What Is Brandon Routh's Net Worth?
Brandon Routh is an American actor and fashion model who has a net worth of $2 million. Brandon Routh is best known for his role as Superman in the 2006 movie "Superman Returns." He also appeared in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World," "Dylan Dog: Dead of Night," and the NBC series "Chuck."
Early Life
Brandon Routh was born on October 9, 1979, in Des Moines, Iowa. He is the third of four children born to carpenter Ronald Ray Routh and teacher Catherine LaVaughn. Brandon was raised in Norwalk, Iowa, and ironically, he grew up just 100 miles south of the birthplace of George Reeves, the OG Superman.
Routh graduated from Norwalk High School, where he played sports and did theater, as well as taught himself piano and trumpet. He went to the same school as Jason Momoa. Intending to be a writer, Brandon attended the University of Iowa, where he began his modeling and acting career part-time in order to pay for tuition. However, after a year, he decided to drop out of school to become an actor. Routh has said that even before he started acting, he was often told how much he looked like Christopher Reeve. His former manager even signed him because he looked so similar, thinking he would be cast if there was ever a film.
Career
Routh moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to pursue a full-time acting career. His first gig was as an extra in Christina Aguilera's music video for "What a Girl Wants." His first acting role came that same year when he appeared in an episode of ABC's "Odd Man Out." Next up, he had a four-episode stint on season three of MTV's "Undressed." In early 2001, he was in an episode of the WB's "Gilmore Girls," called "Concert Interruptus," playing an untitled character. Routh then had a steady role as Seth Anderson on the soap opera "One Life to Live." He appeared on that show from 2001 to 2002.
Brandon had previously auditioned for "Superman Returns" director McG and was recognized on his audition tape for the movie. They cast Routh on August 13, 2004, but didn't clue him in until two months later. His casting was announced in October 2004, and the news immediately put his name and face on the map. Brandon immediately began to bulk up for the role and gained 22 pounds before filming commenced. "Superman Returns" began filming in February 2005, and it was released in June 2006. It was, unfortunately, and surprisingly, a box office disappointment–it grossed only $200 million compared to its whopping $270 million budget, but it earned moderate reviews from critics.
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Routh signed on to appear in two potential sequels to "Superman Returns," but they never materialized. Reviews of his performance were positive, and he won the award of Best Superhero, beating out Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, at the 2006 Spike TV Awards. While Warner Bros. did reboot the "Superman" franchise, by August 2008, Routh's contract had expired, and British actor Henry Cavill was chosen to play the leading man in the reboot "Man of Steel."
Up next, Routh appeared in "Fling" and "Life is Hot in Cracktown." He signed on to star in "The Informers" in 2009, alongside Kim Basinger and Billy Bob Thornton, but his scenes ended up being cut. Brandon appeared later in "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" and a Bollywood film called "Kambakkkht Ishq." He was cast to play Todd Ingram in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" in 2009. Routh also played Daniel Shaw in season three of "Chuck" and appeared again in season five of the show. He was cast as the lead in "Partners," a CBS comedy by the creators of "Will & Grace," but the series was canceled after just six episodes. He has also appeared in "The Millers," "Chosen," and "Enlisted." He also did voicework on the video game "Call of Duty: Ghosts" in 2013. Later that year, he was in a Hallmark Christmas flick called "The Nine Lives of Christmas."
Routh once again played a DC Comics superhero when he was cast as Ray Palmer / The Atom on The CW's "Arrow." The "Arrow" spin-off "DC's Legends of Tomorrow" premiered in January 2016, and Routh starred on that show as well. He reprised his role as Superman in the Arrowverse crossover film "Crisis on Infinite Earths."
Personal Life
In November 2007, Routh married his girlfriend of four years, actress Courtney Ford. The couple's son, Leo James, was born in August 2012. Routh is also friends with fellow actor Kal Penn, both of whom are avid supporters of President Barack Obama.
