In a survey conducted by Forbes, between 2010 and 2020, billions of dollars were destined to the protagonists of entertainment, within a sector that grows every year, the cinema. Known names received millions for their work on the small screen, after shining in the movies, the recognition came through the North American currency.
Among the 10 listed, all are men, have saved the world in their productions, and still have more than 500 million followers on social networks. Earnings estimates are based on calculations from Nielsen data, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, and interviews with industry experts. All figures are before taxes.
The Ten Highest Paid Actors in the Last Ten Years
10. Chris Hemsworth
236.4 million dollars
Christopher Hemsworth was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1983, is known worldwide for his role as the God of Thunder, Thor in the Marvel film franchise, officially beginning his career in 2009 in the film “A Perfect Escape” despite having been working in independent filmmaking since 2002.
In just under ten years he has acted in some 21 films and has grossed just over $236.4 million in the last decade from filmmaking, directing, image rights and licensing, and advertising. He has made five Forbes lists in the last decade, with 2019 being his best year with earnings of $76.4 million, ranking #2 on the list.
He has already held the title of the highest paid actor in the world, his net worth is estimated at approximately $215 million.
9. Akshay Kumar
253.5 million dollars
Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia, known worldwide as Akshay Kumar, born in 1967 in New Delhi, capital of India, producer, martial artist, and actor, one of the most popular in Indian cinema, with more than 100 films in Bollywood.
Akshay has earned in ten years, the equivalent to 253,5 million dollars. Kumar is considered one of the richest actors in Indian cinema, and is the only name from the East listed by Forbes in relation to millionaire gains in the entertainment industry.
Multi-award winning for Indian films, he is the highest paid actor in the competitive Indian film industry, the second largest film industry in the world in terms of number of releases. Akshay Kumar carries a legion of fans wherever he goes, and his success in exported Indian films has earned him an honorary doctorate for his contributions, awarded by the University of Windsor in Canada.
8. George Clooney
255 million dollars
George Timothy Clooney was born in Lexington, Kentucky, in 1961. He is an actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, and has won 2 Oscars, 1 Emmy, and 5 Golden Globes. Clooney has won nine different awards.
In these ten years referenced by the listing, Clooney appeared only once on the list, in the year 2018, the earnings were about $230 million, already in 2020 he reached the total sum of $255 million. This success comes from his production company, Smokehouse Pictures, founded in 2006, producing the Oscar winner, Argo and from the sale of his tequila brand, Casamigos, to a British company, Diageo.
Even though George Clooney is far from appearing in movies with his presence in acting, the productions, screenplays, and especially the advertising in which he is involved, are fundamental to maintaining his net worth, about 700 million dollars.
7. Will Smith
266 million dollars
Willard Carroll Smith Jr, simply Will, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1968, rapper and actor, Will Smith has a legion of fans wherever he goes, the series “A Madman in the Piece” 1990-1996, is shown until today in more than 45 countries, has success in the three American industries, film, television and phonographic.
In film productions, Will has received $135 million for performances in just over 10 films, adding up to a total of $266 million in the last decade, appearing eight times on the list of highest paid actors in the ten years of listing, in just one year he received income of $44.5 million.
In 2018 Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi, received a million-dollar cachet from FIFA, not officially disclosed, for the theme song of the 2018 World Cup, Will Smith’s estate is valued at about $400 million.
6. Tom Cruise
268 million dollars
Born in Syracuse, New York, in the United States, Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, is a renowned actor in the movie business and producer, owner of three golden globes, is one of the most influential actors in Hollywood, admired for his reduced use of stuntmen and own action practice in performances, listed also as a successful producer, guaranteeing triple the box office in relation to the spending on films made by him, in all those he has produced or been involved behind the scenes.
Tom Cruise has a fortune valued at just over $500 million, and a single word from the actor can cost around $7,000, $205,609,000 for about 10 seconds of work. Being one of the most expensive actors to act in commercials.
Cruise signs contracts for future films, the Mission Impossible franchise and Top Gun 2, valued at $400 million to be received after the features are produced. He may appear in the next lists in better ranked positions.
5. Jackie Chan
303.5 million dollars
Born in 1954 in Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, Chan Kong-sang, known worldwide as Jackie Chan. With a humble background in his country, Chan was sold to a British couple. He is an actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and action choreographer, has more than ten awards in different film industries and a 2017 honorary Oscar.
Jackie Chan has appeared on Forbes lists six other times and has been present in every ranking since 2016, the highest earning year in his acting career, receiving approximately $61 million. The productions in which Chan is involved recur in grossing over $2.5 billion per production, Jackie Chan has received in the last ten years, about $303.5 million.
Publicity has become something more frequent in Jackie Chan’s life after he turns 65 in 2019 and is unable to extract 100% from his action moves, in which he does not use a stuntman. Jackie Chan’s estate is valued at almost 400 million dollars, Chan has already received proposals to act as a villain, something that only happened in his career once in 1978, the proposal refused by the actor was about 200 million dollars.
4. Mark Wahlberg
328 million dollars
Born in Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States in 1971, Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg, the actor, comedian, and producer, once occupied the list of the world’s highest paid actors in the year 20017, his earnings at the time were about $68 million. Three productions in which the actor was acting reached more than $5 billion each at the worldwide box office.
Mark Wahlberg’s earnings were $328 million in just under ten years. Mark bought in 2018 the last dealership over the domains of the Chevrolet family, the sale was not disclosed but it is estimated to be over the million mark, Wahlberg is now an official representative of the American vehicle brand.
He has an institution, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, to help with funding and aid for needy young people. Mark Wahlberg’s estate is valued at about $255 million, less than the actor’s total earnings in ten years.
3. Adam Sandler
373 million dollars
Adam Richard Sandler is one of the most charismatic actors in the history of American cinema, and with worldwide popularity and influence. Born in Brooklyn, New York, in the United States, he has grossed over $5 billion at the box office in the last ten years, and has earned $373 million in the last decade.
Actor, comedian, stuntman, producer, and screenwriter, serving as a writer for Saturday Night Live from 1990 until 1995. He founded his own production company, Happy Madison, responsible for 95% of the films he has acted in, and with million-dollar contracts from Rob Schneider, David Spade, and Kevin James, personal friends beyond the screen. It is estimated that Adam Sandler has signed an $70 million partnership between his production company and Netflix for exclusivity in upcoming films.
Adam Sandler’s fortune is valued at $420 million, but he has not appeared on the highest paid list in only two years, 2014 and 2016, since 2010. Sandler is the most influential comedian in the United States according to the Times magazine.
2. Robert Downey Jr
489 million dollars
Roberto John Downey Jr was born in 1965 in New York in the United States, one of the most important actors in the history of Marvel in theaters and with performances in more than 100 films, debuting in 1970. He is the second highest paid actor in movies, it was $150 million in Iron Man 3, $75 million in Avengers Ultimatum.
In the last ten years, Downey Jr has grossed $489 million, making him the highest earner among the Avengers cast; the saga has totaled an overall earnings of $524 million. The first performance as “Iron Man” earned only $500,000, not much compared to the last film starring Robert.
Almost 400 million is Robert Downey Jr’s fortune, which would be close to 1.5 billion reais. Before his fame, Downey Jr had been arrested a few times for petty crimes, now the actor is investing in small businesses with solutions to reduce pollution, donating about 1 million a year.
1. Dwayne Johnson
595.4 million dollars
Dwayne Douglas Johnson or popularly known as The Rock, was born in 1972 in Hayward, California, in the United States, is a multi-platinum, former soccer player at the University of Miami, actor and producer, but his fame came thanks to wrestling, inheriting his father’s gift, The Rock made fame and fortune in WWF and WWE, the main professional wrestling company in the world.
Already in the movies, he is the highest paid actor in the world, receiving in the year, 87.5 million dollars, but the awards received by The Rock go beyond the screen, advertising is a great ally of Johnson, sponsorships and major commercial events, he is also a major mover of real estate, per film, The Rock receives about $ 20 million, for the role of the superhero “Black Adam”, will receive about $ 50 million, being the main bet of DC Comics.
The Rock’s movements are of unimaginable values and his fortune never had an exactly disclosed value, but converted to reais, in only one year he won R$ 475 million, more than the biggest amount ever paid in a national lottery.