Highest Paid Actors
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Of all the celebrities making time in the American psyche, none are nearer and dearer to our hearts than our actors and actresses. Of these, it turns out that the men are commanding higher payoffs than their female counterparts. These are the highest paid (male) actors in Hollywood.
5. Leonardo DiCaprio – $45 million
Despite his phenomenal success in 1997 as Titanic’s pretty boy, Jack Dawson, Leonardo DiCaprio sees himself as an indie actor. His filmography certainly backs up that assertion, with such movies as The Beach (2000), Gangs of New York (2002) and Blood Diamond (2006) under his belt. He has been nominated for Best Actor at either the Academy Awards or the Golden Globes for each of his three most recent movies and took home a Golden Globe for his role as Howard Hughes in The Aviator (2004).
4. Mike Myers – $55 million
English by birth, Mike Myers was relocated to Ontario when he was still a baby. Supposedly, a role in a commercial with Gilda Radner when he was only 9 years old led to him swearing that he, like Radner, would eventually be on Saturday Night Live. He made good on his promise in 1989. In 1992, he and Dana Carvey adapted their Wayne’s World skit into a feature-length film. Since then, he has starred in a number of comedies, notably the Austin Powers (1997-2002) and Shrek (2001-2007) trilogies—both of which have fourth installments in the works.
3. Eddie Murphy – $55 million
The highest-grossing film actor in history, Eddie Murphy began his career as a stand-up comedian around the age of 19. Shortly thereafter, he became a cast member on Saturday Night Live. In his first film, he played Reggie Hammond in 48 Hrs (1982). Signing an exclusive contract with Paramount, he went on to become their most successful franchise at the time, with the possible exception of Star Trek. His thirty-three films to date have grossed over $3.4 billion.
2. Johnny Depp – $72 million
A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, Johnny Depp’s first major film, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1983), was released when he was only 21 years old. Since then, he has had a number of memorable roles including gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Captain Jack Sparrow in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (2003-2007) and a variety of quirky characters in films by director Tim Burton.
1. Will Smith – $80 million
Born in West Philadelphia, Smith is among the few celebrities to have achieve success in three different mediums. The highest-paid actor began his career rapping under the stage name “Fresh Prince,” which launched his popular television show, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran from 1990 to 1996. His first movie, Where the Day Takes You (1992), won the Golden Space Needle Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
His most recent film, Hancock, is his eighth consecutive film to gross over $100 million in the domestic box office. He is the first (and only) actor to have such an achievement under his belt.