20. Will Smith
His output may have dwindled in recent years, but Will Smith’s legacy as a box office draw is still strong. Just don’t do another After Earth.
19. Mark Wahlberg
Wahlberg may have a wide-range in terms of quality (for every The Departed there’s a Max Payne), but he clearly has an eye for a financially successful movie. Not bad Marky Mark.
18. Eddie Murphy
Decades of funny terms (or not, in the case of the past ten years) and a starring role in the Shrek franchise means Eddie Murphy makes the top twenty. Not bad given that he hasn’t released a film in two years.
17. Stellan Skarsgård
Probably the most surprising entry on the list, the Swedish actor has had supporting roles in both Pirates Of The Caribbean and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complementing a career in more art-house fare.
16. Brad Pitt
Not bolstered by a starring role in a major, multi-film mega-franchise (unless you count Oceans), Pitt’s star status and undeniable skill as an actor makes him one of a few names in Hollywood that remains a box office draw.
15. Cameron Diaz
Like Murphy, Diaz’ box office takings are boosted by Shrek, although a incredibly strong career in the late-nineties and early-naughties certainly help.
14. Bruce Willis
Since Die Hard Bruce Willis has been one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Even in recent years, where the quality of his movies has been more variable, he’s still remained a box office draw.
13. Helena Bonham Carter
It should be no surprise that a fair few Harry Potter actors appear on this list (it is the highest grossing franchise of all time, after all). First up is Helena Bonham Carter, whose total gross is helped by numerous appearances in husband Tim Burton’s output.
12. Gary Oldman
The man who have almost as many faces as he does box office dollars, Gary Oldman has starring roles in both Harry Potter and The Dark Knight Trilogy, as well as a knack for picking pretty successful movies besides.
11. Ralph Fiennes
What Ralph Fiennes doesn’t have in The Dark Knight, he makes up for in a career of iconic roles, from Amon Goeth to Hades. With Spectre out next year, expect him to hit the coveted $8 billion mark.
10. Orlando Bloom
Oddly for an actor so high on this list, Orlando Bloom’s box office gross comes almost unanimously from big franchises – his five appearances in Middle-Earth and three in Pirates Of The Caribbean.
9. Rupert Grint
Having starred in every Harry Potter movie, it’d be nigh on impossible for Rupert Grint to not place on this list. With a minimal cinematic impact following the franchise’s end in 2011, however, means it’s unlikely he’ll climb any higher.
8. Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe, despite by his own admission not being a naturally gifted actor, has come out of the Harry Potter gate at full speed, starring in a range of horrors and comedies in the past couple of years. Nothing has been a success quite like the wizarding adventures though.
7. Tom Cruise
Hollywood royalty since the mid-eighties, Cruise has always been a dependable box office draw. This year’s Edge Of Tomorrow didn’t fare that well at the box office, but with Mission: Impossible 5 out in 2015, he’s likely to still remain popular.
6. Johnny Depp
Audiences may be wizening up to his kooky character schtick, but that hasn’t stopped three Johnny Depp helmed movies making over a billion apiece at the worldwide box.
5. Ian McKellen
One of only two actors to appear in every Middle-Earth movie and star of the X-Men franchise, the classically trained actor has brought a touch of class to the blockbuster, and billions of dollars with him.
4. Samuel L. Jackson
Since Pulp Fiction carved out his own niche, Sam Jackson has appeared in a ridiculous number of films, ranging from Tarantino blood-baths to the world’s biggest franchises, Star Wars and Marvel.
Emma Watson has had the most success post-Potter out of the series’ central trio, starring in Darren Aronofsky’s Noah and some smaller fare. And that’s saying nothing of her off-screen activities, spearheading gender equality as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.
2. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks may not be as prolific as he was in the nineties, but that says less about career decline and more about how non-stop he was for that whole decade.
1. Morgan Freeman
A relatively recent new top spot for the list, Morgan Freeman’s involvement in all manner of successful movies have meant that, despite coming to prominence only the late eighties, the smooth-talker is the highest grossing actor of all time.
Source: WhatCulture.com
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