Salli Elise Richardson Whitfield, known professionally as Salli Richardson, is an American actress, producer, and director. She is perhaps best known for her role as Dr Alison Blake on the NBC show “Eureka”. She was born in Hyde Park, Chicago, Illinois, on the 23rd of November, 1967. Her mother was black and her father was white, and she has three older brothers. She is of African American, Native American, and Italian and Irish ancestry.
With an acting career now spanning almost thirty years, how rich is Salli Richardson? Sources estimate her net worth at $2 million.
Salli Richardson Net Worth $2 million
Richardson attended her first audition, encouraged by her mother, at the age of 14, for a play called “The Tiger Wore White Gloves”. Her performance certainly impressed, and she got the role. She began acting at the Kuumba Workshop Theatre, which specialised in helping and developing black talent, “Kuumba” being a Swahili word that means “to clean up, and build”.
In 1985, Richardson graduated from the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, where she played tennis in her spare time. Her first movie role followed six years later, when she played Denise in 1991’s “Up Against a Wall”. The film was a critical failure and didn’t do business, however, Richardson fared better in 1993’s “How U Like Me Now?”, and other roles soon followed. She worked with the Wayans Brothers in 1994, in the comedy “A Low Down Dirty Shame”, these acting gigs all helping to contribute to her $2 million net worth.
Also in 1994, Richardson branched out into voiceover work, appearing as a regular character in the Disney animated television show, “Gargoyles”. The show, which spawned two made for TV movies, in 1995, and 1998, was cancelled two years into its run.
Richardson’s television work has been more extensive than her cinematic work. She has had roles on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993), “Family Law” (1999), “CSI: Miami” (2003), “House M.D.” (2005), and had a large part on the science fiction series “Eureka” (2006). A prolific performer, her list of credits run much longer. She has also directed two episodes of “Eureka”, and a short film, “Grace”. In 2007, Richardson landed perhaps her highest-profile job to date, starring in “I am Legend”, alongside Will Smith. She produced a made for TV movie called “Pastor Brown” in 2009. Her last acting credit was in 2016, when she appeared on the show “Stitchers”, as the character Maggie Baptiste.
Richardson has been nominated for awards, including an “Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series” in 2011, and a “Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series” in 2014.
In her personal life, Richardson identifies as black, and has spoken extensively on her racial identity, and on her experiences as an actress of colour. She married actor Dondre Terrell Whitfield on the 8th of September, 2002. They have two children, a daughter and a son. In her spare time, she participates in several hobbies, including golfing, cooking, and riding a motorbike. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California.
