As a comedian, musician, actor, director, and cannabis entrepreneur, Thomas (Tommy) B. Kin Chong has solidified a creative legacy. He is a voice of counterculture, a real estate investor, a star, and a prisoner. Today, Chong is worth about $20 million and inspires those around him.

Chong’s Early Life

Chong was born on May 24, 1938, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and raised in Calgary. The son of a Chinese immigrant and a Scottish-Irish Canadian, he grew up in a conservative neighborhood close to a veterans’ hospital. By age 16, Tommy dropped out of high school and started playing the guitar to make money.

Launching a Career in Music

Chong started his music career with a band called The Shades, which underwent several name changes before settling on Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers when they moved to the titular city. When the group signed with Gordy Records and reached the Top 40 with “Does Your Momma Know About Me,” the band got its first hit.

Creating the Cheech & Chong Comedy Duo

Eventually, Chong was let go from the band by his managers, but found a new opportunity when he met Cheech Marin in the late 1960s. Marin, who moved to Canada to dodge the draft for the Vietnam War, bonded with Cheech over a shared love of music, comedy, and, of course, cannabis culture. This bond would form a new, iconic comedy duo: Cheech and Chong.

Releasing albums known for satire, social commentary, and plenty of stoner humor, Cheech & Chong became voices of the 1970s counterculture movement. By 1978, the duo released their first film, Up in Smoke, which grossed $44 million despite a limited budget. Their subsequent films, Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie and Nice Dreams, enjoyed similar success, though creative differences caused their paths to diverge in 1985.

A Career in Acting

Though the comedy duo was no more, Chong continued his work as an actor in various films and television series. In 1990, he wrote, directed, and starred in his movie Far Out Man. Chong returned to the mainstream with his portrayal of Leo on That ’70s Show and has recently appeared in shows like The Masked Singer.

Advocating for Cannabis Reform

Considering his connection to cannabis culture, it is unsurprising that Chong has been an advocate for cannabis legalization in the United States. In 2003, controversy struck when he was charged with financing a company that sold bongs and other drug paraphernalia and was sentenced to nine months in federal prison. Despite the experience, Chong continued to advocate for reform and decriminalization following his release.

Entrepreneurship and a Legacy of Success

Now, Chong is a cannabis entrepreneur at the head of Tommy Chong’s Cannabis, a brand that has come to enjoy significant support. He used this product to make a name for himself in comedy, which got him imprisoned, and now contributes to his net worth. Supported by valuable real estate investments, Chong has found success despite adversity. Indeed, his life and work have secured a legacy in and outside of the world of cannabis culture.