What is Peter Sarsgaard's Net Worth and Salary?
Peter Sarsgaard is an American film and stage actor who has a net worth of $25 million. That is a combined net worth with his wife, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Peter Sarsgaard has been acting professionally since 1995 when he landed his first feature role in the movie "Dead Man Walking." Three years after his screen debut, he starred in 1998 independent movies "Another Day in Paradise" and "Desert Blue." The same year, Sarsgaard landed a substantial role in "The Man in the Iron Mask" portraying Raoul, the ill-fated son of Athos.
He earned his first critical recognition for his performance in 1999's drama "Boys Don't Cry." Then followed his first leading role in the 2001 film "The Center of the World," after which he played supporting roles in 2002 films "Empire," The Salton," as well as "K-19: The Widowmaker."
On television, he has been in multiple miniseries, including "The Slap," "Wormwood," and "Dopesick." Sarsgaard has also acted in such theatrical productions as "Uncle Vanya," "The Seagull," and "Hamlet."
Peter made his Broadway debut in 2008 with "The Seagull" and has gone on to appear in numerous stage productions.
Early Life and Education
Peter Sarsgaard was born as John Peter Sarsgaard on March 7, 1971 at Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County, Illinois. His mother is Judy, while his father, John, was an Air Force engineer who went on to work for IBM and Monsanto. Sarsgaard moved often with his family growing up, as his father landed jobs in many different places. Initially, Sarsgaard wished to be a soccer player, but after having a number of concussions on the field, he gave up the sport to pursue writing and theater.
For his education, he went to Fairfield College Preparatory School, a private Jesuit boys' school in Connecticut. After graduating, Sarsgaard went to Bard College in New York for two years, and then transferred to Washington University in St. Louis. At the latter institution, he co-founded the improv comedy troupe Mama's Pot Roast. Sarsgaard graduated in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in history.
Film Career
Sarsgaard made his film debut in 1995, playing a murdered teenager in Tim Robbins' acclaimed drama "Dead Man Walking." Three years later, he had a more substantial part in the action drama "The Man in the Iron Mask," and also appeared in the independent films "Desert Blue" and "Another Day in Paradise." Sarsgaard had something of a breakthrough in 1999: that year, he earned the best reviews of his career thus far for his performance as killer John Lotter in the biographical drama "Boys Don't Cry." Next, in 2001, he had his first leading role in Wayne Wang's "The Center of the World." The following year, Sarsgaard appeared in four films: the gangster film "Empire," the neo-noir crime thriller "The Salton Sea," the historical submarine film "K-19: The Widowmaker," and the comedy "Unconditional Love."
Sarsgaard gave one of his most critically lauded performances in 2003, playing journalist Charles Lane in the biographical drama "Shattered Glass." For his work, he earned his first Golden Globe Award nomination, and won the National Society of Film Critics Award. He earned further praise for his performances in the 2004 films "Garden State" and "Kinsey." Sarsgaard was subsequently in "The Dying Gaul," "The Skeleton Key," "Flightplan," "Jarhead," "Year of the Dog," "Rendition," "Elegy," and "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh." In 2009, he starred opposite Carey Mulligan in the acclaimed coming-of-age drama "An Education," and was also in "Orphan" and "In the Electric Mist." Next came "Knight and Day," "Green Lantern," "Robot & Frank," "Lovelace," "Very Good Girls," "Night Moves," and "Blue Jasmine." Sarsgaard's other notable credits have included "Experimenter," "Black Mass," "Jackie," and "The Lost Daughter," the lattermost of which was written and directed by his wife Maggie Gyllenhaal.
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Television Career
On television, Sarsgaard first appeared in a 1995 episode of "Law & Order." He followed this two years later with an appearance on "New York Undercover." In 1999, Sarsgaard was in an episode of "Cracker," and appeared in the television film "Freak City." His first main role in a series came in 2013, when he starred as Ray Seward in the third season of the AMC crime drama "The Killing." Sarsgaard followed this with roles in three miniseries. In the NBC miniseries "The Slap," he starred as assistant deputy commissioner Hector Apostolou. Next, in the 2017 docudrama "Wormwood," he portrayed real-life biochemist Frank Olson. Sarsgaard subsequently played CIA officer Martin Schmidt on Hulu's "The Looming Tower," based on the eponymous book by Lawrence Wright.
In 2020, Sarsgaard starred as Detective David Russell on the true crime drama "Interrogation"; ultimately, the series was canceled after a single season. He had his next main role in the 2021 Hulu miniseries "Dopesick," about the opioid crisis in the United States. Sarsgaard played the role of Rick Mountcastle. Other cast members included Michael Keaton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, Kaitlyn Dever, and Rosario Dawson.
Stage Career
Sarsgaard made his stage debut in 1995 in an off-Broadway production of Horton Foote's "Laura Dennis." The next year, he appeared in "Kingdom of Earth." After a hiatus, Sarsgaard returned to the stage in 2002 to replace Edward Norton in a production of Lanford Wilson's "Burn This." Six years later, he made his Broadway debut in Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull," playing tortured writer Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin. Sarsgaard followed this with two more Chekhov plays, both off-Broadway: "Uncle Vanya" and "Three Sisters." In 2015, he starred as the titular prince in Shakespeare's "Hamlet."
Personal Life
Earlier in his life, Sarsgaard dated burlesque performer Dita Von Teese; actress and model Shalom Harlow; and photographer Malerie Marder, with whom he attended Bard College.
In 2002, Sarsgaard began a relationship with actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, the sister of his friend, actor Jake Gyllenhaal. The two got engaged in 2006, and married in 2009 in Italy. Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal have two daughters.
Real Estate
In 2006 Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard purchased a townhouse in Park Slope, Brooklyn. In 2019 they listed the townhouse for sale for a reported $4.6 million. The townhouse's layout was custom-made by architect Elizabeth Roberts and interior designer John Erik Karkula and features a music room, a screening room, and two custom-designed office spaces.
