What Was Paul Walker's Net Worth and Salary?
Paul Walker was an American actor who had a net worth of $25 million at the time of his death in 2013. Paul Walker was most widely recognized for his starring role in the "Fast and Furious" film franchise. Paul died tragically in a car crash on November 30, 2013, at the age of 40. According to a lawsuit that was filed against Porsche (the type of car he died in) after his death on behalf of his daughter Meadow, had Paul lived, he would have earned $30-80 million from his film career. Meadow ultimately received a $10.1 million settlement from the car company.
In addition to being the star of one of the most exciting and profitable movie franchises of all time, Paul happened to be a quiet philanthropist who used his wealth to help those in need. And he did it all without ever seeking an ounce of attention for himself. When an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, Walker flew down to provide support to local victims. He also personally helped deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Haiti after they suffered an equally devastating earthquake. On the day he died, he was actually attending a fundraiser to raise money for the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. In 2004, Paul performed an amazing random act of kindness when he paid for a stranger's engagement ring without telling him. The ring cost $9,000 and Paul apparently decided to buy the ring after overhearing that the customer was an Iraq vet.
Outside of acting and quietly helping those in need, Walker had two serious passions: Marine biology and cars. His personal idol was marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. Paul gave generous amounts of time and money to marine-related causes over his lifetime. More details on his car collection later in this article. Upon his death, Paul's family established the Paul Walker Foundation to benefit marine biology.
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Early Life
Paul Walker was born Paul William Walker IV on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California. His mother, Cheryl, was a fashion model, and his dad, Paul William Walker III, was a former boxer who held a two-time Golden Gloves championship title. Walker started his acting career when he was two years old, starring in a commercial for Pampers. The oldest of five siblings (fun fact, he and his sister Ashlie were contestants on a game show called "I'm Telling!" in 1989), Walker was raised as a Mormon. He attended high school in the San Fernando Valley and graduated from Sun Valley's Village Christian School in 1991. Paul attended community college in Southern California and majored in marine biology.
Career
Prior to his big breakthrough, Walker worked steadily as a model. His first movie role came in 1986 when he was cast in the horror-comedy film "Monster in Your Closet." In 1987, Walker landed another gig in a low-budget cyborg action film, "The Retaliator." Walker landed a short-lived but leading role of Brandon Collins on the CBS soap opera "The Young and the Restless." He starred opposite Heather Tom, and the pair was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress at the Youth in Film Awards.
In 1998, Walker finally started to gain some attention when he appeared in the feature film "Meet the Deedles." This led to other supporting roles throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, including appearances in the 1998 teen dramedy "Pleasantville" (opposite Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire), the 1999 high school football drama "Varsity Blues" (with James Van Der Beek), the 1999 romantic comedy "She's All That" (with Freddie Prinze, Jr.), and the 2000 thriller "The Skulls." At this point, he had become a Hollywood heartthrob amongst his teenage fans.
Walker's biggest breakthrough yet came in 2001 when he starred opposite Vin Diesel in the extremely successful action film "The Fast and the Furious." After giving a critically acclaimed performance in the fun street racing thriller, Paul landed roles in its 2003 sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," as well as the fourth, fifth, and sixth installments of the franchise. Walker won an MTV Movie Award in 2016 with Vin Diesel for Best On-Screen Duo.
After he proved himself as a bankable leading man with his "Fast and Furious" role, he continued his career with leading roles in the films "Joy Ride" (2001), "Timeline" (2003), and "Into the Blue" (2005.) He had a small supporting role in Clint Eastwood's "Flags of our Fathers" in 2006. That year Walker also starred in the creepy thriller "Running Scared" and the hit film "Eight Below," which opened at #1 at the box office and grossed over $20 million in its first weekend. He followed these films with "The Lazarus Project" in 2008 and "Takers" in 2010. Walker also appeared in the National Geographic Channel series "Expedition Great White." In addition to his roles on the small and big screen, he was the face of the brand Davidoff Cool Water for Men.
Tragically, Paul Walker died in a car accident on November 30, 2013, in Santa Clarita, California. Paul was just 40 years old. He had completed a film based on Hurricane Katrina prior to his death, "Hours," that was released on December 13, 2013. He had been filming the seventh installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, "Furious 7," and the film was completed by a mix of CGI and enlisting Paul's brothers Caleb and Cody as his body doubles and stand-ins.
Paul Walker Salary
Paul earned just $1 million for the first two "Fast & Furious" movies. For "Fast & Furious" (his third appearance in the franchise), his salary was upped to $7 million. He reportedly earned $15 million for "Fast Five," "Fast & Furious 6," and "Furious 7" (posthumously), bringing his total salary from the franchise to $54 million.
"Fast & Furious" Earnings
| Paul Walker Fast & Furious Earnings | ||
| Year | Movie | Salary |
| 2001 | The Fast and the Furious | $1 million |
| 2003 | 2 Fast 2 Furious | $1 million |
| 2009 | Fast & Furious | $7 million |
| 2011 | Fast Five | $15 million |
| 2013 | Fast & Furious 6 | $15 million |
| 2015 | Furious 7 | $15 million |
| Total Earnings: | $54 million | |
Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images
Death
On November 30, 2013, at 3:30 pm Pacific Standard Time, Paul Walker and Roger Rodas, Paul's financial advisor, left an event for Reach Out Worldwide, Walker's charity event for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Rodas was driving Walker's Porsche Carrera somewhere between 80 mph and 93 mph in a 45 mph speed zone on Hercules Street in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California. The spot was reportedly a popular spot for drifting cars. The car crashed into a concrete lamp post and two trees, subsequently bursting into flames. Passersby were unable to extract the men from the car. Rodas and Walker died from burns and multiple traumas. The speed of the car and old tires were the primary reasons for the crash, as police found no alcohol or other drugs in either man's system. Paul was cremated, and his ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Walker's father, in December 2014, filed a wrongful death claim against Rodas' estate. They came to a settlement outside of court. In September 2015, Walker's daughter, Meadow, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche. The lawsuit claimed that the model of the car had numerous design effects. In April 2016, the courts sided with Porsche.
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Personal Life
Prior to his tragic death, Walker lived with his dogs in Santa Barbara. Walker had a daughter, Meadow Rain Walker, with one-time girlfriend Rebecca Soteros. Meadow had lived in Hawaii with her mother for 13 years, but in 2011, she moved to California to live with Walker. Meadow's godfather is Vin Diesel. Paul had been dating Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell at the time of his death.
Walker had many interests and hobbies, including jiu-jitsu (he had a brown belt), marine biology, and racing cars. As a car enthusiast, he owned about 30 cars. Some of them he co-owned with Roger Rodas.
Walker and his charity, Reach Out Worldwide, flew to Haiti to help out after the 2010 earthquake the country experienced. Additionally, in March 2012, Walker offered his in-person support to the people of Constitucion, Chile, after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck.
Car Collection
As would be expected of the star of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, Paul loved cars and had a very impressive personal collection. Paul, whose grandfather was a race car driver, kept 20-30 vintage and modern cars in his garage at any given time. His collection was constantly changing as new cars were acquired and old cars were sold, usually for quite a hefty profit. Walker actually had a dealer's license and owned a business that manufactured high-end performance parts and exhaust pipes. His garage was maintained as an active showroom at all times, partly in case a buyer happened to pass through and partly because Paul considered his cars "functional pieces of art." His collection included extremely valuable Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Corvettes, and Porsches, as well as dozens of vintage cars. Here are a few more specific cars in Paul Walker's car collection:
- 5 BMW M3 E36 Lightweights
- BMW '74 2002 Touring
- Ford Escort Cosworth – This is the car that Paul drove in "Fast & Furious 6"
- Ford Mustang Boss 302 Race Car
- Ford GT
- Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
- Ferrari Testarossa
- Ferrari F355 Spider
- Porsche 911 Turbo
- Saleen S7
- R34 Nissan Skyline – This is the car that was used in the first "Fast & Furious" movie
- Toyota Supra – This car was also used in the first "Fast & Furious" movie
What Happened To Paul Walker's Car Collection?
It's a story that will inevitably remind the reader of a "Fast and Furious" plot, involving as it does allegations of car theft against one Richard Taylor, who Walker had reportedly trusted to oversee his impressive automobile collection before his death. Paul's estate claimed that Taylor removed more than 30 of the late actor's cars from their warehouse only hours after his death, including a 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a 2008 BMW M3, and many more, in a move that can be charitably described as audacious.
Walker's estate used different words when they sued Taylor in 2015, alleging that after moving 31 of Walker's cars to "locations unknown," he provided the estate with what he called a "Paul Walker Current Car Inventory List" comprised of 32 cars. The suit said that there were seven cars known to have been part of Walker's collection that were missing from the list and that they were to be returned ASAP. The following year, the lawsuit between the Walker estate and Taylor was "settled amicably," according to one of the estate's attorneys, with some or all of the cars being returned to the estate – but the precise terms of the settlement were and remain confidential.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the only lawsuit filed by Paul Walker's family regarding his car collection. In 2014, Paul Walker III (Walker's father) filed suit against the estate of Roger Rodas, the late friend of Paul's who was driving the car when the crash that killed both of them occurred. Later, in 2016, a reported settlement was reached in this case as well, with $10.1 million being paid into a trust for Walker's then-17-year-old daughter Meadow.
In January 2020, 21 of Paul's cars and motorcycles were auctioned by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the end, those 21 vehicles sold for $2,333,450. One of Paul's BMW M3 Lightweights earned the auction's highest price of $385,000. The other four sold for between $220,000 and $260,000.
All proceeds from the auction went to a trust that belongs to his daughter Meadow, who apparently used some of the money to fund the Paul Walker Foundation, which provides scholarships to students looking to study marine science. Meadow also kept several cars from the collection for herself.
