Rachel Miner was an inspiring actress for over two decades until she had to give up acting because of her medical condition in 2010. Learn how much net worth she made as an actress in her career, her sources of income and how 'Meg' on 'Supernatural' influenced her charity works as well as the tidbits of her personal life.
It seems the acting world was not able to hold on to a star for much longer as she had to stay back due to her sickness. But more than two-decades-long acting career left a legacy for her. Even after learning of such harsh treatment from life altogether, she pushed forward, but it was personally just too much for her.
Rachel Anne Miner, born on July 29, 1980 [age 40], in New York, started acting as a child actor and continued on till her adult years. She is known for the role of Michelle Bauer on her very first TV appearance in Guiding Light at the age of 12. But her story began a decade earlier at two — the time she decided she wanted to be an actor.
Rachel Miner wanted to be an actor at 2 and started off as a child actor.
Source: Californication, Showtime Networks
Rachel Miner is the actress who plays the demon Meg Masters or Meg 2.0 (to differentiate her role from the original Meg played by Nicki Aycox) in the sci-fi/fantasy series Supernatural. She is not just an alum of the silver screen, she did theaters in her early years as well. Apart from those, she has appeared in a couple of music videos and made it to People's magazine cover in its August 2000 issue.
Rachel Miner Collected a Net Worth of $3 Million Before Being Forced to Stop Working After 2014
As of 2019, Rachel Miner has a net worth of $3 million earned throughout her 24-year long career in the film and screen industry. The most notable source of her income is the cut she got for being the supporting role of Martha Linscott in the $49.3 million (worldwide) hit The Black Dahlia. Considering the budget of $50 million, the cut doesn't seem too big. Other movies were minor hits, with Bully grossing ~$1 million worldwide and Haven grossing $197, 000 worldwide while starring Orlando Bloom. Her latest big buck was made with Supernatural (2009-2013).
As 'Meg 2.0' in 'Supernatural' was probably the biggest factor for her net worth.
Source: Supernatural, Warner Bros Inc.
The main income appears to have come from doing TV series. Her success on TV just sprinted from the very start. Her acting career began really swiftly after deciding she will go to the business at two just years old. She started working with an acting coach at eight, got an agent at nine and entered into the scene directly with a movie as the young version of the title character in Woodie Allen's Alice (1990). It was ironic that a nine-year-old (going on 10) portrayed the 12-year-old Alice in the movie.
After a role in the TV movie, Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift the same year, she entered the small-screen being cast as Michelle Bauer in Guiding Light in 1992. This child actor's very first recurring TV role took the screen by storm as her character evolved into a contract role (until 1995) due to her immense talent. It also got her nominated for Emmy Awards, along with three Young Artist Award wins.
Watch: Rachel Miner as 'Michelle' in 'Guiding Light' (1992 episode)
From then on, Miner's career went shooting in the air as she got roles after roles since the late '90s. She portrayed a variety of characters in different movies and always excelled in them, even if the movies didn't do too well altogether. Bully (2001), Haven (2004), NY-LON (2004, 7-episodes), Circadian Rhythm (2005), The Black Dahlia (2006), Penny Dreadful (2006) were the notable ones in her early years.
She was then cast as Dani California on Californication in 2007 for 12 episodes, followed by a supporting role in The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations in 2009. After other guest appearances on TV shows and films, she was cast as Meg, an important character, on Supernatural in 2009. The following year began her difficult time in the industry.
Miner Was Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2010 but Still Continued Acting by Keeping It a Secret Until 2013
It was not a difficult time in the film industry, per se, as much as it was in her personal life. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2010 after she went to the doctor about why she was not able to feel her legs sometimes and why she couldn't do stunts and other things like she used to. She initially thought it was a slipped disc in her back.
But she didn't feel like talking about it to any of her friends and family. She continued doing her job in Supernatural, whose crew were extra helpful despite being unknown to her problems. They continued helping her. But before the shooting of her last episode, Goodbye Stranger, she'd told only the crew about the diagnosis.
She could not hold it in during the 2013 'Supernatural' convention. (Photo from Las Vegas panel, 2017)
Source: YouTube
It became too much after a couple of years, and when she was directly asked about her health problems, at a Supernatural convention in 2013, she had to come out. She immediately called her family first and then told the people at the convention. It turned out, Goodbye Stranger would be the last thing she would do for TV. After the episode, a movie she starred in, titled Frank the Bastard, did get released in July 2013, and she did appear in a short movie Elwood in 2014. But since then, her acting credits stop piling in, despite she claiming to still be involved in projects for the representation of disabled characters.
After Her Diagnosis, She Dedicated Her Time to Charity and Representation of Disabled Characters in Movies
After coming out, even if she wanted to play a part in movies, she couldn't because the roles would demand action scenes that she couldn't do. She stopped pursuing them afterward. Miner was not able to walk properly, so she had to use a mobility scooter in public and sticks for short-distance walks. She didn't feel the need to go to the conventions anymore. She was brokenhearted for a good while but found the courage to reappear due to fans who reached out to be confident.
Fans were the best factor for her confidence.
Source: Katherine Kinkead
The fans gave her a valuable lesson — "Just by showing up, by being a visibly disabled woman in the public eye, on a stage or on the internet, she can be an example of strength to those in similar circumstances." She was overwhelmed by the immense support (to the point she cried), which gave her a new purpose, and she started appearing in conferences and conventions to make an example out of herself in a different way than acting.
Being a part of Supernatural had also inspired Miner for charitable giving. Her co-star Misha Collins' annual Random Acts 'Change A Life' fundraiser item as part of GISHWHES collected $250,000 in three days in 2017. His initiative to save a threatened area of the Nepalese forest via Rainforest Trust stood out for her. For the campaign, she donated 100 GISHWHES scholarships to save 100 acres of land for the region in Nepal, which became an example for other donors. Since then (September 2017), she has been the Executive Director for Random Acts, Inc.
The same year, she associated with Stands, a celebrity merchandise company, to launch a fundraiser for EarthJustice, another environmental campaign.
Theater Also Helped Add Up Her Net Worth
The entire family of Rachel Miner was somehow connected to showbiz. Her father, Peter Miner, is an Emmy-winning director, a directing teacher, an acting coach and an acting teacher. Diane Miner, her mother, is a writer and off-off-Broadway director, while also assisting Peter in teaching & coaching. Meanwhile, his brother, Peter Miner Jr. is also an actor. Grandfather, Worthington Miner, was a producer/director and grandmother Frances Fuller was an actress.
Rachel Miner was a theater artist away from the camera in her early years.
Source: Time Life Pictures/DMI/The LIFE
You could say acting was in her blood. Had it not been for MS, she would have succeeded in much more. It would be in addition to theater, which she did in her early career. She first appeared as Jennifer in a one-act play titled Naked Faith: The Way in 1994 (14 years old) in NYC's Naked Angels. Then she made her Broadway debut at the age of 17 as Margo Frank in Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of The Diary of Anne Frank alongside Natalie Portman's Anne Frank.
Theater credits include God of Vengence (as Rivkele in 2000), Blue Surge (as Sandy in 2001, 2002), and Bus Stop (as Cherie in 2003). She's also appeared in a couple of music videos — Sunday by South Sonic (1998) and Only One by Yellowcard (2004).
In addition, she's appeared in four magazine articles, eight pictorials and on the magazine cover of People.
Got Married in a Rush to Macaulay Culkin for Four Years
The Home Alone actor was actually married once. Rachel Miner married her ex-husband Macaulay Culkin in 1998 after getting engaged earlier that year in March. They announced their marriage intentions, but the two were only 17 at the time. Instead of sending guests invitation cards, the couple sent them on a scavenger hunt to identify the location. Those who did, they went to a Connecticut home to enjoy a low-key picnic-themed ceremony.
It was a lesser-known fact that Rachel Miner and 'Home Alone' actor, Macaulay Culkin, were married until recently.
Source: Alicia Mugetti
The marriage didn't last though. In two years (2000), the two separated. And the divorce finalized in 2002. Tough luck for the couple who were so in tune with each other before the wedding.
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