A Pretty Penny
Some of those Hollywood paychecks for TV and movies can seem insanely high—but box office bluster doesn’t always translate to the bank account. As this list shows, there are some surprising names on here—including #1, which might just leave you asking “How did HE get so rich”?
Morgan Freeman
Net worth:
$250 million
When you’ve been in Hollywood as long as Morgan Freeman—let alone been an A-lister as long as he has—you’re bound to accumulate some serious cash.
JCS, CC-BY-SA-3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Kevin Costner
Net worth: $250 million
Though previous reports on Costner’s net worth set it at $250 million, his wife reported during their divorce proceedings that it was closer to $400 million. However, now that that divorce is finalized, he’ll be shelling out a huge chunk of change to his ex monthly—and he did spend $38 million of his own money to make Horizon: An American Saga, so he might be back down to the originally reported figure.
John Travolta
Net worth:
$250 million
It’s a simple formula: lead actor + blockbusters = huge payday. According to reports, Travolta is also a savvy investor, though he has his fair share of expensive habits, like membership to a private airport and a Boeing 707, which he can fly himself.
Jet Li
Net worth: $250 million
Speaking of blockbuster stars, Jet Li has made a splash on both sides of the Pacific—and that success has translated into a huge net worth that reflects his popularity.
Gerard Depardieu
Net worth:
$250 million
Though his tenure as a 90s leading man in the US is long over, and the French actor has faced his fair share of personal and legal troubles, he’s managed to hold on to the money he raked in appearing in over 250 films since his debut in 1967.
9EkieraM1, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Bruce Willis
Net worth:
$250 million
Bruce Willis is a well-deserved millionaire, having appears in some of the best blockbusters out there that made tons of money. Movies featuring Willis have earned between $2.64 and $3.05 billion at the box office. In fact, there was a 400% jump between his paychecks for the first and last Die Hard films.
Twentieth Century, Die Hard (1988)
Salman Khan
Net worth:
$260 million
This Indian actor is consistently cited as one of the highest-paid actors in the world, and a long stint as host of the reality show Bigg Boss, since 2010, certainly has worked to pad his wallet.
Robert Downey Jr
Net worth: $300 million
Though Downey Jr once faced a long string of personal problems and scandals, he picked himself back up and kept going, eventually landing himself in the movie that really launched the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe, Iron Man. Considering how many MCU films he’d been in since, it’s no wonder he’s so rich.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Net worth:
$300 million
Leonardo DiCaprio found success as a child star, gathering acclaim for his work in films like This Boy’s Life and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. Then Titanic came along, and there was no going back. His more recent work in hit films with directors Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan has bumped up his net worth even more—and it would likely be higher, if he didn’t donate so much to environment causes.
Harrison Ford
Net worth:
$300 million
Between Indiana Jones and Star Wars, Ford has anchored some of the most popular series in Hollywood history—and he has the net worth to prove it.
Edward Norton
Net worth: $300 million
Unlike many names on this list, Edward Norton is far more choosy when it comes to film roles. Though he’s appeared in many a blockbuster, he’s also been a savvy investor into tech. He was not only one of the first investors in Uber—he was reportedly the first non-staff to take an Uber ride!
Chris Harte, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Denzel Washington
Net worth:
$300 million
Denzel Washington is not only one of the most beloved actors of his generation, he’s also a successful producer. He typically makes some $60 to $80 million a year.
Will Smith
Net worth: $350 million
Will Smith has been a mainstay in Hollywood since the 90s—and he’s got the net worth to prove it. Though the paychecks have gone down since his peak in the early 2000s, when he made $20 to $30 million per movie, he still earns some $40 million per year.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sean Connery
Net worth: $350 million
Sadly, Sean Connery passed on in 2020 at the age of 90, but at the time of his passing, he was worth $350 million. He managed to rake all that in despite turning down the part of Gandalf in the original Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Rob Mieremet, Wikimedia Commons
Ryan Reynolds
Net worth:
$350 million
Though Ryan Reynolds has as many blockbusters under his belt as anyone else on this list, he’s also made a pretty penny through business ventures like Aviation Gin and Mint Mobile. He’s also bought into Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC, but is already working to turn that investment profitable, and has been the team promoted to League Two, where they won the National League championship in 2023.
Michael Douglas
Net worth:
$350 million
He may not have as much money as his Wall Street character, but he’s also never suffered the same downfall. He’s owned multi-million dollar salaries for his films, and is also a successful producer.
Clint Eastwood
Net worth: $375 million
Though his heyday as an actor may have passed, Clint Eastwood is a still a prolific director and producer of films. Additionally, much of his net worth comes from his vast real estate portfolio.
He bought a massive parcel of land in the early 1980s and has since turned it into a sustainable private community/country club.
Randy Miramontez, Shutterstock
Keanu Reeves
Net worth: $380 million
It’s fitting that Keanu Reeves sits slightly higher than Will Smith on the list, since Smith turned down the part of Neo in The Matrix. That was just one of the massive blockbusters Reeves has starred in—hello, Speed and John Wick.
Tom Hanks
Net worth:
$400 million
Hanks’ total world box office gross is approximately $9.96 billion, of which he’s carved out $400 million for himself. He’s consistently paid over $25 million for his movies, and for good reason—Tom Hanks in the lead is basically a guarantee for success. He also owns $150 million of real estate with his wife, Rita Wilson.
Paramount, Forrest Gump (1994)
Sylvester Stallone
Net worth: $400 million
Sylvester Stallone was one of the highest-paid action stars in the 80s and 90s, and that trend continued when he joined the Creed series in the 2010s, as well as The Expendables series.
Lionsgate, The Expendables (2010)
Penn And Teller
Net worth: $400 million
They may not be blockbuster stars like many of the actors on this list, but they’ve appeared on their fair share of TV shows and movies—but of course, most of their net worth comes from their wildly popular magic shows.
Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Mark Wahlberg
Net worth:
$400 million
It’s not just the movies. Don’t forget the smash hit song “Good Vibrations”. And of course, those Calvin Klein underwear ads. Then, there’s also the Wahlburgers fast food chain. But that’s not all. One of Wahlberg’s most significant investments was an early venture capital investment in the F45 fitness chain. He reportedly owns some 8 million shares of the company.
Jackie Chan
Net worth: $400 million
Between his work in Hong Kong and Hollywood, Jackie Chan has earned an incredible $400 million. Even more impressively, when he passes on, he plans to donate 100% of it to charity.
Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Jack Nicholson
Net worth: $400 million
Jack Nicholson has been a Hollywood mainstay for decades. Over that time, he’s amassed $100 million in real estate and $150 million in artworks, each of which contributes to his large net worth.
Warner Bros., The Shining (1980)
Brad Pitt
Net worth:
$400 million
Brad Pitt makes a pretty penny himself, but he’s also the owner of wildly successful production company Plan B entertainment, which he started with ex-wife Jennifer Aniston (he bought her out during the divorce). Few lessons were learned there, because he also co-owns the successful winery Chateau Miraval with his ex-wife, Angelina Jolie.
Rudy Carezzevoli, Getty Images
Bill Cosby
Net worth: $400 million
Before he was a national pariah, Bill Cosby took a unique approach to his starring role in his namesake sitcom, earning not just from the acting, but also producing, creating, and syndicating the show. Though he’s unlikely to be drawing much money now, he’s rested on these laurels—though it’s likely that he’s spent tens of millions on legal fees already.
Amitabh Bachchan
Net worth:
$400 million
If you know Bollywood, you know the name Amitabh Bachchan. The wildly successful actor has been a mainstay for decades, earning him the title “the Shah of Bollywood”. Though he’s had many offers, his most notable role in American film was in The Great Gatsby.
Warner Bros., The Great Gatsby (2013)
Mel Gibson
Net worth:
$425 million
Mel Gibson hasn’t just had personal problems—he’s faced money problems too. His divorce settlement from Robin Gibson cost him $400 million—at that time, the most expensive celebrity divorce settlement ever. Then, there was The Passion of the Christ. When he couldn’t get the film made, he spent $45 million of his own money on it—but luckily, made back some $400 million of it.
Twentieth Century, Braveheart (1995)
Ryan Seacrest
Net worth:
$450 million
People make a big deal about how blockbusters earn their leads tens of millions of dollars—but that overlooks the cash cow that was network TV, especially in the 2000s, just before the advent of streaming. Ryan Seacrest, as host of American Idol, was at the right place at the right time.
Salpi Bezdjian, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Dr Phil
Net worth:
$460 million
Dr Phil was yet another TV personality who had great timing, and great negotiating skills—he owns 100% of his show content. Over the years, he’s amassed $460 million as a result.
Robert DeNiro
Net worth: $500 million
There’s obviously his illustrious film career, but did you know that Robert DeNiro was one of the founders of ultra-popular (and ritzy) sushi chain and hotel chain Nobu? His profits from this were laid bare in his 2018 divorce papers, where his ex claimed he had a net worth of $500 million.
George Clooney
Net worth: $500 million
Sure, George Clooney is paid very handsomely for his film work—but his net worth likely wouldn’t touch $500 million were it not for his investment in the tequila brand Casamigos. He owned it with two partners, and they sold it to conglomerate Diageo for $1 billion in 2017.
Tom Cruise
Net worth: $600 million
Despite his films having earned a combined $11.5 billion at the box office, Tom Cruise seemed cursed for years. None of his films ever hit the $1 billion mark—a curse which he finally broke in the summer of 2022 with Top Gun: Maverick. Though he has had to pay some $400K in child support to Suri Cruise every year since his divorce from Katie Holmes, it hasn’t really made a dent in his massive net worth.
Paramount, Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Simon Cowell
Net worth:
$600 million
American Idol. America’s Got Talent. The X-Factor. Simon Cowell has built an empire out of music competition reality shows, and he has the net worth to reflect that.
Featureflash Photo Agency, Shutterstock
Shahrukh Khan
Net worth: $600 million
Even if you don’t keep up with Bollywood, you might recognize Shahrukh Khan’s face—he’s just that famous. As the reigning King of Bollywood, Khan regularly lands on lists of the richest celebrities in Indian…and on the planet. He also owns a cricket team and is a philanthropist.
Siebbi, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Net worth: $750 million
It’s almost mind-blowing how much Schwarzenegger has accomplished since his early days as “Mister Universe”. Even before he conquered Hollywood, he was building a real estate empire, and was a millionaire before the age of 25. He also has a stake in an investment firm that’s valued between $300 and $500 million.
John E. Biever, Wikimedia Commons
Jerry Seinfeld
Net worth:
$900 million
Thanks to his tenure on Seinfeld—and its syndication royalties, Jerry is a multi-millionaire. In its first 15 years of syndication, it generated $3 billion in royalties. In fact, Bloomberg recently claimed that he was a billionaire, though it didn’t cite any evidence, and Seinfeld’s reps denied it.
David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Brock Pierce
Net worth:
$2 billion
At the number one spot on our list of richest actors, you wouldn’t be remiss to look at this entry and ask: “Who”? Brock Pierce is a former child actor best known for his portrayal of Gordon in The Mighty Ducks franchise. He quit acting when he has 16—he had bigger fish to fry.
Way back in 1996, while still a teen, Pierce saw the many possibilities of the internet, and invested in an early dot-com startup that aimed to offer streaming internet video.
He then moved on to internet gaming, and ultimately made his fortune from early investments in Bitcoin and crypocurrency, landing him at the top spot on this list.
DavidCLeePhotography, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
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