George Clooney Once Turned Down $35 Million for a Single Day of Work
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George Clooney is one of those people you just *know* is massively loaded. Like, the actor has been out here dominating Hollywood for literal decades, all while building and selling a hugely impressive tequila empire and amassing a real estate portfolio that called me broke in at least 4 different languages. But just how rich is the Oscar-winning actor? Let's get into the specifics, starting with the fact that....
George Clooney's TV work is iconic (and $$-making)
After moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting, George famously lived in his car for quite some time (though it should be noted that said car was parked in a Beverly Hills driveway that belonged to the actor's famous aunt, singer Rosemary Clooney, lol).
Luckily, George's hard work paid off, and he soon got minor roles in TV shows including The Facts of Life, where he made his debut in 1985 as a handyman featured in 17 episodes. He followed that with roles on Roseanne as a foreman at the factory where the show's titular character worked, and The Golden Girls during a 1997 episode.
^ George in his Roseanne era. You're welcome.
His big breakthrough came when he nabbed a spot on the sitcom E/R in 1984—a career highlight he managed to top off with a subsequent role as Dr. Doug Ross on the hilariously similar-sounding drama series ER. The actor starred in the latter from when it first started in 1994 through 1999, and then reprised the role again in 2000 and 2009. All in all, George not-so-casually appeared in a total of 109 episodes and earned two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor during his time on the drama.
^"McDreamy? Yeah, this is your competition is on the line."
How does this all translate to dollar signs, you ask? Well, for his work on ER alone, George Clooney earned a cool $11 million total, according to reports. Damn.
He's a bonafide movie star now
So how exactly did George successfully make the shift from TV actor to mega movie star? Idk, I'm personally still out here waiting for him to drop his own MasterClass, but what we *do* know is that George's first major leading role in a Hollywood blockbuster was 1996's From Dusk till Dawn, which was written and co-starred by Quentin Tarantino.
After that, George starred in a string of highly-popular movies that were also highly lucrative for him. Here are just a few of those projects along with George's reported earnings for each:
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996): $250,000
One Fine Day (1996): $3 million
Batman & Robin (1997): $10 million
Out of Sight (1998): $10 million
The Perfect Storm (2000): $8 million
Intolerable Cruelty (2003): $15 million
Ocean's Eleven (2001): $20 million
Ocean's Thirteen (2007): $15 million
Gravity (2013): $20 million (P.S. It has been reported that George was not only paid $20 million for his acting work in this film, but he was also able to negotiate receiving a portion of the movie’s profits as part of his contract. In the end, it's reported the actor earned an additional $14 million, as the movie grossed almost $725 million worldwide, making his total payout a whopping $34 million.)
He's done work behind the camera, too
As recently as 2021, George directed the coming-of-age film The Tender Bar, which starred Ben Affleck as one of the leads.
Plus in 2021, he teamed up with Spider-Man director Jon Watts and Oceans alum Brad Pitt to star in and produce the upcoming project Wolves, a film about "two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job," according to Deadline. Per the outlet, "Between Clooney and Pitt, [Apple Studios] left an eight-figure sum on the table to ensure the theatrical release component."
George has even been recognized by ~the Academy~ for his work outside the scope of acting by receiving Oscar nominations for writing, directing, and producing. He also won the highly-coveted award as one of the producers of Argo in 2013. What can't this man do?!?!
Companies pay him the big bucks
Case in point? Since 2013, George has appeared in a number of commercials for the coffee company empire Nespresso—an endorsement deal that has paid the actor upwards of $40 million buckaroonies. (@ Nespresso, my rate is 1/100000 of that, JFYI.)
But TBH, the actor could have made a lot more endorsement $$$$ if he wasn't as altruistic. In a December 2021 interview, George revealed that he was offered $35 million at one point to shoot a commercial for an airline.
"Well, yeah. I was offered $35 million for one day’s work for an airline commercial," the celeb told The Guardian while promoting his movie The Tender Bar. "But I talked to Amal [Clooney] about it and we decided it’s not worth it. It was [for] a country that, although it’s an ally, is questionable at times, and so I thought: 'Well, if it takes a minute’s sleep away from me, it’s not worth it.'"
Truly in shock because (1) George is the textbook definition of a class act, and (2) Had he taken the job and worked a typical eight-hour day filming the commercial, he would have essentially made over $4.3 million PER HOUR.
"Mr. Worldwide" should actually be the name of his real estate portfolio (sorry, Pitbull)
George and his wife Amal own homes all over the world. Arguably the most famous of the couple's properties is Villa Oleandra in Italy's Lake Como, which the actor purchased in 2002 for a whopping $7 million, according to Architectural Digest. Amenities include:
15 bedrooms
A private swimming pool
A tennis court
A full gym
Landscaped gardens
A separate "pizza room" (not a want, but a need)
A man-made wall that prevents the lake from pouring directly onto the house
In the time since George purchased it, Villa Oleandra has been a temporary home to tons of A-listers, including Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, Jennifer Aniston, and Matt Damon. Viola Davis, who worked with the actor on Syriana and Solaris, even honeymooned at the palatial estate, and Amal's father held one of his birthday parties there. It's also commonly known that parts of Ocean 12 were shot at the home, making it practically as famous as its owners ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.
But, wait! There's more (like, way, waaaaaay more lol). George *also* owns the villa next door, Villa Margherita, which he is rumored to have bought around the same time as Villa Oleandra. Also on his real estate list? A six-bedroom mansion in Studio City, California (a 1995 purchase for $2.2 million at the height of Georges ER fame); a $7 million property in Berkshire, England; a luxury apartment in New York City; and an $8.3 million Provence wine estate in Brignoles, France, among others.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, in total, George and Amal's real estate portfolio alone is worth $100 million. Um @ George and Amal, lmk if you need a babysitter for your twins when you travel to all these properties because I will gladly volunteer as tribute.
Before there was 818, there was Casamigos
George and entrepreneurs Rande Gerber (as in, Kaia Gerber's dad) and Michael Meldman founded *the* Casamigos Tequila.
Despite the fact these three originally launched the brand as a private label for friends and family, they went public in 2013, and the rest is history! Fast-forward to June 21, 2017, and George, Rande, and Michael agreed to sell the company to alcohol conglomerate Diageo for $1 billion. Through the terms of their deal, each individual was compensated $700 million in cash plus $300 million in bonuses that were paid out based on future performance goals. With the three-way split, George reportedly walked away with around $150 million after taxes.
I-con-ic.
So what is George Clooney's net worth, in total?
Oh, just a very chill, not at all jaw-dropping $500 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Ngl, Danny Ocean—arguably George's most famous movie character—would be beyond proud.
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