Mike White Net Worth, Career, Early Life
Mike White has a net worth of $8 million and is an American writer, actor, and director. White is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished storytellers and directors in the cinema and television industries.
From a young age on, the written word held a special allure for him. As an adult, he decided to follow his dream and write, debuting with the dark comedy Dead Man on Campus. On the set of Dawson’s Creek, he also played the role of producer. In the year 2000 movie Chuck & Buck, he not only performed the lead part but also penned the screenplay.
Although he spent most of the next several years mostly as a screenwriter (for movies like Orange County, School of Rock, Beatriz at Dinner, and Pitch Perfect 3), he did make a few cameo appearances in those films.
White is also well-known for his reality TV exploits; he raced on two seasons of The Amazing Race and finished second in Survivor. Recent work includes creating, writing, and directing the 2021 HBO satire comedic anthology series The White Lotus.
He has also been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and nominations, including three Primetime Emmys, a Golden Satellite Award nomination, two Independent Spirit Awards, and the Seattle International Film Festival’s New American Cinema Award.
Mike White Early Life
Mike White was born on June 28, 1970 to Lyla Lee, a fundraiser, and Mel White, a pastor and former writer for Christian leaders including Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson in Pasadena, California. White’s father came out as gay in 1994.
White comes from a very traditional and traditional family that has no connections to the entertainment world. However, it wasn’t until he was in the second grade that he got his first real writing inspiration. He had a teacher who was the mother of Oscar-winning screenwriter Sam Shepard. Because of this, the idea of White becoming a writer began to interest him.
Mike White Career
White’s interest in writing persisted, and he eventually taught himself the basics of screenwriting. He attended Pasadena’s Polytechnic School, an extremely devout Christian institution. White transferred to Wesleyan, a school with a significantly more progressive culture.
He got his start in screenwriting while in college and hasn’t looked back since. Zak Penn, a struggling screenwriter, noticed White and extended an invitation to go to Los Angeles after seeing how talented White was. By the time he was in his late twenties, he had already relocated, begun his struggle, and entered the professional workforce.
Dead Man on Campus, a black comedy White co-wrote with Michael Traeger in 1998, received mostly unfavorable reviews but broke even at the box office. Then he wrote and produced the hit television series Dawson’s Creek, which ran for four seasons and was universally well-received.
Mike White Personal Life
White is a bisexual man who decided to come out after witnessing his father’s difficulties coming to terms with his own homosexuality. White once admitted that he always suspected his dad was gay, even though he didn’t find out for sure until after he finished college.