Neil Diamond Net Worth

Neil Diamond's Quotes

• It's very difficult for me to say "I love you" but to sing "I love you" for me is easier.
• My voice is unadorned. I don't try for perfection. I try to be honest and truthful and soulful with the voice I have. If I make mistakes in notes, or there are cracks in notes, I don't fix them. That's the way it is.
• I'm not there to entertain people. We're there to do something together.
• I never expected that I would be doing this for as long as I've been doing it. So looking back and seeing that it's been over 40 years since the first hits makes you think, "Is there a time that you stop?". But I don't think I'm ever going to stop. It's the only challenge I have left in my life.
• I want to know what marathon runners do. Because I do the same thing. I run a two-hour marathon every time onstage. So I have my electrolytes kept at a certain level, and I do my carb-loading after the shows for the next night.

Interesting Facts about Neil Diamond

1. Seriously considered "Eyce Charry" and "Noah Kaminsky" for his professional name.
2. Screen-tested for the lead in the movie Lenny (1974), based on the life of famous comedian Lenny Bruce, which he turned down.
3. When he and Barbra Streisand had a smash hit with "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" (1978), it was not the first time that the Brooklyn-born superstars had sung together. While students at New York City's Erasmus High School, they both sang in the school choir.
4. Was a pre-med student, interested in Biology, at New York University, but left with less than a year left, due to his dislike of organic chemistry. He was at New York University on a fencing scholarship.
5. His soundtrack to the film Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973) grossed more than the movie itself.
6. Penned hits for other pop groups before becoming successful on his own, including The Monkees' "I'm a Believer".
7. For his role in The Jazz Singer (1980), Diamond became the first ever "Winner" of a Worst Actor Razzie Award.
8. Father-in-law of actress Sheryl Lee.
9. Was a top fencer during his time at New York University.
10. In 1981, his screen "acting" debut in The Jazz Singer (1980) beat out Kirk Douglas (Saturn 3 (1980)), Anthony Hopkins (A Change of Seasons (1980)), Richard Dreyfuss (The Competition (1980)), Michael Caine (The Island (1980)), Robert Blake (Coast to Coast (1980)) and four others to "win" the first-ever Worst Actor Razzie Award for 1980.
11. Was forced to pay $150,000,000 to former wife Marcia Murphey in their divorce settlement. This holds the record as the most expensive divorce in history.
12. Suggested for the lead role in Taxi Driver (1976), which went to Robert De Niro.
13. His 1982 Burt Bacharach/Carole Bayer Sager-penned hit "Heartlight" was inspired by the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
14. Originally denied Quentin Tarantino permission to use his hit song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman, Soon" for the famous scene in Pulp Fiction (1994) in which Uma Thurman lip syncs the words to the song. Diamond eventually relented after his agent assured him that Tarantino was an up and coming director.
15. Inducted into the American Songwriters Hall of Fame (1984).
16. Father of musician-turned-photographer Jesse Diamond.
17. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14, 2011. The other inductees were Darlene Love, Alice Cooper, Leon Russell, Tom Waits and Dr. John.
18. Ran away from his home in Brooklyn at age 13 and went to the Midwest where he formed a musical group called The Roadrunners. They performed in coffeehouses for two years, after which Neil went home.
19. Recipient of the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors, along with Barbara Cook, Yo-Yo Ma, Sonny Rollins and Meryl Streep.
20. Winner of the inaugural Billboard Icon Award, from Billboard magazine (2011).