Here's What The Richest Self-Made Actresses Today All Have In Common

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• Scarlett Johansson

• Charlize Theron

• Sofia Vergara

• Nicole Kidman

• Sandra Bullock

• Jennifer Aniston

• Jessica Alba

• Reese Witherspoon

Highlights

• Scarlett Johansson is the highest-grossing leading actress, with a career box office gross of $14.9 billion.
• Sofia Vergara, one of the highest-paid actresses on TV, earned $43 million in 2020 and has a net worth of $180 million derived from her acting, production, and business ventures.
• Reese Witherspoon tops the list, with a massive net worth estimated at $440 million.

"A wise girl knows her limits; a smart girl knows that she has none": This bit of wisdom is widely attributed to the iconic and mesmerizing actress Marilyn Monroe, who conquered Hollywood and left a massive legacy of her own.

In Tinseltown, numerous actresses have taken the film industry by storm, despite it being male-dominated (and historically unfriendly to female talent).

Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, and many others became the brightest stars of their eras.

Let's dive into exploring the most powerful, celebrated, and wealthiest actresses of today’s era – all of whom carved out their own fortune through truly remarkable performances and a lot of hard work.

8 Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson's Net Worth (Estimated): $165 Million

The stunning actress Scarlett Johansson holds a record as the world's highest-grossing leading actress.

Every film in her career as a leading actress has grossed no less than $14.9 billion worldwide.

Winner of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) for her star turn in Lost in Translation, Scarlett was the highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, earning $40 million and $56 million, respectively.

Two-time Oscar-nominee Scarlett Johansson received $14 million for Avengers upfront, and she earned an additional $35 million on the back end.

Johansson received $15 million upfront for her role in Black Widow, equivalent to the amounts Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth earned for their lead roles in Captain America and Thor.

ScarJo (as she is popularly nicknamed) secured the largest slice of her financial pie through her acting career.

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Additionally, she served as the executive producer of Black Widow and The Whale, and she is involved in producing three more upcoming projects.

Johansson owns a skincare company, The Outset, which she started in 2022.

7 Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron's Net Worth (Estimated): $170 Million

Charlize Theron, a captivating goddess-like star with sultry green eyes, doesn't just cast a spell through her beauty (nor does she rely on it), but also with her formidable presence on the screen.

The South African actress rakes in $12 to $18 million for her movie roles, and assembles around $35 to $40 million annually through her involvement in acting, production, and endorsements.

The gorgeous actress notoriously endured a massive transformation to portray the convicted killer Aileen Wuornos for Monster in 2003, appearing virtually unrecognizable and earning herself an Academy Award for the intense role:

For this acclaimed performance, she earned just $2 million. Now 48, Charlize Theron is earning that amount several times over per film.

Theron bagged $13 million for Atomic Blonde, $16 million for The Old Guard, $18 million for Fast X, and $23 million for Long Shot.

In Long Shot, she worked on both sides of the camera, acting and producing the project.

Charlize Theron founded her production company, Denver and Delilah Productions, in 2000, which co-produced her films Monster, Dark Places, Atomic Blonde, Bombshell, and The Old Guard.

6 Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara's Net Worth (Estimated): $180 Million

Sofia Vergara, a Colombian beauty with an endearing comic style, is receiving plenty of acclaim for her humorous performances.

As Gloria Delgado-Pritchett, a character in the iconic sitcom Modern Family, Vergara earned $43 million in 2020, making her the highest-paid actress on TV (according to Forbes).

Sofia, a four-time Screen Actors Guild Award winner, earned $10 million per season for judging America's Got Talent.

The dazzling Vergara earned around $500,000 per episode at the height of Modern Family's popularity – with a consistent 22 episodes per season, she likely earned around $11 million in a given season.

Sofia Vergara has graced 250 episodes of Modern Family with her inimitable presence.

Vergara is also an adept businessperson, running profitable enterprises such as the talent management firm Latin World Entertainment, a lingerie brand known as EBY, the Sofia Jeans line at Walmart, a furniture line at Rooms To Go, and Raze, a Latino digital media company.

5 Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman's Net Worth (Estimated): $250 Million

Hawaiian-born Australian star Nicole Kidman has portrayed several legendary characters, and is indisputibly one of the greatest actors of modern times.

With piercing blue eyes and doll-like facial features, Nicole Kidman is also among the richest actresses of the contemporary era, getting six-figure paychecks for her movie and TV projects.

Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman earned $1 million per episode for the second season of the HBO hit Big Little Lies, which is a significant jump from season one, during which she received $250,000 to $350,000 per episode.

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In Nine Perfect Strangers, she made $1 million for one episode, and she worked on nine episodes.

Nicole Kidman was also among the highest-paid actresses in the 2000s, as she earned $7 million to play the role of Satine in Moulin Rouge (2001) and received $12 million for portraying Samantha in Bewitched (2005).

4 Sandra Bullock

Sandra Bullock's Net Worth (Estimated): $250 Million

An enduring queen of Hollywood, Sandra Bullock has been entertaining the entire planet for 36 years.

At 59, she is aging like fine wine, becoming more beautiful and impeccable in her craft.

Bullock earned $56 million in 2010 and $51 million in 2014, making her the highest-paid actress in both years.

An Academy Award winner, Sandra Bullock earned an astronomical $74 million for her blockbuster movie Gravity.

Sandra pocketed $10.5 million dollars for Speed 2, while for Speed, she only received $500,000.

The versatile actress is also a smart investor, and she invested in several profitable businesses to grow her fortune.

Additionally, she owns the production company Fortis Films and the restaurant Bess Bistro.

3 Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston's Net Worth (Estimated): $320 Million

Not everyone knows Jennifer Aniston's first movie as a lead actress was Leprechaun, which came out in 1993.

One short year later, Aniston stepped for the first time into her iconic role in the greatest sitcom ever, Friends.

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As the gorgeous and effervescent character Rachel Green, Aniston not only won hearts but also conquered Hollywood, becoming the third-richest actress in the world and establishing her value in the entertainment industry.

In the first season of Friends, Jennifer Aniston earned $22,500 for one episode and $540,000 for the entire season.

For season two, Aniston agreed to work for $40,000 per episode; by season three, she earned $75,000 per episode.

Jennifer received a massive bump in salary by the time seasons eight and nine of Friends rolled around.

Similar to Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston famously rated a staggering $1 million per episode, and became the paid actress on the TV series, along with her co-stars.

In 2021, Aniston founded her LolaVie hair care line. The following year, she partnered with Friends co-star Courteney Cox to launch a clothing line.

She is also the owner of several vineyards, and like several actresses on this list, recent and profitable businesses (and inherent diversification of income) are another factor behind her gigantic net worth.

2 Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba's Net Worth (Estimated): $390 Million

Jessica Alba is an amazing actress from California who is not just known for her acting and her looks, but also for her keen intellect and sharp business acumen.

Alba is another star who took care to create more than one stream of income, and consequently is on track to become one of the richest self-made women in Hollywood.

She got her first big break in the lead role on television's Dark Angel, and got nominated for a Golden Globe, evidencing her acting talent.

After that, she went on to appear in Fantastic Four, Sin City, Machete, and many more notable projects.

Marca reported that Jessica Alba earned $20 million for recent movies, and her net worth some years back was only $100 million – a fraction of her recent bank balance.

The astounding rise in Jessica Alba's net worth is due to her hugely successful natural baby care brand, The Honest Company, which she co-founded with Christopher Gavigan.

In a scant two years, the company raised $72 million, and has a valuation of $1 billion.

The Honest Company is honestly pouring a rain of money on Jessica Alba, but she hasn't stopped there – brand deals and movie appearances also help her build her riches.

1 Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon's Net Worth (Estimated): $440 Million

Lovable, warm, and masterful in her acting skills, Reese Witherspoon is the world’s richest actress, according to Forbes.

The Oscar winner has built half her fortune through her movie and television career, books, and endorsements – and the remaining half she earned due to the efforts of the production company she founded.

Reese Witherspoon is a well-paid actress who earned $15 million for Legally Blonde 2, Four Christmases, and her Oscar Award-winning role alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Walk The Line.

Reese received $1 million per episode for Big Little Lies, and also amassed $20 million from ten episodes of The Morning Show (alongside Jennifer Aniston).

The multi-talented Reese Witherspoon has released many books; Whiskey In A Teacup became a New York Times best seller.

Witherspoon founded the production companies Pacific Standard and Hello Sunshine (Pacific Standard is now a subsidiary of Hello Sunshine), and produced many hit shows and movies, like Wild, Gone Girl, Hot Pursuit, and Big Little Lies.

In 2021, Reese sold the majority of her production company stakes to a media company at a valuation of $900 million. She still holds an 18 percent stake in her production company.

In 2021, Reese Witherspoon's net worth was $200 million, but after that deal, her net worth reached $430 million by 2022.

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Appearances, net worths, skills, and strengths vary widely among these richest self-made actresses, but some things are common among them, such as their hardworking nature, generosity, and intelligent decision-making in their lives.

These actresses have a collective net worth of approximately $2.2 billion dollars, wealth they built through their perseverance and great talent, and all have become icons of their eras.

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