Rick Harrison Biography

Synopsis

Rick Harrison is a popular American businessman and reality star. He is best known as the co-owner of the world famous gold and silver pawn shop featured in the history series, Pawn Stars.

Harrison married Deanna Burditt in 2013 and the duo are proud to have two children together. Previously, he was married twice and has three children.

Early life

Rick Harrison was born as Richard Kevin Harrison on March 22, 1965 in Davidson, North Carolina. He is the third child born to Richard Benjamin Harrison , Jr. , a United States Navy veteran, and Joanne Rhue Harrison .

He grew up with his siblings, Jerez Joanne Harrison (died at age 6), Joseph Kent Harrison , and Christopher K. Harrison . As for nationality, he is an American and belongs to the White-American ethnicity.

In 1967, Harrison and his family moved to San Diego, California for his father’s job. When Harrison was 8 years old, he suffered from epileptic seizures, so he was unable to participate in sports, which developed his interest in reading, books related to physics and history, books related to the British Navy being his favourites.

Harrison joined Taft Middle School, but dropped out in the tenth grade. In April 1981, Harrison and his family moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, after his parents’ real estate business collapsed.

Race

In 1981, Rick Harrison and his father opened the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop a little way outside of Las Vegas. In 2006, he was known as a pawnbroker in Las Vegas for having special sporting goods. His collection included the 2001 New England Patriots Super Bowl ring that belonged to American football cornerback Brock Williams .

According to Harrison, most of the items he brought into his store were jewelry. Since the inception of Pawn Stars , Harrison’s inventory has a ratio of 5,000 pawned items for every 12,000 total. He was awarded the 2010 Pawnbroker of the Year by the National Pawnbrokers Association for his contributions in educating the public about the pawn industry.

In 2003, his shop was featured on the show Insomniac with Dave Attell, which inspired him to start his own pawn-related show. Later, Brent Montgomery and Colby Gaines of Leftfield Pictures visited Harrison with an idea for a reality show based on a Las Vegas pawn shop. The series was first offered to HBO but due to some issue the show got cancelled.

The show was later picked up by the History Channel with slight changes including on-camera experts appraising the items brought into the Gold & Silver, as well as the personality dynamics of the store staff. The show was initially called Pawning History, but was changed to Pawn Stars after the suggestion of Leftfield’s staff. The show features Harrison and his father along with his son Corey and Austin Russell , Corey’s childhood friend and employee.

In January 2011, Pawn Stars was known as the highest-rated show on the History Channel and the second-highest-rated reality show. Harrison and his son Corey appeared in one of the iCarly episodes . He also appeared in an episode of The Half as an antique store owner.

Harrison has also successfully established himself as an author. In 2011, he published two books, License to Pawn: Offers , Thefts and My Life in Gold & Silver . In June 2011, the book was number 22 on The New York Times Best Seller List.

He supports the brand, Micro Touch One Razor in January 2014. The same year, along with his son and his friend, Chumlee participated in the game show, Pawnography .

Personal life

Rick Harrison is happily married to Deanna Burditt . The duo exchanged vows on July 21, 2013, in Laguna Beach, California, in an intimate private ceremony. Danny Koker , an auto expert, was ordained as a minister and performed the ceremony while his Pawn Stars co-star Chumlee served as ring bearer.

The couple share two children, one daughter. Sarina Harrison and a son, Jacob Harrison . Harrison has previously been married twice and has three children. Burditt was also divorced twice.

Harrison first married his high school sweetheart, Kim in 1982. He was just 17 when Kim was pregnant with his baby. Despite a subsequent miscarriage, they decided to get married.

The duo welcomed their first son, Corey Harrison on April 27, 1983. After two years, the couple welcomed their second son, Adam Harrison (born 1985). But soon after Adam’s birth, their differences began to affect their married life and they decided to separate. In 1985, the couple officially divorced.

His son, Corey Harrison, appeared with him on the History show, Pawn Star and his second son, Adam Harrison, worked at the pawn shop and later became a plumber.

Harrison married Tracy in 1986. Tracy took on all the responsibilities for their children and raised them. Together they have a son, Jake Harrison .

In the 2016 election, he endorsed Marco Rubio for president even though he was a libertarian. He stated,

“Rubio knew what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck, having done so in his youth. I think my endorsement has turned some viewers away from Pawn Stars’.

He added,

‘When you endorse a Republican, everyone looks at you with distaste.’

Harrison later returned to his libertarian roots after Rudio withdrew from the election and attended TheBlaze Libertarian Debate. Harrison also criticized Hillary Clinton as he believed she lacked foreign policy achievements.

Net worth

Rick Harrison has amassed an estimated net worth of $8 million. His salary was $300,000 per season from Pawn Stars. In 2010, Harrison bought Chumlee’s half interest for $155,000.

Harrison dropped out of school to pursue his “business selling fake Gucci bags at $2,000 a week.” He owned the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in 1989, and in 2005, he began lending about $3 million a year, bringing in interest income of $700,000.

He owns a 2012 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost with a market value of $250,000.