Roland Emmerich Net Worth

Early Life and Education

Roland Emmerich was born on November 10, 1955, in Stuttgart, West Germany. He spent his childhood in Sindelfingin. His father, Hans was quite wealthy and this enabled Roland to spend much time traveling to Europe and North America. His father was the founder of a garden machinery production company. Emmerich wanted to study production design, so in 1977 he enrolled in the University of Television and Film Munich, and as his final thesis, he wrote and directed, “The Noah’s Ark Principle.” In 1984, it became the opening film of the 34th Berlin International Film Festival. Roland is not related to Toby and Noah Emmerich, the American screenwriter and actor.

Breakthrough

After completing his education, Roland Emmerich began his career working on several low-budget films in Germany. His breakthrough came in 1992 with the release of his film “Universal Soldier,” which starred Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren. Emmerich’s next film, “Stargate,” was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $200 million worldwide. The film helped to establish Emmerich as a leading director in Hollywood and paved the way for his future success.

Blockbuster Successes

Over the course of the next decade, Roland Emmerich directed several blockbuster films, including “Independence Day,” “Godzilla,” and “The Day After Tomorrow.” These films were known for their high-budget special effects and action-packed storylines, and helped to establish Emmerich as one of the most successful and influential directors in Hollywood. Emmerich’s biggest commercial success came in 2009 with the release of “2012,” a disaster movie that depicted the end of the world. The film grossed over $700 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of that year.

Box Office Gross

Here are Roland Emmerich’s 10 biggest films by worldwide box office gross:

2012 Payday

Throughout his career, Roland has earned hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to backend participation points on his movies. For example, in 2009 alone, Roland Emmerich earned over $70 million off his back end interest in the movie “2012.”

Real Estate

Roland Emmerich has many homes, located all over the world. He is known for decorating these homes in the extreme, with portraits of communist leaders and dictators, as well as, murals and Hollywood memorabilia.

Personal Life

Roland Emmerich is openly gay and has donated millions of dollars to several charitable causes, including the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Trevor Project, which supports LGBTQ youth. He also supports the idea of presenting Academy Awards to movie stuntmen for their performances in films. He is also involved in raising money for women’s rights in the developing world, through the producing of The 1 Second Film.