List of highest-grossing actors
The following are non-definitive lists of the actors with the highest career-film grosses. There are box-office gross revenue lists, which are not adjusted for inflation, as well as lists for the number of box-office ticket sales.
Contents
Box-office gross revenue
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Because of 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, the gross revenue lists are 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]
Lead roles
This list only includes leading roles and lead ensemble roles, including voice acting. The list is updated as of 12 January 2023[update].
Rank | Actor | Worldwide total[3] | Top-grossing film | Films | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Scarlett Johansson | $14,519,031,650 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 33 | $439,970,656 |
2 | Robert Downey Jr. | $14,393,065,668 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 43 | $334,722,457 |
3 | Samuel L. Jackson | $14,376,505,937 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 64 | $224,632,905 |
4 | Zoe Saldaña | $12,805,874,340 | Avatar ($2,899,384,102) | 30 | $426,862,478 |
5 | Chris Hemsworth | $11,958,567,765 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 25 | $478,342,711 |
6 | Chris Pratt | $11,742,796,476 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 23 | $510,556,369 |
7 | Tom Cruise | $11,547,725,996 | Top Gun: Maverick ($1,487,575,965) | 43 | $268,551,767 |
8 | Chris Evans | $11,277,890,989 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 29 | $388,892,793 |
9 | Tom Hanks | $10,704,310,520 | Toy Story 4 ($1,073,064,540) | 55 | $194,623,828 |
10 | Vin Diesel | $10,537,096,327 | Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754) | 27 | $390,262,827 |
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. The list is updated as of 12 January 2023[update].
Rank | Actor | Worldwide total[4] | Top-grossing film | Films | Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Stan Lee | $30,602,726,452 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 50 | $612,054,529 |
2 | Samuel L. Jackson | $27,774,380,376 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 139 | $199,815,686 |
3 | Frank Welker | $17,443,170,830 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) | 112 | $155,742,597 |
4 | John Ratzenberger | $16,769,258,165 | Incredibles 2 ($1,242,805,359) | 52 | $322,485,734 |
5 | Robert Downey Jr. | $15,725,830,539 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 67 | $234,713,889 |
6 | Bob Bergen | $15,707,278,536 | Minions ($1,157,271,759) | 60 | $261,787,976 |
7 | Scarlett Johansson | $15,383,926,509 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 51 | $301,645,618 |
8 | Andy Serkis | $15,197,484,715 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,064,615,817) | 35 | $434,213,849 |
9 | Benedict Cumberbatch | $15,089,615,946 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 42 | $359,276,570 |
10 | Alan Tudyk | $15,006,764,413[dubious ] | Frozen II ($1,444,735,491) | 40 | $375,169,110 |
11 | Warwick Davis | $14,965,761,701[dubious ] | Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,064,615,817) | 24 | $623,573,404 |
12 | Zoe Saldaña | $14,099,605,916 | Avatar ($2,910,370,239) | 46 | $306,513,172 |
13 | Jon Favreau | $13,970,645,911 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 41 | $340,747,461 |
14 | Chris Evans | $13,753,699,045 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 42 | $327,469,025 |
15 | Chris Pratt | $13,475,706,324 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 36 | $374,325,176 |
16 | Paul Bettany | $13,398,876,626[dubious ] | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 33 | $406,026,564 |
17 | Dwayne Johnson | $13,069,687,023 | Furious 7 ($1,514,553,486) | 50 | $261,393,740 |
18 | Vin Diesel | $12,583,345,351 | Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754) | 36 | $349,537,371 |
19 | Idris Elba | $12,565,922,871 | Avengers: Infinity War ($2,048,359,754) | 48 | $261,790,060 |
20 | Chris Hemsworth | $12,447,713,879 | Avengers: Endgame ($2,794,731,755) | 27 | $461,026,440 |
Earlier eras
Up until 2000
A survey by TLA Video in 2000 estimated that the following actors had sold the most movie tickets at the box office.[5][6]
Rank | Actor | Ticket sales (est.) |
---|---|---|
1 | Clark Gable | 1,168,300,000 |
2 | John Wayne | 1,114,000,000 |
3 | Bing Crosby | 1,077,900,000 |
4 | James Stewart | 981,900,000 |
5 | Cary Grant | 942,500,000 |
6 | Spencer Tracy | 937,200,000 |
7 | Gary Cooper | 878,600,000 |
8 | Mickey Rooney | 867,900,000 |
9 | Harrison Ford | 852,700,000 |
10 | Gregory Peck | 728,000,000 |
Up until 1966
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.[7] 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.[7] 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 were therefore not included in his total.[7]
Rank | Actor | Total (US/Canada rentals)[7] |
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 | The 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
- Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll
- Lists of highest-grossing films
- List of highest-grossing film directors
- List of highest-grossing film producers
- List of highest-paid film actors
- Bankable star
- Movie star
References
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- Pages with reference errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles containing potentially dated statements from January 2023
- Articles with hCards
- All accuracy disputes
- Articles with disputed statements from June 2020
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- Articles with disputed statements from March 2021
- Film box office
- Film-related lists of superlatives
- Lists of film actors
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