| Net Worth | $4,000,000 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Michael Christopher White |
| Date of Birth/Age | June 28, 1970 (age 49) |
| Height | 5’8” |
| Source of wealth | Actor, Writer, Producer |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| State/City of origin | Pasadena, California |
| Last Updated | 2019 |
What Is Mike White’s Net Worth?
Mike White’s net worth is $4 million.
How Did Mike White Make His Money?
He is a filmmaker, screenwriter, actor, and producer. White is known as an intelligent, versatile actor and writer who focuses on offbeat, independent productions rather than major Hollywood blockbusters.
White is best known as as the writer, director, producer and co-star of the HBO series Enlightened, which ran from 2011 to 2013. His co-star Laura Dern also directed and produced the critically acclaimed series.
Going His Own Way
White has never been a “leading man” type. He is typically cast as the quirky, smart, slightly nerdy guy who watches events unfold before making his move.
White has won two Independent Spirit Awards for Best Screenplay.
Mike White Biography and Career
White was born to Mel and Lyla White in Pasadena, California. His father Mel was a right-wing evangelist who wrote speeches for leading religious and political figures including Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson. His mother was a fundraiser for arts organizations.
When White was in his 20s, his father Mel came out as gay. His parents divorced, but they remained friendly.
Mel White later went on to form a pro-gay organization called “Soulforce.” Lyla became the executive director of the famous Pasadena Playhouse.
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Education
White attended the Polytechnic School in California and Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. In college, he befriended another aspiring screenwriter named Zak Penn.
Penn went to Hollywood and sold the screenplay for Last Action Hero. He got in touch with White and suggested that White moves to Los Angeles to work on screenplays. White joined his friend as a writing partner.
In an interview with the Vulture, White said, “I was fortunate to meet him because he was a very social screenwriter who knew all the up-and-coming executives, so I met a lot of people through him.
For someone like me who will go sit in my cave and write, it was good. It does help to have some foot in the social world of Hollywood.”
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Movie Roles and Screenplays
White’s first major screenplay was for the 2000 movie Chuck and Buck. He also starred in the movie.
Entertainment Weekly called it the best movie of the year and singled out White’s performance for praise.
His next successful screenplay was for the 2002 movie Orange County. In an interview with the Advocate at the time, White came out as bisexual.
He told the magazine, “It’s not really that I’m trying to be ambiguous. It takes all kinds, and I’m one of the `all kinds.'”
White was cast in several movies including the 2004 remake of the Stepford Wives and 2009’s Zombieland.
He wrote the screenplays for:
- Orange County.
- The Good Girl (also actor).
- School of Rock (also actor).
- Beatriz at Dinner.
- Year of the Dog (also director).
- The Emoji Movie.
- Gentlemen Broncos.
- Pitch Perfect 3.
- Magic Magic.
- The D Train.
- Brad’s Status (also director and actor).
- The One and Only Ivan.
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Black and White
White has long been friends with fellow actor Jack Black. They formed the company, Black and White, to produce movies together.
Their biggest hit was School of Rock. It starred both actors and was a smash hit. It also led to a TV series of the same name. The show ran on the Nickelodeon channel from 2016 to 2018.
White later confessed that he didn’t care for hard rock music, but he wanted the movie to be a star vehicle for Black.
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TV Roles and Screenplays
White got his start writing scripts for Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks.
He created, wrote and produced the 2004 TV series Cracking Up in 2004.
Reality-TV
In 2018, White appeared on Survivor: David vs. Goliath. He and his father also took part in two separate seasons of the Amazing Race competition show.
White was a big fan of Survivor and of the show’s creator Jeff Probst.
“I cannot believe how much work goes into both productions,” he said in an interview. “As a producer, I have so much respect for both shows, in terms of what they’re able to pull off, and the integrity of the game.
On both shows, there’s so much pride. They have a lot of integrity about letting the game play out as it is. I can’t overstate how impressed I am.”
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Awards and Nominations
- Critics’ Choice Award.
- Deauville Film Festival.
- Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award.
- Golden Satellite Award.
- Seattle International Film Festival Award.
- Two John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Awards.
- Golden Raspberry (for worst screenplay for The Emoji Movie).
Proposition 8 Spot
In 2010, White starred with young actor Justin Long in a public service announcement to support gay marriage. The short film was aimed at viewers who opposed Proposition 8, a California referendum legalizing gay marriage.
In the humorous short, Long and White play “Devin and Glenn.” Over the course of the video, they go from starry-eyed romance to a boring, humdrum lifestyle filled with petty squabbles and annoying in-laws.
At the short’s conclusion, the narrator says that if you don’t like the gay lifestyle, the best solution is to “make them get married.”
Relationships
White occasionally mentions his boyfriend, but he keeps details about his personal life private.
Favorite Quotes from Mike White
“I’m a competitive person and my competitiveness has outlasted its usefulness. I don’t go, ‘I wish I had a yacht,’ or something like that, but especially in the world of Hollywood, there’s always some new thing everybody is excited about, whether it’s the Oscars or something else. When you’re in that headspace, you can get caught up in the game, even if you try to push it out or block it out. I think people would be lying if they said there’s not some cluster of people who they compare themselves to, or have some kind of comparative anxiety with.”
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Success Tips from Mike White
- White’s career shows that you don’t have to choose between making money and making art. In interviews, he has pointed out that his independent movies don’t make any money. He goes into them knowing this. This knowledge gives him the freedom to do things his way without worrying about box-office sales.
- White can do this because he makes money from his more commercial screenwriting and directing work. It’s an independent path that he carved out on his own.
