What is Frank Whaley's Net Worth?
Frank Whaley is an American actor, director, and screenwriter who has a net worth of $3 million. Frank Whaley is known for his roles in such films as "Field of Dreams," "The Doors," "Career Opportunities," "Pulp Fiction," and "Swimming with Sharks." He has also appeared in many television films and series, with recurring roles on "Ray Donovan" and "Marvel's Luke Cage." As a screenwriter and director, Whaley's credits include "Joe the King" and "Like Sunday, Like Rain."
Early Life and Education
Frank Whaley was born on July 20, 1963 in Syracuse, New York to Josephine and Robert Sr. After graduating from Anthony A. Henninger High School in 1981, he attended the State University of New York at Albany.
Film Acting
Whaley made his film acting debut in 1987, playing the younger version of Jack Nicholson's character in "Ironweed." He next appeared in "Field of Dreams," "Little Monsters," and Oliver Stone's "Born on the Fourth of July," all in 1989. Kicking off the 1990s, Whaley had roles in "The Freshman" and "Cold Dog Soup." In 1991, he reunited with Oliver Stone for the director's "The Doors," in which he portrayed guitarist Robby Krieger. The same year, Whaley starred opposite Jennifer Connelly in the John Hughes-penned romcom "Career Opportunities." His subsequent credits included "Back in the U.S.S.R.," "A Midnight Clear," "Hoffa," and "Swing Kids." In 1994, Whaley had memorable roles as Brett in "Pulp Fiction" and Guy in "Swimming with Sharks." The next year, he starred in "Homage" and "Cafe Society." Whaley's other credits in the latter half of the 1990s include "Broken Arrow," "The Winner," "Retroactive," "Glam," and "It All Came True."
In the early 2000s, Whaley appeared in such films as "Pursuit of Happiness," "Chelsea Walls," and "A Good Night to Die." Later in the decade, he had roles in "World Trade Center," "The Hottest State," "Cherry Crush," and "Vacancy," among other titles. At the start of the 2010s, Whaley appeared in the crime thriller "As Good as Dead" and the drama "Janie Jones." Continuing in the crime drama, he subsequently appeared in "Aftermath" and "Rob the Mob." In 2016, Whaley was in "Cold Moon" and "Monster Trucks." The following year, he had roles in the teen comedy "The Outcasts" and the horror film "Against the Night." Whaley closed out the decade with roles in "Hustlers," "Wish Man," and "The Shed." His credits in the early 2020s include the mystery crime drama "Death on the Border" and the comedy horror thriller "Saint Clare."
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Screenwriting and Directing
In 1999, Whaley made his feature film directorial debut with "Joe the King," which he also wrote. Based on his own childhood, it stars Noah Fleiss, Max Ligosh, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, John Leguizamo, and Ethan Hawke, among others. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Whaley's next film as writer and director was "The Jimmy Show," which came out in 2001. Based on the play "Veins and Thumbtacks," it stars Whaley alongside Carla Gugino and Ethan Hawke.
Whaley's third film as writer and director, "New York City Serenade," was released in 2007. It stars Freddie Prinze Jr. as an aspiring filmmaker. Others in the cast include Chris Klein, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and Ben Schwartz. Whaley went on to write and direct "Like Sunday, Like Rain," which came out in 2014. Starring Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Julian Shatkin, it focuses on the relationship between a cello prodigy and his newest caretaker in New York City.
(Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic)
Television Acting
Whaley began acting on television the same year he made his debut on film, in 1987. That year, he appeared in episodes of "Spenser: For Hire," "CBS Schoolbreak Special," and "ABC Afterschool Special." From 1989 through the 1990s, Whaley mostly acted in television films, such as "Unconquered," "Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald," "To Dance with the White Dog," and "When Trumpets Fade." He also appeared in the miniseries "Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story" in 1999. Meanwhile, from 1998 to 2000, he starred on the short-lived CBS crime drama series "Buddy Faro." Whaley had his next substantial television role from 2003 to 2004, on "The Dead Zone." After that, he appeared in episodes of "NCIS," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Psych," and "Boston Legal," and in the television films "Detective," "Mrs. Harris," and "Ruffian."
Whaley had guest roles on several shows in the early 2010s, including "Ugly Betty," "Burn Notice," "Medium," "Alcatraz," and "Blue Bloods." He also played the recurring role of FBI Agent Van Miller in the first season of the Showtime series "Ray Donovan." Whaley went on to appear in episodes of such shows as "The Blacklist," "Gotham," "Under the Dome," and "Chicago Med." In 2016, he portrayed Harry M. Markopolos in the miniseries "Madoff," and began playing Detective Rafael Scarfe on "Marvel's Luke Cage." Whaley remained on the latter through 2018. Meanwhile, he had guest roles on such other shows as "Elementary," "Divorce," "Empire," "Bull," "Gone," and "Sneaky Pete." Whaley returned to "Bull" with another guest role in 2020.
Personal Life
In 2001, Whaley wed actress and author Heather Bucha. Together, they have two children named Buster and Tallulah.
