Here's How Much Lily Rabe Is Really Worth
Lily Rabe is one classy Hollywood star, more likely to appear in a Vogue write-up than splashed across the tabloids. The Ryan Murphy muse, and star of "American Horror Story" is fiercely private though. Truth be told, there isn't a ton of behind-the-scenes information made available to the public, as she keeps her personal life closely guarded. We know that she's been with Hamish Linklater long enough to welcome three children, but their aversion to opening up about their relationship has led to conflicting reports about whether or not they're married. See what we mean? She's a bit of an enigma.
Something we do know about the nepotism baby, however, is that she's reportedly rather comfortable financially: Celebrity Net Worth estimates Rabe is worth a whopping $2 million.
So, how exactly did she make all that money? Below we dive into Rabe's super private private life, and figure out exactly how she came to rack up all that dough.
Lily Rabe invests in property
Lily Rabe is smart about her money — after all it can be heard earning a living as an actor. After Rabe made it big though, she didn't run out and splurge. Instead, she and her partner Hamish Linklater wisely invested in real estate. In 2019 the couple purchased a stunner of a home in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles for $1.9 million, per Mansion Global. The "U-shaped" modern home boasted four bedrooms and a view of the pool from every room.
That said, it wouldn't be much of an investment if they didn't make a good chunk of money from it. Three years later the couple turned around and listed the house for nearly a million dollars more than they paid, per Dwell. By the time they left, the home had been updated to be a little more family friendly. For example, a sleek glass fence was placed between the seating area and the edge of the pool, keeping the view intact while making it a little extra safe. Rabe and Linklater have since relocated to another home in Los Angeles, but Rabe is always pining for her hometown of New York City. She once told Stellar (via The Daily Telegraph), "[Los Angeles is] a place where I don't drop my shoulders in the same way as New York. It's never quite felt like home in the same way." Sounds like it might be time to invest in some Manhattan real estate.
Lily Rabe grew up wealthy
Hollywood is full of rags to riches stories or aspiring actors who moved to Los Angeles with a few dollars in their pocket and miraculously booked a big role. It's also full of stories of nepotism. Lily Rabe falls into the latter. While it's indisputable that she has worked hard for her success and wealth, she had a leg up in the industry thanks to her successful parents. Lily's mother was celebrated actor Jill Clayburgh, and her father is playwright David Rabe, per The New York Times.
Lily grew up splitting her time between the Upper East Side and Connecticut. Her favorite memories involve her visiting Broadway with her mother. "All my mother and I ever did was come into the city and go to plays," she told the Times. Lily's mother was a strong presence in her life, "I remember being a little girl and people would come up and tell me, 'I just have to tell you what your mother means to me...'," Lily once said in Stellar (via The Daily Telegraph) of her mother's career-defining role in "An Unmarried Woman." Lily was inspired to follow in her mothers footsteps and pursue a career on the Great White Way. It was hard work but it didn't hurt to have her mother behind her, or her Tony nominee father.
Lily also likely came into some money upon her mother's death in 2010. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Clayburgh was worth around $4 million when she died.
It isn't all about money for Lily Rabe
Lily Rabe has plenty of money, but she isn't obsessed with it. For the "American Horror Story” star her career is more about exploring her passions than earning a big paycheck. Case in point: Rabe reportedly walked away from a lucrative contract with "The Hunger Games" franchise as Commander Lyme to appear in a stage production of a Shakespeare classic.
About six months after the franchise announced Rabe had signed on, Rabe dropped out and the role was given to Gwendoline Christie, per Playbill. "It was so simple what happened, which was that I was doing 'Much Ado About Nothing' [for] [Shakespeare] in the Park with Hamish [Linklater] and that was something that because they plan, it takes time. It's not like all of a sudden," Rabe explained while speaking to the Collider in 2021. Rabe said that she'd been slated to do the play for a long time, but it took so long to get off the ground that the dates for the play overlapped with her schedule for "Hunger Games." Ultimately, Rabe went with "Much Ado About Nothing," and likely lost out on a hefty paycheck especially since the film grossed more than $750 million worldwide, per Box Office Mojo.
The news isn't all bad though. While Rabe probably didn't cash a big check from her Shakespeare in the Park turn, she did get to work with her partner Hamish Linklater on the production.
Lily Rabe has a side hustle
Lily Rabe likes to choose her roles based on the script, not the paycheck, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't like to earn a little on the side too. While Rabe takes on gritty and challenging roles, she's managed to build a name for herself as a fashionista thanks to her Instagram following. Rabe has well over 700,000 followers — and that can translate to a lucrative payout from brands eager for exposure.
Now, Rabe has not veered into hawking weight loss shakes or teeth whitening systems, but you might see her promoting luxury vehicles. In 2021, for example, she became an official Mercedes Benz ambassador. While there's no way to know exactly how much she earned for repping the brand, Business Insider reported that influencers with less than half the followers of Rabe were able to secure more than $700,000 in brand deals — so it's likely that Rabe is cashing in.
Lily Rabe's career has evolved
Lily Rabe has earned a handsome living as an actor, but recently she's begun to venture out into more lucrative endeavors. In 2020 Rabe signed on to produce an HBO series called "The Big D," per Variety. It was one of the first major projects Rabe took on since forming her production company, Kill Claudio — a clever reference to her work as a Shakespearean actor.
Rabe developed a taste for producing and also signed on to an Amazon miniseries "Tell Me Your Secrets." "Honestly, I had just had another baby, so I wasn't looking to go away and do a job, but I found the pilot so compelling," she told Forbes in 2021 of her decision to give the project a shot. Rabe also gushed over her work at Kill Claudio, which she set up with the intention of telling unique stories. "The experience has been quite different from project to project. That is part of the adventure of it. I'm looking forward to putting them out into the world," Rabe said of her pre-production work.
Lily Rabe has struggled with money
When Lily Rabe decided to be an actor, she knew it wasn't going to be easy. While those well-connected parents of hers could help her get her foot in the door, they couldn't protect her from the instability and rejection that comes with work. And her mom and dad, two people with long careers in the arts, frequently reminded her that this line of work would not necessarily be an easy road. "When I was very young, they discouraged me from acting professionally," Rabe said during a 2008 interview with TDF. "They wanted to protect me from it— I mean, I can imagine wanting to protect your child from this impossible profession. But once I found it on my own, and it was clear there was really no other option, they were completely there for me. And they were relieved that maybe I had some talent."
Talent or no, her big break didn't happen overnight and Rabe had her fair share of hard times. Even after landing her breakout role as Portia in "The Merchant of Venice" the then-27-year-old was still barely scraping by. "Living in New York, it's hard to pay your rent just doing theater," Rabe told WWD at the time. Still, she was never in it for the money. "As long as I can pay my rent, that's all I care about right now," she said.
Lily Rabe's partner is successful too
Lily Rabe and partner Hamish Linklater have both done well for themselves. Rabe met the actor during "The Merchant of Venice” but it would take a few years for sparks to really start flying. Either way, by 2013 they were firmly a couple and by 2017, they'd welcomed their first child. Per Page Six, they had a second in 2020, and a third in 2021. Again, Rabe and Linklater are fiercely private, so there's not even any reliable information on the children's names. There is also no reliable source about the status of Rabe's relationship. She is definitely still together with Linklater, but as far as we can tell, they have not tied the knot.
If they were to say "I do," then Rabe and Linklater would presumedly join financial forces. The latter is worth a reported $4 million as of 2022, per Celebrity Net Worth. Evidently, Linklater's laissez faire attitude towards his career helped him build up that fortune. While some stage actors might eschew less serious roles in favor of meaty big name parts, Linklater doesn't feel that way. True, you're more likely to see him on stage than anywhere else, but you can also catch him in sitcoms like "The New Adventures of Old Christine." "I think there's so much that's useful even in and perhaps particularly in your non-dream jobs, those are the ones that test and stretch and harden and strengthen," he told Playbill in 2015. "Selling yourself out as an actor or artists is only going to buy you more experience."