Peter Sarsgaard Wiki Biography
John Peter Sarsgaard was born on 7 March 1971, in St. Clair County, Illinois USA, of part-Danish ancestry, and is an actor, best known from appearing in various popular films, such as “The Man in the Iron Mask”, “Shattered Glass”, and “The Magnificent Seven”. He’s been active since 1995, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Peter Sarsgaard? As of early-2018, sources estimate a net worth that is at $15 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. He’s been nominated for numerous awards and has also participated in various stage productions. As he continues his career, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Peter Sarsgaard Net Worth $15 million
At a young age, Peter’s family moved around a lot due to his father’s work as an engineer in the US Air Force. He originally wanted to become a soccer player, and took ballet lessons to help his coordination, however, he suffered multiple concussions as a soccer player which led him to stop the sport.. He attended Fairfield College Preparatory School and during his time there, became interested in film, so he transitioned to theatre and writing After matriculating, he attended Bard College for two years then moved to Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL), where he was instrumental in launching an improvisational comedy troupe, and also started performing on stage, debuting in a production of “Tartuffe”. In 1993, he graduated with a degree in history, and moved to New York shortly afterwards.
Sarsgaard started off appearing as a guest in various television series, such as “Law & Order” and “New York Undercover”. In 1995 he appeared in his first film entitled “Dead Man Walking”, in which he played a murdered teenager. He continued with more projects over the next few years which would increase his net worth, including “Desert Blue” and “The Man in the Iron Mask”, which proved to be a box office hit. In 1999, Sarsgaard earned critical acclaim when he played the role of John Lotter in the film “Boys Don’t Cry”, based on a true story, and the film was well received. This eventually led him to his first leading role in “The Center of the World” which also attracted positive reviews. He continued in more films in 2002, such as “Empire” and “The Salton Sea”, steadily building his reputation and net worth..
The following year, Peter became a part of the film “Shattered Glass”, in which he played the role of Charles Lane – the film is another project based on real life events, and his performance earned him several award nominations, and his net worth would increase significantly thanks to the success of the film. He then appeared in the films “Garden State” and “Kinsey”, followed in 2005 by starring in the film “The Dying Gaul”, all of which continued to bring him good reviews. He then had roles in films such as “The Skeleton Key” and “Flightplan”, and the following year he became a host of “Saturday Night Live”, before engaging in more supporting roles in films such as “Year of the Dog”. In 2009 he starred in the drama “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” which is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Chabon, and was also cast in the films “An Education” and “Knight and Day”, appearing alongside Tom Cruise. He also did consistent stage work during this time.
For his personal life, it is known that Sarsgaard married actress Maggie Gyllenhaal in 2009 and they have two daughters. Maggie is the sister of actor Jake Gyllenhaal who is Sarsgaard’s close friend. He also previously had relationships with dancer Dita Von Teese and actress Shalom Harlow. Sarsgaard has also mentioned that his is Catholic and that he is vegan, but cooks meat for his children.
| Full Name | Peter Sarsgaard |
| Net Worth | $15 million |
| Date Of Birth | March 7, 1971 |
| Place Of Birth | St. Clair County, Illinois USA |
| Height | 1.8 m |
| Profession | Actor |
| Education | Washington University in St. Louis |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Maggie Gyllenhaal |
| Children | Gloria Ray Sarsgaard, Ramona Sarsgaard |
| Parents | John Dale Sarsgard, Judy Lea Reinhardt |
| https://www.facebook.com/PeterSarsgaard | |
| https://twitter.com/petersarsgaard | |
| Google+ | https://plus.google.com/105392905137887542473 |
| IMDB | http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0765597/ |
| Awards | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor |
| Nominations | Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Critics’ Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Tele… |
| Movies | Orphan, Jackie, The Magnificent Seven, Green Lantern |
| TV Shows | The Slap, The Killing |
| Trademark | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Often takes supporting roles instead of headlining a picture, whereby his character is friend to the main character in the film (Kinsey (2004), Shattered Glass (2003), Garden State (2004), Jarhead (2005)). |
| Title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Flightplan (2005) | $750,000 |
| Quote | |
|---|---|
| 1 | In my first scene in any movie ever, Sean Penn dragged me out to a swamp, threw me down in the mud, raped and killed me and my girlfriend. We did the scene, we took a shower, put on new clothes and did the scene again. All night long. And that was my big break. |
| 2 | [on Sean Penn taking him out to dinner during the making of his first film, Dead Man Walking (1995)] It was a sort of I’m-going-to-rape-you-and-we-should-get-to-know-one-another meal. I thought that was nice, and I’ve tried to extend the same courtesy to my co-stars, especially if I’m going to kill or rape them. |
| 3 | I’m very much against the death penalty. It’s very easy to do a piece about someone who’s been railroaded by the system, who’s innocent. If you don’t believe in the death penalty, you have to take an extreme circumstance – someone who’s indefensible – to see if it still applies. Otherwise the death penalty applies in some cases. |
| 4 | Seriously, in Catholicism, you’re supposed to love your enemy. That really impressed me as a kid, and it has helped me as an actor. I don’t believe there are bad people. Just people who do bad things. The way that I view the characters I play is part of my religious upbringing. To abandon curiosity in all personalities, good or bad, is to give up hope in humanity. Like somebody who is mumbling on the street – I’m always curious if his words make any sense. I’m interested in lost souls. They possess another sort of secret. (Explaining how his religious upbringing influences his choices as an actor, 2005.) |
| 5 | When people say, ‘The movie sucked, but you didn’t’; that means you didn’t swing hard enough. You bunted. If the movie goes down, I want to go down with it. |
| 6 | On his role as a marine in Jarhead (2005): There’s a quality my character has about not caving in to the physical or mental demands of your job. I really took that to heart. A lot of my relatives have served, and I have respect for what it means to be a soldier. These guys are carrying a very heavy burden. We joke about marines being strict and severe, but would you want a bunch of hippies running around with guns?. |
| 7 | When you don’t have power, which I still don’t in the grand Hollywood scheme of things, you get offered things that you wouldn’t ordinarily be offered. Frequently, other people know what I can do more than I do. |
| 8 | If you go in and audition for roles rather than just be offered them, then you kind of get a chance to kind of discover that you can do something that you didn’t think you could do. |
| 9 | “I just pick the best roles that are left over, and they usually aren’t the heterosexual, leading-man, non-drug-addict parts. And once you get into doing them, people know you do them.” – On his wide range of offbeat parts. |
| Fact | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Appearing on Broadway as Trigorin in “The Seagull.” [October 2008] |
| 2 | Co-starring with Elisabeth Shue in the off-Broadway revival of “Burn This” by Lanford Wilson. [2003] |
| 3 | Is friends with ultra marathon champion Scott Jurek. |
| 4 | Is an avid runner. Runs 50-60 miles per week. |
| 5 | His paternal grandfather was of half Danish and half Norwegian descent. His other ancestry includes German, Austrian, Ulster-Scots (Scots-Irish), English, and Irish. His surname originates in Denmark. |
| 6 | Became a father for the 2nd time at age 41 when his wife Maggie Gyllenhaal gave birth to their daughter Gloria Ray Sarsgaard on April 19, 2012. |
| 7 | Became a father for the 1st time at age 35 when his fiancée [now wife] Maggie Gyllenhaal gave birth to their daughter Ramona Sarsgaard on October 3, 2006. |
| 8 | Brother-in-law of Jake Gyllenhaal. |
| 9 | Son-in-law of Stephen Gyllenhaal and Naomi Foner. |
| 10 | Admits to having a lifelong fear of flying. |
| 11 | He attended the Actors’ Studio Program at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. |
| 12 | Engaged to Maggie Gyllenhaal [April 2006] |
| 13 | Childhood hero was Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett. |
| 14 | He studied with legendary acting coach Terry Schreiber at the T. Schreiber Studio in New York City, like Edward Norton, Jeanine Louise DeName and Broadway actress Kimilee Bryant. |
| 15 | In Garden State (2004), Peter’s character collects Desert Storm trading cards. In Jarhead (2005), Peter’s character fights in Desert Storm. |
| 16 | His baby face; his soft, strangely ominous voice; and often bizarre, unstable characters have led to him being compared to John Malkovich, who played his father in The Man in the Iron Mask (1998). |
| 17 | He attended Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where he co-founded a comedy improvisation group called Mama’s Pot Roast. |
Actor
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUBWAYStories: Tales from the Underground | 1997 | TV Movie | Boy No. 1 (segment “Underground”) (as Peter Scarsgaard) |
| New York Undercover | 1997 | TV Series | Donald Jones |
| Dead Man Walking | 1995 | Walter Delacroix | |
| Law & Order | 1995 | TV Series | Josh Strand |
| Escobar | 2017 | filming | Neymar |
| The Magnificent Seven | 2016 | Bartholomew Bogue | |
| Jackie | 2016/V | Bobby Kennedy | |
| Black Mass | 2015 | Brian Halloran | |
| The Slap | 2015 | TV Series | Hector |
| Ladygrey | 2015 | Samuel | |
| Experimenter | 2015 | Stanley Milgram | |
| Moustaches Make Food Taste Better | 2014 | Short | Jørgen ‘Jørgen’ Jørgen |
| Pawn Sacrifice | 2014 | Father Bill Lombardy | |
| Reel Rock Film Tour | 2014 | TV Series | Narrator |
| Night Moves | 2013 | Harmon | |
| The Killing | 2013 | TV Series | Ray Seward |
| Blue Jasmine | 2013 | Dwight | |
| Lovelace | 2013 | Chuck | |
| Very Good Girls | 2013 | Fitzsimmons | |
| Robot & Frank | 2012 | Robot (voice) | |
| Green Lantern | 2011 | Hector Hammond | |
| Saturday Night Live | 2010 | TV Series | Boogerman |
| Knight and Day | 2010 | Fitzgerald | |
| Orphan | 2009 | John | |
| In the Electric Mist | 2009 | Elrod Sykes | |
| An Education | 2009 | David Goldman | |
| Elegy | 2008/I | Kenny Kepesh | |
| The Mysteries of Pittsburgh | 2008 | Cleveland Arning | |
| Rendition | 2007 | Alan Smith | |
| Year of the Dog | 2007/I | Newt | |
| High Falls | 2007 | Short | Pedro |
| Jarhead | 2005 | Alan Troy | |
| Flightplan | 2005 | Carson | |
| The Skeleton Key | 2005 | Luke Marshall | |
| The Dying Gaul | 2005/I | Robert | |
| Kinsey | 2004 | Clyde Martin | |
| Garden State | 2004 | Mark | |
| Shattered Glass | 2003 | Charles ‘Chuck’ Lane | |
| Death of a Dynasty | 2003 | Brendon III | |
| Unconditional Love | 2002 | Window Washer | |
| K-19: The Widowmaker | 2002 | Lt. Vadim Radtchinko | |
| The Salton Sea | 2002 | Jimmy the Finn | |
| Empire | 2002 | Jack | |
| Bacon Wagon | 2001 | Short | Cowboy Zombie Victim |
| The Center of the World | 2001 | Richard Longman | |
| Housebound | 2000 | Tom | |
| The Cell | 2000 | Julia Hickson’s Fiancee (uncredited) | |
| Boys Don’t Cry | 1999 | John Lotter | |
| Cracker: Mind Over Murder | 1999 | TV Series | Spencer Trent |
| Freak City | 1999 | TV Movie | Cal Jackson |
| Minor Details | 1998 | Scott | |
| Desert Blue | 1998 | Billy Baxter | |
| Another Day in Paradise | 1998 | Ty | |
| The Man in the Iron Mask | 1998/I | Raoul |
Producer
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lovelace | 2013 | executive producer |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Magnificent Seven: Rogue Bogue | 2016 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Today | 2015-2016 | TV Series | Himself / Himself – Guest |
| Made in Hollywood | 2009-2016 | TV Series | Himself |
| America Divided | 2016 | TV Mini-Series documentary | Himself |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 2016 | TV Series | Himself |
| Starring Austin Pendleton | 2016 | Documentary short | Himself |
| Birthday Stories with Lynn Hirschberg | 2016 | TV Series short | Himself |
| Late Night with Seth Meyers | 2015 | TV Series | Himself – Angrily Swiping Things Off Desk / Himself – Guest |
| Valley Uprising | 2014 | Documentary | Narrator (voice) |
| Blue Jasmine: Notes from the Red Carpet | 2014 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Conan | 2011-2013 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Green Lantern’s Light: Focus Points | 2011 | Video documentary | Himself |
| Janela Indiscreta | 2011 | TV Series | Himself |
| Big Morning Buzz Live | 2011 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Green Lantern: An Exclusive Look | 2011 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Boston Days and Spanish Knights | 2010 | Video short | Himself |
| Knight and Day: Scope | 2010 | Video short | Himself |
| Knight and Day: Story | 2010 | Video short | Himself |
| Wilder Knights and Crazier Days | 2010 | Video short | Himself |
| The 82nd Annual Academy Awards | 2010 | TV Special | Himself – Co-Presenter: Best Actor in a Leading Role |
| 25th Film Independent Spirit Awards | 2010 | TV Special | Himself |
| Cinema 3 | 2010 | TV Series | Himself |
| Guión busca estrella | 2010 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Mama’s Little Devils: Bad Seeds and Evil Children | 2009 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| The Hour | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
| Up Close with Carrie Keagan | 2009 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Late Night with Jimmy Fallon | 2009 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| DP/30: Conversations About Movies | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
| Entertainment Tonight | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
| The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien | 2009 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Late Night with Conan O’Brien | 2008 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| Intersections: The Making of ‘Rendition’ | 2008 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| History in Focus | 2007 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| Indie Sex: Extremes | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Indie Sex: Teens | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Indie Sex: Censored | 2007 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| Film Independent’s 2007 Spirit Awards | 2007 | TV Special | Himself |
| 2006 Independent Spirit Awards | 2006 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| In-Flight Movie: The Making of ‘Flightplan’ | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Saturday Night Live | 2006 | TV Series | Himself – Host |
| Background | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Jarhead Diaries | 2006 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Corazón de… | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
| HBO First Look | 2002-2005 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
| The WIN Awards | 2005 | TV Special | Himself |
| Starz Special: On the Set of ‘Flightplan’ | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Carson |
| The Kinsey Report: Sex on Film | 2005 | Video documentary | Himself |
| The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards | 2005 | TV Special documentary | Himself |
| The 10th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards | 2005 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The Making of ‘Garden State’ | 2004 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Charlie Rose | 2004 | TV Series | Himself – Guest |
| The 2004 IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards | 2004 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards | 2004 | TV Special | Himself – Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture |
| The 2003 IFP Independent Spirit Awards | 2003 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
| The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards | 2003 | TV Special | Himself – Audience Member |
| K-19: It’s in the Details | 2002 | Video short | Himself |
| The Making of ‘K-19: The Widowmaker’ | 2002 | Video documentary short | Himself |
| Embracing the Chaos: A Conversation with the Cast of ‘The Salton Sea’ | 2002 | Video documentary short | Himself / Jimmy the Finn |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democracy Now! | 2015 | TV Series | Himself |
| Welcome to the Basement | 2015 | TV Series | Himself / David Goldman |
| Jake Gyllenhaal Challenges the Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize | 2010 | Short | Alan Troy |
| El Magacine | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
| Sex at 24 Frames Per Second | 2003 | Video documentary | John Lotter (uncredited) |
Won Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Cinema Vanguard Award | Santa Barbara International Film Festival | An Education (2009) | |
| 2009 | EDA Special Mention Award | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Depiction of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction | An Education (2009) |
| 2005 | Chlotrudis Award | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | Glitter Award | Glitter Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2004 | Best Actor | Stockholm Film Festival | Garden State (2004) | |
| 2004 | Best Actor | Las Palmas Film Festival | Shattered Glass (2003) | |
| 2004 | NSFC Award | National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | OFCS Award | Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | TFCA Award | Toronto Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Performance, Male | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | VVFP Award | Village Voice Film Poll | Best Supporting Performance | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | BSFC Award | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | KCFCC Award | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | SFFCC Award | San Francisco Film Critics Circle | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2000 | Emerging Actor Award | St. Louis International Film Festival |
Nominated Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | VVFP Award | Village Voice Film Poll | Best Actor | Experimenter (2015) |
| 2015 | Gotham Independent Film Award | Gotham Awards | Best Actor | Experimenter (2015) |
| 2014 | Critics’ Choice TV Award | Critics Choice Television Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series | The Killing (2011) |
| 2014 | Gold Derby Award | Gold Derby Awards | Ensemble Cast | Blue Jasmine (2013) |
| 2014 | Gold Derby TV Award | Gold Derby Awards | Drama Supporting Actor | The Killing (2011) |
| 2013 | Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | The Killing (2011) |
| 2010 | Actor | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | An Education (2009) |
| 2009 | ACCA | Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Cast Ensemble | An Education (2009) |
| 2005 | Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama | Jarhead (2005) |
| 2005 | WAFCA Award | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jarhead (2005) |
| 2005 | WIN Award | Women’s Image Network Awards | Actor in Film | Flightplan (2005) |
| 2005 | Critics Choice Award | Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | DFWFCA Award | Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | Gold Derby Award | Gold Derby Awards | Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | Independent Spirit Award | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Male | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | OFTA Film Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | OFCS Award | Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | Golden Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama | Kinsey (2004) |
| 2005 | Golden Satellite Award | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Comedy or Musical | Garden State (2004) |
| 2004 | Golden Globe | Golden Globes, USA | Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | COFCA Award | Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | CFCA Award | Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | Chlotrudis Award | Chlotrudis Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | DFWFCA Award | Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | Gold Derby Award | Gold Derby Awards | Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | Golden Schmoes | Golden Schmoes Awards | Best Supporting Actor of the Year | Garden State (2004) |
| 2004 | Independent Spirit Award | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Supporting Male | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2004 | OFTA Film Award | Online Film & Television Association | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | WAFCA Award | Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
2nd Place Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | ICS Award | International Cinephile Society Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | Seattle Film Critics Award | Seattle Film Critics Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
| 2003 | SEFCA Award | Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Shattered Glass (2003) |
3rd Place Awards
| Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | NSFC Award | National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA | Best Supporting Actor | Kinsey (2004) |