What is Sean Baker’s Net Worth?

Sean Baker is an American filmmaker who has a net worth of $2 million. Sean Baker is known for writing, producing, directing, and editing independent films about people living on the fringes of society in the United States. His credits include “Prince of Broadway,” “Starlet,” “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project,” “Red Rocket,” and “Anora.” For “Anora,” Baker won the Palme d’Or and received four Academy Awards, the most ever won by an individual for a single film.

Early Life and Education

Sean Baker was born on February 26, 1971, in Summit, New Jersey and was raised in Millburn and Branchburg. He has a sister who works as a musician and production designer. As a teenager, Baker went to Gill St. Bernard’s High School, graduating in 1989. While a student there, he worked as a projectionist at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair. Baker went on to attend the New York University Tisch School of the Arts, from which he earned his BFA in film studies. He also studied editing at the New School.

Film Career

Baker made his feature directorial debut with the comedy “Four Letter Words,” which came out in 2000. It focuses on a group of young men living in the suburban United States. His next film was “Take Out,” which he co-wrote, co-produced, and co-directed with Shih-Ching Tsou. Revolving around an undocumented Chinese immigrant working as a deliveryman in New York City, the film premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2004 before being released theatrically in 2008. Baker’s third film, “Prince of Broadway,” was also released in 2008; it focuses on a Ghanaian immigrant in New York City who discovers a son he never knew he had. Baker went on to direct and co-write “Starlet,” which came out in 2012. It explores the unlikely friendship between two women, with a 64-year age difference, whose lives intersect in the San Fernando Valley. Widely acclaimed, “Starlet” won the Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award for Best Ensemble Cast.

Baker had his biggest critical hit yet in 2015, with “Tangerine.” Shot on the iPhone 5S, it follows a transgender sex worker who finds out that her pimp boyfriend has been cheating on her. Starring Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, the film earned four Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best Feature and Best Director. Baker went on to direct and co-write “The Florida Project,” about a six-year-old girl living with her impoverished mother in a motel near Disney World. The film premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. For his performance as motel manager Bobby Hicks, Willem Dafoe received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Baker’s next film was “Red Rocket,” which premiered at Cannes in 2021. Simon Rex stars in the film as a hot-headed former porn star returning to his small Texas hometown. For his performance, he won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead.

Baker’s eighth feature film, “Anora,” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, where it won the Palme d’Or. In the process, Baker became the first American to win the Palme since Terrence Malick in 2011. “Anora” stars Mikey Madison as the titular character, a sex worker who falls in love with the son of a Russian oligarch, sparking a chain of terrible events. The film continued to garner critical acclaim throughout the year, winning numerous awards for Baker, Madison, and supporting actor Yura Borisov. It all culminated at the 97th Academy Awards, where “Anora” took home five Oscars, four of which went to Baker: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. Madison won the trophy for Best Actress. With his four awards, Baker became the first individual to win that many Oscars for a single film. The only other person to win four Oscars in a single ceremony was Walt Disney, who won his for four different films in 1953.

(Photo by Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images)

Television Career

On television, Baker helped inspire the sitcom “Greg the Bunny.” The show, which first aired on Fox in 2002, was based on the titular puppet character Baker created with Spencer Chinoy and Dan Milano for the public-access cable series “Junktape.” Later, from 2005 to 2006, “Greg the Bunny” aired as a series of 12-minute shorts on IFC. A short-lived spinoff show entitled “Warren the Ape” aired on MTV in 2010.

Personal Life

Baker is married to Samantha Quan, who has helped produce many of his films.