Ever watch a new movie and think Wow! This new actor’s great! Wonder if he’ll make it in this cut-throat industry—only to find out that he’s been in it for decades and already worth millions.

Welcome to the world of Larenz Tate.

Capturing the attention of audiences as Councilman Tate in the current TV series Power Book II: Ghost, most who think they know who he is can only trace him back a few years to the original series: Power. Others may smugly recall Tate from the very popular 90’s movie Menace II Society, but actually—if looking up his net worth—it’s clear that he has had a solid career and has made millions off of acting: $4.5 million, to be exact. Poof that one doesn’t need to be in a starring role to succeed in Hollywood.

And, to think, it all started when Tate’s parents enrolled him and his brothers into a drama program in the Inner City Cultural Center in LA. Funny thing was that neither he nor his brothers were interested in the program; they wanted to meet new girls. But, when one of their classmates got a role in The Cosby Show, they began treating that class much more seriously.

Eventually—at the ripe, old age of 10—Tate got his first role: The Twilight Zone (1985), more specifically the “Night of the Meek” episode. It was a Christmas special. After that, Tate was able to land a host of small roles. But, then came 21 Jump Street in 1989, where he played young Adam Fuller in the episode “Woolly Bullies.”  He landed plenty more roles, but he was able to really skyrocket his career in the 90’s, getting a role in two hit shows, Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

In 1993, he got the famous role of O-Dog in the well known film Menace II Society. After that was a leading role as Anthony Curtis in Dead Presidents, which was followed by a long list of lesser roles, but roles that kept the money rolling in. Fast forward to 2017, Tate lands a role in Girls Trip. From there, he is on a Power trip that’s still going strong.

At age 45, however, Larenz Tate’s career is far from over. In fact, expect to see him not only staring in but also directing the upcoming movie Untitled Akon/JoJo Ryder Project, which is in the pre-production stages but set to release in 2021.

Still don’t recognize the name? Don’t worry. Elkhart East freshmen Diego Favela and Bryce Baumer hadn’t either—but they will!