Hard work does pay off, and no one knows that more than Melanie Griffith. If you need proof, just take a look at her bank account, as she has been reeling in some big paychecks for quite some time. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Lolita star is worth $40 million. That’s right, you read that correctly.

Melanie, who was born in 1957 in New York City, seemed like she was destined for greatness from the get-go. In fact, when the actress was just 9 months old, she made her TV debut in a commercial, and at age 12, she appeared in her first film. Talk about getting an early start in your career!

Melanie Griffith Working Girl
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After working in Hollywood for quite some time, Melanie eventually got her big break in 1988 when she starred alongside Hollywood heavyweight Harrison Ford in Working Girl. The Something Wild star’s performance as Tess McGill landed her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination.

“For two weeks we were in a studio somewhere in New York, and we all worked on the script,” Melanie previously told The Hollywood Reporter of filming the iconic movie. “It was beautiful because we got to go through all of it on a very deep level. It was an intense time for me. I was 30 years old, had my first child and was single …”

This was quite the turning point in the Emmy nominee’s career. After Working Girl, Melanie went on to do more great projects like Stuart Little 2, Lolita and The High Note. In fact, she earned a cool $2 million for 1994’s Milk Money and $1 million for 1990’s Bonfire at the Vanities.

melanie-griffith-most-stylish-moments-through-the-years-feature
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With all that cash, the mother-of-three bought herself a $3.7 million home in Los Angeles in April 2019 — this after she sold the house that she and her ex-husband Antonio Banderas shared in Aspen for $4 million. The pair also sold their L.A. property after parting ways for $16 million. Not too shabby.

With a net worth like Melanie’s, we understand why people want to make it big in Hollywood.