What is Mike White's Net Worth?
Mike White is an American screenwriter, actor, director, and producer of film and television who has a net worth of $10 million. Among his notable credits, Mike White wrote and acted in the films "Chuck & Buck" and "School of Rock"; wrote and directed the films "Year of the Dog" and "Brad's Status"; and created, wrote, and directed the television series "Enlightened" and "The White Lotus." Elsewhere, White competed on the reality television series "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor," coming in second place in the latter show's 37th season in 2018.
Early Life and Education
Mike White was born on June 28, 1970 in Pasadena, California to Mel, a clergyman and author who wrote speeches and books for prominent televangelists, and Lyla, who worked in fundraising. White was educated at Polytechnic School as a teen, and later attended Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
Film Career
White started out in film as an actor, appearing in Miguel Arteta's directorial debut "Star Maps" in 1997. He transitioned to screenwriting the following year with "Dead Man on Campus," which he co-wrote with Michael Traeger. In 2000, White reunited with Arteta for the highly acclaimed "Chuck & Buck," which White also wrote and starred in. He continued to write and act in films over the subsequent years. In 2002, White wrote and appeared in both "Orange County," starring Jack Black, and "The Good Girl," starring Jennifer Aniston; he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for the latter film. The next year, he wrote and acted in another film starring Black, "School of Rock." White also had a role in the 2004 remake of "The Stepford Wives." After that, he returned to writing to co-author the screenplay to the 2006 film "Nacho Libre," his third collaboration with Black.
In 2007, White made his directorial debut with "Year of the Dog," which he also wrote. He subsequently appeared in the comedies "Smother," "Gentlemen Broncos," and "Zombieland." In 2014, White was in the drama "Ride," and in 2015 appeared in the Jack Black and James Marsden comedy "The D Train." He went on to have his most prolific year in film yet in 2017, with writing credits on four films: "Beatriz at Dinner," "The Emoji Movie," "Pitch Perfect 3," and "Brad's Status," the lattermost of which White also directed and acted in. After that, he wrote the screenplays to "The One and Only Ivan" and the animated films "Migration" and "Despicable Me 4."
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Scripted Television Career
White began his television career as a writer and producer on the teen drama series "Dawson's Creek" from 1998 to 1999. Following that, he wrote a few episodes and produced most of the episodes of another teen series, "Freaks and Geeks"; he also appeared in one episode. In 2001, White created his first show, the short-lived primetime soap opera "Pasadena," for which he also wrote multiple episodes. His next show as creator and writer was the sitcom "Cracking Up," which ran from 2004 to 2006. During that time, White wrote the star-studded TBS television special "Earth to America," which sought to raise awareness about environmental issues through comedy.
In 2011, along with star Laura Dern, White created his third show, the HBO series "Enlightened." He also wrote all 18 of the show's episodes, directed six, and costarred in 15 of them before the series was canceled in early 2013. White next penned an episode of "School of Rock," a Nickelodeon series based on his film of the same name. Returning to the creator role, he launched his most acclaimed series yet, "The White Lotus," in 2021. White wrote and directed every episode of the first two seasons of the HBO anthology series, which focuses on the guests and employees of a fictional upscale resort chain. For his work on "The White Lotus," he won three Emmy Awards in 2022.
Reality Television Career
White has also appeared on some reality television competition series. In 2009, he competed in the 14th season of "The Amazing Race" alongside his father Mel. Ultimately, the pair finished in sixth place. They returned in 2011 to compete in the 18th season of "The Amazing Race," becoming the second team to be eliminated for a 10th-place finish.
White had his best results on a reality series in 2018 when he competed on "Survivor: David vs. Goliath," the 37th season of "Survivor." A member of the Goliath tribe, he finished in second place behind the ultimate winner, Nick Wilson.
Personal Life
White is openly bisexual. In 1994, his father Mel came out as gay.
