The beloved voices behind the Shrek films have quietly built real estate empires shaped by bitter divorce settlements and lavish spending.
While the stars earned up to $21 million ($US15 million) per film to bring the swamp and the kingdom of Far Far Away to life, their off-screen property moves show exactly where those massive fortunes went.
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Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy at the Shrek 4-D premiere Picture: L. Cohen/WireImage
John Cleese (King Harold)
John Cleese has a net worth of $290 million ($US200 million), but his real estate footprint was heavily impacted by one of the most expensive celebrity divorces in British history.
The comedian’s 2008 split from psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger left her with a staggering $24.8 million (£12 million) in cash and assets.
Eichelberger received an apartment in New York, a London home and half of a Santa Barbara beach house, plus yearly maintenance payments of roughly $984,000 (£600,000) for seven years.
The payout resulted in Cleese travelling the world with The Alimony Tour to earn back some of his net worth.
The BAFTA winner said he was stunned by the financial loss.
“Can you believe when I met her, I had a beautiful house in Holland Park and no mortgage and when I broke up with her, I had a flat in Sloane Square and a full mortgage?,” he told Saga in 2024.
“How they figured out she was worth $20m, I have no idea.”
!['Fawlty Towers - The Play' photocall, Apollo Theatre, London, UK - 02 May 2024](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 768 768"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
John Cleese has a net worth of $290 million. Picture Supplied.
Cleese’s 2008 split from psychotherapist Alyce Faye Eichelberger left her with a staggering $24.8 million in cash and assets. Picture: Getty
Beyond his substantial divorce settlement, The Fawlty Towers icon has made several real estate ventures.
Cleese forked out $4.9 million ($US3.44 million) for a home in Montecito, California, in 1998.
The Monty Python star listed the property for $16 million ($US11 million) a decade later, before accepting a cut-price $7.3 million ($US5.1 million) in 2010.
The funnyman also bought two neighbouring Montecito plots in 1999 for an undisclosed sum to build a massive horse ranch.
Cleese wanted $40 million ($28 million) for the estate in July 2007, but settled for a $23 million ($US16 million) offer from tech billionaire Craig McCaw a year later.
In 2018, the actor announced he was fleeing England after being disappointed by Brexit.
He listed his home near Bath for $4.3 million ($US3 million) and a London apartment for $2.5 million ($US1.75 million), revealing plans to relocate to the Caribbean island of Nevis.
![(L-R) Characters Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and King Harold (John Cleese) in scene from 2004 animated film 'Shrek 2' - movies character /2 two](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Characters Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) and King Harold (John Cleese) in Shrek 2
Mike Myers (Shrek)
Mike Myers amassed a net worth of $303 million ($US200 million), thanks to blockbuster paychecks from the Shrek franchise.
The Canadian-born comedian pocketed $4.3 million ($US3 million) for the first Shrek film, $15 million ($US10 million) for the sequel, and $21 million ($US15 million) each for the third and fourth instalments.
However, his real estate wheeling and dealing has come with rapid financial hits.
In January 2017, Myers paid $21.3 million ($US14.6 million) for a four-bedroom condo in New York City’s Tribeca neighbourhood.
Mike Myers voices Shrek in the blockbuster franchise. Picture: Supplied
Myers amassed a net worth of $303 million. Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images
The Wayne’s World star offloaded the property just four months later for $20 million ($US14 million), resulting in a loss of nearly $1 million ($US700,000) following the rapid turnaround.
The Saturday Night Live alum bounced back in August 2018, splashing $22.2 million ($US15.35 million) on a penthouse in New York’s Chelsea neighbourhood.
The luxury pad features a terrace overlooking High Line Park, a library, and a media room. Myers placed the pad on the market in May 2023 with a $29 million ($20 million) price tag.
The Austin Powers actor also holds a lakefront escape in Colchester, Vermont, which he secured for $2.3 million ($US1.65 million) in 2014.
The Austin Powers actor also holds a lakefront escape in Colchester, Vermont, which he secured for $2.3 million 2014. Picture: Google Maps
Eddie Murphy (Donkey)
With a $53 million property portfolio, Eddie Murphy sits on a $303 million ($US200 million) fortune that funds a life of luxury.
The comedy icon’s primary residence is a custom-built $30 million ($US20 million) mansion in North Beverly Park, sitting on a lot he secured in 2001 for $15 million ($US10 million), New York Post reports.
The 10-bedroom compound features an underground vault, a sunken masonry barbecue pit, and a detached tennis court.
The Golden Globe winner also controls a private island in the Bahamas known as Rooster Cay, which he purchased for $22 million ($US15 million) in 2007.
Murphy’s real estate history is littered with massive luxury assets and celebrity handovers.
Eddie Murphy is the voice of Donkey.
Murphy sits on a $303 million fortune. Picture: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
The Saturday Night Live alum nabbed a colonial home Bubble Hill, in Englewood, New Jersey, for $5.3 million ($U3.5 million), naming it after the slang word for “party”.
Despite singing he would live there until the end of time, he sold it to pop star Alicia Keys for $15 million in 2013 after originally listing it for $45 million ($US30 million).
At 27, Murphy bought an 11-bedroom Moroccan-style mansion from Cher for $8.9 million ($US5.9 million) in 1988, the year the original Coming to America film was released.
Featuring fish ponds and horse stables, the entertainer sold it in 1995 for $6 million ($US4 million).
The Nutty Professor star snapped up a New York equestrian estate for $3.7 million ($US2.5 million).
He listed it for $18.4 million ($US12.7 million) in 2005 but suffered a massive pricing correction, eventually selling it for $5.7 million ($US3.8 million) in 2011.
Murphy and his then-wife Nicole Mitchell bought a 10-bedroom California palace for an unknown sum in 1998.
Following their 2006 divorce, the property was sold for $9.2 million ($US6.1 million).
The Coming to America star lives in a $US20 million North Beverly Park home that was built in 2003. Picture: Supplied
A 27-year-old Eddie Murphy bought this Moroccan house from Cher for $US5.9 million in 1988. Picture: Realtor
Murphy finally sold the equestrian estate for $3.8 million in 2011 after first asking $US12.7 million in 2005. Picture: Realtor
Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona)
With a net worth of $203 million ($US140 million), Cameron Diaz walked away from Hollywood stardom in 2014 to focus on wellness books and retail ventures.
The Charlie’s Angels star’s property plays span elite coastal pockets in the US.
In 2001, the actress spent $1.94 million ($US1.34 million) on a home above the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. She sold to pop star Ariana Grande in 2022 for $7.1 million ($US4.9 million).
Diaz still retains a nearby Beverly Hills compound purchased from actress Candice Bergen in 2010 for $13.7 million ($US9.5 million).
Cameron Diaz voices Princess Fiona in the Shrek movies. Picture: Supplied
The Mask star’s portfolio expanded with husband Good Charlotte singer Benji Madden.
In October 2020, the couple paid $21.3 million ($US14.7 million for a seven-bedroom Beverly Hills mansion which they put up for sale in July 2024 for $25.8 million ($US17.8 million).
The pair also secured an estate in Montecito for $18.3 million ($US12.67 million) in 2022.
In New York, Diaz sold a Greenwich Village loft for $5.8 million ($US4 million) in 2015 but kept a Manhattan foothold with a $13.7 million ($US9.5 million) Chelsea condo bought in 2013.
The Mask star’s portfolio expanded with husband Good Charlotte singer Benji Madden. Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for REFORM Alliance
Diaz and Madden secured an estate in Montecito for $18.3 million in 2022. Picture: Google Earth
Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots)
Antonio Banderas holds a $72 million ($US50 million) net worth, but his property portfolio became the central battleground in his divorce from Melanie Griffith.
The couple had to sell or divide up all their major properties, including a retreat in Aspen and a large estate in Los Angeles.
The pair paid $5 million ($US3.5 million) for a 12-acre Colorado compound in 2002.
Griffith received this mansion in the divorce. She later split the land to sell a 10-acre parcel for $3.24 million ($US2.24 million) in 2017 and the remaining mansion block for $5.8 million ($US4 million) in 2019.
The duo built a Los Angeles estate by buying two adjacent lots in the late 1990s for a combined $7.9 million ($US5.5 million).
The three-storey mansion boasted a two-storey banquet hall and an elevator. Following the couple’s divorce, the estate was purchased by a Netflix executive in 2015 for $23 million ($US16 million).
Antonio Banderas is the voice behind Puss-In-Boots in the Shrek movies.
Antonio Banderas holds a $72 million net worth. Picture: Jose Velasco/Europa Press via Getty Images
In 2014, Banderas paid Griffith $5.8 million ($US4 million) to buy out her share of their New York City home. He listed the apartment for $11 million ($US8 million), before removing the property from the market to retain sole ownership.
Though they divided their entertainment royalties, a Porsche, and a Picasso artwork, Griffith walked away with a total of six cars in the settlement, leaving Banderas with just two.
Banderas was also ordered to pay Griffith $1.1 million ($US780,000) a year in spousal support, alongside $94,000 ($US65,000) a month for a fixed period.
The Mask of Zorro actor retains a home in his Spanish hometown and a property in Surrey, England.
Banderas’ property portfolio became the central battleground in his divorce from Melanie Griffith. Picture: David Livingston/Getty Images
Julie Andrews maintains a $US30 million net worth.
Julie Andrews (Queen Lillian)
Julie Andrews maintains a $45 million ($US30 million) net worth built over a multi-decade career.
In 2012, the Mary Poppins star parted with the gated Brentwood home she originally shared with her late husband director Blake Edwards.
The couple bought the property in 1989 for $1.7 million ($US1.2 million) and Andrews secured a quick sale decades later after listing the four-bedroom asset for $3.7 million ($US$2.6 million).
Parts of this story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.
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