Adam Savage Biography: Wife, Children, Age, Height, Net Worth, TV Shows, Parents, Siblings, Career

Adam Whitney Savage is an iconic American special effects designer, fabricator, educator, and television personality best known as the explosive, curiosity-driven co-host of Discovery Channel’s MythBusters (2003–2016).

Alongside Jamie Hyneman, he spent 14 years rigorously testing urban legends, movie stunts, and historical myths with a blend of scientific rigor and gleeful destruction that made science entertaining for millions worldwide.

A lifelong maker with credits on blockbuster films including Star Wars: Episode II, Galaxy Quest, and the Matrix sequels, Savage now runs the digital platform Tested.com, hosts the podcast Still Untitled, and tours live shows like “Brain Candy” and “Every Tool’s a Hammer,” championing the maker movement and the joy of building things with your own hands.

Profile

• Full Name: Adam Whitney Savage
• Stage Name: Adam Savage
• Born: July 15, 1967
• Age: 58 years old
• Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States
• Nationality: American
• Occupation: Special Effects Designer, Fabricator, Television Host, Educator, Author
• Height: 1.82 m
• Parents: Whitney Lee Savage and M. Whitney Savage
• Siblings: 6
• Spouse: Julia Savage (m. 2004)
• Children: 2
• Relationship: Married
• Net Worth: $12 million

Early Life and Education

Adam Whitney Savage was born on July 15, 1967, in New York City into an extraordinarily creative family.

His father, Whitney Lee Savage, was a renowned painter, filmmaker, and animator who created the Sesame Street character “Gonzo” for Jim Henson; his mother, M. Whitney Savage, was a psychotherapist.

Raised in a household filled with art, puppets, and filmmaking, Adam began building props and animating Super 8 films by age five.

He has six siblings though details about their names are not publicly known.

He attended the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU for acting but left after a few years to pursue hands-on fabrication, learning model-making, carpentry, welding, and machining through apprenticeships in theater and film instead of formal engineering education.

He is of white, though he kept his religion private.

Career

Savage’s professional journey began in theater and commercial special effects in the late 1980s, working on Sesame Street props and Broadway shows before moving to San Francisco’s special-effects community.

By the 1990s he was a lead model maker at Industrial Light & Magic, contributing to films such as Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Galaxy Quest, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, and the Matrix sequels.

His reputation for creative problem-solving and meticulous craftsmanship made him a go-to fabricator for Hollywood.

In 2003, Savage was cast as co-host of MythBusters alongside Jamie Hyneman.

Over 14 seasons and 296 episodes, the duo rigorously tested over a thousand myths—from “Can a bullet fired upward kill on the way down?” to “Can you really escape Alcatraz on a raft made of raincoats?”—turning practical science into global entertainment.

The show became Discovery Channel’s longest-running series and earned Savage multiple awards for science communication.

After MythBusters ended in 2016, Savage launched Tested.com into a full-fledged maker media brand, co-hosted MythBusters Jr. (2019), toured live stage shows, and published the bestselling book Every Tool’s a Hammer (2019).

In recent years he has hosted Savage Builds for Discovery, guested on The Great Escape II, and become a leading advocate for STEM education, regularly speaking at maker faires, universities, and conventions while mentoring young fabricators through workshops and his One Day Builds video series.

Social Media

• Instagram: @therealadamsavage
• YouTube / Tested: Tested.com
• Twitter/X: @donttrythis
• Facebook: Adam Savage Official

Personal Life

Adam Savage married producer Julia Savage (née Ward) in 2004 after meeting on the set of a commercial.

The couple have twin sons born in 2002 from a previous relationship of Julia’s, whom Adam has raised as his own.

Filmography

• MythBusters (2003–2016)
• Savage Builds (2019)
• MythBusters Jr. (2019)
• Every Tool’s a Hammer (book, 2019)
• Tested.com (ongoing)

Net Worth

Adam Savage has an estimated net worth of $12 million, earned primarily from his 14-year run on MythBusters, film special-effects contracts, Tested.com revenue, book sales, live tours, speaking engagements, and brand partnerships with companies like Wix, NordVPN, and tool manufacturers.