How Jeremy Renner Achieved a Net Worth of $80 Million

Jeremy Renner may have taken a long time to become a star. Compared to his other “Avengers” co-stars, he and Robert Downey Jr. are among the actors whose stars started shining when they were much older. Still, it is better late than never. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has made both men quite rich; while Downey Jr.’s net worth is approximately $300 million, Jeremy Renner’s net worth is $80 million. For someone who had hoped to become a computer scientist, acting was a detour that has helped the actor rake in millions. Besides acting, Renner is famous in the real estate industry as an expert in house-flipping. Both endeavors have earned him a fortune, and the star is still thinking about focusing on his music career. Let’s tell you in detail how acting and house-flipping made Renner a wealthy man.

Acting Bug Bites

Renner never planned on becoming an actor. When he joined Modesto Junior College, he wanted to get his degree in computer science in criminology. However, when called upon to pick an arts elective, Renner chose drama. That decision was the beginning of a beautiful journey that would get him to star in multiple films. Even if he had never dreamed of becoming an actor, he found it therapeutic to process the emotions he struggled with after his parents divorced. As he told Daily Actor, acting offered him a platform to express feelings. As he dug deeper into his roles, he became engrossed in studying psychology and human behavior. Unfortunately, his drama classes did not yield immediate fruits. As a result, Renner had to do a few other jobs before his big break. The actor was a makeup artist, utilizing his experience in theater to paint and draw on people’s faces. Since the makeup artist gig did not take up much of his time, Renner still pursued his acting dreams by going to different auditions. To the actor, doing makeup was much better than waiting tables, and to this day, he boasts of still being able to apply mascara like a professional. The actor also took up construction to pay his bills, and it made him a bit picky on the kind of movies he auditioned for; if he could not see himself contributing anything to it, he did not bother auditioning. He also did different commercials like Duracell Ultra Batteries, Bud Light Beer, Coors Light Beer, Kia Automobiles, among many more. He landed a few acting gigs during this time, but they were not enough to help settle bills.

Acting Finally Pays Off

Success is never achieved overnight, as many people tend to believe. Thus, Renner’s hard work and persistence enabled him to become the star he currently is. His debut film was “National Lampoon’s Senior Trip” in 1995. Renner confessed to Project Casting that he landed his speaking role in this comedy and was so excited that he kissed an old dirty carpet. Other movies were “S.W.A.T” and “Dahmer,” the latter bagging him a nomination for Best Lead Male during the Independent Spirit Awards. In 2002, the actor starred in “Dahmer,” as the serial killer; this role made him so anxious that he could not go to the bar alone even after filming was done. Still, he was far from becoming a star until 2008 when he was cast in “The Hurt Locker” and earned $65,000. His acting skills were recognized, and Renner was nominated for an Oscar. Even before he could wrap his head around it, another Oscar nomination came his way thanks to his role in “The Town,” which earned him $1 million. The star was well on his way to pocketing more millions because Renner’s salary in “Avengers” in 2012 was $3 million. He was promised more if he starred in other Marvel films, and true to their word, Marvel has cast Renner in five MCU films, playing Hawkeye. In “Avengers: Endgame,” the actor earned $15 million, the highest he has ever been paid for any roles he has played. In “The Bourne Legacy,” Renner received $5 million, and he would have earned double that amount had he been cast in other Jason Bourne franchises. He also appeared in “Mission Impossible” franchises and was paid $5 million for “Ghost Protocol.” Therefore, you can be sure that in “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,” Renner received a much higher salary.

Real Estate

Renner dabbling in construction while struggling to pay his bills came in handy when he decided to venture into real estate. According to Men’s Journal, when the commercials and few TV show gigs could not pay his bills, Renner began thinking outside the box. He had only $200 bank when he landed a role in “S.W.A.T,” so he used the contract to get a loan. In 2002, he and his friend Kristoffer Winters started renovating a house in Los Angeles after pulling their resources to buy it for $650,000. They renovated it because Renner wanted a comfortable home with two bathrooms. After a few months, someone was willing to pay $900,000 for it. They sold the house, and that first sale pushed them to start house-flipping. They used the proceeds of that sale to buy another house worth $915,000 which later sold for almost $2.4 million. As the renovations continued, Renner preferred to live in the house. During this time, he was nominated for the Oscars. Since the house lacked electricity and plumbing, he would shower in the gym and brush his teeth at Starbucks. His patience yielded results, and the house-flipping business became very lucrative, as depicted by the list on The Hollywood Reporter. In 2010, they bought a house for $7 million, spent $10 million renovating, and sold it for $24 million in 2013. By 2016, the last five house flips had earned Renner and his business partner over $6 million.