Rami Malek Net Worth: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Star Faced Massive Debt Before Big Break

By Alexandria Kim

Each celebrity in the world has their notable movie or series that changed their life forever. In Rami Malek's case, it took him years before he landed one.

Malek's was never a household name even though he started his career in 2004. Like many other rising stars in Hollywood, he also did not have an overnight success.

Rami Malek's Net Worth in 2020

For years, Malek stood up with the stars who also did not get enough spotlights in Hollywood. But as of 2020, Rami Malek's net worth surprisingly went up despite being one of the late bloomers in the film industry.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Rami Malek's net worth hit the $8 million mark this year. It is safe to say that his bank account made a colossal boom, though his breakthrough only started in 2015.

Over a decade since he began his career, he finally said goodbye to supporting roles and got his own lead role in the 2015 psychological drama "Mr. Robot." Malek overshadowed other 100 actors who auditioned for the role of Elliot Alderson, and he consistently gave breakout performances throughout the series.

His performance then brought him to the stages of different award-winning bodies. The actor earned nominations in Dorian, Golden Globe, Satellite, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

He brought home the trophies for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

In 2018, he got chosen to portray Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody," which became a major box office success. The same film earned acknowledgment as the highest grossing musical film of all time.

Between those years, he appeared in numerous films like "Night at the Museum," "Battleship," "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2," and "Papillon" among others.

Rami Malek's Journey Wasn't Smooth-Sailing

Before Rami Malek enjoyed such fame, he also went through a lot of hardships in his career.

For a son of immigrant Egyptians, trying to fit in a country with so much cultural indifferences was hard. Although the award-winning "Bohemian Rhapsody" actor was born and raised in the U.S., his parents made sure that he and his siblings know their ancestry.

He conquered that difference and performed well in school, achieving personal success while treading to his dream of becoming a theater actor.

Still, his journey toward his lifetime aspiration was not easy and a straight path. Malek needed to deal with his booming college debt, and the only way he found to pay that off was to form the Slant Theatre Project.

While their plays around the city did not catch the attention it deserved, he temporarily took jobs delivering pizzas and making shawarma sandwiches at a restaurant in Hollywood.

After getting rejected one after the other, he finally landed a role -- but it also somewhat caused him headaches in the end.

The 2004 hit TV series "Gilmore Girls" opened the door for the actor. However, Malek once again got hit with debt since he needed to join the Screen Actors Guild first and pay $2,000 for union fee upon getting the role.

"I think Warner Bros. had to pay the fine for me," he told the magazine. "I [then had to] pay a fee, which took me a very long time to do."

His earnings from "Gilmore Girls" did not contribute much to Rami Malek's net worth since he only had three lines, but it gave him the stepping stone to get the next roles.