List of highest-paid film actors

List of highest-paid film actors

While the highest-paid film actors can command multi-million-dollar salaries, actors can potentially earn substantially more by deferring all or part of their salary against a percentage of the film's gross, known within the industry as a "profit participation" deal.

Highest earnings for a single production

List of highest-paid film actors

Since not all salaries are made public, this is a non-definitive list of actors who have received $30 million or more as compensation for their services in a single production. Occasionally an actor's fee may cover multiple films, and they are included on the list if the films were filmed as a back-to-back production (for example, Keanu Reeves and the Matrix sequels). The figures are given at their nominal value, since earnings from profit-based deals are accumulated over many years, making it unfeasible to adjust for inflation.

Keanu Reeves earned a record $156 million for the first two Matrix sequels, filmed back-to-back.

Tom Cruise has earned in excess of $100 million per film on three occasions.

Sandra Bullock is the highest-paid actress, earning over $70 million for Gravity.

<table><thead><tr><th>Actor</th><th>Film</th><th>Year</th><th>Salary</th><th>Total income</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Keanu Reeves</td><td>The Matrix Reloaded The Matrix Revolutions</td><td>2003</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td>$156,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bruce Willis</td><td>The Sixth Sense</td><td>1999</td><td>$14,000,000</td><td>$100,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tom Cruise</td><td>Mission: Impossible 2</td><td>2000</td><td></td><td>$100,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tom Cruise</td><td>War of the Worlds</td><td>2005</td><td></td><td>$100,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Will Smith</td><td>Men in Black 3</td><td>2012</td><td></td><td>$100,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tom Cruise</td><td>Top Gun: Maverick</td><td>2022</td><td>$12,500,000</td><td>$100,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Alec Guinness</td><td>Star Wars</td><td>1977</td><td>$150,000</td><td>$95,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Robert Downey Jr.</td><td>Avengers: Infinity War</td><td>2018</td><td></td><td>$75,000,000+</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Robert Downey Jr.</td><td>Iron Man 3</td><td>2013</td><td></td><td>$75,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Robert Downey Jr.</td><td>Avengers: Endgame</td><td>2019</td><td>$20,000,000</td><td>$75,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Sandra Bullock</td><td>Gravity</td><td>2013</td><td>$20,000,000</td><td>$70,000,000+</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tom Hanks</td><td>Forrest Gump</td><td>1994</td><td></td><td>$70,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tom Cruise</td><td>Mission: Impossible</td><td>1996</td><td></td><td>$70,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Harrison Ford</td><td>Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</td><td>2008</td><td></td><td>$65,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jack Nicholson</td><td>Batman</td><td>1989</td><td>$6,000,000</td><td>$60,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Leonardo DiCaprio</td><td>Inception</td><td>2010</td><td></td><td>$59,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Johnny Depp</td><td>Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides</td><td>2011</td><td>$35,000,000</td><td>$55,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jackie Chan</td><td>Rush Hour 3</td><td>2007</td><td>$15,000,000</td><td>$53,700,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Robert Downey Jr.</td><td>The Avengers</td><td>2012</td><td></td><td>$50,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Margot Robbie</td><td>Barbie</td><td>2023</td><td>$12,500,000</td><td>$50,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Cameron Diaz</td><td>Bad Teacher</td><td>2011</td><td></td><td>$42,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Robert Downey Jr.</td><td>Captain America: Civil War</td><td>2016</td><td>$40,000,000</td><td>$40,000,000+</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Leonardo DiCaprio</td><td>Titanic</td><td>1997</td><td></td><td>$40,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tom Hanks</td><td>Saving Private Ryan</td><td>1998</td><td></td><td>$40,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Johnny Depp</td><td>Alice in Wonderland</td><td>2010</td><td></td><td>$40,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Robert Downey Jr.</td><td>Avengers: Age of Ultron</td><td>2015</td><td></td><td>$40,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Will Smith</td><td>King Richard</td><td>2021</td><td>$40,000,000</td><td>$40,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Denzel Washington</td><td>The Little Things</td><td>2021</td><td></td><td>$40,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Aamir Khan</td><td>Dangal</td><td>2016</td><td></td><td>$39,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Allu Arjun</td><td>Pushpa 2: The Rule</td><td>2024</td><td></td><td>$36,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Jim Carrey</td><td>Yes Man</td><td>2008</td><td></td><td>$35,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Will Smith</td><td>Emancipation</td><td>2022</td><td>$35,000,000</td><td>$35,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Arnold Schwarzenegger</td><td>Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines</td><td>2003</td><td>$29,250,000</td><td>$30,000,000+</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mel Gibson</td><td>Lethal Weapon 4</td><td>1998</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Brad Pitt</td><td>Ocean's Eleven</td><td>2001</td><td>$10,000,000</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Leonardo DiCaprio</td><td>Don't Look Up</td><td>2021</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Leonardo DiCaprio</td><td>Killers of the Flower Moon</td><td>2023</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td>$30,000,000</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Highest annual earnings

List of highest-paid film actors

Dwayne Johnson was the highest-paid actor in 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2024.

Sylvester Stallone was the highest-paid actor in 1987, 1988, 1990, and 1995.

Julia Roberts was the highest-paid actress in 1998, 1999, and 2000.

Forbes publishes yearly lists of the highest-paid actors and actresses based on total earnings from 1 June the previous year to 1 June the current year, and the highest-earning actor and actress for each year as determined by Forbes are tabulated here. The earnings only cover a one-year period, and in some instances are derived from other revenue streams besides acting work.

Year	Actor	Earnings (gross)	Actress	Earnings (gross)	Ref.
1987	Sylvester Stallone	$74 million	Jane Fonda	$13 million
1988	Sylvester Stallone	$63 million	—N/a	—N/a
1989	Eddie Murphy	$60 million	—N/a	—N/a
1990	Sylvester Stallone	$63 million	—N/a	—N/a
1991	Kevin Costner	$59 million	—N/a	—N/a
1992	Kevin Costner	$71 million	—N/a	—N/a
1993	Kevin Costner	$48 million	—N/a	—N/a
1994	Harrison Ford	$44 million	—N/a	—N/a
1995	Sylvester Stallone	$58 million	Roseanne Barr	$32 million
1996	Arnold Schwarzenegger	$74 million	Roseanne Barr	$40 million
1997	Tom Cruise	$82 million	Roseanne Barr	$55 million
1998	Harrison Ford	$58 million	Julia Roberts	$28 million
1999	Tom Hanks	$71.5 million	Julia Roberts	$50 million
2000	Bruce Willis	$70 million	Julia Roberts	$18.9 million
2001	Unpublished
2002	Adam Sandler	$47 million	Cameron Diaz	$40 million
2003	Will Smith	$60 million	Jennifer Aniston	$35 million
2004	Jim Carrey	$66 million	Cameron Diaz	$32 million
2005	Will Ferrell	$40 million	Drew Barrymore	$22 million
2006	Tom Cruise	$67 million	Jodie Foster	$27 million
2007	Johnny Depp	$92 million	Nicole Kidman	$28 million
2008	Johnny Depp	$72 million	Cameron Diaz	$50 million
2009	Harrison Ford	$65 million	Angelina Jolie	$27 million
2010	Johnny Depp	$75 million	Sandra Bullock	$56 million
2011	Leonardo DiCaprio	$77 million	Angelina Jolie	$30 million
2012	Tom Cruise	$75 million	Kristen Stewart	$34.5 million
2013	Robert Downey Jr.	$75 million	Angelina Jolie	$33 million
2014	Robert Downey Jr.	$75 million	Sandra Bullock	$51 million
2015	Robert Downey Jr.	$80 million	Jennifer Lawrence	$52 million
2016	Dwayne Johnson	$64.5 million	Jennifer Lawrence	$46 million
2017	Mark Wahlberg	$68 million	Emma Stone	$26 million
2018	George Clooney	$239 million	Scarlett Johansson	$40.5 million
2019	Dwayne Johnson	$89.4 million	Scarlett Johansson	$56 million
2020	Dwayne Johnson	$87.5 million	Sofía Vergara	$43 million
2021	Dwayne Johnson	$270 million	Reese Witherspoon	$115 million
2022	Tyler Perry	$175 million	—N/a	—N/a
2023	Adam Sandler	$97 million	Margot Robbie	$78 million
2024	Dwayne Johnson	$103 million	Nicole Kidman	$41 million
2025	Adam Sandler	$60 million	Scarlett Johansson	$50 million