Nicholas David Rowland Cassavetes was born on 21 May 1959, in New York City, USA, to actress Gena Rowlands and actor and film director John Cassavetes, of Greek-American descent. He is a filmmaker and actor, perhaps best known for directing the films “John Q” and “The Notebook”.
So just how rich is Nick Cassavetes? According to sources, Cassavetes has established a net worth of over $40 million, as of early 2017, earned through his involvement in film industry which began in the early 1970s.
Nick Cassavetes Net Worth $40 Million
Cassavetes grew up in New York City. Hailing from a family of noted actors, it was quite natural for him to take up the same profession. His acting career started when he was 11 years old, appearing in his father’s film “Husbands” in 1970. Four years later he appeared in “A Woman Under the Influence”, another film directed by his father. However, Cassavetes later decided to give up on his career in film, and enrolled at Syracuse University on a basketball scholarship, but an injury ended his collegiate athletic career, so he returned to acting and, following his parents’ footsteps, enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
His first adult role came in 1985 with Peter Bogdanovich’s acclaimed drama “Mask”, however, his next few roles were mostly in various B-movies such as “Under the Gun”, “Blind Fury” and “Sins of the Night”. He also appeared in guest spots in several television series, including “L.A. Law” and “Matlock”, which slowly increased his net worth.
In the mid-’90 Cassavetes began working behind the camera, releasing his directorial and screenwriting debut, the 1996 drama film “Unhook the Stars”. The following year his second film came out – “She’s So Lovely” – which was one of unpublished material written by his father. Around this time, he also appeared in films such as “Face/Off”, “Life” and “The Astronaut’s Wife”, paving his way to recognition and fame in both facets, as well as contributing to his net worth.
The 2000s saw Cassavetes continuing to write, direct and act. He penned the popular Johnny Depp film “Blow” in 2001, and directed his first big-budget film, “John Q”, the following year, which boosted his popularity in the world of Hollywood films, considerably improving his wealth.
In 2004 he directed the big screen romantic drama “The Notebook”, an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ bestselling novel of the same name, in which Cassavetes’ mother Gena starred, and was a great commercial success, soon attracting a cult following. It won several awards, including eight Teen Choice Awards and a Satellite Award, and which brought Cassavetes high praise as a filmmaker, significantly adding to his net worth too.
His next film was the 2006 crime drama “Alpha Dog”, followed by the 2009 drama “My Sister’s Keeper”, serving as director and co-writer in both projects. The films reinforced Cassavetes’ high status in Hollywood, improving his wealth once again.
His most recent projects were the drama “Yellow”, which he co-wrote and directed in 2012, and the comedy film “The Other Woman, which he directed in 2014.
Aside from films, Cassavetes is also credited for writing the dialogue for Justin Timberlake’s music video “What Goes Around… Comes Around”.Tokyo Grand Prix (2012), Audience Award (2013, SXSW Film Festival), Gold Hugo (1996, Chicago International Film Festival), Palme d’Or (1997, Cannes Film Festival)
A passionate poker player, he has participated in the World Poker Tour (WPT) Invitational Season 5, finishing in the fifth place. He has also appeared in the cash game poker television program “High Stakes Poker”.
When it comes to his personal life, Cassavetes has been married twice; in 1985 he married Isabelle Rafalovich, with whom he has two daughters. After their divorce, he married actress Heather “Queenie” Wahlquist, who has appeared in several of his films. The couple has one child together.
