Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Named Highest-Paid Actor in the World
Dwayne Johnson, also known as "The Rock," was named the highest-paid actor in the world on 2016 Forbes Celebrity 100 list. People might be confused because even though Johnson is the highest-paid actor, he came in at No. 19 on the celebrity list. There is a good explanation for that.
Explanation of how Johnson was listed as highest-paid actor
Forbes' list consists of all celebrities and their earnings from June 2015 to June 2016. The first 18 names on the list were not actors. In fact, most of them were athletes. Of course, Taylor Swift was named the highest-paid celebrity. She came in as the No. 1 celebrity. However, she is a singer and not an actress.
Johnson beat Kevin Hart, his own co-star from "Central Intelligence." Hart came in at No. 6 and Johnson came in far behind him on the list. Hart made $87.5 million compared to Johnson's $64.5 million. Johnson was named the highest-paid actor because most of his earnings came from acting. Hart made more money and was higher on the list, but most of Hart's earnings did not come from acting. He made most of his money from being a stand-up comedian.
Ellen DeGeneres earned more than Johnson and ranked No.13. We must realize that the "Finding Dory" star earned most of her $75 million from the daytime talk show that bears her name.
It is interesting that The Rock didn't dream of becoming an actor 20 years ago. He dreamed of becoming a successful football player. Fate would have it another way. His football career was short-lived because he suffered a knee injury. Johnson once made only $250 a week when he was a practice squad player in the Canadian Football League. He has certainly come a long way from those days.
The 44-year-old was also a professional wrestler like his father, grandfather, and other relatives before he began acting.
Dwayne Johnson's upcoming roles
Johnson is set to continue making money during the rest of the year and beyond because he has several projects going on. His show, "Ballers," is going into its second season on HBO on July 17, 2016. "Baywatch" and "Fast 8" will be released in 2017. Johnson's other films, "Jumanji" and "Doc Savage," are also in the works. So, don't be surprised if Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be named next year's highest-paid actor as well.
