Who Is Rick Harrison?
Richard Kevin Harrison is an American businessman, reality television star, and actor.
As a business mogul, Rick Harrison is best known for being the owner of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. The pawnshop is featured on the series Pawn Stars, which airs on the History television channel. Rick and his father Richard Benjamin Harrison opened Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1989 and the duo co-owned the shop until the senior Harrison’s death in 2018. Following his father’s death, Rick Harrison took over the ownership of the pawnshop and has continued to expand it into a multi-million-dollar business.
As a reality television star, Rick Harrison is famous for his role in the series Pawn Stars, which follows the daily antics and negotiations that take place in the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Produced by Leftfield Pictures, Pawn Stars is considered one of the most popular television series. The series was originally released on July 19, 2009 and has since run for a total of 17 seasons and 577 episodes. It stars Rick Harrison alongside his dad Richard “Old Man” Harrison, his son Corey “Big Hoss” Harrison, and Corey’s childhood friend Austin “Chumlee” Russell.
Finally, as an actor, Rick Harrison is best known for appearing as himself in the November 3, 2012 episode of the American television series iCarly, titled “i Lost My Head in Vegas.” He appeared on the show alongside his son Corey and Austin Russell. The same month, Harrison appeared in an episode of the series The Middle, titled “The Safe.”
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Richard Kevin Harrison |
| Popular Name: | Rick Harrison |
| Gender: | Male |
| Birth Date: | March 22, 1965 |
| Age: | 57 years |
| Parents: | Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr. and Joanne Rhue Harrison |
| Siblings: | Chris Harrison, Sherry Joanne Harrison (deceased), and Joseph Kent “Joe” Harrison |
| Birth Place: | Lexington, North Carolina |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | Caucasian |
| Education: | Taft Middle School |
| Marital Status: | Married to Deanna Burditt (since 2013); previously married to Kim Harrison (from 1982 until their divorce in 1985) and Tracy Harrison (from 1986 until their divorce in 2011) |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
| Children: | Corey Harrison and Adam Harrison (with his first wife Kim) and Jake Harrison (with his second wife Tracey) |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | USD 10 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Entrepreneurial Ventures, Reality Television, Acting, Writing, Endorsement Deals, and Other Endeavors |
| Height: | 5′ 11″ (1.82 m) |
| Weight: | 105 kg; In pounds: 231 lbs. |
Early Life
Rick Harrison was born on March 22, 1965, in Lexington, North Carolina, to Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr. and Joanne Rhue Harrison. His father was a U.S Navy veteran, whereas his mother was a homemaker.
Harrison suffered from epileptic seizures from around the age of eight. The condition frequently confined him to bed, and it’s one of the reasons Rick developed an interest in reading.
Harrison attended Taft Middle School. However, he dropped out of school in favor of pursuing his entrepreneurial ambitions. His first business was selling faux Gucci bags. The business reportedly earned him $2,000 a week.
Career Information
In 1981, Rick Harrison’s father Richard Benjamin Harrison Jr. opened the Gold & Silver Coin Shop in Las Vegas as a secondhand store. Rick worked in this store during the day, while repossessing cars at night.
Five years later, Gold & Silver Coin Shop moved from its original 300-square-foot location in Las Vegas Boulevard South to a larger space on Fremont Street. After two years in Fremont Street, the Harrisons lost their lease to the store and subsequently relocated to another building in Las Vegas Boulevard.
In 1989, Rick and his father obtained a pawn license and embarked on the process of converting their business into a fully-fledged pawnshop. Shortly after acquiring the pawn license, the Harrisons opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop about two miles from the Las Vegas Strip. They spent the next couple of years expanding their operations to cover the greater Las Vegas area. By 2005, Gold & Silver Pawn Shop was loaning out as much as $3 million annually and raking in upwards of $700,000 in interest earnings.
In 2003, Rick Harrison began pitching the idea of producing a television series about a pawnshop. This was shortly after Gold & Silver Pawn Shop was featured in an episode of Comedy Central’s Insomniac with Dave Attell.
After years of unsuccessful pitching, Rick’s proposal was finally accepted in 2008 by Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines of Leftfield Pictures. The idea was originally pitched to the HBO network and gained initial fame on YouTube. Later on, the History channel picked up the concept and developed it into the Pawn Stars reality television series we know today. The series follows the daily happenings at the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop.
Pawn Stars has amassed a cult following on History since it debuted on the channel on July 19, 2009. In January 2011, it was the highest-rated program on the channel.
Rick Harrison’s Net Worth
Rick Harrison’s fame and fortune revolves around Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Besides earning millions directly from the pawnshop’s dealings, Harrison also makes money from having the store as the focus of the History series Pawn Stars. As of 2022, Harrison had a net worth of $10 million.
In addition to his Gold & Silver Pawn Shop store and its related Pawn Stars reality television show, Rick Harrison also earns from acting. Harrison has landed quite a few film and television roles, mostly making cameo appearances.
Writing is another potential income earner for Rick Harrison. Harrison published a biography on June 7, 2011, titled ‘License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver.’ The biography reached #22 on The New York Times Best Seller list barely weeks after its publication.
Rick Harrison also earns from endorsement deals. He’s most noted for appearing on a number of commercials for Micro Touch One Razor since January 2014.
Lessons from Rick Harrison
1. In every adversity lies a hidden opportunity
Rick Harrison suffered epileptic seizures as a child. Due to his condition, he had to be confined in bed. However, Harrison used the opportunity to develop a strong reading culture through which he learned invaluable entrepreneurial skills.
2. Risk-taking is a crucial requirement for successful entrepreneurship
Harrison dropped out of school to start his first business – selling of fake Gucci bags. While this may have seemed like a ridiculous path to take, it eventually paid off.
3. An astute entrepreneur should constantly seek out uncharted waters
While working in the Gold & Silver Coin Shop, Rick Harrison and his father toyed with the idea of starting a fully-fledged pawnshop. The duo saw an opportunity in a fairly virgin industry and went for it. As they say, the rest is history.
Famous Quotes by Rick Harrison
• Businesses that don’t evolve are businesses that die.
• If life is tough, at least you got that thing you can pawn.
• It’s like a golden rule in the pawn business: never cash a government check.
• Making money is my third or fourth most favorite thing in the world.
• The best part of my business is working with my family, and the worst part of my business is working with my family.
Conclusion
Rick Harrison is a popular reality television personality best known for his role in History channel’s Pawn Stars. Harrison is also a shrewd businessman who has amassed millions from his family-owned business – Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. His current net worth is a staggering $10 million.
