Amanda Righetti | Celebrity Net Worth 2026

Biography & Early Wealth Journey

Amanda Righetti is best known for playing California Bureau of Investigation agent Grace Van Pelt on the CBS crime drama "The Mentalist." She was a member of the original cast when the series premiered in 2008 and remained a regular for nearly six seasons, appearing in more than 130 episodes alongside Simon Baker. The long-running procedural became both the defining role of her career and her most significant source of earnings.

Before "The Mentalist," Righetti gained attention playing Hailey Nichol on "The O.C.," followed by starring roles on "North Shore" and "Reunion." Her film credits include the commercially successful 2009 reboot of "Friday the 13th," the comedy "Role Models," and Marvel's "Captain America: The First Avenger." After leaving "The Mentalist," she returned to series television as Maddie Kenner on USA Network's science-fiction drama "Colony" and continued working in television movies and independent films. She later portrayed Ronald Reagan's mother, Nelle Reagan, opposite Dennis Quaid in "Reagan." Righetti subsequently joined the Prime Video series "Scarpetta," playing the younger version of Dorothy Farinelli, the character portrayed in a later timeline by Jamie Lee Curtis, with Nicole Kidman starring as Kay Scarpetta.

Early Life

Amanda Elizabeth Righetti was born on April 4, 1983, in St. George, Utah, and was raised largely outside Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the youngest of eight children.

Primary Income Streams & Multi-Million Contracts

Righetti began studying ballet when she was four years old and initially imagined dance as a possible career. She moved into modeling during her teens, beginning professional work at around 14. A hip injury eventually brought her serious dance training to an end, and acting became her primary focus.

At 18, Righetti moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. Like many aspiring performers, she spent her early years auditioning while taking smaller television roles and gradually building experience in front of the camera.

"The O.C.," "North Shore" and "Reunion"

Righetti's first major television exposure came through Fox. After early appearances on shows including "Greg the Bunny" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," she was cast as Hailey Nichol on "The O.C."

Real Estate, Luxury Assets & Personal Investments

Hailey was the rebellious younger sister of Kirsten Cohen and moved in and out of Newport Beach's wealthy social circle. Righetti appeared during the show's first two seasons alongside a cast that included Adam Brody and Mischa Barton. Although she was not one of the central teenage characters, the role gave Righetti significant exposure during one of television's biggest pop-culture phenomena of the early 2000s.

Fox quickly gave her larger opportunities. In 2004, she became a series regular on the Hawaii-set drama "North Shore," playing hotel executive Tessa Lewis. The show ran for one season.

She followed that with another starring role on Fox's mystery drama "Reunion." Righetti played Jenna Moretti in a story following six friends over a 20-year period while gradually revealing which member of the group had been murdered. Despite an ambitious premise, "Reunion" was canceled during its first season.

Those short-lived shows nevertheless established Righetti as a dependable network television actress before she landed the part that would define her career.

"Friday the 13th"

Righetti also began building a film career during the 2000s. She starred in the 2007 horror sequel "Return to House on Haunted Hill" and appeared in the 2008 comedy "Role Models."

Her biggest theatrical role came as Whitney Miller in the 2009 reboot of "Friday the 13th." The film starred Jared Padalecki as Whitney's brother Clay, who searches for her after she disappears near Crystal Lake.

Produced for approximately $19 million, "Friday the 13th" opened with more than $40 million domestically and eventually grossed about $92 million worldwide. The movie gave Righetti one of her most visible film roles and connected her with one of horror cinema's most recognizable franchises.

"The Mentalist"

In 2008, Righetti was cast as Grace Van Pelt on "The Mentalist." The CBS procedural centered on Patrick Jane, a former fake psychic who uses his extraordinary observational skills to help the California Bureau of Investigation solve crimes while searching for the serial killer Red John.

Van Pelt begins the series as a relatively inexperienced new member of the CBI team. Over time, she develops into a seasoned investigator and technology specialist. Her on-again, off-again romance with fellow agent Wayne Rigsby, played by Owain Yeoman, became one of the show's major ongoing relationships.

"The Mentalist" was a major ratings success and provided Righetti with years of steady, high-paying network television work. Early in the series, she reportedly earned between $40,000 and $50,000 per episode. Ahead of the fourth season, Righetti, Yeoman, and Tim Kang renegotiated their contracts into the $70,000-to-$80,000-per-episode range, with annual increases that reportedly pushed compensation above $100,000 per episode by the sixth season.

Righetti and Yeoman exited as regular cast members during season six as the series restructured its storyline following the conclusion of the Red John arc. Their characters married, had a daughter, and established a private security business. Righetti later returned as Van Pelt for the series finale.

In total, she appeared in 132 episodes of "The Mentalist," making it by far the longest sustained acting job of her career.

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Marvel and Other Film Work

While starring on "The Mentalist," Righetti continued appearing in films. In 2011, she had a small role as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in "Captain America: The First Avenger." The appearance came during the early years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, before the franchise had developed into the enormous interconnected series it would later become.

Her other film projects have included "The Chateau Meroux," "Cats Dancing on Jupiter," "Showdown at the Grand," and the Western drama "Far Haven."

Righetti has also worked as a producer. Her producing credits include "Pipeline" and "Cats Dancing on Jupiter," and she later established Cottonwood Lane Productions as a banner for her development and production work.

"Colony" and Later Television Career

After leaving "The Mentalist," Righetti appeared in episodes of "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." before returning to a major series role in "Colony."

The USA Network science-fiction drama imagined Los Angeles under occupation by an extraterrestrial force. Righetti played Maddie Kenner, the younger sister of Sarah Wayne Callies' character Katie Bowman. She was a regular during the show's first two seasons.

Righetti subsequently appeared in a number of television movies, including Hallmark's "Love at the Shore," in which she played a novelist and single mother who clashes with a laid-back surfer while vacationing with her children. She later starred in "Christmas at the Ranch" and the thriller "Grandma Dearest."

She also had a recurring role on "L.A.'s Finest," the television spinoff of the "Bad Boys" film franchise.

"Reagan" and "Scarpetta"

Righetti portrayed Nelle Reagan, the mother of future U.S. president Ronald Reagan, in the biographical drama "Reagan." Dennis Quaid played the adult Reagan, while Penelope Ann Miller portrayed Nancy Reagan.

Nelle was a devoutly religious woman who had a major influence on her son's childhood and worldview. The role gave Righetti an opportunity to play a historical figure rather than the contemporary characters that had dominated much of her earlier career.

Righetti later joined the ensemble cast of Prime Video's "Scarpetta," based on Patricia Cornwell's bestselling Kay Scarpetta novels. Nicole Kidman stars as forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta, while Jamie Lee Curtis plays Kay's sister Dorothy Farinelli in the present-day storyline.

Righetti portrays Dorothy at an earlier stage of her life. The dual-timeline structure required her to create a younger version of the same character played by Curtis, and Righetti studied Curtis' mannerisms and previous performances in an effort to create continuity between the two portrayals.

The project also reunited Righetti professionally with Simon Baker, her longtime "The Mentalist" co-star, who is part of the "Scarpetta" ensemble.

Personal Life

Righetti married writer and director Jordan Alan on April 29, 2006, in Hawaii. Alan directed her in projects including "Cats Dancing on Jupiter."

The couple welcomed a son, Knox Addison Alan, in January 2013. Righetti's pregnancy occurred while she was filming "The Mentalist," but the pregnancy was not incorporated into Grace Van Pelt's storyline. Production instead used wardrobe, camera angles, and story choices to conceal it.

Righetti filed for divorce from Alan in 2017. She has generally kept her personal life relatively private while continuing to work as an actress and producer.

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