Ever wondered who the highest-paid actor ever is? Well then, wonder no more, for this list will definitely have all the answers. So, get ready, set, and scroll down to learn which Hollywood actors have made it to our highest-paid actors’ lineup.
But, before you do, let’s talk a bit more about what makes an actor into a very exclusive, tremendously successful one. For starters, there are obvious things like talent, charisma, and tons of hard work.
However, we do also think that circumstances and luck do also play a huge part in their fame! Saying this, we’re not trying to diminish their amazing efforts and all that it takes to become a famous actor, but rather are wishing to emphasize the fact that sometimes your destiny is really written in the stars.
Like, can you imagine Brad Pitt as a carpenter? Or Emma Stone working as a primary school teacher? Hilarious, right? Now, while those are the things that turn you famous, becoming highly successful money-wise is also the work of your agents and making some risky decisions.
Turns out, most of these actors in our highest-paid actors of all time list didn’t get their riches for being paid upfront but rather chose to get a percentage from the movie’s revenue. And good for them!
So, ready to meet the highest-paid actors in the world? If so, scroll down below and check them out. As of right now, the actors in our list aren’t ranked in any particular order, so if you’d like, give your favorites a vote and see them rise to the top of this lineup!
#1 Bruce Willis As Malcolm Crowe In “The Sixth Sense” Earned $115 Million
When Bruce Willis decided to take the lead character role in “The Sixth Sense,” the actor secured a very lucrative contract. He agreed to a $20 million payment for the role of Dr. Malcolm Crowe as well as 17% of the movie’s worldwide box office revenue and additional rights to its home video sales. These numbers sum up to $115 million in earnings for Willis from just one movie.
Image source: amazon.com
#2 Keanu Reeves As Neo In “The Matrix” Trilogy Earned $250 Million ($83.3 Million Per Movie)
The total pay for Keanu Reeves’ three “Matrix” movies was $250 million.
Image source: amazon.com
#3 Tom Cruise Earned $100 Million For “Top Gun: Maverick”
The sequel to Top Gun released more than three decades after the original, surpassed US$1.37 billion at the global box office in August. Tom Cruise’s actual remuneration was US$13 million when he first signed on. That sum increased by agreeing to a deal guaranteeing the actor/producer receives a portion of the blockbuster’s overall proceeds from ticket sales and streaming earnings.
Image source: amazon.com
#4 Robert Downey Jr. As Iron Man In “Avengers: Infinity War” Earned $75 Million
For the 2018 film “Avengers: Infinity War,” Downey secured a deal in which he received backend earnings totaling $75 million, making him the highest-paid actor in the MCU. In 2012, he earned $50 million for the first “Avengers” film.
Image source: amazon.com
#5 Will Smith As Agent J In “Men In Black 3” Earned $100 Million
Will Smith received $100 million of the third “Men in Black” film’s $624 million worldwide gross as part of his performance-based compensation.
Image source: amazon.com
#6 Robert Downey Jr. As Tony Stark In “Iron Man 3” Earned $75 Million
Please refrain from yelling into the nearest abyss, but RDJ reportedly earned $75 million for Iron Man 3.
Image source: amazon.com
#7 Sandra Bullock As Dr. Ryan Stone In “Gravity” Earned $70 Million
For “Gravity,” Bullock received a $20 million advance payment, which is a significant sum in itself. She received at least $70 million from her agreement, which also included a 15% share of box office earnings.
Image source: amazon.com
#8 Tom Cruise As Ethan Hunt In “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” Earned $75 Million
The fourth “Mission: Impossible” film, “Ghost Protocol,” brought Cruise $75 million in revenue, propelling him to the top of Forbes’ list of the year’s most prominent performers.
Image source: amazon.com
#9 Johnny Depp As The Mad Hatter In “Alice In Wonderland” Earned $68 Million
Depp reportedly made $68 million for playing Mad Hatter “Alice in Wonderland.”
Image source: amazon.com
#10 Tom Hanks As Forrest Gump In “Forrest Gump” Earned $60 Million
Hanks chose performance-based pay for “Forrest Gump.” All in all, he received an estimated $60 million.
Image source: amazon.com
#11 Daniel Craig As Benoit Blanc In “Knives Out” Sequels Will Earn $100 Million ($50 Million Per Movie)
Daniel Craig might get “upward of $100 million” for the “Knives Out” sequels that Netflix acquired in a $469 million transaction. With a $40 million budget, Lionsgate’s first “Knives Out” was a box office success, grossing more than $300 million globally.
Image source: amazon.com
#12 Johnny Depp As Jack Sparrow In “Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” Earned $55 Million
The fourth “Pirates” film, “On Stranger Tides,” which came out in 2011, was one of the most costly films ever filmed, with a production budget of nearly $410 million. Paying employees and performers accounted for a sizable amount of those expenses. For the movie, Depp brought in $55 million alone.
Image source: amazon.com
#13 Jack Nicholson As The Joker In “Batman” Earned $50 Million
Despite receiving a $6 million advance for his portrayal of the evil Joker in the 1989 “Batman” movie, Nicholson reportedly negotiated a lucrative contract that included box office receipts and merchandise sales from its follow-ups, which he didn’t even appear in.
Image source: amazon.com
#14 Harrison Ford As Indiana Jones In “Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull” Earned $65 Million
Ford, Steven Spielberg, and George Lucas all received a sizable percentage of the proceeds from the fourth “Indiana Jones” movie, thanks to a contract Ford and Paramount reached.
Image source: amazon.com
#15 Adam Sandler In His Netflix Movies Earned $250 Million For Four Movies ($62.5 Million Per Movie)
Sandler signed a deal with Netflix in 2014 for four exclusive movies valued at an estimated $250 million, or $62.5 million for each film. The agreement was once again extended to Netflix last year for an additional four films.
Image source: imdb.com
#16 Leonardo Dicaprio As Dom Cobb In “Inception” Earned $50 Million
DiCaprio made at least $50 million from box office receipts for Christopher Nolan’s 2010 movie “Inception,” but his contract also covered home video and television sales. Because the film was so “risky,” he reportedly took a pay reduction, but he and Nolan agreed to divide the first dollar gross points.
Image source: amazon.com
#17 Cameron Diaz As Elizabeth Halsey In “Bad Teacher” Earned $42 Million
The “Bad Teacher” production cost Diaz just $1 million, but she received a cut of the box office receipts, giving her approximately $40 million for the film. It is known as one of Hollywood’s most “legendary” agreements.
Image source: amazon.com
#18 Tom Hanks As Captain John Miller In “Saving Private Ryan” Earned $40 Million
Hanks has signed “act now, get paid later” contracts for a number of movies, wherein he will receive a percentage of the box office receipts. Although “Saving Private Ryan” brought him at least $40 million, this wasn’t his most lucrative contract.
Image source: amazon.com
#19 Dwayne Johnson In “Red One” Will Earn $50 Million
Johnson will receive $50 million for the upcoming action holiday film “Red One,” which Amazon Studios recently acquired after a competitive bidding process.
Image source: therock, imdb.com
#20 Denzel Washington As Joe Deacon In “The Little Things” Earned $40 Million
After receiving a back-end buyout when “The Little Things” aired on HBO Max the same day it opened in theaters, Washington earned $40 million.
Image source: amazon.com
#21 Millie Bobby Brown As Enola Holmes In “Enola Holmes 2” Earned $10 Million
MBB earned $10 million for Enola Holmes 2, which is less than some of the stars on this list but more than any other actor under the age of 20 has ever received up front.
Image source: imdb.com
#22 Vin Diesel As Dominic Toretto In “Fast X” Will Earn $20 Million
The “Fast and Furious” franchise’s leading man will earn a cool $20 million for his starring and producing roles in the upcoming film.
Image source: imdb.com
#23 Emma Stone As Mia In “La La Land” Earned $26 Million
With $26 million, Stone came out on top of Forbes’ list of the world’s highest-paid actresses in 2017. The majority of that money came from her Oscar-winning performance in the 2016 movie “La La Land.”
Image source: amazon.com
#24 Will Smith As Richard Williams In “King Richard” Earned $40 Million
For his part as Richard Williams, the father of tennis phenoms Venus and Serena Williams, Smith will receive $40 million. Because the film will be released in cinemas and streamed on HBO Max at the same time later this year, it contains a back-end buyout.
Image source: amazon.com
#25 Leonardo Dicaprio As Randall Mindy In “Don’t Look Up” Earned $30 Million
DiCaprio received $30 million for his part in the star-studded film “Don’t Look Up” from Netflix and director Adam McKay, which also includes a streaming back-end buyout.
Image source: imdb.com
#26 Ryan Reynolds In “Six Underground” Earned $27 Million
A very nice deal, if you were to ask us!
Image source: imdb.com
#27 Jim Carrey As The Cable Guy In “The Cable Guy” Earned $20 Million
In 1996, Jim Carrey earned $20 million for his performance in The Cable Guy, which “stunned Hollywood”.
Image source: amazon.com
#28 Will Ferrell And Ryan Reynolds In “Spirited” Earned $20 Million Each
The two comedians earned handsomely for this updated version of “A Christmas Carol.”
Image source: imdb.com
#29 Chris Hemsworth As Tyler Rake In “Extraction 2” Will Earn $20 Million
The “Thor” actor will switch over to his Netflix franchise to work on the follow-up to the wildly successful action film from 2020 in which he portrays a mercenary.
Image source: imdb.com
#30 Leonardo Dicaprio As Ernest Burkhart In “Killers Of The Flower Moon” Will Earn $30 Million
The upcoming Martin Scorsese movie, which is scheduled for release by Apple in 2023, will pay DiCaprio handsomely.
Image source: imdb.com
#31 Mark Wahlberg As Spenser In “Spenser Confidential” Earned $30 Million
With 85 million households viewing “Spenser Confidential,” the third-largest movie ever released on Netflix, Wahlberg received $30 million for the action comedy (the streamer counts a view if an account watches at least two minutes of a movie).
Image source: imdb.com
#32 Arnold Schwarzenegger As The Terminator In “Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines” Earned $29 Million
In order to keep his word, Schwarzenegger stipulated a number of conditions, including a $29.25 million “pay or play” fee that would be paid even if the third Terminator movie didn’t materialize.
Image source: amazon.com
#33 Ryan Gosling As Six In “The Gray Man” Earned $20 Million
Ryan Gosling received $20 million from Netflix for The Gray Man, which is far more than the $12.5 million he will receive for Barbie.
Image source: imdb.com
#34 Tom Hardy As Eddie Brock In “Venom 3” Will Earn $20 Million
Hardy receives a high salary for being the face of the Marvel franchise.
Image source: imdb.com
#35 Will Smith As Peter In “Emancipation” Earned $35 Million
Apple demonstrated its willingness to pay actors who feature in its films millions of dollars when it agreed to pay $35 million to Smith for the slave drama “Emancipation,” which was released this month.
Image source: imdb.com
#36 Jim Carrey As Carl Allen In “Yes Man” Earned $30 Million
According to rumors, Carrey traded his “Yes Man” salary for a profit-sharing interest in the film.
Image source: amazon.com
#37 Dwayne Johnson As Black Adam In “Black Adam” Earned $22.5 Million
Simply put, The Rock can’t stop making money. For Black Adam, he also made a MASSIVE sum of $22.5 million.
Image source: amazon.com
#38 Brad Pitt In His Upcoming Formula One Movie Will Earn $30 Million
Brad Pitt continues to earn star-level salaries. He is reportedly earning $30 million for his next Formula One film, which is one of the biggest salaries of 2022.
Image source: Eva Rinaldi
Follow Us
