List of highest-grossing actors

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	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	Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624)	24	$626,934,649
8	Alan Tudyk	$14,705,112,307	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	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	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

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. 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. Beaupre, Lee (5 January 1966). "Star, Producer, Director Identification With All-Time Top-Grossing Features". Variety. p. 7.