Adam Driver may be most well-known for his role as Kylo Ren/Ben Skywalker in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but he has been steadily making his name outside of that saga in both television and film for nearly a decade. According to CelebrityNetWorth, Driver’s 2020 net worth is estimated at $10 million.
Driver is the first host of Saturday Night Live season 46, following season 45’s lineup that included Woody Harrelson and Eddie Murphy. This will be Driver’s third time hosting the show; he previously hosted in 2016 and 2018.
Driver had a financially incredible year in 2019. He starred in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the final film in the series’ Skywalker saga, and he has been nominated for many awards for his performance in the Netflix Original A Marriage Story, which also released in 2019.
Here’s what you should know about Driver’s net worth:
1. He Was a Marine Before Becoming an Actor
After graduating from Mishawaka High School in Mishawaka, Indiana in 2001, Driver worked as a door-to-door salesman selling Kirby vacuum cleaners and a telemarketer for a basement waterproofing company and Ben Franklin construction. During this time, he applied to Julliard School for drama, but he was rejected.
After that, he chose to drive to Los Angeles to start his acting career from the ground up, but he only made it as far as Texas before his car broke down and he had to spend all his money getting it fixed. He ended up driving to Santa Monica, staying for 48 hours, then turning around and driving all the way back to Mishawaka.
Soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Driver decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. He served for two years and eight months before being medically discharged for dislocating his sternum while mountain biking. He was a Lance Corporal at the time of his discharge.
“So, seventeen, Mishawaka, parent’s house, paying rent, selling vacuums, telemarketing, cutting grass at the local 4-H fairgrounds, this was my world going into September 2001,” he said in a 2016 TED Talk. “So after the 11th, and feeling an overwhelming sense of duty and just being p*ssed off in general at myself, my parents, the government, not having confidence, not having a respectable job… I joined the Marine Corps, and I loved it.”
According to federalpay.org, Lance Corporals in the Marine Corp earn $23,774 as a Yearly Base Pay. The pay for the position goes up after two years in the Marine Corps.
2. Driver Made Over $500,000 For The Rise of Skywalker
GettyGolden Globe nominees Adam Driver and Brad Pitt
According to Style Caster, Driver took home a mid-to-high six-figure salary for portraying Kylo Ren/Ben Solo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It’s important to note that that figure is based on reported salaries for his appearances in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
It is possible that Driver’s bring-home pay from TROS was quite a bit more than $500,000, but the numbers have not been made public.
The film itself grossed over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, making it Disney’s seventh film in 2019 to hit the 10-figure mark. It is one of the highest-grossing domestic film ever made. It is the 46th movie to ever make $1 billion at the box office with one of the best December openings on record.
3. He Was a Lead on HBO’s Girls
GettyAdam Driver
After graduating from The Julliard School, Driver starred in some Broadway and some off-Broadway productions. During this time, he also worked as a busboy and a waiter.
In 2012, Driver was cast for the HBO comedy-drama series Girls as Adam Sackler, an emotionally unstable boyfriend of the lead character. For his performances on the show, he received three nominations for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a comedy series.
He starred on Girls alongside Lena Dunham, who reportedly made around $150,000 an episode. He was a supporting actor, so it’s likely his payday wasn’t that large, but he most likely was paid generously for his time on the show.
4. Driver Founded a Non-Profit
In 2006, Driver started a non-profit alongside his wife, Joanne Tucker, called Arts in the Armed Forces. The goal of the non-profit is to bring theater to the military; the mission is to “use the powerful shared experience of the arts to start conversations between military and civilian, service member and family member, the world of the arts and the world of practical action.”
Driver currently serves on the board of the non-profit.
“I thought, how great would it be to create a space that combined these two seemingly dissimilar communities,” he said. “That brought entertainment to a group of people that, considering their occupation, could handle something a bit more thought-provoking than the typical mandatory fun events that I remember being ‘voluntold’ to go to in the military community.”
Arts in the Armed forces brings plays or monologues that are diverse in age and race, like a military audience is, and throws all the emphasis on the language instead of lights, costumes, and sets. They pride themselves on bringing exploration of humanity and self-expression to the military. They have gone all over the world with their performing artists.
“Whenever I get to be of service to this ultimate service community, the military, for me, again, there’s not many things better than that,” Driver said in his TED talk.
5. He and His Wife Eyed a $4 Million Brownstone
In January 2017, Driver and his wife, actress Joanne Tucker, were reportedly house hunting in Brooklyn. The two toured a townhome that was listed at $4.79 million.
The home had five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, and comes with renovation plans. It was set to be transformed into a single-family mansion. The home, with it’s 5,500 square feet, also featured a cellar, high ceilings, a skylight over the center stairwell, and a garden. The home is now listed for sale at almost $7 million.
While it’s not clear if Driver and Tucker bought the home, it’s likely that the home they decided on was near the same price point.
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Adam Driver’s Net Worth: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know