Between 1 June 2017 and 1 June 2018, George Clooney made more money than any other actor has ever made in a single year, Forbes magazine has found. The star’s film-based enterprises accounted for only a fraction of his income, however, with most coming from the sale of spirit company Casamigos Tequila.
In 2013, Clooney co-founded Casamigos with Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, initially as a way to supply them personally with sufficient quantities of high-quality liquor. Last year, British multinational Diageo purchased the brand in a deal worth a £1bn dollars.
“If you asked us four years ago if we had a billion-dollar company, I don’t think we would have said yes,” said Clooney when the deal was announced. Now 57, Clooney – who also became the father of twins in 2017 – is best known in the drinks world for his endorsement of the coffee brand Nespresso.
Clooney’s booze jackpot bumped Dwayne Johnson – who frequently tops the chart – into the second spot. Johnson doubled his earnings year on year, making $119m (£92m) from his involvement in multiple blockbusters, including Skyscraper and Rampage.
Johnson’s Fast and Furious co-star, Vin Diesel, failed to make the top 10 this year, despite topping last year’s chart. Avengers stars including Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans all featured, alongside non-American names such as Jackie Chan, Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan.
Clooney earned some $200m more than the highest-paid female actor, Scarlett Johansson, whose $40.5m total is thought to largely derive from her involvement in Marvel titles. She earned four times as much as Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman in films by rival comic book outfit DC.
Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid male actors 2018
George Clooney – $239m
Dwayne Johnson – $119m
Robert Downey Jr – $79m
Chris Hemsworth – $64.5m
Jackie Chan – $45.5m
Will Smith – $42m
Akshay Kumar – $40.5m
Adam Sandler – $39.5m
Chris Evans – $34m
Salman Khan – $33.5m
Forbes’ list of the world’s best-paid actresses 2018
Scarlett Johansson – $40.5m
Angelina Jolie – $28m
Jennifer Aniston – $19.5m
Jennifer Lawrence – $18m
Reese Witherspoon – $16.5m
Mila Kunis – $16m
Julia Roberts – $13m
Cate Blanchett – $12.5m
Melissa McCarthy – $12m
Gal Gadot – $10m
