Who’s the richest Stranger Things cast member? Net worths, ranked – Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard and Noah Schnapp earn millions as child stars, but how does Winona Ryder’s iconic career compare?
The return of Stranger Things is here! The hit Netflix show’s hotly anticipated fourth season premiered on May 27 with a second volume coming in July.
Captivating audiences since its 2016 debut, the sci-fi TV drama is set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and stars an ensemble cast of talented actors.
But who’s the show’s richest star? We take a look at 13 of the wealthiest cast members, ranked by their reported net worths.
Paul Reiser: US$75 million
Though not a main character, comedian Paul Reiser plays Dr Sam Owens and tops the list with a massive fortune of US$75 million. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Reiser earned his wealth over decades in the business through his lucrative TV and film projects and stand up comedy. He’s also a savvy property investor, reportedly buying a mansion in Beverly Hills in 1998 for US$6 million and selling it to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for almost US$29 million last year.
The American actor is best known for starring in 1990s sitcom Mad About You with Helen Hunt. It’s reported that from 1998 onwards, he was earning US$1 million per episode – and the show ran until 2019!
Winona Ryder: US$18 million
Starring in a string of successful, generation-defining films, Winona Ryder was world famous before she landed the role of Joyce Byers in the show, not least because she dated Johnny Depp for a stint.
The American actress burst onto the scene in the 1980s, enjoying a prolific and lucrative career with iconic projects including Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Girl, Interrupted. She even appeared in an episode of Friends where she played an ex schoolmate of Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston).
According to The Standard, Ryder earned US$350,000 per Stranger Things season 3 episode.
Matthew Modine: US$10 million
Another actor who’s been working in film and television since the 1980s, Matthew Modine stars in a recurring role as Dr Martin Brenner, a scientist at the Hawkins Lab where much of the show’s story unfolds.
With over 30 years in the industry, Modine has starred in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, Baby It’s You, and also played deputy commissioner Peter Foley in The Dark Knight Rises.
Millie Bobby Brown: US$10 million
Arguably the show’s biggest breakout star, Millie Bobby Brown is said to be worth an impressive US$10 million. Off the back of her Stranger Things success, Brown has starred in several blockbusters, including Godzilla and Enola Holmes. In 2018, she was listed as one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine.
As per Celebrity Net Worth, the young British actress and model reportedly earns US$300,000 per episode. She turned 18 in February.
Sean Astin: US$10 million
Though he’s probably best known for his role as Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of The Rings films, California born Sean Astin has also enjoyed a recurring role in Stranger Things as Joyce’s (Ryder’s) boyfriend.
Through his decades of work in film, TV and even video games, the actor – also known for his childhood starring role in The Goonies – has accumulated an estimated personal fortune of US$10 million.
David Harbour: US$6 million
As Hopper, the Hawkins chief of police, actor David Harbour portrays one of the show’s main characters and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance in the show. He reportedly earns up to US$400,000 per episode, but has also starred in box office hits like Brokeback Mountain, Quantum of Solace and The Suicide Squad.
He reportedly earned US$100,000 per Stranger Things episode at first, and later US$350,000 per episode – similar to Ryder.
Gaten Matarazzo: US$5 million
Part of the show’s huge appeal and success has been its young cast of adolescent characters, one of whom is the adorable Dustin played by Gaten Matarazzo.
Celebrity Net Worth reported that, for the third season alone, Matarazzo earned around US$2 million. He’s said to have earned just over that for the upcoming fourth season. He’s currently shooting teen comedy Honor Society alongside Angourie Rice, and is set to return to the stage this July in musical Dear Evan Hansen. We say “return” because, before hitting our screens in Stranger Things, he also had parts in Les Miserables and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway.
Finn Wolfhard: US$4 million
The 19 year old Canadian born actor is reported to have accumulated a net worth of US$4 million through Stranger Things and other Hollywood projects. Though his Stranger Things first season’s earnings were about US$10,000 per episode, like much of the cast, the young actor’s salary was significantly increased for the show’s third season. He also played Richie Tozier in the remake of Stephen King’s horror film It in 2017.
Charlie Heaton: US$4 million
Like his castmates, the British actor’s salary was reportedly increased from US$10,000 per Stranger Things episode to US$250,000 per episode. Before starring in the Netflix show he had small parts in British television dramas including Casualty and Vera.
Heaton, who stars as Ryder’s eldest son, Jonathan Byers, is also a keen drummer, and has done stints in several UK based bands in the past.
Joe Keery: US$4 million
Like Heaton and Wolfhard, Keery’s central role on the show as high schooler Steve Harrington was recognised with an enviable salary of US$250,000 per episode by season three.
Born in Massachusetts, the actor used his big break in Stranger Things to land the part of Walter “Keys” McKey in Free Guy alongside Ryan Reynolds in 2021, which went on to gross US$331 million worldwide.
Maya Hawke: US$3 million
Starring as Robin Buckley in the show’s third season, Maya Hawke is reported by Celebrity Net Worth to have amassed a personal fortune of US$3 million.
Not only is Hawke a successful actress and model, having featured in campaigns for both Calvin Klein and Vogue, the 23-year-old Stranger Things star is also the daughter of Hollywood A-listers Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke.
Noah Schnapp: US$3 million
Schnapp’s character, Will Byers, is one of the show’s central characters, meaning that he too ended up earning US$250,000 per episode by the third season. The young actor is only 17 years old but has already worked with Steven Spielberg in Bridge of Spies and scored voice over work as Charlie Brown in The Peanuts Movie.
Caleb McLaughlin: US$3 million
Caleb McLaughlin – better known to fans of the show as Lucas Sinclair – was another of Stranger Things’ breakout young stars. Also with a salary of US$250,000 per episode by season three, and a few smaller parts in television before that, the 20-year-old actor’s current net worth is estimated to be US$3 million. He also played Young Simba in The Lion King on Broadway from 2012 to 2014 and made his feature film debut in 2020 in Concrete Cowboy alongside Idris Elba.
