The Highest Paid Actors In The World

It's no secret that the top actors in Hollywood
reel in insane amounts of money every year. And
if you're lucky enough to be one of the top of
the top actors, you make an absolutely
astronomical amount of money. As a rule,
salaries for the highest paid film actors are
currently in the $20-30 million range, but other
factors can cause that number to rise
substantially higher. An actor or actress can, for
instance, defer all or part of their salary against
a percentage of the film's gross in what is
known as a profit participation deal. There's
also a lucky few (Sandra Bullock we're looking
at you) who can negotiate "first dollar" gross
deals. Bullock had a 15% first dollar deal for
"Gravity." This means of every dollar the studio
ever received for Gravity, 15% went (and will
continue to go) to Sandra BEFORE any costs for
production or marketing are taken out.
Endorsements and other deals will also add to a
celeb's annual earnings, but for now we're just
gonna examine acting paychecks. Below is a list
of the highest paid actors in the world based on
earnings between June 2013 and June 2014…
Sandra Bullock – $77 million
After Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for "The
Blind Side" in 2010 she was in the right place to
strike while that proverbial iron was hot. The
"Gravity" producers knew they'd have to really
sweeten Bullock's deal, especially considering
production on the film was going to take YEARS
instead of the average 2-3 months a film shoot
usually is. For "Gravity" Bullock received $20
million upfront plus the aforementioned $15% of
first-dollar gross. "Gravity" made $716
worldwide. Bullock also gets the same
percentage earned from DVD rentals,
merchandise, TV licensing, etc. Her salary for
the buddy –cop comedy "The Heat" was also
reportedly $10 million.
Sandra Bullock Gravity Salary
Robert Downey, Jr. – $75 million
Robert Downey, Jr . also has a first-dollar gross
for the "Iron Man" franchise. RDJ's deal for five
to seven percent of the $1.22 billion "Iron Man
3″ earned him roughly $50 million. For non-Tony
Stark roles, RDJ makes around $15 million per
film. Downey Jr. also has a backend
participation deal for "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
Robert Downey Jr – $50 Million
Dwayne Johnson – $52 million
Dwayne Johnson is the current go-to action star
today. His brawn and inherent likeability make
him a bankable star. The Rock made $12 million
for "Hercules" but that was a bargain for the
producers, as Johnson usually makes about $15
million for films, including the upcoming "San
Andreas" and "Fast & Furious 7″. Johnson is
also expected to get a big bonus when the
seventh installment of the "Fast & Furious"
franchise is released. For "Pain & Gain"
Johnson eschewed a salary in exchange for a
back-end deal, which was a good bet as the film
went on to gross four times more than the $26
million it took to make.
Leonardo DiCaprio – $45 million
"The Wolf of Wall Street" was a monster hit,
making it hard to imagine now what a risk the
role was for Leonardo DiCaprio. He had to
significantly cut his upfront fee so that the film
could even get made. Five Oscar nominations –
including for Best Actor- and $395 million later,
DiCaprio can rest easy knowing his gamble paid
off. But one nearly $400 million grossing movie
wasn't enough for DiCaprio this past year; "The
Great Gatsby" earned $351 globally.
Liam Neeson – $40 million
"Taken" was a surprise hit and now, whenever
Hollywood needs a star with a certain set of
skills, they call on Liam Neeson. He earned $20
million for "Tak3n," the third installment in the
"Taken" franchise, plus the money for his
backend deal on "Taken 2″, which earned $374
million worldwide. He also had "Non-Stop" and
"A Walk Among the Tombstones" come out in
the past year, solidifying his status as the top
over 50 action star.
Bradley Cooper – $35 million
Bradley Cooper's ability to swing from broad
comedy to darker dramas and everything in-
between has made him one of the hardest (and
most often) working actors in Hollywood. His
"Hangover" franchise deal was lucrative. Cooper
earned $15 million for the third and final
installment in the comedy franchise. The
success of "American Hustle" and "Silver Linings
Playbook" (not to mention his Oscar
nominations for both) have also allowed the
actor to land a plum role in the next Cameron
Crowe romantic comedy.
Jennifer Lawrence – $35 million
Jennifer Lawrence took home the Oscar for her
role in "Silver Linings Playbook" and then landed
the coveted role of Katniss Everdeen in "The
Hunger Games" franchise, a role that she was
paid $500,000 for upfront for the first installment
and $10 million for the second installment. That
doesn't even take into account the final two
"Hunger Games" movies that she has already
shot, and "X-Men: Apocalypse" which is in pre-
production.
Cameron Diaz – $18 million
Cameron Diaz was smart to capitalize on the
success of 2011's "Bad Teacher." In the past
year, Diaz has filmed "Annie", "Sex Tape", and
"The Other Woman". The latter's $194 million
worldwide gross will keep Diaz in demand and
well paid for comedies.
Scarlet Johansson – $17 million
Rumor has it that the advance Scarlet
Johansson received for "Avengers: Age of
Ultron" was in the high seven figures. However,
that figure should rocket even higher as her role
in "Lucy", which earned $395 million shows she
is a proven box office draw that can anchor
action movies.
Jennifer Aniston – $15 million
Jennifer Aniston cashes in big time on her
endorsement deals with Smartwater and Aveeno.
In fact, she makes about as much there as she
does off feature length comedies, like "Horrible
Bosses 2," for which she was paid $5 million
upfront. This is just in addition to her Friends
residuals. Aniston's deals are structured to be
heavy on the back end, earning her eight figure
checks when they do well like last summer's
"We're the Millers" did. That comedy made $269
million worldwide.