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While incredibly hard to make it as an actor, should someone manage to actually do it the payoff can be more than worth it. All these actors have been established in the industry for years, and it has been their ability to consistently crank out box office hits for decades that has resulted in them accumulating such wealth. In most cases though, it is not only their work in films that has caused them to become so wealthy, but also having strong business sense and knowing how to invest that has resulted in them landing a spot on this list.
10. Tom Hanks Net Worth: 350 million
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Widely regarded as Americas dad, Tom has been getting steady and prominent roles since he first began acting back in 1980. While not the highest paid on this list, he is easily one of the most widely loved, with a quick search of his name revealing all the awesome things he has been up to over the years. With him remaining so beloved and in the public eye, his paycheck has reflected this as well with him bringing in about fifteen million for every role he stars in. This huge paycheck combined with his extreme work ethic of starring in about one to two films a year is what has resulted in him being so wealthy.
9. Clint Eastwood Net Worth: 375 million
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While not as prominent as he used to be, there was a point where Clint was the leading man in Hollywood, acting as the star in some of the most iconic films ever made. He rose up with the wave of westerns that flooded Hollywood in the sixties and seventies and had the leading role in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly as well as Dirty Harry. In his later career, he has started shifting more towards behind the scenes roles and stared and directed in the critically acclaimed film Grand Torino in 2008, as well as directing American Sniper in 2014. the result of all this is, of course, his incredible wealth and despite some fairly strange remarks at the Republican Nation Convention a few years ago, the man seems to be doing quite well for himself.
8. Jackie Chan Net Worth: 395 million
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Another iconic actor, Jackie Chan has had an astounding career in action comedies, and even more impressive has done all the stunts in these movies largely by himself. Starting his career primarily as a stuntman, he did work for some of the greats like Bruce Lee before eventually getting his first starring role in the 1978 film Drunken Master. It was here that he pioneered the idea of action comedies, with this new genre of films becoming an immediate hit and launching him into stardom. From here Chan went on to act, produce and direct over 150 films, each one bringing in more than the last due to him being such a widely recognized domestic and international star. Last year alone he was reported to have made around 50 million dollars, easily landing him a place on this list.
7. Sylvester Stallone Net Worth: 400 million
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Having one of the most inspiring success stories there is, Sylvester Stallone came from nothing and ended up turning into one of Hollywood’s most infamous stars. Starting his career with very little luck and getting cast in only a few minor roles, the story goes that Stallone was apparently hit with a burst of inspiration and subsequently wrote out the entire script of Rocky in just three days. After having the script rejected by numerous studios, one finally took interest and even allowed Stallone to play the leading role in return for significant budget cuts. This, of course, resulted in him becoming a global phenomenon, making six more Rocky movies and of course increasing his paycheck with each one. He also went on to star in the Rambo franchise, The Expendables, and recently was in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 as well, showing just how prominent he remains even today.
6. Arnold Schwarzenegger Net Worth: 400 million
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The guy has done it all, working as an actor, author, producer, businessmen, investor, politician and former world champion bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger has had an incredibly wide-spanning career that has resulted in the accumulation of such significant wealth. Initially starting out as a bodybuilder, it was only after winning the Mr. Olympia contest seven times that he decided to retire from bodybuilding and pursue other interests. from here he went on to become an internationally recognized action star, with the featured role in classics such as The Terminator as well as Total Recall. All this combined with his political career as well as some smart investments in real estate are what have landed him a spot on this list. Also, as a side note, his soundboard is one of the most entertaining things on the internet and is absolutely worth 3-5 minutes of your time.
5. Jack Nicholson Net Worth: 400 million
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Having an explosive career during his peak, Nicholson has played some iconic roles that have resulted in him being among the wealthiest on this list. While no longer acting anymore, it was good negotiations on his part during the pinnacle of his career that resulted in him being so wealthy. Having a fairly slow start and struggling to land roles, it wasn’t until he landed a part in the 1969 film Easy Rider that he started to gain prominence. After that, he began getting starring roles such as Jack in The Shining, and the Joker in Batman where he is said to have negotiated for a percent of the profits that resulted in a $60 million paycheck from that film alone.
4. Mel Gibson Net Worth: 425 million
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Has he had a controversial career? Yes. Has he said something questionable things? Certainly. But is he still rich? Well, yes. having accumulated an incredible $425 million over his career Mel Gibson is among one of the richest working actors turned director today. Starting not in America, but Australian, Gibson worked his way into Hollywood starting with breakout films such as Mad Max and eventually staring and directing the classic Braveheart. While these films did earn him a significant profit, the majority of his wealth comes from the film The Passion of the Christ that he wrote and directed. Gibson and his production company provided the sole funds for the film and based on the $620 million returns it is estimated that Gibson pocketed $200 million of the film’s profits when it’s all said and done.
3. George Clooney Net Worth: 500 million
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Often one of the first faces that comes to mind when you think of an actor, George Clooney has had a long career in Hollywood, often acting as the charismatic leading man. His huge fortune comes not entirely from acting though, but some impressive business ventures as well. In 2013 Clooney and two friends decided to start a tequila company, and five years later it had become one of the most recognized and popular brands out there. Seeing it as competition liquor giant Diageo agreed to pay somewhere around $1 billion dollars to acquire Clooney’s company, which has resulted in him being placed so high up on this list.
2. Tom Cruise Net Worth: 570 million
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Arguably the face of Hollywood, Tom Cruise is one of the most successful screen actors in history, now averaging about $50 million a year from his work in film alone. He was a major success from a young age, and at just nineteen was already being featured in films like The Outsiders. His prominence only increased from there, and by the time his twenties were over he was one of the most recognizable household names in the world. His early and major success, as well as his work ethic of consistently being in one to two films a year is what explains his massive fortune.
1. Shah Rukh Khan Net Worth: 750 million
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Most Americans will have no idea who this man is, so it will be especially surprised to find his name at the top of this list. That being said, Shah Rukh Khan is currently the worlds wealthiest actor, with the majority of his revenue coming from his starring roles in Bollywood films. It is not just this, but some wise investments on his part as well that have resulted in him amassing such a fortune. He is said to own numerous production studios as well have properties all over the globe, and so even when he isn’t acting as the leading man in major Bollywood blockbusters, he still has plenty of revenue coming in from other sources.
