20 Highest-Grossing Movie Stars

The 20 highest-grossing movie stars are those who have managed to elevate nearly every movie they’ve starred in. They don’t always make blockbusters, but they always put up a great performance.

Samuel L. Jackson

What hasn’t this man starred in at this point? Star Trek comes to mind, but there’s nothing to say that he might not think about it.

Harrison Ford

Here’s another actor who has stood out among his fellow movie stars for many years. He’s taken on so many different roles that it’s fair to say people forget a few of them now and again.

Robert Downey Jr.

RDJ had a big rough patch in his life that saw him in a lot of trouble, but look at him now. He’s always been one of the better movie actors, but age and experience have only heightened that view.

Tom Hanks

In the current era, he’s still a great moneymaker, but Hanks’ star power has changed. It hasn’t lessened much, if any, but he’s not the lightning rod he used to be.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is the kind of guy that can elevate a movie just by speaking. He’s not the ultimate legend, but he’s only a short step away.

Scarlett Johansson

To think that when she came onto the scene she was just a kid. Now she’s a strong and beautiful woman who can act and command an audience with every part of her being.

Andy Serkis

The king of motion capture has taken on so many roles it’s tough to think of them all. But if you find yourself obsessing over a ring or walking on your knuckles to emulate his characters you’ll know who made it popular.

Anthony Daniels

The original C-3PO, this guy was one of the least and most loved characters of the Star Wars franchise. He’s definitely one of the most noticeable since in Return of the Jedi one has to wonder why such a character was brought to a forested planet.

Tom Cruise

Out of all the movie stars on this list, he’s one of the most impressive and somehow most annoying. After his little escapade on Oprah, a lot of people looked at him in a different light.

Eddie Murphy

Ever since he came on the scene decades ago he’s been one of the favorite comedians of all time. He hasn’t always been the family type, but he made the transition fairly well.

Stanley Tucci

He’s one of those niche actors who shows up in everything but isn’t known by everyone. And yet, he comes off as one of the most talented actors of all time.

Idris Elba

To be fair, he’s kind of a hit-and-miss movie actor considering the films one can find him in. But it doesn’t matter which part he takes on, he makes sure to leave people with the impression that his character is key to the story.

Johnny Depp

He’s played a lot of oddball characters, but they’ve all been memorable and they’ve almost all made money. Even today, some of his characters are still moneymakers because they were received so well.

Ian McKellen

He’s the type of movie actor that a lot of people know about thanks to several movies. But it’s a fair bet that a lot of people don’t know his entire list of appearances.

Bradley Cooper

At one point or another, Cooper came out and was great enough for his name to settle into the collective memory of humanity. These days he’s still great, but at the same time, characters like Rocket Raccoon will be at the top of his resume.

Don Cheadle

He’s been a great sidekick or side character a lot of times since his role as a leading man has usually taken place in dramatic movies. But with that in mind, he’s usually an integral part of any movie he’s in.

Vin Diesel

Think about Groot with a different voice. Think about Fast and Furious with a different mechanic turned thief. It doesn’t feel right, does it?

Michael Caine

As one of the absolute classics on this list, it’s easy to say that the current generation doesn’t know much about him. But those of us who grew up watching him know that he’s one of the more versatile individuals in film.

Gary Oldman

He can do crazy, dramatic, heroic, and anything else that’s asked of him. But let’s be honest, his crazier moments are some of the best and most marketable.

Dwayne Johnson

Johnson has been marketable for much of his life since as a WWE star turned actor he’s one of the most well-known faces in the world. As time continues to pass it’s fair to state that his fame has changed a little, but it hasn’t faded.