American producer, screenwriter and director James Lawrence Brooks has an estimated net worth of $500 million as of 2012.

A New York University dropout, James Brooks started his career as an usher at CBS and later on, he got to write for the news broadcasts of CBS. He also worked on the documentaries of David L. Wolper however, he was eventually laid off. He then met Allan Burns who secured him a writing job on My Mother the Car series. 

Through time, his screenwriting career has continued to flourish. Among his other creations include My Friend Tony, Room 222, As Good as It Gets and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. He was the writer and one of the producers of the film Starting Over (1979). He was also the writer, producer and director of the critically acclaimed film Terms of Endearment which won him Academy awards for three categories. His next film titled Broadcast News has earned him two nominations for the Academy Awards.

In 1987, he became The Tracey Ullman Show's producer. He was also one of the writers and producers of The Simpson's Movie. Throughout his entire career, James L Brooks has received a total of 47 Emmy nominations and has won 20 of them.