Miles Teller has a net worth of 20 million dollars as of 2026, built mainly through two decades of film work that runs from small indie dramas to billion-dollar franchises. The Whiplash and Top Gun: Maverick star turned a scrappy start in regional theater into one of the more durable acting careers of his generation.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
| Full Name | Miles Alexander Teller |
| Net Worth | 20 million dollars |
| Age | 39 (born February 20, 1987) |
| Profession | Actor, Producer |
| Primary Income | Film salaries, backend deals, business investments |
| Spouse | Keleigh Sperry (married 2019) |
| Birthplace | Downingtown, Pennsylvania |
Early Life and Education
Teller was born in Downingtown, Pennsylvania, and spent his early teenage years after his family relocated to Citrus County, Florida. It was a quiet stretch of the state, not the usual pipeline for future movie stars, but Teller found his way into performing early through school theater and a saxophone he played in the marching band.
He later studied at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2009, before completing his training with method-acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. That formal training, layered on top of years in regional theater, is part of why directors have repeatedly cast him in physically and emotionally demanding roles rather than lighter, safer parts.
In 2007, while still a student, Teller survived a car accident that flipped eight times at roughly 80 miles per hour, leaving him with scars that are still visible on screen today. He has spoken about the crash publicly on several occasions, describing how he went out the window before the vehicle finished rolling, and the experience has shaped both his outlook and, according to interviews, his willingness to take on riskier creative choices rather than play it safe with his career.
Career Beginnings
Teller’s first notable credit came with a guest appearance on the short-lived ABC crime drama The Unusuals. His real break followed soon after, when he landed a role opposite Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart in the 2010 drama Rabbit Hole, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a couple grieving the loss of their young son.
From there, he moved through a string of smaller films, including Rabbit Hole and The Spectacular Now, projects that built his reputation as a serious dramatic actor before Hollywood widely knew his name. That gradual move from smaller productions to major films is also part of Cillian Murphy’s career story. He also picked up mainstream visibility through the Divergent franchise, playing Peter Hayes across three installments, a role that introduced him to a much younger, book-fan-driven audience than the indie dramas that first got him noticed by critics.
That combination, credibility with critics on one side and franchise recognition on the other, is a big part of why Teller’s career has held up longer than many actors who broke out in the same wave of early 2010s indie darlings. A similar balance between critical recognition and mainstream work can be seen in Laura Linney’s career. Plenty of his peers from that era picked one lane, either prestige work or blockbuster paychecks, while Teller kept working both sides at once.
Breakthrough With Whiplash and The Spectacular Now
The Spectacular Now, in 2013, gave Teller his first taste of critical acclaim, but it was Whiplash, in 2014, that changed everything. Playing an ambitious jazz drummer opposite J.K. Simmons, Teller delivered a physically demanding performance that earned him a Golden Globe nomination and cemented his standing as one of the strongest actors of his generation.
The film’s success reportedly also cost him a role. Teller has said he lost out on La La Land, directed by the same filmmaker behind Whiplash, after asking for 6 million dollars against an offered 4 million, with the part eventually going to Ryan Gosling. It is one of the more talked-about near misses of his career, though the films he did take on kept his name relevant regardless.
Awards and Critical Recognition
Whiplash remains the high-water mark of Teller’s critical reception. Beyond the Golden Globe nomination, the film swept a large share of that year’s award season conversation, winning three Academy Awards, including one for J.K. Simmons, and Teller’s performance is still frequently cited as one of the best of his generation for a young lead actor.
He has not chased award season attention with the same frequency since, choosing a mix of commercial and genre projects. That choice has drawn some criticism from fans who wanted more prestige work following Whiplash, but it has also meant a steadier and arguably more lucrative career than a strict awards-focused path would have produced.
Top Gun: Maverick and Blockbuster Success
Teller’s commercial breakthrough arrived with Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, where he played Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw. The film grossed roughly 1.49 billion dollars worldwide, becoming one of the biggest box office hits in recent memory and resetting how studios valued Teller as a leading man.
Before that, War Dogs in 2016 paired him with Jonah Hill in a comedy drama based on a true story about young arms dealers, giving him another commercially successful credit. The Offer, a 2022 Paramount Plus miniseries about the making of The Godfather, added a television credit to a resume built mostly on film.
Recent Projects and Roles
Teller has kept a steady pace of work heading into 2026. He starred alongside Anya Taylor-Joy and Sigourney Weaver in the sci-fi horror film The Gorge, hosted Saturday Night Live, and took on a role in Michael, the biopic centered on Michael Jackson’s life and career.
He also picked up the role of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four, joining Marvel’s rebooted franchise and adding another major studio tentpole to his filmography. Industry chatter about a potential Top Gun sequel has continued as well, and any future installment would likely represent another significant payday given his role in the first film’s success.
Taking on Reed Richards in particular signals a shift toward franchise-anchored work, the kind of role that tends to come with long-term studio relationships and merchandising or backend arrangements rather than a single upfront fee. For an actor already balancing prestige credits with blockbuster paydays, a Marvel role adds a third pillar to a resume that increasingly looks built for longevity rather than a single career peak.
Public Image and Media Presence
Teller has cultivated a reputation as an actor who avoids the more chaotic corners of celebrity culture while still staying visible through his film work, his marriage, and occasional television appearances like his Saturday Night Live hosting stint. He tends to give interviews that focus on craft and specific film projects rather than personal controversy, a pattern that has kept his public image relatively stable compared to some contemporaries.
That low-drama approach has not hurt his marketability. Brands and studios have continued to attach him to major releases, and his combination of dramatic credibility and commercial appeal has made him a reliable, if not headline-dominating, presence in Hollywood’s current landscape of leading men.
Income Sources and Salary
Most of Teller’s income traces back to film salaries. For major studio productions, he is reported to earn between 3 million and 5 million dollars per film, with backend deals pushing that figure higher on box office hits like Top Gun: Maverick.
Beyond acting, Teller has moved into business investment. He is connected to The Long Drink Company, a canned cocktail brand that was reportedly part of a 325 million dollar acquisition deal, a development that put his name back in financial headlines outside of his film work. Producing credits on select projects have added a secondary, smaller stream of income alongside his acting fees.
Real Estate and Assets
Teller’s property history has included both wins and one costly loss. In 2016, he paid roughly 3 million dollars for a home in Studio City, California, later selling it in 2023 for about 4.7 million dollars.
In March 2023, he paid 7.5 million dollars for a property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. That home was destroyed in the Palisades Fire in early 2025, a loss that several outlets have described as one of the more significant financial setbacks in his personal portfolio, even as his overall net worth has continued to hold steady through his film earnings.
Personal Life: Wife Keleigh Sperry
Teller married model Keleigh Sperry in September 2019 on the Hawaiian island of Maui, following a ceremony at a Sacred Hearts Mission Catholic Church and a reception at the Ritz-Carlton. The couple had dated for several years before the wedding and have remained a steady presence together at industry and fashion events since.
As of 2026, the couple does not have children. Sperry has built her own public profile as a model and social media personality, and the pair are frequently photographed together at film premieres and public appearances, keeping both of their names in entertainment coverage well beyond Teller’s film credits alone.
How Miles Teller’s Net Worth Compares to Peers
Placed next to actors who broke out around the same era, Teller’s 20 million dollar net worth sits in a middle tier, well behind stars who parlayed early franchise work into nine-figure fortunes, but ahead of many character actors with similarly acclaimed dramatic resumes. What sets his financial position apart is the mix of prestige and commercial credit on his resume, from a Golden Globe-nominated performance in Whiplash to a supporting role in one of the highest-grossing films ever made.
His business ventures, particularly the Long Drink Company deal, suggest his income streams are starting to diversify beyond acting salaries, a pattern that has helped other actors extend their earning years well past their box office peak. If a Top Gun sequel or another tentpole role materializes, industry watchers expect his net worth to climb further from its current level.
Estimates of Teller’s exact figure vary by outlet, with some placing it closer to 10 million dollars and others as high as 25 million, largely because backend deals and business investments like the Long Drink Company stake are not always fully disclosed. The 20 million dollar figure most widely cited reflects a reasonable middle point across those public estimates rather than a single confirmed number, which is standard for how celebrity wealth is typically reported.
