What was Naya Rivera's net worth and salary?
Naya Rivera was an American actress, singer, and media personality who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of her death in July 2020. Naya Rivera first became internationally famous thanks to her role as the cold-hearted and vicious cheerleader Santana Lopez on the musical comedy television series "Glee."
Early Life
She was born on January 12, 1987, in Valencia, California. Rivera is one-quarter African, one-quarter German, and half Puerto Rican. Her mother had moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in modeling. Her mother, Yolanda Previtire, worked as a real estate agent and was a former model, while her father, George Rivera, worked various IT jobs. Her parents married the year before Rivera was born in 1986. They remained married until 1996 when they divorced. Her mother remarried to Charles Previtire in 1999. She later attended Valencia High School in Santa Clarita and graduated in 2005.
Career
When she was just nine months old, Naya began being represented by her mother's talent agent. She was just a baby when she started appearing in commercials for Kmart, however, she did not get her first significant acting job until she was four when she began starring as Hillary Winston in the sitcom "The Royal Family," a series that was produced by Eddie Murphy from 1991 to 1992. Naya appeared in 15 episodes before the show was canceled after star Redd Foxx suffered a heart attack and could not return to production. Rivera received a Young Artist Award nomination for her performance.
Between 1992 and 2002, Rivera appeared on many of the most popular sitcoms of the time as a child and then teen actress. She had roles in "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Family Matters," "The Jersey," "Live Shot," "Baywatch," "Smart Guy," "House Blend," "Even Stevens," and "The Master of Disguise." She also had a recurring role on "The Bernie Mac Show." However, as she got older, she stopped booking as many roles and eventually began working as a telemarketer, nanny, and greeter at the Abercrombie & Fitch store. In 2006 and 2007, she also took part in the production of the play "U Don't Know Me: The Musical."
Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
Glee
Naya's big break came in 2009 when she began starring as Santana Lopez on the Fox singing drama "Glee." She was a recurring role in seasons 1 and 6 and a main cast member in seasons 2 through 5. In total, she appeared in 99 of Glee's 121 total episodes. The role led to Naya receiving a number of award nominations.
The show tells the story of a high school glee club and was co-created by Ryan Murphy, who has previously worked on Nip/Tuck. Rivera's character wasn't initially intended to be part of the permanent cast, but after three episodes, Murphy was so impressed by her performance that he convinced Fox to contract with her for a more prominent role. By the second season, she was promoted to a season regular and was given her first solo on the show in the fifth episode of season two.
In 2011, Rivera won her first ALMA Award as Favorite Female Music Artist. In 2012, she won two more in the categories of Favorite TV Actress – Leading Role in a Comedy and Female Music Artist. When Rivera's storyline on the show developed to reveal that she was gay, Rivera began to shoot more complex and emotional scenes. She continued to get positive reviews from critics, even from those who generally did not review the series well.
Musical Career
Rivera remained in a principal role on "Glee" in its fourth and fifth seasons and also began working on other projects. She signed a deal with Columbia Records to produce a solo album. She also collaborated with the musical duo 2Cellos on the cover of the Muse song "Supermassive Black Hole." In 2013, she released her debut single, "Sorry," featuring rapper Big Sean. The single reached the top 40 of the "Billboard" Rhythmic chart.
Other Work
In 2014, she appeared in her first feature film, "At the Devil's Door." The following year, in 2015, Rivera landed a recurring role on "Devious Maids." She also became a regular guest host on "The View." She also had a role in the film "Mad Families" in 2017. She was cast in the YouTube Red series "Step Up: High Water" in 2017. The show later moved to Starz in May of 2020, and Rivera was announced to be continuing her role.
Real Estate
In 2013, Naya paid $2.6 million for a home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. She sold this home in July 2018 for $3.55 million. Around the time of the sale, she paid $2.7 million for a new Los Feliz home. In January 2021, the home was listed for sale for just under $2.7 million.
Personal Life and Death
Rivera dated actor Tahj Mowry between 2000 and 2004. She remained close to Mowry and his sisters, Tia and Tamera, for many years.
Between 2008 and 2010, Rivera dated "Glee" co-star Mark Salling. She then briefly dated actor Ryan Dorsey in 2010 but broke up the same year. In April 2013, she began dating Big Sean, and the couple announced their engagement in October of that year before splitting in April 2014. Soon after, she rekindled her relationship with Dorsey. In February 2015, she announced they were expecting their first child, a son named Josey, who was born in September. The couple then divorced in June of 2018.
In July 2020, Rivera went missing after her son was found alone in Rivera's rented boat at Lake Piru in California. In the days that followed, Rivera's body was found, and her death was determined to be a result of accidental drowning. According to her son, she had helped him back into the boat and then was unable to climb in herself. She was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
