Top 20 Highest Grossing Actors Worldwide

By Amy Lamare on April 2, 2015 in Articles › How Much Does

Recently, we took a look at the Highest Grossing Actors of all time, domestically. The problem is, movies don't earn money just in North America; they play all over the world. And when you take a look at those numbers, the list changes. Johnny Depp didn't crack the top 20 in the domestic list, despite the massive grosses of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Tom Cruise didn't crack the top 10 domestically, but he does when you factor in grosses from around the world. Just as with the domestic numbers, the key to making this list, is clearly to be in a successful film franchise. Actors in both the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises dominate the list of highest grossing actors worldwide. Bruce Willis hangs onto a spot in the top 10 on the strength of the worldwide performance of the 1999 film "The Sixth Sense," and Will Smith remains in the top 20 with 1996's "Independence Day." Surprisingly, "Iron Man" and "Avengers" actor Robert Downey Jr. does not crack the Top 20. He comes in at number 26 with $6.19 billion in worldwide grosses.

(MAX NASH/AFP/GettyImages)

And just as with domestic grosses, it takes a likeable actor that audiences want to see to draw in the crowds to make the insane amounts of money these actors have for the films they've appeared in. And, finally, factoring in the worldwide grosses for a film has benefits to studios and actors. What may have been a mediocre film in the U.S. can double, triple, even quadruple their grosses when released worldwide. Let's take a look at the actors and actresses that make up the Top 20 Highest Grossing Actors Worldwide:

20. Eddie Murphy

Worldwide Gross: $6.69 billion

Highest Grossing Film: Shrek 2

19. Will Smith

Worldwide Gross: $6.73 billion

Highest Grossing Film: Independence Day

18. Brad Pitt

Worldwide Gross: $6.77 billion

Highest Grossing Film: World War Z

17. Cameron Diaz

Worldwide Gross: $7.05 billion

Highest Grossing Film: Shrek 2