The richest actors do not typically make their money from payments received for movie roles; rather, they get become unbelievably wealthy from other ventures. Sure enough it was the acting that made them famous, and opened the doors for them to make so much money- that is with the exception of a few people who only accepted movie roles for the fulfillment it brought them.
It would seem that making money is not the problem for these people; keeping it is. Celebrities are famous for losing money just as much as they are famous for making it; very few of them manage to keep a good portion of the wealth they make because they engage in crazy spending habits.
These are those actors who have acquired wealth, and have managed to keep hold of it.
Top 100 Richest Actors In The World
1. Jami Gertz
Jami Gertz is an American actress that first tasted the spotlight back in the 80’s with a number of top rated Hollywood movies as well as some very popular TV Series. She racked in a good amount of money during her time, and made some very good decisions; chief among them being marrying the right man.
Together with her husband Tony Ressler, she is owner of Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association. Her net worth is estimated at $3 billion, although it is not clear whether that includes assets jointly owned with her husband.
2. Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is one of the world’s most famous faces; she rose from waitress to becoming one of the biggest talk show hosts the world has ever seen. It was her talk show that made her rich, powerful and famous; she interviewed people with touching stories to share, and grew her audience all over the world.
Oprah Winfrey became an actress to achieve self actualization; she was already a billionaire, and already one of the most famous faces in the world. Oprah Winfrey is probably the biggest brand out there since the death of Michael Jackson; while film makers would like to see more of her, she is too busy running her media company.
Nevertheless, she is one of the richest actors in the world with a fortune estimated at around 2.5 billion.
3. Rihanna
Rihanna is a Barbadian- American singer and performer who doubles as an entrepreneur, and triples as an actress. She is one of those who entered into acting to prove to herself that she could do it- for the personal satisfaction more than anything else. She is worth around $1.4 billion.
Rihanna was already a popular singer; an established name selling out the biggest show venues, and selling millions of records before she ventured into acting.
Her billionaire status does not come from her music or from her acting, though; it comes from her brand Fenty which makes beauty products including soaps, creams, moisturizers, and makeup products.
4. Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry has made a lot of money from his talent. He is an American Playwright, filmmaker, actor and entrepreneur- he even has a few rap songs to his name! His combination of talents is just out of this world; and the depth of his individual talent is also something to behold.
He has played the role of a woman in several movies; they were comedies, but also remarkable considering the fact that he is around 6ft 4, and weighs around 350 pounds. He is a remarkable story teller, as seen from the movies he directs; they tell the story, or make the audience laugh- depending on what exactly the story is supposed to achieve.
A man of such talent would be mad if he didn’t take the risk on himself; and he did, which is why he founded his own film production company, and became a billionaire in the process. He is estimated to be worth around $1 billion.
5. Jerry Seinfeld
Jerry Seinfeld is worth a whooping $950 Million; he is an American stand up comedian, actor, and producer. He has been doing this for more than 30 years, and such consistency tends to be profitable.
Jerry Seinfeld is best known for the sitcom Seinfeld in which he played a semi fictionalized version of himself. He has also done many other TV comedies and movies.
The secret of his wealth is that he owns his production company; so when he makes a production he is paid a good percentage of the profits.
6. Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson is worth around $800 Million; he is the face of the action genre of movies, a thing he likes to do with some comedy as well. Dwayne Johnson came to the spotlight as a professional wrestler signed to the WWE.
He is so big; 6ft 5 inches and weighing nearly 400 pounds. On his day he could defeat any opponent- except injuries. Acting is a lot less demanding on the body; and it has even made him a lot more money than he could have ever hoped to make in the WWE.
7. Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan is worth around $715 Million. Some say he is the biggest actor that India has ever produced; but we seem to remember a certain Amitabh Bachchan. Shahrukh Khan is certainly in the forefront of the Indian Movie industry in this generation.
He has everything it takes to succeed; very good talent, stamina, and he knows how dance- which is very important in the Indian movie industry.
Shahrukh Khan is the most influential person in the Indian movie industry; and his brand appears bigger than life.
8. Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise is worth $570 Million; he has committed most of his life to making action movies. He is an American actor and producer; his face is on most of the popular action movies that have really made an impact within the past 20 years.
Tom Cruise is best known for the Mission Impossible series in which he plays the role of a CIA spy. The movie is the American version of James Bond, and it is very popular throughout the world.
9. George Clooney
George Clooney is one of the most successful actors of all time; he has had success with his role in Batman, and also for his role in Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve, and Ocean’s Thirteen- the film is something of a series; and a very popular one.
He is worth around $550 Million; and his value as a brand is certainly more than that. George Clooney is one of the biggest names in the movie industry; the kind of person whose name gets mentioned in a movie.
10. Robert De Niro
From mafia movies to shark cartoons; Robert De Niro has done it all. Robert De Niro is one of the biggest names in the movie industry; his success is hard earned through decades of hard work. When people see his net worth ($500 Million) they are often impressed; but they don’t know that he got it through uncommon dedication, and sacrifice.
Robert De Niro once took a job as a Cab Driver so that he could better understand a movie role. He puts himself into a role, and gives every movie his best- which is why he is so highly rated despite not parachuting off planes in movies.
The following is a more complete list of the top 100 richest actors in the world; as well as their nationalities and net worth.
| Position | Name | Nationality | Net Worth |
| 1 | Jami Gertz | United States | $3 Billion |
| 2 | Oprah Winfrey | United States | $2.5 Billion |
| 3 | Rihanna | Barbados | $1.4 Billion |
| 4 | Tyler Perry | United States | $1 Billion |
| 5 | Jerry Seinfeld | United States | $950 Million |
| 6 | Dwayne Johnson | United States | $800 Million |
| 7 | Shahrukh Khan | Indian | $715 Million |
| 8 | Tom Cruise | United States | $570 Million |
| 9 | George Clooney | United States | $550 Million |
| 10 | Robert De Niro | United States | $500 Million |
| 11 | Amitabh Bachchan | Indian | $455 Million |
| 12 | Mel Gibson | United States | $425 Million |
| 13 | Adam Sandler | United States | $420 Million |
| 14 | Kevin Hart | United States | $450 Million |
| 15 | Arnold Schwarzenegger | United States | $450 Million |
| 16 | Ryan Seacrest | United States | $450 Million |
| 17 | Jack Nicholson | United States | $400 Million |
| 18 | Tom Hanks | United States | $400 Million |
| 19 | Larry David | United States | $400 Million |
| 20 | Bill Cosby | United States | $400 Million |
| 21 | Jackie Chan | China | $400 Million |
| 22 | Jennifer Lopez | United States | $400 Million |
| 23 | Mark Wahlberg | United States | $400 Million |
| 24 | Sylvester Stallon | United States | $400 Million |
| 25 | Victoria Principal | United States | $400 Million |
| 26 | Keanu Reeves | United States | $380 Million |
| 27 | Clint Eastwood | United States | $375 Million |
| 28 | Will Smith | United States | $350 Million |
| 29 | Sean Connery | United kingdom | $350 Million |
| 30 | Michael Douglas | United States | $340 Million |
| 31 | Jennifer Aniston | United States | $320 Million |
| 32 | Brad Pitt | United States | $300 Million |
| 33 | Edward Norton | United States | $300 Million |
| 34 | Harrison Ford | United States | $300 Million |
| 35 | Robert Downey Jr | United States | $300 Million |
| 36 | Denzel Washington | United States | $280 Million |
| 37 | Leonardo DiCaprio | United States | $260 Million |
| 38 | Salman Khan | $255 Million) | |
| 39 | Bruce Willis | United States | $250 Million |
| 40 | Jessica Biel | $250 Million | |
| 41 | Jet Li | Chinese | $250 Million |
| 42 | Samuel L Jackson | United States | $250 Million |
| 43 | Nicole Kidman | United States | $250 Million |
| 44 | Sandra Bullock | United States | $250 Million |
| 45 | Morgan Freeman | United States | $250 Million |
| 46 | Michelle Pfeiffer | $250 Million | |
| 47 | Kevin Costner | United States | $250 Million |
| 48 | Julia Roberts | United States | $250 Million |
| 49 | Julia Louis Dreyfus | $250 Million | |
| 50 | John Travolta | United States | $250 Million |
| 51 | Akshay Kumar | $240 Million | |
| 52 | Vin Diesel | United States | $225 Million |
| 53 | Ray Romano | United States | $200 Million |
| 54 | Alain Delon | $200 Million | |
| 56 | Johnny Depp | United states | $200 Million |
| 57 | Morgan Freeman | United states | $190 Million |
| 58 | Jorge Garcia | United states | $185 Million |
| 59 | Mike Myers | Canada | $175 Million |
| 60 | Robert Redford | United states | $170 Million |
| 61 | John Travolta | United states | $160 Million |
| 62 | Anthony Hopkins | United kingdom | $160 Million |
| 63 | Jim Carrey | United states | $150 Million |
| 63 | Matt Damon | United states | $150 Million |
| 64 | Sean Penn | United states | $150 Million |
| 65 | Al Pacino | United states | $145 Million |
| 66 | John Slattery | United states | $145 Million |
| 67 | Saif Ali Khan | India | $140 Million |
| 68 | Ashton Kutcher | United states | $140 Million |
| 69 | Sacha Baron Cohen | United kingdom | $130 Million |
| 70 | Chris Hemsworth | Australia | $130 Million |
| 71 | Rowan Atkinson | United kingdom | $150 Million |
| 72 | Charlie Sheen | United states | $125 Million |
| 73 | Kelsey Grammer | United states | $120 Million |
| 74 | Ben Stiller | United states | $120 Million |
| 75 | Martin Lawrence | United states | $110 Million |
| 76 | Steve Martin | United states | $110 Million |
| 77 | David Hasselhoff | $110 Million | |
| 78 | Daniel Radcliffe | United kingdom | $110 Million |
| 79 | Andy Lau | $105 Million | |
| 80 | Richard Gere | United states | $100 Million |
| 81 | Bob Saget | United states | $100 Million |
| 82 | Andrew Shue | $100 Million | |
| 83 | Bradley Cooper | United states | $100 Million |
| 84 | William Shatner | Canada | $100 Million |
| 85 | Hugh Jackman | Australia | $100 Million |
| 86 | Robert Pattinson | United kingdom | $100 Million |
| 87 | Kamal Haasan | India | $100 Million |
| 88 | Alexander Ludwig | Canada | $97 Million |
| 89 | Jared Leto | United states | $90 Million |
| 90 | Mark Harmon | United states | $90 Million |
| 91 | Tommy Lee Jones | United states | $85 Million |
| 92 | Eddie Murphy | United states | $85 Million |
| 93 | Karl Urban | New zealand | $80 Million |
| 94 | Tim Allen | United states | $80 Million |
| 95 | Channing Tatum | United states | $80 Million |
| 96 | Kevin James | United states | $80 Million |
| 97 | Shashi Kapoor | India | $80 Million |
| 98 | Hugh Grant | United kingdom | $80 Million |
| 99 | Matthew McConaughey | United states | $77 Million |
| 100 | Nick Nolte | United states | $75 Million |
| Tobey Maguire | $75 Million | ||
Related:
- Top 100 Investors In The World
- Top 100 Richest Celebrities In The World
- Top 100 Richest Countries In The World
Closing
The evidence gathered from viewing the list of the 100 richest actors in the world shows that America is not just the biggest market for movies; but also that the American market is big enough to swallow up the other markets. Most of the actors comprising this list work in America despite coming from other countries.