Rutina Wesley was born on 1 February 1979, in Las Vegas, Nevada USA, to Cassandra Wesley, a showgirl, and Ivery Wheeler, a professional tap dancer, of African-American descent. She is an actress, probably best known for her roles as Tara Thornton in the television series “True Blood” and of Nova Bordelon in the series “Queen Sugar”.
So just how rich is Rutina Wesley now? According to sources, Wesley has amassed a net worth over $4 million, as of early 2017, earned during her acting career which began in 2005.
Rutina Wesley Net Worth $4 million
Wesley grew up in Las Vegas, where she attended Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. She enrolled at the University of Evansville in Indiana, obtaining her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Performance in 2001. The same year she entered the prestigious Juilliard School Drama Division in New York City, performing in classical theater productions such as “Macbeth” and “The Marriage of Figaro”. While at Juilliard, she spent a summer at the acclaimed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she landed a lead role in a production of “Romeo and Juliet”. She also attended Simba Studios and the West Las Vegas Arts Center, where she studied dance.
Wesley made her Broadway debut in 2006, appearing in David Hare’s play “The Vertical Hour”. The following year she was featured in The Public Theater production of Winter Miller’s play “In Darfur”, and went on to make her film debut that same year, landing the starring role of Jamaican dancer Raya Green in the drama film “How She Move”, and receiving critical acclaim. The role gave a jump start to her film career, and considerably adding to her net worth.
Wesley made her television debut in 2008, appearing in the series “Numb3rs”. Later that year she landed a major TV role, becoming part of the HBO dark fantasy horror series “True Blood”, adapted from “The Southern Vampire Mysteries” literary series by Charlaine Harris. She played Tara Thornton for seven seasons, until the show’s cancellation in 2014, with the show earning positive reviews and many accolades, becoming a favorite with both critics and audiences around the world. It brought Wesley a Satellite Award, as well as nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award and NAACP Image Award. The role of Thornton shot the young actress to fame, increasing her wealth in great way.
In the meantime, she had many other opportunities, both on the big and small screens, and provided her voice in the series “The Cleveland Show” and “Generator Rex”. As for films, she landed the leading role as Marcy Sanchez in the 2012 drama film “California Winter”, then in 2014 she played Shelby in the horror comedy “13 Sins”, and Nora Finley-Perkins in the comedy/drama film “Last Weekend”, strengthening her popularity in the acting world and improving her wealth.
Wesley’s most recent film appearance was in the 2015 thriller “The Perfect Guy”. The same year she had the recurring role as Reba McClane in the NBC acclaimed psychological thriller–horror series “Hannibal”, and went on to make several appearances in the action crime series “Arrow”. As of 2016, she has stared as journalist Nova Bordelon in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series ”Queen Sugar”, reinforcing her Hollywood status and further improving her fortune.
When it comes to her off-camera life, Wesley married actor Jacob Fishel in 2005, but the couple divorced in 2014. There is no information about her current relationship status.
