Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr, and Brad Pitt have been some of the biggest superstars in Hollywood in the last three decades. These actors have consistently starred in films grossing hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Naturally, their cumulative box office gross is in billions now. Yet, a 76-year-old actor has beaten them all at the box office, courtesy of his starring roles in the biggest films ever. This has made him the highest-grossing actor ever and, in many eyes, the most successful. (Also read: India's most successful actress made ₹10000 cr at box office, more than even Shah Rukh; beat Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt)
The most successful actor ever
If box office gross is the sole success metric, then Samuel L Jackson has earned the right to be called the world's most successful actor. Over the years, the veteran actor has appeared in 66 films as the lead or part of a lead ensemble that has grossed a combined $14.6 billion at the box office. This is more than any other actor in the world. Most of his box office collections have come from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has appeared as the Avengers' ringmaster, Nick Fury, in 11 MCU films, many of which have earned over a billion dollars each. If all his roles - including supporting roles and cameos - are also included, then Jackson's 142 releases have earned $27.7 billion. However, in this list - a non-actor - beats him. Stan Lee appeared in cameos in 50 films that earned over $30 billion.
How Samuel L Jackson beat superstars
Nick Fury's role in the MCU has helped Jackson become a force at the box office. He first took on the role in a cameo in Iron Man but only appeared in a major role in Avengers (2012). Over the years, the character's presence as the anchor of the franchise has allowed the actor to appear in more films than even the OG Avengers - Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner. While these have had lead roles in 7 or 8 MCU films at the most, Jackson has appeared in 11. Jackson has been part of other franchises outside of the MCU, notably the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Incredibles animated films. All this has helped him move past A-list stars like Tom Cruise ($12 billion), Robert Downey Jr ($14.3 billion), Vin Diesel ($12 billion), and Chris Hemsworth ($12 billion). Johnny Depp does not even make it to the top 10 as his last successful franchise - Pirates of the Caribbean - ended years ago.
Samuel L Jackson's upcoming work
{{/usCountry}}Nick Fury's role in the MCU has helped Jackson become a force at the box office. He first took on the role in a cameo in Iron Man but only appeared in a major role in Avengers (2012). Over the years, the character's presence as the anchor of the franchise has allowed the actor to appear in more films than even the OG Avengers - Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, and Jeremy Renner. While these have had lead roles in 7 or 8 MCU films at the most, Jackson has appeared in 11. Jackson has been part of other franchises outside of the MCU, notably the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Incredibles animated films. All this has helped him move past A-list stars like Tom Cruise ($12 billion), Robert Downey Jr ($14.3 billion), Vin Diesel ($12 billion), and Chris Hemsworth ($12 billion). Johnny Depp does not even make it to the top 10 as his last successful franchise - Pirates of the Caribbean - ended years ago.
Samuel L Jackson's upcoming work
{{/usCountry}}Jackson may still appear in more MCU projects in the near future, including the two Avengers films slated for release in 2027-28. However, before that, he has a remake of The Last Dragon, a live-action adaptation of Afro Samurai, and Unholy Trinity lined for release.