List of highest-paid film actors


While the highest-paid film actors can command multi-million-dollar salaries, actors can potentially earn substantially more by deferring all or part of their salary against a percentage of the film's gross, known within the industry as a "profit participation" deal.

Highest earnings for a single production

Since not all salaries are made public, this is a non-definitive list of actors who have received $30 million or more as compensation for their services in a single production. Occasionally an actor's fee may cover multiple films, and they are included on the list if the films were filmed as a back-to-back production. The figures are given at their nominal value, since earnings from profit-based deals are accumulated over many years, making it unfeasible to adjust for inflation.
ActorFilmYearSalaryTotal income
'
The Matrix Revolutions
2003$30,000,000$156,000,000
'1999$14,000,000$100,000,000
Mission: Impossible 22000$100,000,000
War of the Worlds2005$100,000,000
Men in Black 32012$100,000,000
Top Gun: Maverick2022$12,500,000$100,000,000
Star Wars1977$150,000$95,000,000
Avengers: Infinity War2018$75,000,000+
Iron Man 32013$75,000,000
Avengers: Endgame2019$20,000,000$75,000,000
Gravity2013$20,000,000$70,000,000+
Forrest Gump1994$70,000,000
Mission: Impossible1996$70,000,000
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull2008$65,000,000
Batman1989$6,000,000$60,000,000
Inception2010$59,000,000
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides2011$35,000,000$55,000,000
Rush Hour 32007$15,000,000$53,700,000
2012$50,000,000
Barbie2023$12,500,000$50,000,000
Bad Teacher2011$42,000,000
Captain America: Civil War2016$40,000,000$40,000,000+
Titanic1997$40,000,000
Saving Private Ryan1998$40,000,000
Alice in Wonderland2010$40,000,000
Avengers: Age of Ultron2015$40,000,000
King Richard2021$40,000,000$40,000,000
The Little Things2021$40,000,000
Dangal2016$39,000,000
Pushpa 2: The Rule2024$36,000,000
Yes Man2008$35,000,000
Emancipation2022$35,000,000$35,000,000
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines2003$29,250,000$30,000,000+
Lethal Weapon 41998$30,000,000$30,000,000
Ocean's Eleven2001$10,000,000$30,000,000
Don't Look Up2021$30,000,000$30,000,000
Killers of the Flower Moon2023$30,000,000$30,000,000

Highest annual earnings

Forbes publishes yearly lists of the highest-paid actors and actresses based on total earnings from 1 June the previous year to 1 June the current year, and the highest-earning actor and actress for each year as determined by Forbes are tabulated here. The earnings only cover a one-year period, and in some instances are derived from other revenue streams besides acting work.