Paul Walker Net Worth

What Was Paul Walker's Net Worth and Salary?

Paul Walker was an American actor who had a net worth of $25 million at the time of his death in 2013.

Paul Walker was was best known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the massively successful "Fast & Furious" franchise, one of the highest-grossing film series in history. Walker died tragically on November 30, 2013, at age 40, when the Porsche Carrera GT he was riding in crashed and burst into flames in Valencia, California. At the time of his death, he was in the middle of filming "Furious 7." According to later court filings tied to lawsuits involving Porsche, industry estimates suggested Walker could have earned $30-80 million more from future installments and related projects had he lived. His daughter, Meadow Walker, later received a $10.1 million settlement connected to litigation stemming from the crash.

In addition to being the star of one of the most exciting and profitable movie franchises of all time, Paul happened to be a quiet philanthropist who used his wealth to help those in need. And he did it all without ever seeking an ounce of attention for himself. When an 8.8 earthquake struck Chile, Walker flew down to provide support to local victims. He also personally helped deliver humanitarian aid to the people of Haiti after they suffered an equally devastating earthquake. On the day he died, he was actually attending a fundraiser to raise money for the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. In 2004, Paul performed an amazing random act of kindness when he paid for a stranger's engagement ring without telling him. The ring cost $9,000 and Paul apparently decided to buy the ring after overhearing that the customer was an Iraq vet.

Outside of acting and quietly helping those in need, Walker had two serious passions: Marine biology and cars. His personal idol was marine explorer Jacques Cousteau. Paul gave generous amounts of time and money to marine-related causes over his lifetime. More details on his car collection later in this article. Upon his death, Paul's family established the Paul Walker Foundation to benefit marine biology.

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Early Life

Paul William Walker IV was born on September 12, 1973, in Glendale, California. He was raised in the San Fernando Valley. His mother, Cheryl, was a fashion model, and his father, Paul Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former Golden Gloves boxer. The oldest of five siblings, Walker was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He began working in entertainment almost as soon as he could walk, appearing in a Pampers commercial as a toddler. Through the 1980s, he worked steadily in television and film. He graduated from Village Christian School in 1991 and later attended community college, studying marine biology, a lifelong passion inspired in part by his admiration for ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.

Early Acting Career

Walker worked consistently throughout the 1990s, landing roles in television and modest film projects. He had a recurring role on the soap opera "The Young and the Restless" and appeared in films such as "Monster in Your Closet" and "The Retaliator."

His breakout period began in the late 1990s with supporting roles in "Pleasantville," "Varsity Blues," "She's All That," and "The Skulls." With his athletic build and California look, he quickly became a teen heartthrob, though critics sometimes underestimated his acting range.

Despite growing popularity, Walker struggled to find a defining franchise — until 2001.

The "Fast & Furious" Breakthrough

In 2001, Walker starred opposite Vin Diesel in "The Fast and the Furious," playing undercover LAPD officer Brian O'Conner infiltrating the world of street racing. The film, produced for $30 million, grossed more than $200 million worldwide and launched a global franchise.

Walker reprised his role in "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Fast & Furious," "Fast Five," "Fast & Furious 6," and posthumously in "Furious 7." The franchise evolved into one of the most lucrative action series in Hollywood history, with "Fast & Furious 6" alone grossing $788 million worldwide.

Although he attempted to branch out with films like "Joy Ride," "Timeline," "Into the Blue," "Eight Below," and "Running Scared," none reached the commercial heights of the franchise. However, projects such as "Eight Below," which opened at No. 1 at the box office, demonstrated his viability as a solo lead.

In 2013, he completed filming on "Hours," a dramatic thriller about a father trying to save his newborn daughter during Hurricane Katrina. The role marked a more serious dramatic turn and was released shortly after his death.

Paul Walker Salary + "Fast & Furious" Earnings

Paul earned just $1 million for the first two "Fast & Furious" movies. For "Fast & Furious" (his third appearance in the franchise), his salary was upped to $7 million. He reportedly earned $15 million for "Fast Five," "Fast & Furious 6," and "Furious 7" (posthumously), bringing his total salary from the franchise to $54 million.

Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Death

On November 30, 2013, at 3:30 pm Pacific Standard Time, Paul Walker and Roger Rodas, Paul's financial advisor, left an event for Reach Out Worldwide, Walker's charity event for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Rodas was driving Walker's Porsche Carrera somewhere between 80 mph and 93 mph in a 45 mph speed zone on Hercules Street in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California. The spot was reportedly a popular spot for drifting cars. The car crashed into a concrete lamp post and two trees, subsequently bursting into flames. Passersby were unable to extract the men from the car. Rodas and Walker died from burns and multiple traumas. The speed of the car and old tires were the primary reasons for the crash, as police found no alcohol or other drugs in either man's system. Paul was cremated, and his ashes were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Walker's father, in December 2014, filed a wrongful death claim against Rodas' estate. They came to a settlement outside of court. In September 2015, Walker's daughter, Meadow, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche. The lawsuit claimed that the model of the car had numerous design effects. In April 2016, the courts sided with Porsche.

Paul Walker Net Worth /Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Personal Life

Prior to his tragic death, Walker lived with his dogs in Santa Barbara. Walker had a daughter, Meadow Rain Walker, with one-time girlfriend Rebecca Soteros. Meadow had lived in Hawaii with her mother for 13 years, but in 2011, she moved to California to live with Walker. Meadow's godfather is Vin Diesel. Paul had been dating Jasmine Pilchard-Gosnell at the time of his death.

Walker and his charity, Reach Out Worldwide, flew to Haiti to help out after the 2010 earthquake the country experienced. Additionally, in March 2012, Walker offered his in-person support to the people of Constitución, Chile, after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck.

Car Collection

As would be expected of the star of the "Fast & Furious" franchise, Paul loved cars and had a very impressive personal collection. Paul, whose grandfather was a race car driver, kept 20-30 vintage and modern cars in his garage at any given time. His collection was constantly changing as new cars were acquired and old cars were sold, usually for quite a hefty profit. Walker actually had a dealer's license and owned a business that manufactured high-end performance parts and exhaust pipes. His garage was maintained as an active showroom at all times, partly in case a buyer happened to pass through and partly because Paul considered his cars "functional pieces of art." His collection included extremely valuable Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Corvettes, and Porsches, as well as dozens of vintage cars. Here are a few more specific cars in Paul Walker's car collection:

• 5 BMW M3 E36 Lightweights
• BMW '74 2002 Touring
• Ford Escort Cosworth – This is the car that Paul drove in "Fast & Furious 6"
• Ford Mustang Boss 302 Race Car
• Ford GT
• Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale
• Ferrari Testarossa
• Ferrari F355 Spider
• Porsche 911 Turbo
• Saleen S7
• R34 Nissan Skyline – This is the car that was used in the first "Fast & Furious" movie
• Toyota Supra – This car was also used in the first "Fast & Furious" movie

What Happened To Paul Walker's Car Collection?

It's a story that will inevitably remind the reader of a "Fast and Furious" plot, involving as it does allegations of car theft against one Richard Taylor, who Walker had reportedly trusted to oversee his impressive automobile collection before his death. Paul's estate claimed that Taylor removed more than 30 of the late actor's cars from their warehouse only hours after his death, including a 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a 2008 BMW M3, and many more, in a move that can be charitably described as audacious.

Walker's estate used different words when they sued Taylor in 2015, alleging that after moving 31 of Walker's cars to "locations unknown," he provided the estate with what he called a "Paul Walker Current Car Inventory List" comprised of 32 cars. The suit said that there were seven cars known to have been part of Walker's collection that were missing from the list and that they were to be returned ASAP. The following year, the lawsuit between the Walker estate and Taylor was "settled amicably," according to one of the estate's attorneys, with some or all of the cars being returned to the estate – but the precise terms of the settlement were and remain confidential.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only lawsuit filed by Paul Walker's family regarding his car collection. In 2014, Paul Walker III (Walker's father) filed suit against the estate of Roger Rodas, the late friend of Paul's who was driving the car when the crash that killed both of them occurred. Later, in 2016, a reported settlement was reached in this case as well, with $10.1 million being paid into a trust for Walker's then-17-year-old daughter Meadow.

In January 2020, 21 of Paul's cars and motorcycles were auctioned by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the end, those 21 vehicles sold for $2,333,450. One of Paul's BMW M3 Lightweights earned the auction's highest price of $385,000. The other four sold for between $220,000 and $260,000.

All proceeds from the auction went to a trust that belongs to his daughter Meadow, who apparently used some of the money to fund the Paul Walker Foundation, which provides scholarships to students looking to study marine science. Meadow also kept several cars from the collection for herself.

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