List of highest-paid film actors explained

While the highest-paid film actors can command multi-million-dollar salaries, actors can potentially earn substantially more by deferring all or part of their salary against a percentage of the film's gross, known within the industry as a "profit participation" deal.

Highest earnings for a single production

Since not all salaries are made public, this is a non-definitive list of actors who have received $30 million or more as compensation for their services in a single production. Occasionally an actor's fee may cover multiple films, and they are included on the list if the films were filmed as a back-to-back production (for example, Keanu Reeves and the Matrix sequels). The figures are given at their nominal value, since earnings from profit-based deals are accumulated over many years, making it unfeasible to adjust for inflation.Forbes publishes yearly lists of the highest-paid actors and actresses based on total earnings from 1 June the previous year to 1 June the current year.

Actor! scope="col"
FilmYearSalaryTotal income

The Matrix Revolutions		2003$30,000,000$156,000,000[1]
1999$14,000,000$100,000,000
2000$100,000,000
War of the Worlds2005$100,000,000
Men in Black 32012$100,000,000[2]
2022$12,500,000$100,000,000[3] [4]
Star Wars1977$150,000$95,000,000[5]
2018$75,000,000+[6]
Iron Man 32013$75,000,000[7]
2019$20,000,000$75,000,000[8]
Gravity2013$20,000,000$70,000,000+[9]
Forrest Gump1994$70,000,000
Mission: Impossible1996$70,000,000
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull2008$65,000,000[10]
Batman1989$6,000,000$60,000,000[11]
Inception2010$59,000,000[12]
2011$35,000,000$55,000,000[13]
Rush Hour 32007$15,000,000$53,700,000[14]
2012$50,000,000[15]
Barbie2023$12,500,000$50,000,000[16]
Bad Teacher2011$42,000,000[17]
2016$40,000,000$40,000,000+
Titanic1997$40,000,000
Saving Private Ryan1998$40,000,000
Alice in Wonderland2010$40,000,000
2015$40,000,000[18]
King Richard2021$40,000,000$40,000,000[19]
The Little Things2021$40,000,000[20]
Dangal2016$39,000,000[21] [22]
Yes Man2008$35,000,000
Emancipation2021$35,000,000$35,000,000[23]
2003$29,250,000$30,000,000+
Lethal Weapon 41998$30,000,000$30,000,000
Ocean's Eleven2001$10,000,000$30,000,000
Don't Look Up2021$30,000,000$30,000,000
Killers of the Flower Moon2023$30,000,000$30,000,000

Highest annual earnings

Forbes publishes yearly lists of the highest-paid actors and actresses based on total earnings from 1 June the previous year to 1 June the current year.

1987align=left Sylvester Stallone$74 millionalign=left Jane Fonda$13 million[24]
1988align=left Sylvester Stallone$63 million[25]
1989align=left Eddie Murphy$60 million[26]
1990align=left Sylvester Stallone$63 million[27]
1991align=left Kevin Costner$59 million[28]
1992align=left Kevin Costner$71 million[29]
1993align=left Kevin Costner$48 million[30]
1994align=left Harrison Ford$44 million[31]
1995align=left Sylvester Stallone$58 millionalign=left Roseanne Barr$32 million[32]
1996align=left Arnold Schwarzenegger$74 millionalign=left Roseanne Barr$40 million[33]
1997align=left Tom Cruise$82 millionalign=left Roseanne Barr$55 million[34]
1998align=left Harrison Ford$58 millionalign=left Julia Roberts$28 million[35]
1999align=left Tom Hanks$71.5 millionalign=left Julia Roberts$50 million[36]
2000align=left Bruce Willis$70 millionalign=left Julia Roberts$18.9 million[37]
2002align=left Adam Sandler$47 millionalign=left Cameron Diaz$40 million[38]
2003align=left Will Smith$60 millionalign=left Jennifer Aniston$35 million[39]
2004align=left Jim Carrey$66 millionalign=left Cameron Diaz$32 million[40]
2005align=left Will Ferrell$40 millionalign=left Drew Barrymore$22 million[41]
2006align=left Tom Cruise$67 millionalign=left Jodie Foster$27 million[42]
2007align=left Johnny Depp$92 millionalign=left Nicole Kidman$28 million[43]
2008align=left Johnny Depp$72 millionalign=left Cameron Diaz$50 million[44]
2009align=left Harrison Ford$65 millionalign=left Angelina Jolie$27 million[45] [46]
2010align=left Johnny Depp$75 millionalign=left Sandra Bullock$56 million[47] [48]
2011align=left Leonardo DiCaprio$77 millionalign=left Angelina Jolie$30 million[49] [50]
2012align=left Tom Cruise$75 millionalign=left Kristen Stewart$34.5 million[51] [52]
2013align=left Robert Downey Jr.$75 millionalign=left Angelina Jolie$33 million[53] [54]
2014align=left Robert Downey Jr.$75 millionalign=left Sandra Bullock$51 million[55] [56]
2015align=left Robert Downey Jr.$80 millionalign=left Jennifer Lawrence$52 million[57] [58]
2016align=left Dwayne Johnson$64.5 millionalign=left Jennifer Lawrence$46 million[59]
2017align=left Mark Wahlberg$68 millionalign=left Emma Stone$26 million[60]
2018align=left George Clooney$239 millionalign=left Scarlett Johansson$40.5 million[61] [62]
2019align=left Dwayne Johnson$89.4 millionalign=left Scarlett Johansson$56 million[63] [64]
2020align=left Dwayne Johnson$87.5 millionalign=left Sofía Vergara$43 million[65] [66]
2021align=left Dwayne Johnson$270 millionalign=left Reese Witherspoon$115 million[67]
2022align=left Tyler Perry$175 million[68]
2023align=left Adam Sandler$97 millionalign=left Margot Robbie$78 million[69]

See also

Notes and References

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  2. News: Kim . Masters . Will Smith's 'After Earth' Apocalypse: Who Loses Most . 5 June 2013 . . 8 July 2013.
  3. Lisette . Voytko . 'Top Gun: Maverick' Puts Tom Cruise On Track To Best Will Smith's Record Hollywood Payday . 1 June 2022 . . 22 October 2022.
  4. Web site: Lang . Brent . 20 July 2022 . Inside Movie Stars' Salaries: Joaquin Phoenix Nabs $20M for 'Joker 2,' Tom Cruise Heads to Over $100M and More . 22 July 2022 . Variety . en-US.
  5. News: Seth . Abramovitch . Hollywood Flashback: Alec Guinness Struck Gold With ‘Star Wars’ 45 Years Ago . 27 May 2022 . . 28 April 2024.
  6. News: Kit . Borys . Robert Downey Jr.'s Massive Payday Tops 'Avengers: Endgame' Star Deals . 30 April 2019 . . 1 May 2019.
  7. News: Mark . Graser . Robert Downey Jr. to Join 'Captain America 3' (EXCLUSIVE) . 13 October 2014 . . 19 August 2018.
  8. News: Zack . Shaf . 'Avengers: Endgame' Box Office Earns Robert Downey Jr. Additional $55 Million Payday . 10 July 2019 . . 21 October 2019.
  9. News: Stephen . Galloway . Sandra Bullock to Make $70 Million (At Least) for 'Gravity' (Exclusive) . 26 February 2014 . . 26 February 2014.
  10. News: Pomerantz . Dorothy . Hollywood's Top-Earning Actors . 10 June 2009 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20130906195106/http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/09/movies-sandler-depp-business-media-hollywood.html. 6 September 2013.
  11. Book: Thompson, Peter A.. 1997. Jack Nicholson: the life and times of an actor on the edge. Carol Publishing Group. 9781559724203. 214. By 1994, it had reportedly reached $60 million..
  12. News: Newcomb . Peter . Hollywood's Top 40 . March 2011 . . 2 . 27 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110529022123/http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/features/2011/03/hollywood-top-earners-201103?currentPage=1 . 29 May 2011 .
  13. Web site: Christian . Sylt . Fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean Is Most Expensive Movie Ever With Costs Of $410 Million . 22 July 2014 . . 7 December 2014 . One of the biggest costs of making On Stranger Tides was paying the production staff and actors with Mr Depp alone believed to have received $55 million for the movie..
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