Daniel Zolghadri net worth is estimated at about $1 million in October 2026, a figure built almost entirely from acting work rather than brand deals or a big social media business. He is the kind of actor casting directors talk about before audiences do: the creepy high schooler in Eighth Grade, the runaway cartoonist in Funny Pages, the quiet lead in Prime Video’s Tales from the Loop. This week he was handed the biggest job of his career, and that changes the math.
On 30 September 2026 it was reported that Zolghadri will replace Charles Melton in Elijah Bynum’s crime thriller My Darling California, an ensemble that already includes Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Mikey Madison and Don Cheadle. Below is everything we could verify about his money, his family, his early life, his love life and the moments that made people remember his face.
Daniel Zolghadri: Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Zolghadri |
| Date of birth | 9 February 2000 |
| Age | 26 |
| Raised in | Orange County, California |
| Parents | Mohsen Zolghadri and Rosie Sedghi (per biography sites) |
| Heritage | Iranian American |
| School | Orange County School of the Arts |
| Profession | Actor |
| Known for | Eighth Grade, Funny Pages, Tales from the Loop, Y2K, Hot Water |
| Partner | None publicly confirmed |
| Children | None |
| Agents | UTA and Circle Management + Production |
| Daniel Zolghadri net worth (2026) | About $1 million (CelebGrid estimate) |
Daniel Zolghadri Net Worth in 2026 and How We Got There
No major outlet publishes a figure for him, and the numbers floating around content farms are guesses that change from page to page. So we built our own. The Daniel Zolghadri net worth estimate of roughly $1 million starts with his screen credits, adds what union scale and indie lead deals normally pay, then subtracts the things every young actor pays for: agents at 10 percent, managers at 10 to 15 percent, publicists, lawyers, taxes and Los Angeles rent.
Most of his films were small. Eighth Grade, Low Tide, Funny Pages, Y2K and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You all came through A24 or similar indie channels, where even leads are paid modestly. His steadiest paycheck was the 2020 Amazon series Tales from the Loop, where he played Jakob across seven episodes. Series regulars on streaming dramas typically earn far more per week than indie film actors do, and that run probably anchors a large share of his savings.
What lifts the outlook is 2026. He co-led a Sundance competition film, landed a lead at A24 opposite Sophia Lillis, started a sci-fi horror lead in Toronto and then stepped into a studio-scale ensemble alongside Oscar winners. Each of those deals sits at a higher rate than the one before it. That is why we think the Daniel Zolghadri net worth figure is about to move faster than it did across his first decade of work.
Daniel Zolghadri: Family, Age and Early Life
Daniel Zolghadri was born on 9 February 2000, which makes him 26 years old. He grew up in Orange County, California, and he is of Iranian descent. Biography sites name his parents as Mohsen Zolghadri, described as an engineer with roots in Tabriz, Iran, and Rosie Sedghi, who is said to have done some acting of her own. Some of those same sites list Montreal as his birthplace. He has never confirmed either detail in a major interview, so treat them as reported rather than settled.
He has not spoken publicly about siblings, and we found no reliable record of any. What is well documented is his schooling. He attended the Orange County School of the Arts, the Santa Ana public charter school that trains teenagers in acting, music and dance alongside a normal academic load. He reportedly started acting classes around age nine.
The first professional credit came at 13: a guest role as Mirza in ABC’s Once Upon a Time in Wonderland in 2013. Small TV parts followed in Scorpion, NCIS and the animated No Activity. Growing up near Los Angeles helped. A kid in Orange County can audition in Burbank after school, which is not true for most aspiring actors in the country. We found no sign of inherited wealth or a family business behind him, so the Daniel Zolghadri net worth figure is self-made.
He has joked that his California upbringing made him an outsider on Funny Pages, a film steeped in New Jersey and New York comic shop culture. In a 2022 conversation with FLOOD Magazine, he said he came “all the way from California” into “such a tri-state area thing,” and described his life back home as “a somewhat isolated existence.”
Girlfriend, Dating History and Relationships
This is the section people search most, and the honest answer is short. Daniel Zolghadri does not have a publicly confirmed girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or partner as of October 2026. He has never been married, and he has no children.
He keeps a low social media profile compared with most actors his age, and he does not post couple photos or relationship updates. Several bio sites attach names to him without evidence, and we did not repeat any of them here. If he goes public with a relationship, it will most likely surface at a premiere red carpet, and this page will be updated. Being single and private also means no divorce, settlement or shared property complicates the Daniel Zolghadri net worth picture.
The family relationship that does show up in his work is the parent and child bond. In Hot Water he plays the son of a Lebanese mother, played by Lubna Azabal, on a road trip west after he is expelled from school in Indiana. Critics singled out the warmth between the two leads, and the film’s subject, diaspora and the meaning of home, overlaps with his own Iranian American background.
Career Timeline: How the Daniel Zolghadri Net Worth Was Built
| Year | Project | Role | Why it mattered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Once Upon a Time in Wonderland | Mirza | First TV credit at 13 |
| 2018 | Eighth Grade | Riley | Bo Burnham’s A24 hit, the scene everyone remembers |
| 2018 | Alex Strangelove | Dell | Netflix teen comedy |
| 2019 | Low Tide | Smitty | Coastal crime drama |
| 2020 | Tales from the Loop | Jakob | Prime Video series, 7 episodes |
| 2022 | Funny Pages | Robert (lead) | Cannes premiere, Independent Spirit nomination |
| 2024 | Y2K | CJ | Kyle Mooney’s A24 horror comedy |
| 2025 | If I Had Legs I’d Kick You | Stephen | Rose Byrne awards-season film |
| 2025 | Lurker | Noah | Music-world thriller |
| 2026 | Hot Water | Daniel (co-lead) | Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition |
| 2026 | Magazine | Lead | Toronto International Film Festival premiere |
| Upcoming | Ancient History, The Temple, My Darling California | Leads and ensemble | Biggest year of his career |
The turning point was Funny Pages. Owen Kline’s debut, produced by Josh and Benny Safdie, gave him his first true lead as Robert, a teenage cartoonist who walks away from a comfortable suburban life to chase underground comics. It premiered at Cannes in May 2022, and the role earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Breakthrough Performance. He admitted he “wasn’t really familiar with any comics” before taking the part.
Since then he has been a regular face in the A24 world, which matters for the Daniel Zolghadri net worth story because it explains the slow and steady curve. A24 builds reputations more than bank accounts. The studio pays fair rates but rarely blockbuster money, and the payoff comes later, when larger productions start calling. That is exactly what happened in 2026.
Viral Moments and Controversies
The single most talked about moment of his career is a scene in which he plays a villain. In Eighth Grade, his character Riley, an older high school student, offers 13-year-old Kayla a ride home, then pulls over, climbs into the back seat and pushes her into a game of truth or dare. When she refuses to take off her shirt, he sulks and blames her.
Audiences at Sundance and BAMcinemaFest reportedly squirmed and yelled at the screen during the scene, and it became a talking point in the #MeToo conversation that year. Director Bo Burnham said the moment “didn’t play that way on set” and that nobody expected it to become the defining scene of the film. For years afterward, reviews of his other work opened by calling him “creepy Riley.”
That kind of recognition cuts both ways. It typecast him for a while, but it also proved he could make an audience feel something in a single scene, which is what casting directors notice. There are no lawsuits, arrests or public feuds attached to his name. His only real controversy is that people still flinch when they see him in a car. Oddly enough, that scene did more for the Daniel Zolghadri net worth story than any role since, because it put his name on every indie casting list.
The other recent headline was the casting swap itself. Charles Melton, a much more famous name after May December, left My Darling California, and Zolghadri took over the role of Kent, described as a young man “caught in an escalating conflict that quickly spirals beyond his control.” Fans of the original lineup noticed the change, and his name started trending in film circles that week.
2026 News: Sundance, Toronto and a Very Busy Calendar
His year started in Park City, and it is the year that reshapes the Daniel Zolghadri net worth outlook. Hot Water, written, directed and scored by Ramzi Bashour, premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance on 23 January 2026. Rich Spirit later acquired North American rights and planned a theatrical release for later in 2026. Reviews were mixed to warm, with TheWrap calling it a winning road drama that comes alive in the little details.
Right after Sundance he headed to Toronto to shoot The Temple, a sci-fi horror film from Canadian writer-directors Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas about an orphaned millionaire who spends his life searching for the ghosts of his parents. He was reported in talks for the lead.
In September, Magazine, the feature debut of Alexandra Pechman, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. He stars as an aspiring poet tangled in New York’s literary scene, opposite Lily McInerny, AnnaSophia Robb, Jake Lacy and Iris Apatow. Then came the My Darling California news on 30 September.
Still waiting in the wings is Ancient History, Pulitzer winner Annie Baker’s second feature for A24, which he co-leads with Sophia Lillis. It was shot in and around Queens, and plot details are still under wraps. Few actors his age have four films of this profile moving at once, and every one of them adds to the Daniel Zolghadri net worth total in 2026 and 2027.
Where the Daniel Zolghadri Net Worth Comes From: Income Sources
| Source | What it involves | Share of income (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| Film roles | A24 and indie leads, festival titles, new ensemble work | About 55% |
| Television | Tales from the Loop, guest roles in network dramas | About 30% |
| Residuals | Streaming and TV reruns of Eighth Grade, Alex Strangelove, NCIS | About 10% |
| Other | Press, fashion events, festival appearances | About 5% |
Unlike influencer-actors, he has no clothing line, podcast or sponsorship stream that we could find. That keeps the Daniel Zolghadri net worth figure lower than his reputation would suggest, but it also means his income is tied to the one thing that is clearly rising: his casting.
Daniel Zolghadri Net Worth by Year
| Year | Estimated net worth | Main driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Under $100,000 | Eighth Grade, Alex Strangelove |
| 2020 | About $300,000 | Tales from the Loop |
| 2022 | About $500,000 | Funny Pages lead |
| 2024 | About $700,000 | Y2K and steady indie work |
| 2026 | About $1 million | Hot Water, Magazine, Ancient History, new studio-scale deal |
These Daniel Zolghadri net worth figures are CelebGrid estimates, not reported numbers. They track his visible work and assume normal industry pay, fees and taxes. If My Darling California lands a major distributor and Ancient History becomes an awards title, the 2027 number could jump well past this line.
Lifestyle, Home and Social Media
He lives the low-key version of an actor’s life. There are no reported property purchases in his name, no car collection and no big brand ambassador deals. He splits time between Los Angeles and wherever he is shooting, which in the past year has meant Utah, Toronto and New York.
On social media he posts rarely and mostly about work. He shows up at festivals and fashion-adjacent events, and he has been photographed at Sundance premieres with director Ramzi Bashour and co-star Dale Dickey. He seems far more interested in the next director than the next sponsored post, which fits the arthouse path he has chosen. A quiet lifestyle also protects the Daniel Zolghadri net worth from the overspending that sinks many young actors after their first big paycheck.
For comparison, actors who broke out through similar prestige roles, such as Rami Malek and Cillian Murphy, spent years on small films before their fortunes caught up with their reputations. Zolghadri looks like he is at the start of that same climb.
Fun Facts About Daniel Zolghadri
Not everything about him comes down to the Daniel Zolghadri net worth number. A few details fans tend to enjoy:
- His first TV role came at 13 in a fairy-tale spin-off, playing a character named Mirza.
- He learned about underground comics, including artists such as Robert Crumb and Peter Bagge, specifically for Funny Pages.
- He plays a character who shares his first name in Hot Water.
- He has worked with A24 at least five times.
- He replaced Charles Melton, who is nine years older, in a film led by Oscar winners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Daniel Zolghadri net worth in 2026?
Daniel Zolghadri net worth is estimated at about $1 million in 2026. The figure comes from his film and TV work, mainly A24 and indie titles plus Prime Video’s Tales from the Loop. No major outlet has published an official number.
How old is Daniel Zolghadri?
He was born on 9 February 2000, so he is 26 years old in 2026.
Who are Daniel Zolghadri’s parents?
Biography sites name his parents as Mohsen Zolghadri, an engineer with roots in Tabriz, Iran, and Rosie Sedghi. He has not discussed them in detail in major interviews.
Does Daniel Zolghadri have a girlfriend?
There is no publicly confirmed girlfriend or partner as of October 2026. He keeps his personal life private and has never been married.
Who did Daniel Zolghadri play in Eighth Grade?
He played Riley, the older high school student in the uncomfortable truth-or-dare car scene that became the most talked about moment of the 2018 film.
What new movies is Daniel Zolghadri in?
His 2026 slate includes Hot Water, Magazine, A24’s Ancient History, The Temple and Elijah Bynum’s My Darling California.
How did Daniel Zolghadri make his money?
Almost all of it came from acting. Film roles, his Prime Video series and residuals make up the Daniel Zolghadri net worth, with no major brand deals or side businesses on record.
Where did Daniel Zolghadri go to school?
He attended the Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California.
Daniel Zolghadri Net Worth: The Bottom Line
Daniel Zolghadri net worth sits at roughly $1 million today, which is modest for someone with a Cannes lead, an Independent Spirit nomination and a decade of credits. The reason is simple: he chose small, director-driven films over quick money. In 2026 that choice started paying off, with a Sundance co-lead, a Toronto premiere, an A24 lead and a place in a star-heavy ensemble.
If even one of those films breaks out, the Daniel Zolghadri net worth estimate will need a serious update next year. For now, he is a 26-year-old Iranian American actor from Orange County whose reputation is running ahead of his bank account, and that is usually a good sign for what comes next. You can also compare his path with Jordan Peele, another name who built his fortune on original, risky projects.
