Ross Duffer Net Worth

What is Ross Duffer's Net Worth?

Ross Duffer is an American screenwriter, director, and producer who has a net worth of $40 million. With his identical twin brother Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer co-created the hit Netflix series "Stranger Things" and wrote and directed several of its episodes. The brothers also wrote and directed the 2015 post-apocalyptic thriller film "Hidden" and wrote four episodes of the Fox television series "Wayward Pines."

Early Life and Education

Ross Duffer was born on February 15, 1984 in Durham, North Carolina to Ann and Allen. His identical twin is Matt. The brothers began making films when they were in the third grade, using a Hi8 camera their parents had given them as a gift. They were educated at the private Duke School for Children before going to the public Charles E. Jordan High School. The Duffer brothers remained together for their higher education, attending Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in Orange, California. They graduated from the school with their BFA degrees in 2007.

First Projects

After writing and directing a number of short films, the Duffer brothers wrote a feature-length screenplay for a post-apocalyptic thriller film. The script was acquired by Warner Bros. Pictures, and the brothers went on to direct the film, entitled "Hidden." Released in 2015, it stars Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, and Emily Alyn Lind as a family trying to survive in the wake of a devastating outbreak in the United States. Also in 2015, the Duffer brothers began writing for the Fox science-fiction mystery television series "Wayward Pines," based on the novel series of the same name by Blake Crouch. It starred Matt Dillon, Carla Gugino, and Toby Jones, among others. The duo wrote a total of four episodes of the show through 2016. After two seasons, "Wayward Pines" was canceled.

Stranger Things

The Duffer brothers had their career breakthrough as the creators of the hit Netflix science-fiction horror series "Stranger Things." An homage to pop culture of the 1980s and set in a fictional town in Indiana during that decade, it features a large ensemble cast including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, and Noah Schnapp, among many others. The Duffers drew on many influences for the show, including the works of such eminent science-fiction and horror artists as Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, and H. P. Lovecraft. They also took significant inspiration from Cold War-era government experiments and conspiracy theories. "Stranger Things" premiered on Netflix in the summer of 2016 to widespread acclaim, with critics and audiences alike commending its characters, atmosphere, soundtrack, and sense of nostalgia. In addition to serving as showrunners, the Duffer brothers have written and directed many episodes of the series. For their work, they won a PGA Award for Best Episodic Drama and earned multiple Emmy Award nominations.

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Further Projects

In 2019, the Duffer brothers signed a contract with Netflix to create additional films and television series over the ensuing years. Among the first projects they announced for the streamer was a television series adaptation of Stephen King's and Peter Straub's fantasy novel "The Talisman." In 2022, the Duffer brothers launched their production company Upside Down Pictures and re-signed with Netflix for several new projects, including a live-action television series adaptation of the Japanese manga "Death Note." They were also announced as producers of the science-fiction series "The Boroughs," set in a New Mexico retirement community besieged by an otherworldly force. In the summer of 2025, the Duffer brothers and their company signed a four-year deal with Paramount, ending their partnership with Netflix.

Personal Life

In late 2015, Ross Duffer married fellow director and screenwriter Leigh Janiak in Palm Springs, California. The two had first met almost a decade earlier at a Los Angeles production company they both worked at. Duffer and Janiak divorced in early 2024.

Real Estate

In January 2019, Ross spent $5.4 million to acquire a new home in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles. The 5-bedroom, 6,000 square foot house sits on a nearly half-acre lot.

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