With an estimated net worth of $6 million, David Faustino is a modest but tenacious figure among 90s sitcom alumni. Even though he never achieved the same level of wealth as co-stars like Ed O’Neill or Christina Applegate, his influence on popular culture endures noticeably. Awkward, sardonic, and always plotting, Faustino, who played Bud Bundy in 259 episodes of Married… with Children from 1987 to 1997, became a symbol of late 20th-century TV adolescence.
Faustino made his television debut on the Lily Tomlin Special at the age of three months, which was an exceptionally early start. At the age of 13, he finally gained enough recognition to land his breakthrough role after landing a string of guest appearances on popular shows like Highway to Heaven, Family Ties, and The Love Boat throughout the 1980s. Because of that role—Bud Bundy—Faustino became ingrained in American television history. The sitcom was remarkably similar to later irreverent classics like The Simpsons and South Park in its impact due to its bold humor and contrast with the squeaky-clean image of earlier family shows.
David Faustino Biography and Net Worth Summary
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | David Anthony Faustino |
| Date of Birth | March 3, 1974 |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupations | Actor, Voice Artist, Producer, Rapper |
| Years Active | 1980–present |
| Notable Role | Bud Bundy on Married… with Children |
| Estimated Net Worth | $6 million (2025 estimate) |
| Business Ventures | Balistyx Nightclub, Rap Album (“Balistyx”) |
| Key Voice Roles | Mako in The Legend of Korra, Helia in Winx Club |
| Relationship Status | Partner: Lindsay Bronson (1 daughter), Ex-wife: Andrea Elmer |
| Property Value | Home in Los Angeles worth up to $3.5 million |
Even though the show was a huge success and earned over $1 billion in royalties, Faustino and his co-stars didn’t receive the expected residuals. Married… with Children was under a cable contract with FOX, which at the time wasn’t regarded as a major broadcast network, as he once publicly disclosed. Limited residual payouts resulted from that contractual distinction. “We got really screwed over,” Faustino said. Fans questioned how a billion-dollar syndication machine could leave its stars with little to show from reruns after this especially regrettable detail.
Beyond Bud Bundy, however, Faustino demonstrated an extraordinarily broad range of abilities. Under the moniker D’Lil, he put out a rap album called Balistyx in 1992. The project was in line with his other creative endeavor, a nightclub of the same name that opened on the Sunset Strip, even though it wasn’t a commercially successful endeavor. Promoted as the first hip-hop/funk club in the area, it generated a lot of buzz among young people until it closed in 1993. Faustino’s willingness to venture outside of the secure realm of television was embodied in the club’s brief but unforgettable existence.
Following the conclusion of Married… with Children, Faustino had to negotiate the challenging terrain of life after the sitcom. He was able to reinvent himself in voice acting, while other former teen stars faded into obscurity. His roles as Helia in Winx Club and Mako in The Legend of Korra restored his popularity with younger audiences. These were especially avant-garde performances that demonstrated his versatility beyond physical humor and won him recognition in the animation community. In DreamWorks Dragons, he also provided the voice of Dagur the Deranged, who changed from villain to anti-hero, a progression he reflected in his own work.
His portrayal of a fictionalized, self-deprecating version of himself in the 2007 web series Star-ving was one of his more meta roles. His past fame, financial difficulties, and personal reinvention were all addressed in the show, which was purposefully created as a dark comedy counter to HBO’s Entourage. Developed in collaboration with friends and marketed as “twisted autobiography,” it won cult praise for its unvarnished honesty and unexpected humor.
Additionally, Faustino remained connected to the cultural tradition of Married… with Children. His and his co-stars’ attendance at the 7th Annual TV Land Awards was not just sentimental; it was a public recognition of the show’s enduring social influence. Through their common past, his appearance on Modern Family, starring his former on-screen father Ed O’Neill, delighted devoted fans and brought generations back together.
Faustino has experienced both personal highs and lows over the years. A marijuana-related arrest in 2007 garnered some media attention, and his marriage to pop singer Andrea Elmer ended in divorce. But after he and his partner Lindsay Bronson had a daughter in 2015, his priorities changed to voice acting, family, and leading a more balanced, private life.
When it came to real estate, Faustino showed a remarkably early sense of when to invest. He paid $592,000 for a house above the Sunset Strip in 1995, a sum that would turn out to be especially advantageous later. Now worth more than $3 million, the same property is a reliable anchor in his asset portfolio.
Faustino’s financial situation is modest in comparison to his co-stars in Married… with Children. According to reports, Ed O’Neill is worth approximately $45 million because of his work on Modern Family and film deals. Christina Applegate has starred in a number of high-grossing movies and popular television shows, such as Dead to Me, while Katey Sagal‘s Sons of Anarchy brought her back to prominence. Faustino’s journey, however, has a distinct significance because he stands in for the numerous actors who made a quiet transition into stability rather than experiencing the tabloid-fueled meltdowns that beset some of his peers.
Faustino’s portfolio has significantly improved over the last ten years as the entertainment industry has shifted toward voiceover-led and streaming content. He strategically placed himself in projects with enduring licensing and merchandise appeal by working on animated series with sizable fan bases. His roles are based on fandoms that are still growing, even though he might not be the star of blockbusters. This is a particularly wise choice in the franchise-driven economy of today.
