“I think the reality is that when I look at musicals, whether film or stage, there is so much that needs to go right for a musical number to really lift off and give you goosebumps. It’s the hardest art form in a lot of ways because it’s several art forms mashed together, but when it really works, there’s no more amazing feeling,” the Hamilton creator previously told Parade. “And so I was very lucky that I went to a public school that had amazing art and music classes. I got a daily dose of it. So once I got cast in the 6th-grade play and got a taste of it, there was no going back for me. Bye Bye Birdie was pretty much the beginning of the end.” Miranda came from humble beginnings and didn’t get to see the types of live shows that he’d later go on to create, but he was still able to watch them at home thanks to a device that sounds super-vintage now: A good old VCR. “I grew up surrounded by film musicals. That’s what we could afford. We couldn’t afford Broadway musicals,” he said, adding, “I’m of the age where the Disney movies were in the white VHS boxes that were a little too big for your VHS shelf back in their own special corner. I had that white puffy VHS box.” Now, well, it’s safe to say he’s probably upgraded at the very least to a sweet Blu-Ray player. Here’s Lin-Manuel Miranda’s net worth and how he earned it.
Lin-Manuel Miranda Net Worth
Miranda’s net worth is estimated at $80 million. If In the Heights makes big bucks at the box office, expect this number to climb in a big way!
Lin-Manuel Miranda conceived the musical In the Heights when he was still in college
Miranda wrote the script and music for In the Heights when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan University, where it was performed for the very first time in April 2000. The show broke box-office records for the student-run ‘92 Theater at Wesleyan, and Miranda made a lucky connection at the time that would change his life and career forever. “I was approached by John Buffalo Mailer (son of Norman), a senior at the time,” Miranda recalled. “He loved the show and said, ‘My friends and I are starting a production company when we graduate, and we want to help you bring it to New York.’ I said, ‘That sounds awesome,’ went to the cast party and promptly forgot about his offer.” In the meantime, Miranda worked as a teacher and wrote jingles for commercials to make ends meet. In 2002, Miranda met Thomas Kail through Mailer; Mailer and Kail formed Back House Productions with Anthony Veneziale and Neil Stewart. Kail spoke to Miranda about potentially directing In the Heights, and that planted a seed in Miranda’s mind once more to rework the play. “Over the next year, while I teach seventh grade English at my old high school by day, Back House hosts at least five readings of Heights in its various, pupating stages,” Miranda wrote of the period. “Producer Jill Furman comes to a reading, enjoys herself and joins us on the journey. Rent producer Kevin McCollum comes to a reading in June 2003. He digs the music, he digs the bodega and he wants more. His producing partner, Jeffrey Seller, concurs, and the hard work begins.” Miranda, Kail and the rest of their team brought In the Heights to Connecticut and then off-Broadway in 2005 and 2007, and by 2008, the show debuted on The Great White Way. In the Heights won four Tony Awards in 2008, including Best Musical, Best Original Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations. Touring productions started in 2009. In the Heights became profitable within 10 months and won a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. The show closed on Broadway in 2011.
The In the Heights film adaptation is expected to make be a massive hit
In the Heights was first under development for a film adaptation in November 2008, when Universal acquired the rights to the musical for a 2011 release. However, the project didn’t move forward, and by 2012, Miranda said he was back at work developing the movie for potential distribution elsewhere. In 2016, it was reported that the Weinstein Company would distribute the film, but after the rampant sexual abuse and rape allegations against Harvey Weinstein emerged in 2017, the project went to Warner Bros. in 2018 for $50 million. Originally slated for a June 2020 release, In the Heights was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will now debut in theaters and on HBO Max on June 11, 2021. Miranda wrote all of the music and lyrics for the film and will star as Piragua Guy. In the Heights is already a critical darling, with nearly unanimous glowing reviews.
Hamilton is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s biggest moneymaker so far
Miranda is the sole writer of Hamilton, which means he received a seven percent cut of the show’s box office grosses before it recouped its expenses, then 7.5% afterward forever. On average, according to The Hollywood Reporter, that amounts to approximately a whopping $160,000 per week in royalties (save for when Broadway’s lights went out during the COVID-19 pandemic). He also received an actor’s salary for his titular role as Hamilton in the show and gets three percent of the net profits in addition to his royalties. According to the New York Times, while starring in the show on Broadway, Miranda made about $6.4 million per year. He will also take royalties from all other performances of the show (including touring productions). The theatrical release of the Hamilton film was initially set for October 2021, but went right to Disney+ in July 2020; Miranda is a producer on the project. A behind-the-scenes documentary on the play, Hamilton In-Depth With Kelley Carter, dropped the same day. Disney reportedly paid $75 million for the rights to the Hamilton film adaptation, making it one of the biggest film acquisition deals of all time. What’s more, the Hamilton soundtrack generated more than $6 million in sales to date, and as both a performer and the sole writer on the tracks, that is a lot of $10 bills for Miranda.
Lin-Manuel Miranda writes music for major blockbusters
In addition to writing the music and lyrics for his own productions, Miranda shares his talents with other major motion pictures as well. In 2016, it was revealed that Miranda wrote the cantina song for Star Wars: The Force Awakens (and later for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, too!). He contributed music and lyrics to Disney’s Moana, and he is composing music for Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid, as well as animated features Encanto(also from Disney) and Sony Pictures’ Vivo.
Lin-Manuel Miranda has acted in more movies and TV shows than you may realize
Of course, Miranda is best known for Hamilton and In the Heights, but he also had a star turn in Mary Poppins Returns as Jack. Here are just some of the other projects in which Miranda has appeared that you may not have realized at the time (but won’t be able to stop yourself from re-watching now):
The SopranosHouseModern FamilyDo No HarmHow I Met Your MotherDifficult PeopleCurb Your EnthusiasmBartlettBrooklyn Nine-NineFosse/VerdonBoJack HorsemanOne Day at a TimeHis Dark MaterialsDuck Tales
Lin-Manuel Miranda is a prolific producer and is dipping his toes into directing
In addition to acting and music composition, Miranda can add “producer” to his endless list of talents and occupations. He’s got producing or executive producing credits on the following projects (and counting), and is set to also direct a few:
Hamilton’s AmericaFosse/VerdonClayton’s Friends (also directed)We Are Freestyle Love SupremeRita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For ItIn the HeightsTick, Tick Boom (also directing)Disney’s The Little Mermaid (live-action)The Kingkiller ChronicleNeptune Frost
Lin-Manuel Miranda owns some stellar real estate (but none In the Heights)
When Miranda graduated college, he moved to a co-op with friends at 5000 Broadway in New York City. It would later inspire the name of his production company. After winning his first Tony Award in 2008, Miranda purchased a three-bedroom, two-bathroom co-op in the Inwood neighborhood of New York City. He listed the 1,125-square-foot property in 2018 for $949,000 and sold for $960,000. Today, Miranda, his wife Vanessa Nadal, purchased two units in another co-op, this time at 141 Cabrini Boulevard in New York City. Their building, Castle Village, is a high-rise with spectacular views of the Hudson River, though specifics of their units remain under wraps. Despite his riches, Miranda lives pretty simply, and according to The New York Times, he still rides the subway! Next, find out Kelly Clarkson’s net worth and how hard “Miss Independent” worked to make it!
