What Is Chad Michael Murray's Net Worth?
Chad Michael Murray is an American actor, spokesperson, and fashion model who has a net worth of $4 million. Chad Michael Murray earned his net worth through his modeling for well-known fashion brands and acting in films and television. He is perhaps most well known for starring in The WB's "One Tree Hill."
Early Life
Chad Michael Murray was born on August 24, 1981, in Buffalo, New York. He is the son of Rex Murray, an air traffic controller. Chad was abandoned by his mother when he was a baby. Murray attended Clarence High School in Clarence, New York, where he played football and became an avid reader. In his late teens, he got his nose broken when he was jumped in a Burger King by three men. This sparked rumors that he had gotten a nose job, but it was simply reset by emergency room doctors after the incident.
Career
Chad moved to Hollywood in 1999 and modeled for Gucci, Skechers, and Tommy Hilfiger. His first TV gig was playing the role of Rory's rich-kid prep schoolmate Tristan DuGrey on Gilmore Girls in 2000. He was one of the main characters in season one and then became a recurring character in season two before exiting the show. He guest-starred on shows such as "Undressed" and an episode of "Diagnosis: Murder." In 2001, Murray played Charlie Todd on the popular TV series "Dawson's Creek." In 2003, Murray appeared in the television film "Aftermath: A Long Way Home." He also appeared in Disney's "Freaky Friday" alongside Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, which was a major box office success–earning $110,222,438 in the United States. The film was also a critical success and earned an 88% "Certified Fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Around this time, Chad portrayed the role of Luke Hartman in the TV film "The Lone Ranger."
Murray's breakthrough role came in 2003 when he began starring as Lucas Scott on the wildly popular WB television series "One Tree Hill." The series became the channel's biggest hit, with over 4.50 million viewers on the season one finale. It was The WB's most successful and top-rated TV program when it first aired in 2003 and continued receiving top ratings when The WB and UPN merged to become The CW. "One Tree Hill" earned Chad Michael Murray two Teen Choice Awards.
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Murray gained widespread fame from the series and went on to star in the romantic comedy "A Cinderella Story" with Hilary Duff in 2004. The reviews were mostly negative, but the film was a moderate box office success, earning $70.1 million worldwide, and Chad also picked up another Teen Choice Award. In 2005, Murray had another hit when he starred in "House of Wax." It grossed $12 million at the box office in just its first day. Although it received mainly negative reviews, "House of Wax" earned over $70 million worldwide and led to Chad receiving another Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Actor in an Action/Adventure/Thriller. Murray appeared in the Iraq War drama "Home of the Brave" alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Jessica Biel in 2006. In May 2009, The CW announced that Chad would not be returning to "One Tree Hill" for its seventh season.
In 2010, Murray played Alicia Keys's love interest in her music video for "Un-Thinkable (I'm Ready"). Next up, he played Ethan McAllister in Lifetime's TV movie "Lies in Plain Sight," and Chad also starred around this time in the ABC Family Original Movie "Christmas Cupid" with Ashley Benson and Christina Milian. Murray returned for a guest appearance in the final season of "One Tree Hill" on February 22, 2012. In 2013, he appeared in "Fruitvale Station" alongside Michael B. Jordan. The film won two major awards at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. In August 2014, Murray was cast in a featured role as Agent Jack Thompson for Marvel's TV series "Agent Carter" and also returned for its second season. In 2019, it was announced that Murray was cast in a recurring role as Edgar Evernever on The CW drama "Riverdale." Later that year, he appeared opposite Torrey Devitto in Hallmark's Christmas film "Five Cards for Christmas." He went on to star in more Hallmark Christmas movies: 2009's Write Before Christmas?" and "Too Close for Christmas" and 2020's "Love in Winterland." In 2021, he portrayed serial killer Ted Bundy in "American Boogeyman."
Other Appearances and Ventures
Chad's popularity led to him being a spokesperson for MasterCard, K-Mart, Cingular Wireless, and Chevy Cobalt. Murray has also appeared on the covers of "Rolling Stone" and "People" magazines.
Murray released his first novel, "Everlast," in September 2011. In 2017, he published a romantic thriller said to be inspired by one of his dreams, "American Drifter: An Exhilarating Tale of Love and Murder," which he co-wrote with novelist Heather Graham.
Personal Life
Chad married his "One Tree Hill" co-star Sophia Bush in April 2005, but the two separated just five months later. Their divorce was finalized in December 2006. He has also dated co-star Nicky Whelan and was engaged to Kenzie Dalton, who he met when she was an extra on "One Tree Hill." He and Dalton were engaged in April 2006 but called off their seven-year engagement in August 2014. Murray married his "Chosen" co-star Sarah Roemer in 2015. They have a son, born in 2015, and a daughter, born in 2017.
