Being in the entertainment industry affords you a lot of luxuries that the average Joe just can’t cash in. From acting, directing, producing, and owning entertainment companies, lots of actors are getting their slice of the pie on and off-camera. Here are 12 of the wealthiest actors in Hollywood.
Scarlett Johannson – $160 million
She’s been running and gunning in Hollywood for the past 10 years. She’s getting serious money for her character Black Widow. In fact, she got $20 million for her first “Black Widow” movie, where she played the lead. We’re sure to see her rise further with her future roles.
Jessica Alba – $200 million +
She started gaining fame from her breakout role in James Cameron’s Fox series “Dark Angel.” She has grown to some big roles, such as Susan Storm in “The Fantastic Four” series and Nancy Callahan from the Marvel Universe. She’s CEO of Honest Company, which emphasized ethical household products. In 2017, it got a valuation of nearly $1 billion.
Denzel Washington – $280 million +
Nothing can be said that already hasn’t been telling about this veteran thespian. At the age of 66, he’s still a much sought-after. From some of his roles in “Glory”, “Malcolm X”, “The Hurricane”, “Remember the Titans”, “Book of Eli”, “Training Day”, and “The Equalizer”, he has quite the resume. With two Academy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Tony under his belt, he continues to perfect his seasoned craft to this day.
Will Smith – $350 million
When you own two Fourth of July box offices in a row while dominating the pop charts with an album that sells over 10 million records worldwide, there’s something to be said about those feats. He started out as a rapper (The Fresh Prince) for his duo, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. He has a couple of platinum albums under his belt. He and Jeff won the first rap Grammy as well for their hit, “Parents Just Don’t Understand.” In the early 90s, he had his breakout tv role in the series, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” From then, he acted in big movies, such as “Bad Boys”, “Independence Day”, “Men in Black”, “I Am Legend”, “I, Robot”, “Hitch”, “Pursuit of Happyness”, “Aladdin”, and many more. He’s known as a blockbuster draw 20+ years later. And can still get $20 million a flick. His production company, Overbrook Entertainment, isn’t doing too shabby either.
The Rock – $400 million
Mr. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had entertainment in his blood since a youngster. Shoutout to his father, Rocky “Soulman” Johnson (RIP) for giving him the inspiration to work even harder. The Rock followed in his father’s and family’s tradition of getting into the wrestling business. He was one of the WWE’s most prolific stars in the 90s and 2000s. He transitioned into acting and became the big man in action films. Some of the big films you saw him in were “The Scorpion King”, “The Fast Saga”, “G.I. Joe”, “Hobbs and Shaw”, “Jumanji”, “Jungle Cruise”, and more. He’s also produced films and hit TV shows with his company, Seven Bucks Productions. His new tequila brand, Teremana, is also pulling in big numbers. The Rock is certainly building his wealth in numerous ways.
Jennifer Lopez – $400 million +
From music to movies, she’s truly conquered it all. She started out as a dancer in “In Living Color” and grew her name by playing Selena Quintanilla in the biopic “Selena.” She also released many albums that went multi-platinum. She became the highest-paid woman actress for some time in the 2000s. Her production company Nuyorican Productions is doing amazing things from films, sitcoms, reality TV, and more. No wonder she’s making big bucks in entertainment.
Sylvester Stallone – $420 million
When you have Rambo and Rocky under your belt, what more do you need to do? He’s been able to parlay these lead acting and production roles into spin-offs. The Creed movies (in which he’s an executive producer) have performed well at the box office. From acting, writing, directing, and producing, Stallone has shown staying power in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
Robert De Niro – $500 million
When you think of classic movies you can’t help but watch back to back, De Niro comes to mind. “The Godfather II”, “Goodfellas”, “Taxi Driver”, and “Raging Bull” are all classic flicks we refer to still to this day. The guy has been in the craft for 5 decades and isn’t stopping any time soon.
George Clooney – $500 million +
He’s a recipient of three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards not only from his acting but producing chops. From his breakout television role in “ER” to co-producing “Argo”, he’s been winning behind the camera and a star on screen. Not to mention, he’s not a bad businessman. Casamigos is one of the most popular tequilas on the market. He netted quite a profit being one of the founders of the brand. He and a few other key people sold it to spirits conglomerate, Diageo, for a whopping $1 billion.
Tom Cruise – $600 million
The pretty boy really started making a splash in the mid-1980s. From “Top Gun”, “Jerry Maguire”, “Mission: Impossible, “The Last Samurai”, and many other flicks, he has a knack for creating timeless films. Not to mention, he gets tons of money from acting, producing, and writing. His films have grossed $10 billion worldwide. We’re looking forward to “Top Gun: Maverick” later this year and “Mission: Impossible 7” next year.
Jerry Seinfeld – $950 million +
When you create a series that still gets re-runs for over 20 years, you don’t really need to do anything else. In fact, he can still tour and gives speeches for millions of dollars. “Seinfeld” is one of the most pivotal shows of the late 80s to late 90s. From syndication rights to even having a streaming deal with Netflix, he’s raked in hundreds of millions of dollars. Not to mention, he’s still a stand-up comedian who has his own specials. With his huge stake in the franchise, he’s going to be paid forever. It’s why he’s nearly a billionaire just off the series’ fame.
Tyler Perry – $1 billion +
There’s something to be said about someone who built his dream from scratch. He started out creating a play called “I Know I’ve Been Changed”, and lived out of his car for three months before it took off. The independent play that he wrote, produced, and directed became popular within his community. Then it became a film series that took off. And guess what? He owned it! His first film “Diary of a Black Woman” was mainly funded through the ticket sales of his plays. It became a hit and the spin-offs became hits. As a result, he was able to start Tyler Perry Studios. He knew his worth and began creating huge deals with different tv stations. In fact, Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta is the largest film production studio in the United States. Also, Perry is the first African-American to outright own a major film production studio. He’s getting cash overhand to the tune of over $1 billion.