Popularly known by his nickname ‘Tommy Wiseau’ whose original name is Thomas P. Wiseau, is a Hollywood actor, filmmaker, writer, and also a producer. He made an appearance in the 2003 film The Room, which was written, directed, and produced by him. In this article, we will discuss Tommy Wiseau Net Worth and some lesser-known facts about his life and career.
Wiseau’s movie The Room has been described by various critics as one of the worst films ever produced at that time, however, the movie was also given the cult status.
Later, he received awards like the 2004 Social Award for the documentary Homeless in America and also the 2004 Audience Award for The Room.
Tommy Wiseau once told that he earned funding for his movie The Room (2003) by importing and selling leather jackets from South Korea. However, some crew members on the film said that an organized-crime money-laundering scheme gave the funding.
Many years before he started his acting career, Tommy Wiseau was hospitalized after being involved in a near-fatal car accident in California.
Another person ran a red light and hit his car. According to one of his friends Greg Sestero, that incident inspired Wiseau to pursue his dreams of becoming a filmmaker and an actor.
Tommy Wiseau Net Worth and Overview
| Net Worth | $500,000 |
| Occupation | Actor, filmmaker |
| Date of Birth | October 3, 1955 |
| Age | 64 years |
| Height | 5’9” ft. or 1.74m |
| Spouse(s) | – |
| Children | – |
| Country of Origin | The United States of America |
| Source of Wealth | Movies |
| Instagram Followers | 226k |
| Twitter Followers | 289.5k |
| YouTube Subscribers | – |
| Last Updated | December 2020 |
Early Life
Tommy Wiseau has always been secretive about his life. The actor derived his name from the nickname ‘ The Birdman’ which was given to him while he worked as a street vendor in San Francisco by selling novelty bird toys which were popular only in Europe at that time.
Tommy said in an interview that he grew up in Europe but he is an American. Wiseau gave a false age which indicated that he was born in 1968 or 1969, but later, the director of the documentary Room Full of Spoons, Rick Harper, discovered that Wiseau was born in October 1955, and his best friend Greg Sestro was 23 years younger than him.
As a young boy, Wiseau moved to Strasbourg, where he was called by the name ‘Pierre’ and worked in a restaurant as a dishwasher.
Sestero states that Wiseau told him that the French police unlawfully arrested him in a drug raid. Further, the treatment of Police had disturbed him. Thus, he decided to move to the U.S., and he lived with an aunt and uncle in Chalmette. Although these cases have not been verified.
Early Business Ventures
Tommy Wiseau also claims to have a degree in psychology from Laney Community College in Oakland, affirming that he had graduated as an honor student.
As depicted by Sestero in his book ‘ The Disaster Artist’, Wiseau worked an assortment of employments in the San Francisco Bay Area, including medical clinic laborers and eatery table attendants.
He also ran a business called Street Fashion USA that sold irregular pants at discounted prices. In this way he earned money and bought and rented out large retail spaces in and around Los Angeles and San Francisco, making him independently wealthy.
Career Highlights and Awards
Wiseau states that he drew inspiration from the movies The Guns of Navarone and Citizen Kane, and was obsessed with the actors James Dean and Marlon Brando. His obsession was so intense that he used to visit a restaurant in Los Angeles which was owned by a former acquaintance of Dean.
Many dialogues in the movie The Room was similar to the lines from the film Rebel Without a Cause. Wiseau enrolled in Chase’s program around 1994 and also allegedly attended film classes at Los Angeles Community College. During this time, Wiseau also directed a student film, ‘Robbery Doesn’t Pay’.
Wiseau’s film The Room came out in 2003 with a total budget of $6 million and it was based on an unpublished 540-page novel written by him. Critics described it as the worst movie ever.
In the 2017 autobiography of Greg Sestero The Disaster Artist, James Franco acted as Wiseau, for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
Wiseau was satisfied with the choice of actors, as well as that of Dave Franco who played Sestro. Tommy Wiseau made his appearance in a post-credits scene as Henry.
Famous Works
Some of Tommy’s renowned film and television shows include Homeless In America, The House That Drips Blood On Alex, Bump, Big Shark, Best F(r) iend, Cold Moon, Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance, The Neighbors, La La Land Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
He received Best Social Documentary (L.A. Festival) award for the Homeless In America and Audience Award at New York International Film Festival (Miami Festival) for The Room.
Personal Life
Wiseau was secretive and private about his personal and family life. During an interview, Wiseau referred to Greg Sestro as his best friend. In another interview, he claimed to speak fluent French and told that he is a Catholic.
In early 2020, a judge from a Canadian court ordered Tommy to pay $550,000 in lost income and $200,000 in severe harms to the producers of the documentary the Room Full of Spoons, because of the way that he attempted to obstruct the arrival of the film as he felt that it negatively delineated him.
Criticism
Many film critics find some of Tommy’s filmmaking works to be below average. His movie The Room was received a lot of criticism. Similarly, Tommy’s Disaster Artist also received criticism for the quality of filmmaking. Many believe that it was a failed attempt at filmmaking.
What is Tommy Wiseau Net Worth in 2021?
Tommy Wiseau has always been very close-mouthed about his source of wealth. But is estimated that his career in acting and filmmaking has earned him a decent fortune. Tommy Wiseau Net Worth in 2021 is $500 Thousand.
A Few Interesting Facts About Tommy Wiseau
- Tommy Wiseau used to drink Red Bull while filmmaking
- He got SAG( Screen Actors Guild) card by acting, writing, producing, directing in a commercial for a company he owns
- Tommy became a naturalized U.S. citizen on May 28, 1985, in San Francisco, CA.
- He attended many screenings for The room in person
- He often holds Question And Answer sessions with the audience and even meets his fans
- Wiseau featured on a Topps Allen & Ginter collectible card
- He is not the same age as his best friend Greg Sestro
- He created a merch range that includes “easy to wash” underwear and a dating site, TheRoomDating.com, that aims to connect fans of the movie The Room.
Summary
Tommy Wiseau is popularly known for his acting, filmmaking, and his famous movie The Room. Many aspects of his life are unknown as he chooses to be very secretive about his life. There are many speculations about his origin country, net worth, personal life, sources of wealth, and a lot of other such things.
However, most of these speculations are unverified. As per many media reports and claims from other sources, Tommy Wiseau Net Worth in 2021 is $500 Thousand.
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