The 21 biggest paydays for actors in history, ranked

In Hollywood, a select group of actors has reached stratospheric earning levels, with paychecks that dwarf those of most of their peers. Thanks to massive box office hits, lucrative franchise deals, and profit-sharing agreements, these stars have secured spots as the highest-paid in film history. From groundbreaking deals to eye-watering bonuses, here are the actors whose earnings have set industry records.

Coming in at number 20, is a strange 2021 COVID story. Will Smith made $40 million and won an Oscar for starring in the film that was released streaming at the same time as in theaters. In the end, it only made $39 million at the box office, well below expectations, according to Variety. But we'll never forget that slap...

The Oscar-winning actor earned $40 million for the film that ended up premiering on HBO Max the same day it hit the theaters (thanks again, COVID). In total it made just $30 million at the box office, not even enough to cover Washington's salary, according to Variety.

In 1998, $40 million was a hefty sum. But the actor knew the art of a deal after the success of 'Forrest Gump' and conditioned his salary on the film's box office earnings, which amounted to $482 million, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Of the top 16 spots, this is only the second actress to appear. She earned $42 million for the film 'Bad Teacher,' but it definitely required a gamble on Diaz's part. According to Yahoo Finance, she only earned $1 million guaranteed but took home the majority by linking her cut to the box office earnings, which ran up to $216 million.

According to Variety, Robbie was paid $12.5 million for acting in the 2023 feminist blockbuster. And her role as a producer as well as bonuses boosted her earnings to around $50 million.

The Rock was set to pocket $50 million for the Amazon Prime Video action-comedy film 'Red One' that he'll star in with Chris Evans, according to Variety.

The actor earned $50 million to appear in Christopher Nolan's magnum opus as Dom Cobb. According to Forbes, his salary included a percentage of box office earnings and a portion of subsequent sales and broadcasts.

Nicholson was paid $50 million in 1989 to appear in Batman. According to the US Inflation Calculator, that's the equivalent of $120 million today. The actor got a $6 million advance to play a spectacular Joker but also earned a good percentage of the box office earnings, merchandising and for appearing in a sequel that was never filmed. Bravo!

$55 million was what Johnny Depp took for giving life to Jack Sparrow for the fourth time, according to Forbes. The production budget shot up to $410 million dollars, although it would end up earning $1,046 million worldwide.

Daniel Craig has made a cool $50 million each time he appeared as the magnificent detective Benoit Blanc, according to The Hollywood Reporter. With two editions so far, that makes a juicy $100 million.

Tom Hanks took home $60 million and an Oscar for Best Actor for playing the endearing Forrest Gump. According to Entertainment Weekly, the actor tied his salary to box office sales. Lucky for him, the film was both a critical and popular hit, taking home $677 million in theaters.

In what was likely his biggest payday ever, Sandler signed a $250 deal with Netflix to make four movies in 2014, according to Forbes. Then, he sent a similar deal again in 2017 and again in 2020. Some of the films have been huge hits for the platform including 'Hustle' (2022), 'Uncut Gems' (2019) and 'Murder Mystery' (2019).

It took $65 million to convince Harrison Ford to put the hat back on and carry the Indy whip, according to Forbes. In the end, Paramount signed an agreement that meant the actor, Steven Spielberg (director) and George Lucas (producer) shared a good chunk of the $791 million that the film made at the box office.

It cost $68 million for Johnny Depp to get into the shoes of the Mad Hatter for the adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, according to The Telegraph. Those were definitely different times for the actor. And for Hollywood.

On top of earning $70 million for playing Dr. Ryan Stone in 'Gravity', she also snagged an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she earned a $20 million guaranteed payment plus 15% of the box office earnings for the film that made a solid $723 million.

Downey took home a cool $75 million for playing Tony Stark in what many consider to be one of the best action films of all time. The actor's Iron Man truly was the soul of the blockbuster, but it certainly came at a price.

Here's Maverick but first appearance on the list, proving that Tom Cruise is undeniably one of Hollywood's biggest stars. While it's a jaw-dropping amount of cash, at least Cruise performs his own stunts!

Keanu Reeves reportedly took home a total of $250 million for the Matrix and its two sequels, which averages to $83.3 million per film. Most was earned due to the film's box office success since his base salary only reached around $13 million on average.

Way back in 2012, Smith earned $100 million for his role in 'Men in Black,' which was said to be the biggest single movie deal ever at the time. The film had a budget of $225 million and earned more than $624 million.

It cost more than $100 million for Tom Cruise to get back in the skin of Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. According to Variety, Cruise agreed to reprise the role for $13 million upfront plus a fraction of the total box office, which has reached nearly $1.5 billion, and a portion of future home entertainment sales.

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