Top 10 Earning Actors – The Wealthiest People in Films and Television

It’s no secret that the entertainment field is an extremely lucrative one; the movie and television business makes a great deal of money and the biggest names in these fields are very wealthy indeed. After all, the average person just loves being entertained and is willing to spend money on films and cable television. In addition, large numbers of people look up to famous entertainers who have the ability to mold public opinion and leisure habits. Top 10 lists of actors tend to have big names from Hollywood, for obvious reasons, but actors from India’s Bollywood are also making their presence felt in these top tens. The top list of wealthy film actors also, not very surprisingly, contains only male names. They are:

No. 10 – Keanu Reeves, $350 million. This Canadian actor shot to the limelight (and the big league) thanks to the hugely successful Matrix Trilogy. He has given away a large amount of his money to charity.

No. 9 – Clint Eastwood, $375 million. One of the few people to have made a successful transition from acting to directing, ‘Dirty Harry’ retains his immense fan following nevertheless.

No. 8 - Bill Cosby, $380 million. This family-friendly comedian amassed his wealth by playing the avuncular character Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show.

No. 7 – Tom Hanks, $390 million. This immensely talented actor is known for an amazing body of work that has also got him critical acclaim. He is also a director and producer of films.

No. 6 – Jack Nicholson, $400 million. His career spanning around 50 years has won him more Oscar nominations than any other male actor. He has built his name playing dark roles with a great deal of authenticity.

No. 5 – Tyler Perry, $400 million. A very successful actor, he has made the bulk of his money as a singer, songwriter, director and producer.

No. 4 - Johnny Depp, $450 million. He has done a great many interesting film roles right from the beginning of his career but it is his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise that has brought him the bulk of his wealth.

No. 3 – Tom Cruise, $480 million. He is box office gold and most of his films have earned lots of money, right from Top Gun from almost 3 decades ago to the more recent Mission Impossible films.

No. 2 – Shah Rukh Khan, $600 million. The only representative of Bollywood on this top list, he has an immense fan following in India.

No. 1 – Jerry Seinfeld, $800 million. This actor and comedian is way ahead of the other people on the list.