What Is Melanie Griffith's Net Worth and Salary?
Melanie Griffith is an American actress who has a net worth of $40 million. Melanie Griffith's breakout role came in Brian De Palma's thriller "Body Double" (1984), which earned her a National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. However, it was her performance as Tess McGill in the film "Working Girl" (1988) that solidified her status as a leading actress. Griffith received widespread acclaim for her performance, winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and receiving an Academy Award nomination.
Throughout the 1990s, Griffith continued to star in both commercial and independent films, including "Pacific Heights" (1990) and "Nobody's Fool" (1994). She also ventured into television, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the series "RKO 281."
Outside of acting, Griffith is also an accomplished producer. She has been in relationships with several celebrities over the years, including Don Johnson, Steven Bauer, and Antonio Banderas. Melanie and Antonio were married from 1996 to 2015. They have a daughter.
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Early Life
Melanie Richards Griffith was born on August 9, 1957, in Manhattan, New York. Born into a family with connections in the entertainment industry, there was always a strong chance that Melanie would pursue a career as an actress. Her mother is Tippi Hedren, a former fashion model and actress, while her father was the late Peter Griffith, a former child actor and advertising executive.
When Melanie was two, her parents separated, and she relocated to Los Angeles with her mother. For the next few years, she split her time between New York and California, being raised by both her mother and father. Although she initially started booking roles as a child actor and model, she soon backed away from this career path because she felt shy and uncomfortable. Griffith was an excellent student, and she managed to graduate from secondary school at age 16 due to her academic proficiency.
Career
Although she performed as an extra during her childhood, Griffith's first proper film role came during her teen years with an appearance in "The Harrad Experiment." Although Melanie was only 14 at the time, she started dating her 22-year-old co-star Don Johnson. Johnson and Griffith eventually married, although the marriage only lasted for six months.
At the age of 17, she booked a more prominent role in the film "Night Moves." The role required her to appear nude in a number of scenes. She then followed up with roles in movies like "Smile," "The Drowning Pool," "One on One," "The Garden," and "Joyride." Although these roles helped advance Griffith's career during the '70s, her real breakthrough came during the '80s. After a role in the film "Roar" and a brief hiatus due to substance abuse issues, Melanie caused considerable buzz with a role in 1984's "Body Double," in which she played a pornographic actress.
During the rest of the '80s, she appeared in films like "Fear City," "Something Wild," and "Cherry 2000." She ended the decade with a notable role in "Working Girl." Her role as a secretary propelled her towards mainstream success, and she won a Golden Globe for her performance. After another breakup, Melanie struggled with a cocaine addiction before bouncing back in 1990 with a role in "Pacific Heights."
Throughout the '90s, some of her most notable roles were in "Paradise," "Shining Through," "A Stranger Among Us," and "Born Yesterday." Of particular note was the film "Milk Money," which Griffith headlined. Further roles came with films like "Nobody's Fool," "Now and Then," "Two Much," "Mulholland Falls," "Lolita," and "Celebrity."
In 1999, Melanie made her stage debut with "The Vagina Monologues," a play that was staged at the Old Vic in London. In 2000, Griffith sought treatment for a painkiller addiction. In 2002, she voiced the character of Margalo in "Stuart Little 2" before making her Broadway debut with the musical "Chicago." Throughout the next few years, she took roles in series like "Twins," "Nip/Tuck," and "Hot in Cleveland." In 2017, Melanie returned to film with roles in films like "The Pirates of Somalia" and "The Disaster Artist."
Salary Highlights
Melanie earned $1 million for her role in 1990's "Bonfire at the Vanities." In 1994, she earned $2 million for "Milk Money."
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Personal Life
Melanie Griffith has been married four times, with some of her unions being with notable personalities in the entertainment industry.
Her first marriage was to actor Don Johnson, whom she married at the age of 18 in 1976. The couple divorced shortly after, but they would eventually reunite and marry again in 1989. During their second marriage, they had a daughter, Dakota Johnson, who has since followed in her parents' footsteps to become a successful actress, known for roles in movies like the "Fifty Shades of Grey" series.
In between her marriages to Johnson, Griffith was married to actor Steven Bauer from 1981 to 1987. The couple has a son, Alexander Bauer.
In 1996, Melanie married Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, a union that caught the attention of both Hollywood and international media. The couple welcomed a daughter, Stella Banderas, in 1996. However, after nearly two decades together, Griffith and Banderas announced their separation in 2014 and finalized their divorce the following year.
Antonio Banderas Divorce Settlement
Generally speaking, Antonio and Melanie's divorce was somewhat civil. That being said, their real estate portfolio became a bone of contention. After a long legal process, Antonio agreed to pay for their daughter Stella's expenses through her 19th birthday, including both college and grad schools.
Banderas and Griffith then agreed to split all money received from entertainment projects through May 31, 2014. Interestingly, they agreed to allow each other to keep whatever money was earned from their own projects between May 1998 and December 2003. They each received a Porsche and a Picasso, but Melanie received a total of six cars, whereas Antonio only kept two. Finally, Antonio agreed to pay Melanie $780,000 per year in spousal support, which equates to $65,000 per month.
Real Estate
In 2019, Melanie paid $3.7 million for a Spanish-style villa above the Sunset Strip in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. She managed to scoop up the 3,000-square-foot residence for a minor discount, as the property was originally listed for $3.85 million. It features tile flooring, a stone fireplace, and a pool in the backyard. Melanie sold this home in September 2024 for $4.7 million. Just before the sale, she paid $4.3 million for a new home in the Hollywood Hills.
In 2002, Melanie and Antonio paid $3.5 million for a 12-acre property in Aspen, Colorado. The property features a 7,400-square-foot mansion, which Melanie received in the divorce. She attempted to sell the estate in 2015 for $10 million, but she ultimately decided to split the property into two parcels. She sold a 10-acre slice of the estate in 2017 for $2.24 million and the remaining two acres, which contained the mansion, for $4 million in 2019.
The couple's divorce also sparked the sale of their L.A mansion. Located in Hancock Park – one of the oldest neighborhoods in L.A., known for its architecture and pedestrian friendliness – the couple bought the original lot in the late 1990s for $4.2 million. A year later, they paid $1.3 million for an adjacent property. They razed the property on that annexed lot to create an estate that stood at an acre and a half. To begin with, the 15,000-square-foot mansion has a massive grand foyer, an area flooded with natural light where guests are greeted with heavy exposed beams. There is a formal sitting room with a terrace, a wood-paneled library, and heavy tile flooring throughout the kitchen and main dining room. The house reportedly has 13 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms throughout its three stories. Inside, the property has a two-story banquet hall, hand-stenciled ceilings, four fireplaces, and an elevator. They sold this mansion for $16 million in 2015. The buyer was Netflix executive Ted Sarandos.
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