List of highest-grossing actors

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The following is a non-definitive list of the actors with the highest career-film grosses. The list is not adjusted for inflation.

Due to the long-term effects of inflation on movie theater ticket prices, a list unadjusted for inflation gives far more weight to later actors.[1] Therefore, this list is largely meaningless for comparing acting careers widely separated in time, as many actors from earlier eras will never appear on a modern unadjusted list, despite their films achieving higher commercial success when adjusted for price increases.[2]

A survey in 2000 found that the three actors who had sold the most movie tickets were Clark Gable (1,168,300,000), John Wayne (1,114,000,000), and Bing Crosby (1,077,900,000).[3]

All roles

This list includes cameos and voice acting. The number of films is from the source The Numbers and may not correspond exactly to a linked filmography.

  Background shading indicates Actors whose films are currently playing in theaters.
Rank Actor Worldwide total[4] Top-grossing film Films Average
1 Stan Lee $30,648,396,569 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 48 $638,508,262
2 Samuel L. Jackson $27,560,738,592 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 137 $201,143,854
3 John Ratzenberger $16,600,113,376 Incredibles 2 ($1,242,805,359) 49 $338,777,824
4 Frank Welker $15,793,141,099[dubious – discuss] Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) 110 $143,574,010
5 Bob Bergen $15,458,463,520 Minions ($1,159,398,397) 59 $262,007,856
6 Robert Downey Jr. $15,333,721,841 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 67 $228,861,520
7 Warwick Davis $15,046,431,571[dubious – discuss] Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 24 $626,934,649
8 Alan Tudyk $14,705,112,307[dubious – discuss] Frozen II ($1,448,800,077) 36 $408,475,342
9 Scarlett Johansson $14,628,350,949 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 49 $298,537,774
10 Andy Serkis $14,456,069,336 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 33 $438,062,707
11 Paul Bettany $13,414,404,804 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 32 $419,200,150
12 Chris Evans $13,219,986,629 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 35 $377,713,904
13 Don Cheadle $12,283,060,164 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 45 $272,956,893
14 Dwayne Johnson $12,254,274,438 Furious 7 ($1,515,047,671) 46 $266,397,270
15 Zoe Saldana $12,213,736,159 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 43 $284,040,376
16 Benedict Cumberbatch $12,100,178,301 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 35 $355,887,597
17 Jon Favreau $12,071,355,385 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 40 $301,783,885
18 Jeremy Renner $11,969,675,126 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 30 $398,989,171
19 Idris Elba $11,958,186,676 Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754) 42 $398,989,456
20 Gwyneth Paltrow $11,868,950,079 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 45 $263,754,446

Live-action roles

This list does not include cameos or voice acting.

  Background shading indicates Actors whose films are currently playing in theaters.
Rank Actor Worldwide total[5] Top-grossing film Films Average
1 Samuel L. Jackson $20,552,760,549 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 110 $186,843,278
2 Robert Downey Jr. $15,058,390,411 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 64 $235,287,350
3 Warwick Davis $14,647,306,096 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 22 $665,786,641
4 Andy Serkis $13,050,469,932 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 28 $466,088,212
5 Scarlett Johansson $12,820,718,654 [dubious – discuss] Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 44 $291,379,969
6 Don Cheadle $12,276,145,403 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 45 $272,803,231
7 Paul Bettany $12,187,740,628 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 30 $406,258,021
8 Zoe Saldana $12,029,847,661 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 40 $300,746,192
9 Jeremy Renner $11,949,446,084 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 29 $412,049,865
10 Gwyneth Paltrow $11,865,237,302 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 45 $263,671,940

Lead roles

This list only includes lead roles, including voice acting.

  Background shading indicates Actors whose films are currently playing in theaters.
Rank Actor Worldwide total[6] Top-grossing film Films Average
1 Robert Downey Jr. $14,370,951,327 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 43 $334,208,170
2 Samuel L. Jackson $14,238,510,456 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 63 $226,008,102
3 Scarlett Johansson $13,675,360,865 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 29 $471,564,168
4 Chris Hemsworth $11,203,044,415 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 24 $466,793,517
5 Chris Evans $11,056,795,251 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 24 $460,699,802
6 Zoe Saldana $10,921,331,667 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 28 $390,047,560
7 Chris Pratt $10,695,390,273 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 17 $629,140,604
8 Tom Hanks $10,640,794,116 Toy Story 4 ($1,073,394,813) 51 $208,643,022
9 Bradley Cooper $10,405,372,022 Avengers: Endgame ($2,797,800,564) 27 $385,384,149
10 Johnny Depp $10,315,040,792 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1,066,179,725) 52 $198,366,169

Supporting roles

This list only includes supporting roles, including voice acting.

  Background shading indicates Actors whose films are currently playing in theaters.
Rank Actor Worldwide total[7] Top-grossing film Films Average
1 Warwick Davis $14,528,973,660 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 17 $854,645,509
2 Frank Welker $11,541,094,296 Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) 37 $311,921,467
3 John Ratzenberger $11,486,236,189 Incredibles 2 ($1,242,805,359) 36 $319,062,116
4 Bob Bergen $11,009,616,479 Minions ($1,159,398,397) 25 $440,384,659
5 Hugo Weaving $10,655,817,445 Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) 21 $507,419,878
6 Alan Tudyk $10,648,016,402 Frozen II ($1,448,800,077) 24 $443,667,350
7 Jess Harnell $9,990,991,014 Minions ($1,159,398,397) 20 $499,549,551
8 Gary Oldman $9,673,698,764 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 ($1,341,932,398) 21 $460,652,322
9 Andy Serkis $9,655,397,482 Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 15 $643,693,165
10 Samuel L. Jackson $9,648,559,663 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ($1,074,141,030) 50 $192,971,193

Earlier eras

As noted above, a survey in 2000 found that the three actors who had sold the most movie tickets were Clark Gable (1,168,300,000), John Wayne (1,114,000,000), and Bing Crosby (1,077,900,000).[3]

In 1966, Variety calculated a list of the highest-grossing stars using their All-Time Top Grossing Films lists based on the number of films that had earned theatrical rentals of $4 million or more in the United States and Canada by the end of 1965.[8] As the list was based on number of films on the chart, there may have been some stars who appeared in fewer films listed but with a higher total rental. As with current lists, the list favors films and stars of the later eras as later films generally gross more. John Wayne topped the list. Variety noted that Crosby's last hit prior to 1965 was High Society in 1956, and at that date he would have led the list.[8] They also noted that Gable was the undisputed king until he went into the Army in 1942 and that he wasn't ranked higher as many of his earlier hits did not reach their $4 million cut off and therefore, were not included in his total.[8]

Rank Actor Total
(US/Canada rentals)[8]		 Top-grossing film
(US/Canada rentals)		 Films on chart Average
1 John Wayne $113,422,000 How the West Was Won ($23,000,000) 17 $6,671,882
2 Charlton Heston $110,500,000 Ben-Hur ($38,000,000) 7 $15,785,714
3 Gregory Peck $105,075,000 How The West Was Won ($23,000,000) 14 $7,505,357
4 Frank Sinatra $95,450,000 From Here To Eternity ($12,200,000) 17 $5,614,706
5 Elizabeth Taylor $85,825,000 Cleopatra ($23,500,000) 10 $8,582,500
6 Richard Burton $79,950,000 Cleopatra ($23,500,000) 7 $11,421,429
7 James Stewart $77,700,000 How The West Was Won ($23,000,000) 9 $8,633,333
8 Bing Crosby $68,500,000 White Christmas ($12,000,000) 11 $6,227,273
9 Clark Gable $65,100,000 Gone With the Wind ($41,200,000) 6 $10,850,000
10 William Holden $62,610,000 Bridge on the River Kwai ($17,195,000) 10 $6,261,000
11 Cary Grant $62,550,000 Operation Petticoat ($9,500,000) 11 $5,686,364
12 Shirley MacLaine $62,150,000 Around the World in 80 Days ($22,000,000) 7 $8,878,571
13 Henry Fonda $61,250,000 How The West Was Won ($23,000,000) 6 $10,208,333
14 Fred MacMurray $58,300,000 The Shaggy Dog ($9,600,000) 8 $7,287,500
15 Spencer Tracy $57,950,000 How The West Was Won ($23,000,000) 6 $9,658,333
16 Jean Simmons $57,450,000 The Robe ($17,500,000) 7 $8,207,143
17 Jack Lemmon $56,405,000 Irma La Douce ($11,250,000) 8 $7,050,625
18 Marlon Brando $56,150,000 Sayonara ($10,500,000) 9 $6,238,889
19 David Niven $54,400,000 Around the World in 80 Days ($22,000,000) 6 $9,066,667
20 Doris Day $53,900,000 Lover Come Back ($8,500,000) 9 $5,988,889

See also

References

  1. ^ Bialik, Carl (January 29, 2010). "How Hollywood Box-Office Records Are Made". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Pincus-Roth, Zachary (July 6, 2009). "Best Weekend Never". Slate. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Macfarlane, Malcolm (2001). Bing Crosby – Day by Day. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc. pp. 670–671. ISBN 0-8108-4145-2.
  4. ^ "Top Stars at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  5. ^ "Top Live Action Stars at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  6. ^ "Top 100 Stars in Leading Roles at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  7. ^ "Top 100 Stars in Supporting Roles at the Worldwide Box Office". The Numbers. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  8. ^ a b c d Beaupre, Lee (5 January 1966). "Star, Producer, Director Identification With All-Time Top-Grossing Features". Variety. p. 7.
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