Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has been named Hollywood’s highest-paid male actor of 2019, moving up from second place last year.
According to Forbes’s rich list, the former wrestler has earned an estimated $89.4m (£73.6m) in the 12 months ending June 2019, beating a competitive field of Hollywood heavyweights.
His earnings, according to The Guardian, mainly stem from “roles in Fast & Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw, action thriller Skyscraper and his HBO comedy Ballers, which makes him $700,000 (£576,247) an episode”. A large portion of his income is the result of a deal he signed which sees him take home up to 15% of the box-office profits from his films.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Latest Videos From
However, despite climbing to the top spot this year, Johnson’s income from June 2018 to June 2019 is actually significantly lower than the previous 12-month period, when he raked in $124m (£101m).
This is because last year’s winner George Clooney – who took home almost double Johnson’s earnings to top the 2018 list – has fallen out from the top ten. Clooney’s astronomical 2018 earnings of $233m (£190m) came mostly from the sale of his tequila company Casamigos, in a deal worth a total of $1bn (£820m). This year, back to earning his income from acting, he has dropped out of the top ten entirely.
This year also saw Chris Hemsworth climb to second place with earnings of $76.4m (£62.9m), while his Avengers co-star Robert Downey Jr came in third with $66m (£54.4m).
Perhaps the most significant climber this year was Canadian-Indian Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, who moved into fourth place on $65m (£53.5m)
The BBC notes that Bradley Cooper has “re-entered the top ten for the first time since 2015 thanks in large part to directing, co-writing, co-producing and starring in the Oscar-winning A Star Is Born”. Cooper came sixth, just behind veteran martial arts star Jackie Chan on $58m (£47.8m).
Rounding off the top ten are Adam Sandler, who “continues to profit from his deal with Netflix”, The Guardian says, and Will Smith, who had a relatively quiet year, only starring in a live-action remake of Aladdin.
Here’s a look at the ten best-paid male actors in the world in 2019:
Forbes’s list of the world’s best-paid male actors 2019:
- Dwayne Johnson - $89.4m (£73.6m)
- Chris Hemsworth - $76.4m (£62.9m)
- Robert Downey Jr - $66m (£54.4m)
- Akshay Kumar - $65m (£53.5m)
- Jackie Chan - $58m (£47.8m)
- Bradley Cooper - $57m (£46.9m)
- Adam Sandler - $57m (£46.9m)
- Chris Evans - $43m (£35.4m)
- Paul Rudd - $41m (£33.8m)
- Will Smith - $35m (£28.8m)
