How Much is Rod Steiger Worth? Rod Steiger's Assets & Salary ( Updated) Net Worth 2026: Career Earnings & Assets

Many fans are curious about Rod Steiger's financial success in 2026. Our team analyzed the latest data to provide a clear picture of their income.

What was Rod Steiger's Net Worth?

Rod Steiger was an actor of the screen and stage, known for his performances in such Hollywood films as "On the Waterfront," "The Pawnbroker," "Doctor Zhivago," and "In the Heat of the Night," the lattermost of which earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Among his many other notable credits are "Waterloo," "Duck, You Sucker!," "Last Days of Mussolini," "The Amityville Horror," and "The Chosen." On stage, Steiger acted in such productions as "Enemy of the People," "Night Music," and "Seagulls Over Sorrento."

Early Life and Education

Rod Steiger was born on April 14, 1925 in Westhampton, New York as the only child of Lorraine and Frederick. However, he never knew his father, a vaudevillian who had been part of a touring song-and-dance team with his mother. Steiger's mother, meanwhile, became an alcoholic after giving up acting due to a leg impairment. With his mother, he moved through several towns before settling in Newark, New Jersey. In addition to his mother's alcoholism, Steiger was deeply affected as a child by a sexual assault he endured from a pedophile. He found his passion for the arts while attending West Side High School, where he acted in a number of school plays. When he was 16, Steiger ran away from home and joined the US Navy during World War II. He saw action in the South Pacific as a torpedoman on destroyers. After the war, Steiger secured rent and four years of schooling through the GI Bill. He attended the Civil Service Little Theater group and did a course at the New School for Social Research.

Film Career in the 1950s and 60s

Steiger made his big-screen debut with a small part in Fred Zinnemann's 1951 romantic drama "Teresa." His breakthrough came three years later in Elia Kazan's crime drama "On the Waterfront," in which he played Charley, the brother ofMarlon Brando'smain character Terry. The film won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned Steiger his first nomination, for Best Supporting Actor. He next played Jud Fry in Fred Zinnemann's 1955 film version of the musical "Oklahoma!" The same year, Steiger appeared in Robert Aldrich's film noir "The Big Knife" and Otto Preminger's biographical drama "The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell." In 1956, he appeared in the Western "Jubal" and the film noir "The Harder They Fall." Steiger went on to appear in three films in 1957: the film noir "The Unholy Wife," the Western "Run of the Arrow," and the British thriller "Across the Bridge." Closing out the decade, he starred in the thriller "Cry Terror!" and the biographical crime drama "Al Capone," in which he portrayed the titular mob boss.

In 1960, Steiger starred as a thief in Henry Hathaway's heist film "Seven Thieves." The year after that, he played a prison psychiatrist in "The Mark." Steiger's subsequent credits included the crime dramas "World in My Pocket" and "13 West Street," the epic war film "The Longest Day," and the Italian dramas "Hands Over the City" and "Time of Indifference." In 1964, Steiger gave one of his most acclaimed performances in Sidney Lumet's "The Pawnbroker," starring as a Holocaust survivor living in New York City. For his work, he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He next appeared in Tony Richardson's comedy "The Loved One" and David Lean's epic historical romance "Doctor Zhivago." In 1967, Steiger starred oppositeSidney Poitierin the mystery drama "In the Heat of the Night," which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Steiger won numerous awards for his performance as police chief Bill Gillespie, including the Academy Award for Best Actor. He went on to star as a serial killer in "No Way to Treat a Lady" and as a repressed gay officer in "The Sergeant." Steiger concluded the decade with "The Illustrated Man" and "Three into Two Won't Go."

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Ultimately, Rod Steiger's financial journey is a testament to their success.

Disclaimer: All net worth figures are estimates based on public data.