Once again, TV Guide managed to list some of the highest paid actors on TV. Obviously, plenty of actors are missing (it's not like they all go to the press to tell them how much they earn, TV Guide had to have a hard time getting this sort of information) but it gives an idea. It may sometimes be approximative.
DRAMAS :
1. Hugh Laurie (House season 8) : $700,000/episode.
2. Mark Harmon (NCIS season 10) : $500,000/episode.
3. Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order SVU season 13) : $395,000/episode.
4. David Caruso (CSI Miami season 10) : $375,000/episode.
4. Marg Helgenberger (CSI season 12) : $375,000/episode.
4. Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives season 8) : $375,000/episode.
7. Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer season 7) : $350,000/episode.
8. Simon Baker (The Mentalist season 4) : $300,000/episode.
9. Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy season 8) : $275,000/episode.
9. Kate Walsh (Private Practice season 5) : $275,000/episode.
11. Kiefer Sutherland (Touch season 1) : $225 000/episode.
11. Ted Danson (CSI season 12) : $225,000/episode.
13. Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife season 3) : $180,000/episode.
14. Kathy Bates (Harry's Law season 2) : $175,000/episode.
14. Jon Hamm (Mad Men season 5) : $175,000/episode.
16. Dana Delany (Body of Proof season 2) : $150,000/episode.
17. Tom Selleck (Blue Bloods season 2) : $130,000/episode.
17. Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds season 7) : $130,000/episode.
19. Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad season 4) : $125,000/episode.
19. William H. Macy (Shameless season 2) : $125,000/episode.
19. Maria Bello (Prime Suspect season 1) : $125,000/episode.
19. Christina Ricci (Pan Am season 1) : $125,000/episode.
19. Jared Padalecki (Supernatural season 7) : $125,000/episode.
24. Cote De Pablo (NCIS season 9) : $120,000/episode.
24. Thomas Gibson (Criminal Minds season 7) : $120,000/episode.
26. Alex O'Loughlin (Hawaii Five-0 season 2) : $115,000/episode.
27. Michael Emerson (Person of Interest season 1) : $100,000/episode.
27. Eddie Cibrian (The Playboy Club season 1) : $100,000/episode.
27. Sarah Michelle Gellar (Ringer season 1) : $100,000/episode.
27. Nathan Fillion (Castle season 4) : $100,000/episode.
31. Poppy Montgomery (Unforgettable season 1) : $85,000/episode.
32. Angie Harmon (Rizzoli & Isles season 2) : $80,000/episode.
33. Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire season 2) : $75,000/episode.
33. Danny Pino (Law & Order SVU season 12) : $75,000/episode.
33. Jason O'Mara (Terra Nova season 1) : $75,000/episode.
36. Blake Lively (Gossip Girl season 5) : $60,000/episode.
37. Minka Kelly (Charlie's Angels season 1) : $50,000/episode.
38. Britt Robertson (The Secret Circle season 1) : $30,000/episode.
COMEDIES :
1. Ashton Kutcher (Two and a Half Men season 9) : $700,000/episode.
2. Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men season 9) : $600,000/episode.
3. Tina Fey (30 Rock season 6) : $350,000/episode.
4. Alec Baldwin (30 Rock season 6) : $300,000/episode.
5. Angus T. Jones (Two and a Half Men season 9) : $250,000/episode.
5. Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki & Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory season 5) : $250,000/episode.
7. David Duchovny (Californication season 5) : $225,000/episode.
7. Tim Allen (Last Man Standing season 1) : $225,000/episode.
9. Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother season 7) : $200,000/episode.
10. James Spader (The Office season 8) : $125,000/episode.
10. Christina Applegate (Up All Night season 1) : $125,000/episode.
12. Ed O'Neil (Modern Family season 3) : $105,000/episode.
13. Simon Helberg & Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory season 5) : $100,000/episode.
14. Zooey Deschanel (New Girl season 1) : $90,000/episode.
15. Kevin Dillon (How To Be A Gentleman season 1) : $80,000/episode.
16. Will Arnett (Up All Night season 1) : $75,000/episode.
16. Jamie Pressly (I Hate My Teenage Daughter season 1) : $75,000/episode.
18. Joel McHale (Community season 3) : $60,000/episode.
18. Whitney Cummings (Whitney season 1) : $60,000/episode.
18. Jane Lynch (Glee season 3) : $60,000/episode.
21. Matthew Morrison (Glee season 3) : $55,000/episode.
22. Nick Offerman (Parks & Recreation season 4) : $30,000/episode.
That's a lot of money :o
ReplyDeleteThey are ridiculous amounts of money!
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised by the amount Jared Padalecki gets! Acting/performance-wise, I'd say Jensen should be ahead of him! Ashton Kutcher was always going to be paid a load, really lol.
Thanks for posting this!
What's up with the missing co-stars on this list?
ReplyDeleteYou do have to wonder why some of these people couldn't take a wage cut to share it our with co-stars/help with the budget per episode.
ReplyDeleteI doubt Hugh Laurie needs $700,000 per episode... it is just ridiculous amounts of money... 15.4 Million for one years work seems a little excessive!
Never expected anyone from Supernatural on this list.
ReplyDeleteNeither did I, but if Jared makes that much, what about Jensen?
ReplyDeleteI think they might be getting same salary.makes sense since they're both lead actors
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to multiply Hugh Laurie's salary with the number of episodes and number of seasons (even though he hasn't been paid this much since the beginning I think) and my mind freezes.I'm stuck at all the things I could buy with just one pay check
ReplyDeleteJensen was the more established actor when the show started out. I'd guess he gets more than Jared still, just like Joe Mantegna gets more than Thomas Gibson on Criminal Minds.
ReplyDeleteI think they missed quite a few. I know from reading salary negotiation stories these past few seasons, that Cote de Pablo is not the second highest paid on NCIS. But whatever they're all making, I'm definitely underpaid lol
ReplyDeleteTV Guide probably couldn't find their salaries.
ReplyDeleteA lot of actors probably wouldn't appreciate finding out that a member of their cast is making significantly more than everyone else. So I imagine that both the high earners and the production companies have an interest in keeping it quiet.
Very interesting thanks for posting, strange to see how cheap so actor/actress are on some shows and how expenses actor/actress on others
ReplyDeletehe does have to commute to england for his family
ReplyDeleteoky i have to ask " michael c.hall & Alexander Skarsgard " where the hell ar they ?!
ReplyDeleteRicci is the big surprise for me. I like her but to be getting paid $125k for a S1 show with relatively limited TV experience is insane.
ReplyDeleteAnd didn't Charlie Sheen make over a million per episode, when a list like this was last published???
ReplyDeleteI could get by for a few years on just 1 episode alone...
ReplyDeleteWhen these figures come out every year it always upsets me...
especially that Angus T. Jones kid making millions and millions and millions every season without putting forth anything other than being an awkward kid on a Charlie Sheen show...
im clearly in the wrong field...i need to become an actor
ReplyDeleteMost of those I have little to no issue with honestly... with 2 exceptions.
ReplyDeleteAshton Kutcher making $100,000 more per episode than Jon Cryer is just WRONG. PERIOD.
Christina Ricci in a new series that has an ensemble cast and making that much more than any of her co-stars is just sill!y!
Wasn't Thomas Gibson supposed to be earning close to 200,000/episode? Wasn't that what was established in the never ending negotiations to renew his contract, 2 months ago? And wasn't Joe Mantegna recieving 125,000/episode? He was not in negotioations this year. I'm starting to get a little confused, but even so... It's A LOT of money. There are people here, making ridiculous amounts of money just to say a few words, sure it's entertaining, but they're completly overpaid.
ReplyDeleteYeah Sheen got 1.5 ML $ per episode last season.
ReplyDeleteWith the increased in Hugh Laurie wage no wonder there rumors that this is the last season, poor Jon Cryer oet 50,000 extra and missed half season but the producers of Two and half men must be delighted.
ReplyDeleteMichael Weatherly was on last years list with about 200,000/episode, I doubt it to have changed much. Cote renegotiated her contract this year for 2 more seasons. That's why she is on the list now. And the other regular cast members must be earning between Michael's 200,000/ep and Cote's 120,000/ep. None of them is between Mark and Michael.
ReplyDeletes are missing (it's not like they all go to the press to tell them how much they earn, TV Guide had to have a hard time getting this sort of information) but it gives an id
ReplyDeleteEveryone here makes more in 2 episodes than I do all year. All but the lowest make more in one episode and several make more than I will make in a lifetime. These lists always depress me.
ReplyDeleteStrange to see Ashton Kutcher making more than Jon Cryer though. Thought they would be equal.
I'm pretty sure that they both make the same amount per episode. I think I heard that in an interview maybe around the second or third season. I doubt anything would have changed. Also, Jared was more established in the beginning because he was on Gilmore Girls which had more acclaim than Dark Angel, Dawson's Creek, or Smallville. That's why he is listed first in the credits.
ReplyDeleteLet's just say I would never worry about paying the bills again with just one of Hugh Laurie's pay checks. It borders on obscene, but Charlie Sheen was worse.
ReplyDeleteI'd guess rabidly trying to protect themselves from people knowing how much they make so they don't get caught up in the inevitable back lash that comes from these lists.
ReplyDeleteSo overall comedians get paid less then the drama people. Still it is an insane amount of money and very interesting to see what actors get paid.
ReplyDeleteSecond that...heck even half of what Hugh Laurie makes for one episode would do me fine for at least two years - I'm not high maintenance at all ;)
ReplyDeleteI can't @ Nathan Fillion & SMG making the same as Snooki
ReplyDeleteI can't @ Snooki making more than so many actual ACTORS.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Christina Ricci being paid so much for a first season ensemble drama when she has barely had any television acting experience? Also, I had read in many places that though she is the star with the most recognizable name on Pan Am, apparently her character has the least scenes in the Pilot Episode.
ReplyDeleteAs they should. They only film 1/2 hour episodes.
ReplyDeleteHe's listed first in the credits because they go alphabetically by first name.
ReplyDeleteI always thought Hugh Laurie deserved the amount he made. It's a brilliant show that he's just perfect in and he's got pretty much 90% of the screentime so that's a lot of time on the job.
ReplyDeleteIn America people never go alphabetical by first name. If you are doing alphabetical it is always last name. When Supernatural was starting, Jared was on the WB's hit show Gilmore Girls. It was by far the WB's biggest critically acclaimed show at that time. It was also the most popular after 7th Heaven. Buffy and Angel had gone. Charmed was on its last legs. Everwood was tanking in the ratings. Smallville was doing decently but not compared to Gilmore Girls.
ReplyDeleteJared Padalecki had a decent sized role on Gilmore Girls for 63 episodes. In comparison, Jensen Ackles had a smaller role on Smallville for 22 episodes and an even smaller role on Dawson's Creek for 12 episodes. Of the two, Jared Padalecki was by far the bigger draw in the WB stable. As such, he got top billing.
OMG I can't believe how much they are paying actors for a show that hasn't even aired yet. And to think most these shows run between 20 and 24 episodes a year so some of these actors are being paid between...$600,000 and $168,000,000 a year. This makes watching some of these shows and actors almost difficult.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually kinda surprised at these numbers. Hugh Laurie is waaaaay overpaid. I'm surprised at Sarah Michelle Gellar only getting 100k because she's a big name draw.
ReplyDeleteProbably because she's been well-established in the film world for decades and it's based closely on how much she makes per movie.
ReplyDeleteHave to remember they pay more in taxes in one year than some of us will in a lifetime too.
ReplyDeleteAdd in the agent and manager fees... most have more than one manager, (financial and entertainment etc), entertainment attorney, the younger ones or critical darlings needs stylists for all their press events and award shows, publicists too... Add up all the support team fees and they are under 50% or 60% of their earnings. Some live on one coast and work on the other and have to fly back and forth. Some live in other countries like Laurie.. travel fair sucks up money fast too.
They have many expenses most of us will not have in our lives... I don't pity them, but it does lower those numbers by more than 50% for even the more sane, grounded and frugal of the stars. How many of those are their?
I appreciate actors, but I guess I value my privacy and anonymity too much. I would NEVER want to trade places with them... even with the obscene paychecks!
It's clear that Hugh Laurie could have given a bit of his salary to Lisa Edelstein so she could stay in the show. Of course this is true if it was only a salaray problem fir her. : - )
ReplyDeleteHah, salary for one season and you can be set for life :). And if your show is successful there will be more money for syndication and ads.
ReplyDeleteFor one episode, Hugh Laurie wins 28 years of my salary as a teacher. Just the number of years I need to get retired. And I dare say that I work more than 10 hours a day too.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. I'm not jealous nor depressed, just admiring.
I don't know that much about C. Ricci, but I find more surprising Ashton Kutcher salary for his first season. I mean Hugh Laurie had to wait 8 years to get this amont (it was annopunced about 400 000 last year).
ReplyDeletewow! interesting! but these are ridiculous amounts of money!! :O
ReplyDeleteO_o
ReplyDeleteWhy should he? He deserves every cent, and he's the star.
ReplyDeletewow! I never thought about that... paying agent and manager, etc... well, that calm me down a little about the great amount of money they earn... :/
ReplyDeleteyes I also thought that and now I'm depressed!! :/
ReplyDeleteyes, I'm surprised about Ashton too!! :O
ReplyDeletewow, surprised about Nathan Fillion earning the same as Matt Bomer... but I'm okay with it, I suppose, as I love both of them... anything about Psych? James Roday or Dulé Hill? :) thanks for this!
ReplyDeleteindeed.
ReplyDeleteJust because you're a nice person Greg. : - )
ReplyDeleteAnd I said "could", it's just a joke.
I'm surprized by the salary growth. Last year he denied beiing the best payed actor in drama with 400 000 $. Where is this raise coming from ? And is it true because when you make a search, you only find Ashton Kutcher as the best payed actor.
ReplyDeleteI don't find Hugh Laurie's salary excessive because he had to wait a long time to get his talent recognized and it's probably the last year he earns so much money. Many actors who have a lovely face earn morney earlier in they career. Ashton Kutcher didn't need 7 years to earn 700 000 $/episode.
thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteHow condescending would that have been.Besides she wasn´t offert minimum wage,she could have made more than many of the leads on that list,not enough for her - bye.So if Hugh has some money he doesn´t need,there are charities who will put it to way better use.
ReplyDeleteI believe that $700,000 is probably what Laurie has been paid for the last few seasons, the published figure of $400,000 since season 5 when he signed a new deal was a small pay hike from the previous deal, but he became an executive producer, and I suspect that his deal was structured not to create waves with his costars over the pay gap, but when the rest were renegotiating deals for this season ( Laurie was already contracted from season 5) agents must have been trying to work out how much Laurie was really getting, and it all probably came out as $700,000 fixed salalry plus a good rights deal for syndication etc., the other actors on House are now on about $175,0000 reportedly.
ReplyDeleteWhile ratings are down for the show in the US, which has meant Fox paying a lower fee to Universal for US rights and budget cuts , the show is still popular abroad and through syndication, it can stilll get 15% of French people to watch for example on season 6, and Laurie's album has gone platinum in France, gold in the UK, and was number 1 in Austria apparently - so the show may be able to go beyond season 8, but probably not on Fox, but in the Universal/NBC stable if Laurie wants to continue.
I've no problem with his pay packet, or the gap with his costars, at least he is very talented, and not just a pretty face.
Well, actually...
ReplyDeleteHe did do 184 episodes of That 70s Show.
Ashton Kutcher is a big name. He did 8 seasons of a television show then moved on to many, many big budget Hollywood movies in which he was the star. In Hollywood Hugh Laurie's only claim to fame is House whereas Ashton has been a household name for many years over many different projects. It's not hard to see.
ReplyDeleteTaking a salary cut to maintain the integrity of your show is probably the right thing to do but I doubt Hugh Laurie cares about House as anything but a cash cow.
ReplyDeletebottom line they make to much money for me to listen to them whine about money or understanding how the people like me who have to use food stamps live.honestly on one episode i could live for years and be fine
ReplyDeleteHugh Laurie, please listen to me and give me the money you have with ONE episode and you'll make all my life better LOL !
ReplyDeleteIt's just ... *_* . And when I see the money per episode for Nathan Fillion ... he totally deserves those $100,000 when we see his work on Castle !
OK.
ReplyDelete"Condescending" hmmm. That's a bit too much. Hugh Laurie can make a lot of things with his money, so I imagined he could have helped Lisa E to stay and give her the 30 000 she would have missed with the 20 % pay cut.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to judge Lisa E, but I don't understand she had problems to negociate a decent wage. She was the lead actress of the show, she won a People Choice Award this year, so she had enough arguments.
Now she has a 3 episodes job in "The Good Wife" whom lead actress earns 180 000 $/episode. That means less for Lisa E.
As you said BYE, and even BYE BYE Lisa.
That responds to my questions earlier, but we'll never know if what your think is right or wrong about his 700 000 $.
ReplyDeleteJust think how they can cheer you up sometimes when you're in a bad mood.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is guess work involved, but that goes for the figures from TV Guide also. I remember during season 4 some talk from the British tabloids about how restless Laurie was in LA away from his family etc., since he signed the contract at the start of season 5 all that talk died down. I'm just guessing a very large raise would help him settle, also the fixed cost per episode was put at $5 million at the end of last season, the rest of the main cast can't have earned much more than $1m per episode, so there was a lot of cash to go to the producers, Laurie and the rest.
ReplyDelete700,000 per episode. 22 episodes. 1,540,000 bucks. OMG.
ReplyDeleteA list movie stars make more though. Sheens total pay for a full season last year would have equaled $30 mil for the season. People like Depp and Dicaprio can make that in one movie and then do multiple movies a year.
ReplyDeleteThe stats nerd in my thanks you! :)
ReplyDeletehe was making 2mil and asking for 1mil raise
ReplyDeleteIf u went 2 high school, & can read, u could do their jobs, Acting is mostly hitting ur mark & reading the cue cards, it's not about great performances or giving up anything but ur time, or willing 2 sit n a trailer all day, it's about whether or not u r willing take the chance 2 make it or starve. most actors i have met r just lazy & do not want work doing anything that requires an effort.
ReplyDeleteYep. Also at least Hugh Laurie has to act to get his paycheck. Charlie Sheen just played a more sane version of himself
ReplyDeleteIsn't this nothing compared to what movie stars make?
ReplyDelete