esquire.com.au – IT’S NO SECRET that the most high-profile actors are paid pretty well. While box office returns may be shrinking, the film and television industries are still billion-dollar businesses with billion-dollar budgets. Naturally, the actors in the most important roles soak up a sizeable chunk of those budgets – and the smart ones no how to turn a large payday into an enormous one.
Truth be told, acting doesn’t pay so well that a few big roles will land you a place among the wealthiest in your profession. The actors who make up this ranking didn’t make their millions – or in some cases, billions – through their on-screen work alone. In most instances, smart investments, savvy business decisions and exorbitant brand sponsorship deals are behind the fortunes.
For the sake of fairness, we’ve kept this list restricted to people who are primarily known for acting. Someone like LeBron James, who would top this ranking if he was included, doesn’t qualify because most people don’t know him from Space Jam: Legacy, but from being one of the greatest basketball players to ever live. Now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s get into the richest actors of 2024, ranked by their net worths.
All figures are estimates only, have been converted to AUD and are accurate as of July 18th, 2024.
Who are the richest actors in 2024
10. Jackie Chan
Net worth: $557.09 million
It might seem rather strange given his views in support of the Chinese Communist Party, but Jackie Chan is one of the richest men on the planet. Chan first broke into the film industry with a series of leading roles in Hong Kong action-comedy films before transitioning into Hollywood, starring in the Rush Hour and Kung Fu Panda franchises, as well as Karate Kid. Chan was one of the highest paid actors in the world for a long time, and crucially, he was able to cash in on multiple markets. He’s also a frequent endorser of products and owns his own chain of movie theatres. Although, he has said in the past that he aims to donate all of his riches to charity before he dies.
9. Tom Hanks
Net worth: $571.94 million
Tom Hanks isn’t just one of the best actors in recent memory, he’s also one of the richest. The winner of two consecutive Best Actor Oscars for his roles in Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, commercial and critical success follow Hanks like a lost puppy. Most his millions come from his real estate enterprises, which are estimated to be worth around $225 million.
8. Jack Nicholson
Net worth: $590 million
He’s a prolific actor, appearing in more than 60 films over his career, but that’s not where most of Jack Nicholson’s money comes from. Nicholson has been smart with his paycheck, investing in real estate and high end art. Combined, those two investments are said to be worth around $375 million in total, to go with a lucrative cut of the box office and merchandising revenue from Tim Burton’s Batman, which earned Nicholson around $160 million adjusted for inflation.
7. Brad Pitt
Net worth: $594.23 million
Mr. blockbuster himself, Brad Pitt has earned the right to command a considerable sum in return for his services. Most recently, he was paid $45 million upfront for his upcoming F1 film, but that’s not his only source of income. He co-founded Plan B Entertainment with his then-wife Jennifer Aniston and the production company has gone on to produce Oscar winning films like The Departed, Moonlight and 12 Years a Slave.
6. Robert De Niro
Net worth: $735.35 million
He’s known as one of the best actors of all time, but like many others on this list, Robert De Niro didn’t put all his eggs in one basket and found other sources of revenue. He’s the co-founder of high-end sushi chain Nobu – perhaps you’ve heard of it – which has more than 40 locations around the world and generates millions every year. He also owns a slew of other restaurants and properties primarily in New York City – which, as we’re sure you don’t need us to tell you, is a fairly pricey market.
5. George Clooney
Net worth: $742.8 million
As we’re certain you’ve noticed by this point, being one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood doesn’t automatically guarantee you a place on this list – but it does help. George Clooney has routinely raked in millions for major roles, but he also used to co-own the successful Casamigos Tequila brand before selling it for close to $1 billion. He’s now transitioned into a producing role, which is only deepening his pockets.
4. Shah Rukh Khan
Net worth: $876.5 million
To the Western world, Shah Rukh Khan – or SRK, as he is more commonly known in his home nation – might not be the biggest name in cinema. But in India, with it’s lucrative Bollywood market, SRK is the big-name actor. SRK has been India’s highest paid actor for around 30 years, while also owning a few real estate assets and recently trying his hand at directing.
3. Tom Cruise
Net worth: $891 million
Both the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises have made Tom Cruise quite a bit of bank, with the actor being handsomely rewarded for his contributions to the films. In addition, he owns property on both the East and West coast of the USA, as well as all around North America. Cruise is one of the few actors on this list who primarily built his fortune through, well, acting. He’s consistently been one of the highest paid actors in Hollywood and a 2020 study even estimated that he’s earned $7,000 per word of dialogue across his various films. In light of recent box office successes, we can only assume that number has climbed even higher.
2. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
Net worth: $1.19 billion
We were torn over whether or not we should even include The Rock on this list, given our whole ‘must be known primarily for acting’ rule. But we think that by 2024, most people now know The Rock for his acting, not his wrestling, so he makes the cut. He got his start in WWE, but The Rock has since become a Hollywood heavyweight, with a highly sought-after rig that almost guarantees box office success. He also owns around 30% of Teremana Tequila, which is valued at $2 billion.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Net worth: $1.49 billion
Arnie is the one the trump them all. He’s another we weren’t entirely sure if we should include, given that he’s practically a professional multi-hyphenate as a bodybuilder, actor, politician and entrepreneur, but we still think most people know him for his famous acting roles, first and foremost. Forbes first reported the Austrian-born actor’s ascension to billionaire status earlier this year. He gained entry into the three comma club primarily by pouring his earnings into real estate, from his earliest days as an actor. As a result, he now owns a vast real estate empire along with a 5% stake in one of the world’s biggest investment firms. It’s safe to say Schwarzenegger won’t have to go back to winning Mr Olympia contests to make ends meet.
