Peter Dinklage Net Worth

What is Peter Dinklage's Net Worth and Salary?

Peter Dinklage is an American actor who has a net worth of $25 million. Peter Dinklage first gained attention for his breakout role in the 2003 indie film "The Station Agent," where his nuanced performance as a reclusive man coping with grief earned critical praise. Dinklage continued building a diverse resume with roles in films like "Elf," "Find Me Guilty," and "Death at a Funeral," showcasing both dramatic and comedic range.

His career reached global prominence when he was cast as Tyrion Lannister in HBO's "Game of Thrones," a role that made him a household name and earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Dinklage's portrayal of Tyrion, a cunning and morally complex character navigating a brutal world, was widely regarded as one of the show's highlights. As we detail in a moment, Peter Dinklage's Game of Thrones per-episode salary of $1.1 million made him one of the ten highest-paid actors in TV history.

Beyond television, Dinklage has appeared in major studio films including "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Cyrano," the latter of which earned him critical acclaim for his musical performance in the title role. He has also lent his voice to animated projects like "The Croods: A New Age" and "Ice Age: Continental Drift."

Game of Thrones Salary

For the final two seasons of Game of Thrones, 14 episodes that aired between July 2017 and May 2019, Peter Dinklage's salary per episode was $1.1 million. That works out to $14.3 million for those two seasons. That per-episode salary is currently the sixth-highest amount any actor has ever earned on a TV show. For the 20 episodes he shot for seasons 5 and 6, he earned $500,000 per episode, $10 million total. Peter's total earnings from Game of Thrones likely top $30 million.

Early Life

Peter Hayden Dinklage was born on June 11, 1969, in Morristown, New Jersey. His father, John Carl Dinklage, worked as an insurance salesman, and his mother, Diane Dinklage, was an elementary school music teacher. He grew up in Mendham Township, New Jersey, with his older brother Jonathan, who later became a professional violinist.

Dinklage was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and stands 4 feet 5 inches tall. He has spoken openly about struggling with feelings of anger and frustration about his condition during childhood. Despite those challenges, he became involved in acting at a young age. His first stage performance came in fifth grade when he played the lead in a school production of "The Velveteen Rabbit."

He attended Delbarton School, a Catholic preparatory school in New Jersey, where his interest in acting continued to grow. A 1984 production of Sam Shepard's play "True West" left a particularly strong impression on him and helped solidify his desire to pursue acting professionally. After high school, Dinklage attended Bennington College in Vermont, graduating in 1991 with a degree in drama. After college, he moved to New York City to pursue an acting career, initially attempting to start a theater company with friend Ian Bell while working day jobs to pay the bills.

Early Acting Career

Dinklage's early years in the entertainment industry were marked by both determination and selectivity. From the beginning of his career, he refused to accept stereotypical roles often offered to actors with dwarfism, such as playing elves or leprechauns. That decision limited the number of available opportunities but helped him build a career based on more substantive characters.

One of his earliest film appearances came in the 1995 independent film satire "Living in Oblivion," directed by Tom DiCillo. In the film, Dinklage plays a frustrated actor hired to appear in a dream sequence, delivering a memorable monologue about the limited roles available to performers with dwarfism. The performance helped introduce him to the independent film world.

During this period, Dinklage also remained active in theater. In 1996 he appeared in the Off-Broadway production "The Killing Act," portraying a theatrical version of Tom Thumb. Despite steady work in theater and occasional film roles, he continued supporting himself through various jobs, including working at a data-processing company for several years before acting became financially sustainable.

Breakthrough with "The Station Agent"

Dinklage's career breakthrough arrived in 2003 with the independent drama "The Station Agent." In the film, he played Finbar McBride, a withdrawn man who inherits an abandoned train station in rural New Jersey and gradually forms unexpected friendships. The performance was widely praised for its subtlety and emotional depth.

"The Station Agent" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and quickly became one of the most celebrated independent films of the year. Dinklage received numerous award nominations and won several critics' awards for his performance. The film significantly raised his profile in Hollywood and opened the door to more substantial roles in both independent and mainstream films.

Film Career and Expanding Roles

Following the success of "The Station Agent," Dinklage began appearing in a wider variety of projects. In 2003 he also had a memorable supporting role in the holiday comedy "Elf," starring Will Ferrell. Over the next decade he appeared in films such as "Lassie," "Find Me Guilty," "Underdog," "Death at a Funeral," and "Penelope."

He also appeared in larger fantasy and adventure films including "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." In 2014 he joined the X-Men franchise, playing the villain Bolivar Trask in "X-Men: Days of Future Past." The role introduced him to a global blockbuster audience.

Dinklage continued balancing independent projects with studio films. He appeared in Martin McDonagh's acclaimed drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and starred in the post-apocaly

(Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

"Game of Thrones" and Global Fame

Dinklage's career reached another level in 2011 when HBO premiered "Game of Thrones," the epic fantasy series based on George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels. Dinklage was actually the first actor cast in the series, having been selected by showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss in 2009.

His portrayal of Tyrion Lannister quickly became one of the show's most beloved elements. Tyrion's sharp intellect, biting humor, and emotional complexity made him a standout character throughout the series' eight-season run from 2011 to 2019.

Dinklage won four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the role, along with a Golden Globe Award. He also received multiple nominations from the Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice Television Awards. His performance was consistently praised as one of the strongest in the series.

Producing and Voice Work

In 2016, Dinklage co-founded Estuary Films with producing partner David Ginsburg. One of the company's first projects was the film "I Think We're Alone Now," which Dinklage both starred in and produced.

He has also built a successful side career in voice acting. In 2012 he voiced Captain Gutt in the animated film "Ice Age: Continental Drift." He later voiced the Mighty Eagle in "The Angry Birds Movie" and provided voice work for the video game "Destiny."

Dinklage has continued lending his voice to animated and video game projects, including voicing the character Scourge in "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts."

Personal Life

Peter Dinklage married theater director Erica Schmidt in 2005. The couple has two children together and maintains a notably private family life. They rarely share details about their children publicly and have not released their names.

Dinklage has been a vegetarian since the age of 16 and has been involved in animal rights advocacy. He has supported several campaigns for the organization PETA, including appearing in the documentary-style advocacy film "Face Your Food," which promotes a vegan diet and raises awareness about factory farming practices.

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