Top 10 Richest Black Celebrity: We present an official list of the world’s wealthiest black actors in 2023. This list includes the world’s highest-paid black actors as of the present moment. Once upon a time in Hollywood’s history, black people were never depicted in films; we have come a long way since then. Some activists and academicians argue that American news media coverage of African-American news, concerns, and dilemmas is insufficient, or that news media portray distorted images of African Americans.
Robert L. Johnson established Black Entertainment Television, a network aimed at youthful African Americans and urban audiences in the United States, to combat this. Over the years, the network has broadcast rap and R&B music videos, urban-themed films and television series, as well as some public affairs programming. BET would air Christian programming on Sunday mornings and non-affiliated Christian programming daily during early morning hours.
In recent years, it is common knowledge that there is hardly a Hollywood film without at least one or two African-American actors. They not only add colour to the film, but also possess a unique grace that no one else can match. Many of these performers and actresses were in the news for positive reasons throughout 2020. From gracing the covers of top-tier magazines to receiving a number of prestigious awards to lending their voices to a number of campaigns pertaining to the black community to being philanthropic, these celebrities have accomplished much.
Top 10 Richest Black Celebrity
1. Tyler Perry – $700 million
In the 1990s and early 2000s, Perry wrote and produced numerous stage plays. Perry has created several television series, most notably Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, which aired on TBS from June 2006 to June 2011 for eight seasons. Between May 2010 and May 2011, Forbes ranked him as the highest-paid individual in entertainment, with earnings of US$130 million. Perry entered into a multi-year exclusive partnership with Oprah Winfrey and her Oprah Winfrey Network.
Perry’s first film, Diary of a Mad Black Woman, was funded in part by the ticket sales of his stage productions. The film grossed US$50,6 million domestically and received a 16% approval rating on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes. Perry directed all of his subsequent Madea features, beginning with an adaptation of Madea’s Family Reunion. As of 2023, he is undoubtedly the wealthiest black actor in the world.
2. Bill Cosby – $450M
Bill Cosby is an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, and author who has been found guilty of sexual assault. In the 1960s, Cosby began his career as a stand-up comedian at the famished i in San Francisco. Then, he earned a starring role on the television series I Spy, followed by his own two-season sitcom The Bill Cosby Show, which ran from 1969 to 1971. According to Forbes, Cosby was the highest-paid entertainer in the world, with revenues exceeding $80 million. Even after the cancellation of The Cosby Show, the show’s star and creator continued to profit. The show garnered an estimated $1.5 billion in syndication revenue in the decades following its cancellation. He remains one of the wealthiest black actors in 2023.
3. Will Smith – $370,000,000
When he secured his breakthrough role on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the rapper-turned-actor from West Philadelphia completely turned his financial situation around. He went on to become one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, raking in large sums of money at the box office. Along the way, he amassed an impressive bank account, and his upcoming film, Gemini Man, is expected to add to his fortune. He is unquestionably one of the world’s top ten wealthiest black actors in 2023.
Smith transitioned from television to film and went on to feature in numerous blockbuster films after the series ended. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross more than $100 million at the domestic box office, eleven consecutive films gross more than $150 million internationally, and eight consecutive films starring him debut at number one.
4. Morgan Freeman – $300M
Morgan Freeman is an actor and film narrator from the United States. Freeman won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Million Dollar Baby (2004), and he has been nominated for Oscars for his performances in multiple Hollywood films. He is also a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award winner. Freeman has served as a narrator, commentator, and voice actor for a variety of programmes, television series, and television shows. Since July 2019, he has been ranked as the seventh-highest box office star. He has long been one of the wealthiest African actors in the world.
Morgan Freeman’s current net worth is approximately $300 million, but he compensated his ex-wife of 26 years between $100 and $200 million in real estate and cash in 2010. Myrna once demanded up to $400 million based on the value of their holdings and his prospective earning potential. His average per-film box office gross is $71.5 million. His cumulative box office gross is $4.57 billion. In 2004, Freeman and others established the Grenada Relief Fund to assist residents on the island of Grenada affected by Hurricane Ivan.
Since then, the fund has evolved into PLANIT NOW, an organisation that aims to provide preparedness resources to residents of hurricane- and severe-storm-prone regions. Freeman has narrated short segments for global organisations, such as One Earth, whose mission includes promoting environmental awareness.
5. Samuel L. Jackson – $280,000,000
Samuel L. Jackson is an American film producer and actor. Jackson has received numerous accolades and honours, and he is the second highest-grossing actor in history.Jackson is regarded as the greatest box office star of all time, with a total US box office gross of over $7.1 billion, an average of $89.9 million per film. 2020 places Samuel L. Jackson fifth among the wealthiest black actors.
His films have grossed over $16.7 billion at the worldwide box office. In October 2011, he became the highest-grossing actor, eclipsing veteran voice actor Frank Welker. Today, he is ranked as the highest all-time box office star, having earned approximately $4.9 billion as a leading actor or supporting actor. With eight forthcoming projects, one might wonder how wealthy Samuel L. Jackon is. To answer the question in depth, we’ve included information about Samuel L. Jackson’s net worth as of 2023 and a few things you may not know about Samuel. L. Tacketton.
6. Denzel Washington – $220,000,000
Denzel Washington is an actor, director, and producer from the United States. He has won two Golden Globes, one Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for the historical war drama film Glory and Best Actor for his performance as the corrupt detective Alonzo Harris in the criminal thriller Training Day. Washington starred in the 2000 Disney film Remember the Titans, which garnered more than $100 million in the United States. The Hurricane earned Washington the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama at the 57th Golden Globe Awards. Denzel Washington has always been one of the world’s highest-paid black actors.
He was the first black actor since Sidney Poitier in 1963 to receive the award. In films such as Malcolm X, The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia, and Courage Under Fire, Washington displayed his extraordinary talent, resulting in a swift rise to fame. Soon, he was receiving substantial compensation for his film performances. For the 1995 science fiction film Virtuosity, he received $7,5 million. The 1998 films Fallen and The Siege, as well as his 2001 Academy Award-winning performance in Training Day, earned him a comfortable $12 million each. Today, Denzel Washington earns over $60 million annually.
7. Eddie Murphy – $200M
Edward Regan Murphy is an actor, comedian, and vocalist from the United States. From 1980 to 1984, Murphy was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live. Tenth on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time, he has performed as a stand-up comedian. Throughout the late 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, Eddie has routinely earned $20 million per film, making him one of the highest-paid actors in the world. Eddie has undoubtedly earned over $300 million in salary and backend royalties throughout his career. Eddie has been the highest-paid black actor in the world for many years.
Eddie was paid $70 million by Netflix in 2019 for a series of comedy specials. Eddie has portrayed multiple roles in Coming to America, Wes Craven’s Vampire in Brooklyn, the Nutty Professor films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, as well as his character’s father, brother, and mother), Bowfinger, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Norbit, and Meet Dave. Murphy’s films have garnered over $3.8 billion in the United States and Canada and $6.6 billion globally as of 2014. In 2015, he was the sixth-highest grossing actor in the United States due to the success of his films.
8. Ice Cube – $190,000,000
Ice Cube is a rapper, actor, producer, director, and writer from the United States. As a member of the hip hop group N.W.A. alongside Dr. Dre and Eazy E, Ice Cube garnered initial recognition. As the group’s primary songwriter and performer, he garnered notoriety for being one of the pioneering artists of gangsta rap and for pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and visual imagery in music videos. Ice Cube wrote Dr. Dre and Eazy-E’s verses and fifty percent of the lyrics for the group’s breakthrough album, “Straight Outta Compton” (1988). You may not be aware of this, but he is one of the wealthiest African-American actors in 2023.
However, he was only compensated $32,000 for his efforts. Ice Cube departed N.W.A. when disagreements over his pay and official contracts with the group could not be resolved. Ice Cube purchased a residence in Marina Del Rey, California, for $7.25 million. Jean-Claude Van Damme, who purchased the property in 2012 for $6 million as a brand-new spec mansion, sold it to him. Cube and his wife also own a large mansion in Encino, California, which they purchased for $2.36 million in June 1996. This 1.11-acre property features a 7-bedroom, nearly 8,000-square-foot main residence with a pool, spa, and full-size basketball court.
9. Jamie Foxx – $160,000,000
American actor, performer, comedian, songwriter, and producer Eric Marlon Bishop. Foxx won the Academy Award, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance as Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film Ray.
In the same year, his performance in the crime film Collateral earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Additionally, he was nominated for his roles in Ali (2001, in which he co-starred with Will Smith), Breaking All the Rules, and Collateral, which grossed $217.7 million worldwide. Foxx was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Collateral alongside Tom Cruise. He is one of the wealthiest African actors in the world as of 2020.
Foxx has been the host and executive producer of the Fox game programme Beat Shazam since the spring of 2017. Foxx entered the television industry with “The Jamie Foxx Show.” endeavours on the Big Screen have also been fruitful. In 1999, he acted in the sports drama “Any Given Sunday.” The 2004 film “Collateral” featured subsequent noteworthy performance. He then starred in the mediocre film “Ray.” “Ray” gained immense fame and was widely celebrated.
10. Martin Lawrence – $140M
Martin Lawrence is an American comedian, actor, producer, talk-show presenter, author, and former Golden Gloves boxer. In the 1990s, Lawrence established a successful Hollywood career as a starring actor, most notably in the Fox sitcom Martin. Lawrence possessed a large Beverly Park neighbourhood mansion for a number of years. It is where he and Gibbs were married. In June 2012, following their divorce, this home was available for $200,000 per month. In 2013, the property was listed for $26.5 million. He ultimately sold it for $17.2 million to Los Angeles real estate developer Bruce Makowsky. Then, Lawrence spent $6.63 million on a residence in Encino, California. In addition, he possesses a farm close to Purcellville, Virginia.
After the 1997 cancellation of Martin, Lawrence found employment in comedy films. He frequently played the supporting role opposite actors such as Eddie Murphy, Danny DeVito, and Tim Robbins. Many of his films, including Nothing to Lose, Life, Blue Streak, and Big Momma’s House, were box office hits.
