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 his spirit company.
In 2013, Clooney cofounded Casamigos with Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, initially as a way to supply them personally with sufficient quantities of high-quality beverages. Last year, British multinational Diageo purchased the brand in a deal worth a billion 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 June 2017 — is best known in the drinks world for his endorsement of coffee brand Nespresso.
Clooney’s jackpot bumped Dwayne Johnson — who frequently tops the chart — into the second spot. Johnson doubled his earnings year on year, making $119 million (Dh437.08 million) 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 came in at number three with $79 million, followed by Chris Hemsworth at $64 million and Jackie Chan at $45.5 million.
Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Salman Khan came in at number 7 with $40.5 million and 10th spot with $33.5 million, respectively.
Clooney earned some $200 million more than the highest-paid female actor, Scarlett Johansson, whose $40.5 million total is thought to largely derive from her involvement in Marvel titles. She earned four times as much as Gal Gadot ($10 million), who plays Wonder Woman in films by rival comic book outfit DC.
Angelina Jolie came in second with $28 million in earnings, followed by Jennifer Aniston ($19.5 million), Jennifer Lawrence ($18 million) and Reese Witherspoon ($16.5 million).
