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Cinema’s big names are called stars because they bridge the gap between the human and the heavenly – shining all the while. But that’s not where the metaphor ends. Acting’s sparkling lights guide the ticket-buying public to films that they might otherwise miss. And they command astronomical fees — because their names can attract astronomical box office sales.
The presence of a star brands a move. Audiences don’t just herd to it because they adore that star, but because “that new comedy with Jennifer Aniston” communicates a sense of the movie more than just “that new comedy” (Okay, so with Jennifer Aniston, it’s complicated). Like purchasing any new product from a brand, you know, that $9 ticket feels like less of a gamble.
But there’s also good old human interest. One analysis found that adding an A-list name to an existing cast of A-listers distinguishable increases the expected takings of the movie. Publics pay not just for a big name but the chemistry between big names.
The team at CashNetUSA first collected all the information provided on IMDb, including the name, gender, filmography, and birthplace of 450,527 actors and actresses.
The team combined all the films from the filmographies into one table, removing duplicates, and collecting each movie’s year of release and information about its gross worldwide. Where information about gross was unavailable, CashNetUSA excluded the film from further calculations because of the impossibility of adequate replacement of these data. They also excluded any films from filmographies in which the actors or actresses were uncredited and voice roles.
Next, the CashNetUSA team calculated the number of tickets sold for each movie based on the grosses adjusted for ticket price inflation provided by IMDb, dividing gross worldwide by the ticket price of the release year movie. CashNetUSA recalculated gross worldwide into prices for 2020 by multiplying the number of tickets by the ticket price in 2020.
They then calculated the total gross of every actor by adding up the adjusted gross worldwide of all films in their filmography. Further, based on the place of birth of the actor or actress, the team determined the country of origin and, in the case of the United States, also the state. If an actor or actress’ place of birth was not mentioned, this personality was not included in the final table. Finally, CashNetUSA determined each country and state’s top-grossing actors. Data was collected in March 2022.
The Highest-Grossing Actor Overall Born in Every Country
While the odds of making it big in Hollywood are slim, actors worldwide have made their mark on the silver screen. The films of actor George Harris, who has had roles in the Harry Potter and Indiana Jones film series, have grossed $6.3 billion – six times the GDP of his native Grenada.
Top 10 of The Highest-Grossing Actor Born in Every Country (Male & Female)
Country
Actor name
Total gross
United States
Samuel L. Jackson
$28,753,559,405
United Kingdom
Warwick Davis
$22,306,526,630
Australia
Cate Blanchett
$13,994,347,401
France
Emma Watson
$13,097,755,452
Sweden
Stellan Skarsgard
$12,383,149,505
Germany
Bruce Willis
$12,196,603,667
Nigeria
Hugo Weaving
$11,079,992,194
Ireland
Devon Murray
$10,841,168,145
Kenya
Kiran Shah
$10,597,960,708
Austria
Arnold Schwarzenegger
$9,739,441,052
The Highest-Grossing Actress Born in Every Country
As the audience for Hollywood films becomes more international, so do its stars – creating opportunities for a diverse range of actors to lead some of the biggest movies in history. Thanks to her role as the Wakandan princess Shuri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Letitia Wright’s films have collectively grossed $7.1 billion – more than the GDP of the actress’s native Guyana.
Top 10 of The Highest-Grossing Actress Born in Every Country
Country
Actor name
Total gross
United States
Gwyneth Paltrow
$14,844,766,433
Australia
Cate Blanchett
$13,994,347,401
France
Emma Watson
$13,097,755,452
United Kingdom
Maggie Smith
$12,890,715,807
Ireland
Geraldine Somerville
$9,756,389,399
Canada
Cobie Smulders
$8,694,283,055
Israel
Natalie Portman
$8,184,740,621
Guyana
Letitia Wright
$7,125,267,979
Mexico
Lupita Nyong’o
$6,944,155,753
Netherlands
Famke Janssen
$6,002,638,143
The Highest-Grossing Actor Born in Every U.S. State
While it is common knowledge that Will Smith is from West Philadelphia, “born and raised,” the origins and box office receipts of other famous actors may be surprising. Due to his brief roles in Spider-Man and Jurassic World, for example, character actor Michael Papajohn is the highest-grossing actor from Alabama.
Top 10 of The Highest-Grossing Actor Born in Every U.S. State (Male & Female)
State
Actor name
Total gross
Washington
Samuel L. Jackson
$28,753,559,405
Illinois
Harrison Ford
$21,250,056,023
New York
Robert Downey Jr.
$17,772,805,077
Kentucky
Johnny Depp
$14,935,520,658
California
Gwyneth Paltrow
$14,844,766,433
Tennessee
Morgan Freeman
$14,172,160,759
New Jersey
Zoe Saldana
$14,065,616,771
Massachusetts
Chris Evans
$13,768,289,890
Missouri
Don Cheadle
$13,573,135,648
Pennsylvania
Will Smith
$13,204,019,171
The Highest-Grossing Actress Born in Every U.S. State
Because of her role as Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gwyneth Paltrows films have collectively grossed $14.8 billion – the most of any actress born in California and nationwide. But while the L.A. native didn’t have to travel far to make it in the industry, female actors from all over the country have come to Hollywood and found success. These are the highest-grossing actresses from every U.S. state.
Top 10 of The Highest-Grossing Actress Born in Every U.S. State
State
Actress name
Total gross
California
Gwyneth Paltrow
$14,844,766,433
New York
Scarlett Johansson
$14,701,702,831
New Jersey
Zoe Saldana
$14,065,616,771
Massachusetts
Elizabeth Banks
$10,472,793,711
Georgia
Julia Roberts
$10,245,672,936
Texas
Michelle Rodriguez
$9,506,331,958
Tennessee
Kathy Bates
$8,789,701,844
North Carolina
Julianne Moore
$7,723,291,002
Michigan
Judy Greer
$7,712,119,001
Hawaii
Nicole Kidman
$7,343,720,144
Key Findings
Samuel L. Jackson is the highest-grossing actor from Washington, the United States, and the world, with a box office total of $28,753,559,405 ($28.75 billion).
Gwyneth Paltrow is the actress with the highest box office takings worldwide ($14.84bn) and also California’s top-grossing actor, regardless of gender.
Warwick Davies born in the United Kingdom, is the top-grossing actor from outside the United States, with takings of $22.3 billion.
Australia’s Cate Blanchett is the actress from outside the United States with the most box office to her name: $13.99bn.
