What is Mekhi Phifer's Net Worth?
Mekhi Phifer is an American actor who has a net worth of $500 thousand. Mekhi Phifer is probably best-known for appearing in movies like "8 Mile", "Clockers" and "Paid in Full". As we detail in the next section below, Mekhi Phifer has experienced some financial speed bumps in recent years. Most notably, he filed for bankruptcy in 2014 at which point he reportedly owed over $1 million to the IRS alone.
Bankruptcy Filing
In May 2014, it was revealed that Phifer had filed for bankruptcy protection. In the filing, the actor listed assets of just $67,000 and debts of $1.3 million. He further claimed that his monthly expenses were $11,000 but his monthly income was only $7,500. Much of his debt, roughly $1.2 million, was made of up back taxes owed to the IRS.
Early Life
Mekhi Phifer was born on December 29, 1974, in Harlem, New York City. His mother, Rhoda Phifer, raised him as a single parent. She worked as a high school teacher.
Career
He first started to turn heads in the acting world after making a promising feature movie debut as the petty drug dealer Ronald "Strike" Dunham in Spike Lee's urban drama "Clockers" (1995). Phifer had attended an open-casting call for the film in 1994, and with almost no previous experience whatsoever, out-acted nearly 1,000 other applicants for the role thanks to his rare charisma and Harlem-streets know-how. He followed it with the comedy film "High School High" (1996), which happened to also star his ex-wife Malinda Williams. Then, he appeared in the film "Soul Food" (1997). In 1998, he co-starred with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. in the horror film "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer". That same year he also appeared in the film "Hell's Kitchen" (1998). In 1999 he also starred in two films, "A Lesson Before Dying" and "Uninvited Guest". "Uninvited Guest" is actually the second film he starred in with his ex-wife Malinda.
In 2000, Phifer appeared in the action thriller film "Shaft" alongside the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Bale, and Vanessa L. Williams. During the 2000s, he also appeared in "Carmen: A Hip Hopera" (2001), a made-for-television film produced by MTV; "O" (2001), a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello"; "Brian's Song" (2001), a remake of the 1971 television film of the same name; "8 Mile" (2002), which featured rapper Eminem in his acting debut; "Paid in Full" (2002), a crime drama film set in Harlem; "Impostor" (2002), a science fiction thriller film directed by Gary Fleder; "Honey" (2003), co-starring Jessica Alba and Romeo Miller and featuring performances by Jadakiss and Ginuwine; "Dawn of the Dead" (2004), an action horror film directed by Zack Snyder; "Slow Burn" (2005), starring Ray Liotta, Jolene Blalock, and LL Cool J; "Puff, Puff, Pass" (2006), which Phifer not only starred in but directed; "This Christmas" (2007), a holiday-themed romantic musical comedy; and "A Day in the Life" (2009), written and directed by rapper sticky Fingaz. Other films Phifer has since appeared in include "The Suspect" (2013) and several films in the "Divergent" franchise: "Divergent" (2014), "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" (2015), and "The Divergent Series: Allegiant" (2016).
Furthermore, Phifer has engaged in extensive television work beginning in the 1990s. Shows he has appeared on include the police and crime shows "New York Undercover" (1995-1996), "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1996-1998), "Lie to Me" (2009-2011), "Psych" (2012), and "Chicago P.D." (2018). He has also appeared on series such as "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2005), "Torchwood" (2011), "White Collar" (2012), "Roots" (2016), "Secret City" (2016), "Frequency" (2016), "Truth Be Told" (2019), and "Love, Victor" (2020).
In addition to his film and television work, Phifer has also appeared in numerous music videos throughout his career. Some of the music videos include "Many Men (Wish Death)" by 50 Cent (2003), "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica (1998), "Don't Let Go" by En Vogue (1996), "Nobody" by Keith Sweat (1996), "Flava in Ya Ear" by Craig Mack (1994), and three by Eminem: "Just Lose It" (2004), "Lose Yourself" (2002), and "Without Me" (2002).
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)
Other Activities
Outside of acting, Phifer is also a businessman and entrepreneur. He owns several athletic footwear franchise stores in California called "Athlete's Foot". He also is the head of the production company Third Reel Films, which he launched in January 2011. He has also engaged in various charity activities, such as the Celebrity Poker Showdown Championship event. At the 2004 event, Phifer beat out actor Neil Patrick Harris to become that year's winner. He also has served as the Chairman of the Board of the non-profit organization The Vine Group USA, which works to provide educational resources to universities located in Africa.
Personal Life
Phifer was previously married to actress Malinda Williams. They have one son together. Phifer also has a son with Oni Souratha. He married Reshelet Barnes, his longtime girlfriend, in a ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, on March 30, 2013.
