How Grant Gustin Achieved a Net Worth of $5 Million

When CW’s Arrow first aired in 2012, nobody knew that it would become the Arrowverse that it is today. Among all the characters the shows have produced, Barry Allen’s The Flash has got to be an easy favorite for many. The character of Flash has been played by the talented Grant Gustin since 2013, and he was one of the reasons why the standalone show was pushed forward. The talented actor may be a fresh face to many, but he’s definitely not a novice in the industry. Gustin has managed to accumulate a $5 million net worth up to this point, and we know he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here’s a closer look to how this actor achieved his success.

Background

Born on January 14, 1990 in Norfolk, Virginia, Thomas Grant Gustin was destined to be on stage from a young age. For high school, he attended a School for the Arts for musical theater and actually got his first professional role in a student film during this time. In 2008, Gustin got accepted into Elon University’s BFA Music Theater Program, which he attended for 2 years. He left school in order to pursue professional acting after landing a role in West Side Story with a touring company.

Theater

It was the Broadway Revival Tour of West Side Story that took Gustin away from his studies. This was his first true work as a paid professional actor. Playing the role of Baby John, Gustin was thrown into deep water right away in his career. Growing up, Gustin regularly performed with the Hurrah Players Incorporated, a family theater company based out of Norfolk. Performing 6 nights a week for about a year, Gustin played his role for about 400 shows. The naturally athletic 6 foot 2 actor found that time of his life extremely challenging. Being solo out on the road with no family or friends to get support from, Gustin knew that there were other options. During the time when the tour was on set in California, Gustin sacrificed the time and effort to travel to Los Angeles several times in order to audition for TV roles. He didn’t have much to complain about as far as work is concerned because he was already getting paid as an actor. However, he had his mind set on something else, and the West Side Story gig would be his last on the theatrical stage.

Television

Just a short year after his foray into stage acting, Gustin landed a coveted role in the hit TV series, Glee. It seems that he couldn’t get away from musicals just yet, but this was a great move for Gustin because it put him onto mainstream television. Gustin auditioned for the role of a mere tap dancer, but producers saw him in another role—Sebastian—the gay Warbler that would come in between the beloved partnership of Kurt and Blaine. What was originally a guest role became a recurring one for Gustin, and he ended up staying on Glee from 2011 until 2013. Prior to that, he also had a small role in A Haunting in 2006.

After Glee, Gustin made some more money in small roles on other TV shows including CSI: Miami and 90210. He also had a role in the Lifetime TV movie, A Mother’s Nightmare. All of his appearances in these shows, small or not, have been met with positive reviews from both critics and viewers alike. In 2013, Gustin landed his biggest role to date—Barry Allen/Flash. He appeared in three episodes of Arrow Season 2 before starring in his own CW show, The Flash. These days, Gustin earns about $100k per episode making him one of the highest paid actors in the Arrowverse. It makes sense given that The Flash is one of the more successful CW’s shows in the last decade. This gig has given him majority of his net worth. Since his first appearance on Arrow and The Flash, Gustin has since appeared in other Arrowverse shows including Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, and Batwoman. In addition, Gustin has also since appeared in a web series called Vixen.

Film

Although television gigs have paved the way for Gustin’s success, he’s managed to snag some film roles over the years. In 2014, Gustin landed a major role in the independent film Affluenza, which has been described as a modern take on The Great Gatsby. In 2017, Gustin starred in William H. Macy’s comedy-drama Krystal. He could be seen on screen opposite some greats including Rosario Dawson, Felicity Huffman, Kathy Bates, and a few others. In 2018, he starred in the short film, Tom and Grant, which was directed by Tom Cavanagh—also his costar in the short film and in The Flash. Gustin also has an upcoming film project called Operation Blue Eyes and another film in post-production, Rescued by Ruby, which is a Netflix film. This could be the beginning of a partnership between the actor and the streaming company, but for now this is the only project we know of.

Singer

Grant Gustin may be on his way to establishing himself as a renowned actor in his generation. The award-winning star is full of talents, and as previously stated, he’s an exceptional singer as well. Though he made have made his fortune in acting, Gustin does collect royalties from a few songs he’s released from his brief stint with Glee. Some of the songs that he’s done has even charted globally. For instance, his song with fellow Glee star Naya Rivera, a rendition of Smooth Criminal, made it to top 26 in the US back in 2011. In a special musical episode on The Flash, Gustin recorded two songs that were included in the album released from the show. It’s clear that the sky’s the limit for one Grant Gustin. While his role on The Flash has become beloved by many, we can picture Gustin going forward and doing even bigger and better things. We expect his net worth to only climb in the next few years, and that’s simply a sign of more good entertainment for us all.