How the 18 Richest Actors in the World Built Their Astonishing Bankrolls
These celebrities command substantial movie salaries and invest in lucrative business ventures to amass gigantic net worths.
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
Although they built their fame onscreen, many of the world’s richest actors have built their financial empires away from the cameras.
In addition to multimillion-dollar movie salaries, they profit from endorsement deals, real estate collections, consumer brands, and—in some unique cases—their personal relationships. Some have even started their own production companies. In the end, these 18 actors have emerged as the biggest moneymakers on the planet.
Keep in mind this list is based on celebrities’ current estimated net worth, and to be eligible, a substantial amount of their star power must be associated with acting (sorry, Oprah). With that out of the way, here are the actors of the big and small screen who have the biggest bank accounts.
13. Jackie Chan (and Many More)
Estimated Net Worth: $400 million
Celebrity Net Worth’s valuation of Jackie Chan puts him equal with a host of other stars, including Brad Pitt, Jack Nicholson, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Wahlberg, Sylvester Stallone, and Tom Hanks. But the 71-year-old martial arts legend was the second highest-paid actor in the world as recently as nine years ago.
Chan is best known in the United States for his roles in comedic action films like the Rush Hour series and Shanghai Noon (2000). He also owns a chain of cinemas in China and has launched his own clothing line and food products.
12. Mel Gibson
Estimated Net Worth: $425 million
Mel Gibson, 69, made $25 million for each of his roles in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), The Patriot (2000), Signs (2002), and We Were Soldiers (2002). But those totals pale in comparison to his profits from the 2004 biblical film The Passion of the Christ, which Gibson produced and directed.
With Gibson receiving half the film’s profits, he took home $300 million from ticket sales alone. Merchandise and DVD sales bumped the total up at least another $100 million.
If not for a $425 million divorce settlement with ex-wife Robyn Moore in 2011, he’d be much higher on the list.
11. Adam Sandler
Estimated Net Worth: $440 million
Adam Sandler, 58, is one of the most successful comedians of all time, parlaying a spot on Saturday Night Live into a lucrative movie career. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has earned at least $20 million from 20 of the major studio films he has appeared in. His production company, Happy Madison, has also made a number of highly profitable movies.
Netflix and Sandler agreed to two separate deals, in 2014 and 2020, covering four films each for the streaming service, with the second contract worth around $275 million. The two are teaming up again in 2025 for the anticipated sequel Happy Gilmore 2.
10. Kevin Hart
Estimated Net Worth: $450 million
In addition to acting or voicing characters in hit films like Ride Along (2014), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Kevin Hart remains busy as a touring stand-up comedian and businessman.
The 45-year-old has endorsements with companies like Samsung, Wrangler, AT&T, and Mountain Dew, and in April 2022, received a $100 million investment from a private equity firm into his media company HartBeat. With the added money, his stake in the company became valued at more than $550 million.
9. George Clooney (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $500 million
George Clooney has earned plenty of money through alcohol sales. In 2017, the actor and partners Rande Gerber and Michael Meldman sold their tequila brand, Casamigos, to Diageo for $700 million up front and as much as $300 million more based on future performance.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the 63-year-old has also made $40 million through a partnership with Nespresso and earned movie salaries worth as high as $20 million, like in the 2001 film Ocean’s Eleven. He is currently on Broadway in the Tony-nominated role of journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck.
9. Robert De Niro (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $500 million
The star of classic films such as Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980), and Goodfellas (1990), Robert De Niro is still a presence on the big screen with recent roles in Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and The Alto Knights (2025).
But you might not know the 81-year-old is a successful restaurateur, too. In 1994, he co-founded the first Nobu with celebrity chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa. Today, they have more than 50 restaurants located around the world that make hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
9. Ellen DeGeneres (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $500 million
Ellen DeGeneres built her bankroll with the success of her daily talk show The Ellen Degeneres Show, which ran from 2003 through 2022. According to In Touch, she earned $60 million per year off the program during its later seasons.
The 67-year-old comedian has also made millions flipping houses with wife Portia de Rossi.
As for comedy, her 2018 Netflix special, Ellen Degeneres: Relatable, banked $20 million. Add in earnings from her early TV projects and acting roles in films like Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016), and Ellen has had quite the lucrative career.
8. Tom Cruise (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $600 million
Tom Cruise, 62, has come a long way from early film roles like 1983’s Risky Business, for which he earned only $75,000.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Cruise earned $100 million for each of his roles in Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) and the sci-fi thriller War of the Worlds (2005).
Although he took a much lower paycheck for his 2023 film, Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One, Variety reported that Cruise earned a significant percentage of its first-dollar gross. That means his net worth received a nice boost from the summer blockbuster. The movie’s second part—titled The Final Reckoning—premieres on May 25.
8. Shah Rukh Khan (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $600 Million
Shah Rukh Khan, 57, is one of the most successful Indian actors of all time, appearing in more than 80 Bollywood films and counting. Among his most recent are the 2023 thrillers Pathaan and Dunki.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Khan, who has more than 47 million Instagram followers, makes anywhere from $50 million to $80 million per year and earns as much as $35 million per film.
7. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Estimated Net Worth: $750 million
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 77, was once the most in-demand action star in Hollywood, appearing in films like the Terminator franchise, Predator (1987), and Total Recall (1990). At his peak, the Austrian bodybuilder-turned–movie star earned $20 million to $30 million per movie.
The former governor of California and one-time member of the Kennedy family has an extensive real estate portfolio believed to be worth from $50 million to $60 million, as well.
6. Dwayne Johnson
Estimated Net Worth: $800 million
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson still commands a hefty salary for his film roles, earning a reported $22.5 million for 2022’s Black Adam and $50 million for the 2024 Amazon Studios movie Red One. As a result, Forbes named him the highest-earning actor of 2024 at $88 million ($106 million gross).
But Johnson greatly profits through other business ventures. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the 52-year-old has a 30- to 40-percent stake in Teremana Tequila, the brand he launched in 2020 with ex-wife Dany Garcia and other partners. It’s estimated he could earn as much as $1 billion pre-tax from the product.
Johnson also has valuable endorsements with companies like Under Armour, Ford, and Apple.
5. Zhao Wei (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $1 billion
Zhao Wei, 49, is considered one of the Four Dan Actresses of China—a name given to the most bankable actresses in China. She has 50 credits over her acting career spanning roughly three decades. Wei has also released seven studio albums as an award-winning singer.
However, much of her money stems from shrewd investing. In 2014, Wei and her husband bought a 9.18-percent stake in Alibaba Pictures for a reported $400 million. The move paid off, as the stake is now reportedly worth more than $1 billion.
5. Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $1 billion
They haven’t appeared onscreen together since 2004’s New York Minute and are retired from acting, but the Olsen twins, 38, were just about everywhere as child actors.
While Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen were acting on the TV sitcom Full House, production company Dualstar Entertainment Group was founded in their name in 1993. The pair began starring in a series of direct-to-video and TV movies and the occasional big-screen project. They became presidents of Dualstar upon turning 18.
They’re also successful fashion moguls. Their brand, The Row, is sold in luxury department stores like Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman. In 2024, the sisters sold a minority stake in the brand at a valuation around $1 billion—adding to their already large fortune.
4. Jerry Seinfeld
Estimated Net Worth: $1.1 million
Despite being a “show about nothing,” Jerry Seinfeld’s eponymous sitcom continues to be a huge moneymaker for the actor and comedian—now a billionaire according to Forbes.
After going off the air in 1998, Seinfeld generated as much as $400 million each syndication cycle for its co-creator and writer. Then in 2019, Netflix reportedly paid more than $500 million in a five-year deal for the rights to the show.
Seinfeld has profited from his stand-up as well, with the 71-year-old still touring and Netflix paying $20 million for his 2020 special 23 Hours to Kill.
3. Trey Parker and Matt Stone (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $1.3 billion (Parker, $700 million; Stone, $600 million)
Chances are you’ve at least heard the voices of Trey Parker and Matt Stone as the irreverent grade schoolers of their animated sitcom South Park. The satirical series is set to air its 27th season in July and has spawned video games, a feature-length film, and countless laughs.
The duo have appeared onscreen in movies such as Orgazmo (1997) and BASEketball (1998).
Parker, 55, and Stone, 53, also wrote the story and music for the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon, which has grossed more than $839 million.
3. Selena Gomez (tied)
Estimated Net Worth: $1.3 billion
Selena Gomez has come a long way from her early TV roles on Barney & Friends and Wizards of Waverly Place, becoming a billionaire for the first time in 2024 according to Bloomberg.
Gomez, 32, is still an in-demand actor, appearing in the Oscar-nominated 2024 movie Emilia Pérez and starring on the Hulu crime comedy Only Murders in the Building. However, the bulk of her wealth is tied to her Rare Beauty cosmetics brand, founded in 2019. It has been valued at close to $2 billion.
2. Tyler Perry
Estimated Net Worth: $1.4 billion
Although other estimates are around $850 million, Forbes has listed 55-year-old Tyler Perry among the world’s billionaires for the past three years.
Perry is best known for creating the Madea franchise, which has grossed more than $660 million according to Forbes. Starting in 2019, he began producing content for BET under a deal with the network’s parent company ViacomCBS. He reportedly earns $150 million annually and has a 25-percent stake in the BET+ streaming service.
1. Jami Gertz
Estimated Net Worth: $8 billion
Jami Gertz appeared in ’80s films like Crossroads, The Lost Boys, Less Than Zero, and Quicksilver, as well as the 1996 disaster movie Twister and the TV series Still Standing. But you can probably guess that isn’t how the 59-year-old became a multibillionaire.
In 1989, Gertz married businessman Antony Ressler, who co-founded the Apollo Global Management and Ares Management investment firms in 1990 and 1997, respectively. As of 2023, the companies had a combined market cap of $73 billion—with Ressler and Gertz greatly benefitting.
The couple are also sports team owners. In 2015, Ressler and Gertz became majority owners of the Atlanta Hawks NBA team, and they have a minority stake in the Milwaukee Brewers MLB franchise.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
