Dennis Quaid Net Worth

What is Dennis Quaid's Net Worth and Salary?

Dennis Quaid is an American actor who has a net worth of $20 million.

After breaking through in the Oscar-winning coming-of-age film "Breaking Away," Quaid became one of the defining screen actors of the 1980s with standout performances in "The Right Stuff," "The Big Easy," "Innerspace," and "Great Balls of Fire!" He continued working steadily through the 1990s and 2000s in films such as "The Parent Trap," "Any Given Sunday," "Frequency," "The Rookie," "The Day After Tomorrow," "In Good Company," and "Far from Heaven." Quaid has often specialized in characters who combine confidence, humor, vulnerability, and a distinctly American kind of grit, playing astronauts, athletes, fathers, coaches, musicians, soldiers, sheriffs, and presidents. More than five decades after his screen debut, he remains a familiar presence in Hollywood, with a career that has reached multiple generations of moviegoers.

Court filings from Quaid's divorce from Kimberly Buffington have offered a rare public glimpse into his annual income. Those filings indicate that Quaid typically earns somewhere in the low seven figures per year, often in the $1 million to $4 million range, depending on his film, television, commercial, and residual income. In especially strong years, however, his income can climb much higher. For example, during a 2020 child-support dispute, Quaid disclosed that he had earned more than $6 million in 2019, a year that included acting work, commercial income, and television projects including "Goliath" and "Merry Happy Whatever."

Early Life

Dennis William Quaid was born on April 9, 1954, in Houston, Texas. He grew up in a creative family alongside his older brother, Randy Quaid, who also became an actor. His mother, Juanita, worked as a real estate agent, while his father, William, was an electrician.

Quaid attended Bellaire High School, where he developed an interest in acting and performance. He later enrolled at the University of Houston and studied drama. Rather than finish college, he left school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting professionally.

Like many young actors, Quaid struggled during his early years in Hollywood. He took small parts and bit roles while trying to break into the business. His first screen appearances c

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Early Career and Breakthrough

Quaid's breakthrough came with the 1979 film "Breaking Away." The movie followed a group of working-class friends in Bloomington, Indiana, and became a surprise critical and commercial success. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and helped establish Quaid as a charismatic young actor to watch.

He continued building momentum with roles in films such as "The Long Riders," "Caveman," and "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia." His real arrival as a major screen presence came in 1983 with "The Right Stuff," in which he played astronaut Gordon Cooper. The film, based on Tom Wolfe's book about the early years of the American space program, gave Quaid one of the defining roles of his early career.

"The Right Stuff" showcased many of the qualities that would become central to Quaid's screen persona: confidence, humor, physicality, and a slightly mischievous edge. It also helped position him as a leading man who could handle serious drama, period material, and broad mainstream entertainment.

Movie Stardom

During the 1980s, Quaid became one of Hollywood's most versatile leading men. He starred opposite Ellen Barkin in the 1987 crime romance "The Big Easy," playing a charming New Orleans police detective. That same year, he appeared in the sci-fi comedy "Innerspace," proving that he could handle action, comedy, and romance in the same performance.

In 1989, Quaid played rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis in "Great Balls of Fire!" The role required him to capture Lewis's wild stage presence, swagger, and chaotic personal life. Although the film received mixed reviews, Quaid's performance became one of his most memorable and energetic early starring roles.

Quaid continued working steadily throughout the 1990s. He appeared in "Postcards from the Edge," "Come See the Paradise," "Flesh and Bone," "Wyatt Earp," and "Dragonheart." In "Wyatt Earp," he played Doc Holliday, a physically demanding role that allowed him to disappear into a gaunt, intense, and haunted character.

One of his most widely seen films from this period was the 1998 remake of "The Parent Trap," in which he played Nick Parker, the warmhearted father of twin daughters both played by Lindsay Lohan. The movie became a family favorite and introduced Quaid to a younger generation of viewers.

Career Resurgence

Quaid enjoyed a strong career resurgence in the early 2000s. He appeared in Steven Soderbergh's acclaimed ensemble drama "Traffic" and then starred in "Frequency," a science fiction thriller about a father and son communicating across time. In 2002, he delivered one of the best-reviewed performances of his career in "Far from Heaven," playing Frank Whitaker, a closeted husband in 1950s suburbia opposite Julianne Moore.

That same year, Quaid starred in "The Rookie," based on the true story of Jim Morris, a high school baseball coach who makes an unlikely run to the major leagues. The movie became one of his signature inspirational sports films and reinforced his ability to play ordinary men facing extraordinary second chances.

He followed with a busy run of studio films, including "Cold Creek Manor," "The Alamo," "The Day After Tomorrow," "In Good Company," "Flight of the Phoenix," "Yours, Mine & Ours," "Vantage Point," and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra." While the projects varied widely in tone, Quaid remained a dependable presence in major commercial releases.

Television and Later Work

In addition to his film career, Quaid has taken on a growing number of television roles. He starred as Sheriff Ralph Lamb in the CBS drama "Vegas" and later appeared in shows including "Fortitude," "Goliath," and "Lawmen: Bass Reeves." His television work has often drawn on the same qualities that defined his film career: authority, charm, toughness, and a slightly unpredictable edge.

Quaid has also appeared in faith-based, inspirational, and historical projects, including "Soul Surfer," "I Can Only Imagine," "American Underdog," "Blue Miracle," and "The Hill." In 2024, he played Ronald Reagan in the biographical drama "Reagan," adding another real-life figure to a filmography that already included astronauts, athletes, musicians, lawmen, and public officials.

Music

Outside acting, Quaid has long been active as a musician. He performs with his band, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, playing rock and roll, country-influenced songs, and faith-based material. Music has been a recurring part of his creative life and was especially relevant to his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis in "Great Balls of Fire!"

(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Personal Life

In 1978, Quaid married actress P.J. Soles. They divorced five years later in 1983. In 1991 Quaid married actress Meg Ryan. They met while filming D.O.A. The two had a son together in 1992, Jack Quaid. The couple later announced their separation in 2000 and finalized their divorce in 2001.

Quaid then briefly dated model Shanna Moakler in 2001 and then remained single until meeting his future wife, Kimberly Buffington, a Texas real estate agent. The two got married in 2004 at Quaid's Montana ranch. The couple had fraternal twins together via a surrogate in 2007. While still in the hospital, a staff member accidentally gave the twins an extremely high dosage of a blood thinner, from which the twins recovered. Quaid subsequently sued the drug manufacturer and prompted an ongoing interest in patient safety advocacy. Quaid has since produced a number of documentaries on the topic of preventable medical errors.

While separated from Buffington, Quaid began dating model Santa Auzina, whom he was together with until 2019. The same year, he got engaged to Laura Savoie. The two planned to get married in April of 2020 but canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They later decided to get married in June of 2020 in Santa Barbara, CA.

Divorce Settlement

Quaid's third marriage, to real estate agent Kimberly Buffington, became one of the more legally complicated chapters of his personal life. The couple married in 2004 and welcomed twins, Zoe and Thomas Boone, in November 2007. Their marriage went through several false starts before finally ending. Buffington first filed for divorce in 2012, but later withdrew the petition. The couple reconciled, but the split became permanent after she filed for legal separation in 2016. In a joint statement at the time, the two said they had decided to end their 12-year marriage amicably and with mutual respect, while remaining devoted to raising their children.

The divorce was finalized in 2018. Under the settlement, Buffington received 75% custody of the twins, while Quaid received 25%. Quaid agreed to pay $13,750 per month in child support, with the possibility of additional payments if his annual income exceeded $1.314 million. The settlement also required him to pay Buffington a $2 million lump sum in spousal support, plus an additional $1 million to equalize the division of property.

The property division included several vehicles and real estate assets. Buffington kept a 2014 Mercedes, while Quaid kept a 2007 Land Rover, a 2012 Mercedes, and a 2013 Honda. Quaid also retained their property in Austin, Texas, while the former couple agreed to split proceeds from the sale of the family home. The agreement also addressed Quaid's residual income from his acting career. Residuals from films and television projects he completed before the marriage remained his separate property, while residuals from projects made during the marriage were split 50/50.

In 2020, Quaid returned to court over the child support formula. At the time, the existing agreement called for his support obligation to increase if his annual income exceeded $1.314 million. Quaid disclosed that he had earned more than $6 million in 2019, driven by acting work, commercials, and television projects, including his Esurance campaign, "A Dog's Journey," "Merry Happy Whatever," and "Goliath." Rather than simply allow the original formula to create what he argued could be an unusually large support increase, Quaid asked the court to issue a below-guideline order based on the reasonable needs of the twins. In practical terms, he was not asking to avoid an increase entirely. He was asking that the increase be capped at a level he considered appropriate rather than calculated strictly as a percentage of his unusually strong earnings year.

The support issue resurfaced again in 2026, when Quaid filed a petition to end his $13,750 monthly child support payments after the twins' high school graduations. According to the terms of the 2018 divorce agreement, the monthly child support obligation could end when each child completed 12th grade, assuming the child was still under 19 and enrolled as a full-time high school student, or when another specified termination event occurred. With the twins turning 18 and graduating in May and June 2026, Quaid asked the court to terminate the base monthly payments.

He also asked the court to adjust the income-based portion of his 2026 support obligation. Because the agreement required additional payments when his annual income exceeded $1.314 million, Quaid requested that any bonus support for 2026 be prorated to each child's graduation date rather than calculated using his full-year income. The filing did not appear to raise a new custody dispute or allege misconduct. It was essentially a request to apply the termination terms already built into the divorce agreement.

Real Estate

Dennis Quaid has owned homes in California, Texas, and Montana, with his real estate history reflecting both his Hollywood career and his long-standing connection to the American West. His most notable property was a sprawling ranch in Paradise Valley, Montana, known as Camp Warren Oates. Quaid owned the property for decades and named it after actor Warren Oates, who had once co-owned part of the land with filmmaker Sam Peckinpah.

The Montana ranch covered roughly 418 acres near the base of Emigrant Peak, about 30 miles from the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park. The property included a main residence of about 5,300 square feet, four guest houses, a ranch manager's home, horse facilities, ponds, creek access, and sweeping mountain views. Quaid listed the ranch for $14 million in 2011, but it ultimately sold for $8.6 million. The property was one of the clearest examples of Quaid's off-screen identity as a horseman, outdoorsman, and lifelong admirer of Western landscapes.

Quaid also owned property in Austin, Texas, where his third wife, Kimberly Buffington, had roots and where the couple spent part of their marriage. As part of their divorce settlement, Quaid retained their Austin property while the former couple agreed to split proceeds from the sale of their family home. In 2018, Quaid sold a Lake Austin residence for close to its $3.5 million asking price. That home was described as a waterfront property in the Marina Club development overlooking Lake Austin, measuring roughly 5,000 square feet with three bedrooms plus a bonus room.

In California, Quaid has bought and sold several homes in Pacific Palisades. In 2013, he sold a previous Pacific Palisades home for $3.315 million. That same year, he purchased another home in the area for $5.1 million. After his divorce from Buffington, Quaid and his ex-wife listed that Spanish-style Pacific Palisades property for $6.495 million. The home ultimately sold in March 2019 for $5.9 million. The property spanned roughly 6,100 square feet and included six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half bathrooms, a gated motor court, a swimming pool, a home theater, and classic Old Hollywood-style details.

In 2017, Quaid also bought a contemporary home in the Mandeville Canyon area of Los Angeles for about $3.9 million. That purchase came during the same general period when he was unwinding the larger family-property arrangements connected to his divorce. Together, his real estate record shows a pattern of alternating between Los Angeles residences tied to his acting career, Texas homes connected to family life and his home-state identity, and Western ranch property that reflected his personal love of horses, open land, and privacy.

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