’s net worth applies the same checks to a sitcom actor from a later era.
| Income stream | What is reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The Beverly Hillbillies (1962-1971) | $500 a show in year one, $600 or $700 in year two and $800 in year three, in his own words. Filmways, which owned the show, and creator Paul Henning took most of the money | [6][1] |
| Macon County Line (1974) | He produced, wrote and acted, and financed the $500,000 budget himself, per AFI. $35 million domestic box office and $11 million in rentals. These are the film’s revenue, not his pay | [3][1] |
| Ode to Billy Joe (1976) | He directed and produced. A $3.5 million deal with Warner Bros. was reported in June 1975; Wikipedia gives a $1.1 million budget and a $27 million gross. His fee and profit share were not published | [4][5] |
| Hometown U.S.A. (1979) | Directed; no budget, gross or fee published | [1] |
| Lawsuit against ABC | Won a jury judgment of more than $2 million after ABC tried to stop his film based on the song “Like a Virgin” | [1][7] |
| Beverly Hillbillies licensing | Sublicensing rights from CBS in 1991, including food and beverage rights, at an estimated $1 million; 65 slot machines in 10 casinos by 1999; a 10% stake in a 30-slot North Las Vegas casino around 2005. No royalty income published | [1][9][10] |
| Property | Closed Walmart building in Carson City bought for $4.3 million in 2003 and sold in 2007; 2.5 acres in Douglas County bought for $1.2 million in 2007 | [10][1] |
The films are where the big money was, but nobody agrees on the numbers. For Macon County Line, the AFI Catalog says Baer put up a $500,000 budget himself [3]. Wikipedia says the film cost less than $200,000 and took more than $30 million [1]. Celebrity Net Worth gives $225,000 and $30 million [2], and Looper gives just over $200,000 and more than $18 million, with no source named [14]. We use the AFI figures because AFI is the film record.
Ode to Billy Joe shows how much went to others. Screenwriter Herman Raucher was paid $250,000 plus a share of the profits, and Bobbie Gentry and her publisher were offered a large percentage of the film’s receipts [4]. Wikipedia’s figures for the film’s foreign, TV and video income carry a “citation needed” flag [5], so we leave them out.
The licensing business is harder to value. Baer’s business partner put the cost of the CBS rights and early development at about $1 million [1], and the casino that was meant to use them has not been built [10].
Max Baer Jr.’s casino plans, attempt by attempt
Max Baer Jr. has tried to build a casino resort in at least four places since the late 1970s, and none of those resorts has been built [10][1]. Only some of the steps come with a published price, which is one reason his net worth is hard to pin down.
| Year | Place or plan | Money reported | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late 1970s | Takeover of John’s Tahoe Nugget, South Lake Tahoe | None published | Planners rejected it [10] |
| 1991 | Beverly Hillbillies sublicensing rights from CBS | About $1 million, a partner’s estimate [1][9] | Rights obtained [1] |
| 1999 | Hotel-casino at Park Lane Mall, Reno | None published | Approved, but the mall owners would not sell [10] |
| 1999 | Beverly Hillbillies slot machines | None published | 65 machines placed in 10 casinos [1] |
| 2003 | Resort in a closed Walmart, Carson City | $4.3 million for the building; $54 million resort with 240 rooms planned [10][8] | Zoning blocked gaming; building sold in 2007 [10][1] |
| Around 2005 | Beverly Hillbillies Gambler Casino, North Las Vegas (30 slots) | 10% stake in exchange for the theme [10] | No income from it published |
| 2007 | Jethro’s casino site, north Douglas County | $1.2 million for 2.5 acres; 20 more acres planned [1][11] | Land bought [1] |
| 2008 | First phase of the Douglas County resort | $150 million resort; 90-foot oil derrick sign [9] | Zoning and sign approved [9][11] |
| 2012 | Douglas County project | None published | Suspended by litigation with the developer and the county (as of July) [1] |
| 2014 | Suit against CBS over a Jethro’s BBQ chain | No damages figure reported [12][13] | CBS said it would try to resolve it amicably [12] |
The 2014 suit shows what the rights meant to him. Baer said his deal with CBS gave him the right to use Jethro for a chain of restaurants, hotels and casinos, and that CBS had made deals with an Iowa restaurant chain that undercut it [12]. The chain’s owner said there was no deal with CBS [13]. We found no published outcome. Our page on Adam Sandler’s net worth applies the same source checks to a film actor.
Earnings timeline
His earnings came in three waves: TV acting from 1960, film producing in the 1970s, and from 1991 licensing and casino plans built on Jethro [1].
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1937 | Born on 4 December in Oakland, California [1]. |
| 1960 | Starts acting in Warner Bros. TV series such as Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip [1]. |
| 1962-1971 | Plays Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies for 273 episodes [1], at $500 to $800 a show in the first three years [6]. |
| 1974 | Macon County Line, which he financed, produced and wrote, opens in Los Angeles on 11 September [3]. |
| 1975 | A $3.5 million deal with Warner Bros. for Ode to Billy Joe is reported on 12 June [4]. |
| 1976 | Ode to Billy Joe is released by Warner Bros. [4]; Wikipedia gives a $27 million gross [5]. |
| 1979 | Directs Hometown U.S.A., then retires to his home at Lake Tahoe [1]. |
| 1991 | Gets Beverly Hillbillies sublicensing rights from CBS, at an estimated $1 million [1][9]. |
| 1999 | 65 Beverly Hillbillies slot machines go into 10 casinos [1]; a Reno casino site falls through [10]. |
| 2003 | Buys a closed Walmart in Carson City for $4.3 million [10] and plans a $54 million resort there [8]. |
| 2007 | Sells the Carson City property and buys 2.5 acres in Douglas County for $1.2 million [1]. |
| 2008 | Wins zoning for the first phase of a $150 million resort [9]. |
| 2012 | The casino is suspended by litigation, as of July [1]. |
| 2014 | Sues CBS over deals with the Jethro’s BBQ chain [12]. |
Property and assets reported
Max Baer Jr.’s reported assets are land in Nevada bought for his casino plans, a stake in a small North Las Vegas casino and a home at Lake Tahoe. Only the land has a published price.
| Asset | What is reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Former Walmart building, Carson City, Nevada (sold) | Bought in 2003 for $4.3 million; sold in 2007. The sale price was not in any news report we could open | [10][1] |
| 2.5 acres, north Douglas County, Nevada | Bought in May 2007 for $1.2 million for the casino; project suspended by litigation as of July 2012; current ownership not confirmed | [1][11] |
| Stake in Beverly Hillbillies Gambler Casino, North Las Vegas | 10% stake taken around 2005 in exchange for the theme; value not reported | [10] |
| Home at Lake Tahoe, Nevada | He retired there after 1979; Celebrity Net Worth says he bought property overlooking the lake in 1975. No price reported | [1][2] |
What could change the number
A report of what he got for the Carson City building, a sale of the Douglas County land or a settlement with CBS would change this estimate [12][1].
So would any figure for his share of Macon County Line, the film he paid for himself [3]. He has said the TV show made him little [6], which leaves the films and the rights as the main unknowns. Until one of them is reported, $50 million [2] stays an estimate we can’t test.
Related estimates on this site: Johnny Galecki’s net worth, Adam Sandler’s net worth and Lionel Richie’s net worth.
Questions people ask
What is Max Baer Jr.’s net worth?
About $50 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth [2]. It is an estimate, not an official number, and no second independent estimate has been published.
How much is Max Baer Jr. worth in 2026?
No newer estimate has been published, so the latest figure is still about $50 million [2].
How much did Max Baer Jr. make on The Beverly Hillbillies?
By his own account, $500 a show in the first year, $600 or $700 in the second and $800 in the third [6]. He said most of the money went to the show’s owner and its creator.
How did Max Baer Jr. make his money?
Mostly by producing films, above all Macon County Line, which he financed himself [3], plus a jury award against ABC and Beverly Hillbillies licensing [1].
Is Max Baer Jr. the son of boxer Max Baer?
Yes. He is the son of boxing champion Max Baer Sr. [1]. This page covers the son’s money only.
Did Max Baer Jr. build his Beverly Hillbillies casino?
No. Plans in Lake Tahoe, Reno and Carson City failed [10], and his Douglas County project was suspended by litigation as of July 2012 [1].
How old is Max Baer Jr.?
He was born on 4 December 1937 in Oakland, California, so he is 88 in October 2026 [1].
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Max Baer Jr.”, read 7 October 2026, en.wikipedia.org.
- Celebrity Net Worth, “Max Baer Jr. Net Worth”, undated, read 7 October 2026, www.celebritynetworth.com.
- American Film Institute, AFI Catalog, “Macon County Line (1974)”, read 7 October 2026, catalog.afi.com.
- American Film Institute, AFI Catalog, “Ode to Billy Joe (1976)”, read 7 October 2026, catalog.afi.com.
- Wikipedia, “Ode to Billy Joe (film)”, read 7 October 2026, en.wikipedia.org.
- MeTV Staff, MeTV, “Max Baer, Jr.: ‘We were not paid very well’ on the Beverly Hillbillies”, 21 August 2024, metv.com.
- MeTV Staff, MeTV, “Max Baer Jr. once tried to buy the movie rights to Madonna’s ‘Like a Virgin'”, 20 December 2023, metv.com.
- Deseret News, “Hillbillies’ Baer planning kitschy casino resort”, 19 August 2003, www.deseret.com.
- Las Vegas Advisor, “Question of the Day”, 24 March 2008, updated 8 December 2008, www.lasvegasadvisor.com.
- Las Vegas Advisor, “Question of the Day” (Beverly Hillbillies casino), 24 February 2019, www.lasvegasadvisor.com.
- Tina Golden, World Casino Directory, “Jethro may finally realize his casino dream”, 13 January 2009, news.worldcasinodirectory.com.
- Associated Press via WCCB Charlotte, “‘Beverly Hillbillies’ actor sues CBS over restaurant chain”, 11 December 2014, www.wccbcharlotte.com.
- Fox News, “‘Beverly Hillbillies’ star Max Baer suing CBS?”, 10 December 2014, www.foxnews.com.
- Melissa Lemieux, Looper, “The Only Main Actor Still Alive From The Beverly Hillbillies”, 29 July 2024, www.looper.com.
Featured image photo: CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
