George Clooney’s Net Worth: How the A-List Actor Made Half a Billion Dollars

Out of perhaps all Hollywood actors, George Clooney is the one you just know is absolutely loaded. His career really took off when he landed the lead role of Dr. Doug on NBC's ER, for which he secured two Emmy nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, and made a whopping $11 million. But his list of accomplishments goes far beyond the role that made him famous. The Hollywood star has been featured in a ton of top movies, too, including Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Thirteen, Gravity, and many more. Not to mention, he's also a real estate mogul, has directed a handful of movies like Good Night, and Good Luck , and has worked with more brands than we can name.

Follow along as we run through the details of George Clooney's net worth from the role that started it all to his most recent ventures that earned him the big -big bucks.

George Clooney's Net Worth

When you think of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood you probably picture people like Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie, and Leonardo Dicaprio. And while they're all undoubtedly sitting pretty, it turns out George Clooney is sitting on a pile of cash bigger than we ever could have imagined. According to Celebrity Net Worth , Clooney's estimated net worth sits at about $500 million. While that's not a verified figure, whether from his features in dozens of high-ticket films like Ocean's Eleven and Michael Clayton , the sale of his tequila brand Casamigos, or his partnerships with companies, it's safe to say he and his wife Amal and his two children, Alexander and Ella, are set for life.

George Clooney's Rise to Fame

Before he became the A-lister he is, George Clooney was just a small-town boy from Lexington, Kentucky. Clooney was born to his mother Nina Bruce, who was a city councilwoman known for her beauty, and father Nick Clooney, who was a news anchor and television host.

Clooney attended Northern Kentucky University and majored in broadcast journalism as his father did before him. While he was in school, he landed his first role as an extra in the television miniseries Centennial in 1978. A few years later, he starred in the short-lived CBS sitcom E/R (not ER , which he would be featured in later) and took on a few other smaller parts in television shows like The Facts of Life and The Golden Girls . He also popped up in smaller films, like the 1988 B-movie Return of the Killer Tomatoes! ( yes, it exists ). While he didn't finish college, Clooney did attend the Beverly Hills Playhouse acting school for several years as he made his way around Hollywood.

It wasn't until 1994 when, he was 33 years old, that he landed his first major role as Dr. Doug Ross on the hit NBC show ER, which snagged him those two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and three Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. The series, which was on the air from 1994 to 2009, followed Doug Ross and others in the inner workings of the emergency room of County General Hospital in Chicago.

"That was a job of a lifetime," Clooney said on The Drew Barrymore Show . "It really changed my career."

After his appearance on ER, the world of Hollywood welcomed him with open arms. Between 1996 and 1998, Clooney worked on four major films that helped him earn his fame— From Dusk Till Dawn, Batman and Robin , One Fine Day, and Out of Sight. While the exact amounts he made on each film varied, it's said that during that time he made upwards of $20 million.

His career (and money in the bank) continued to flourish as the years went on. In 2000, Clooney played Frank William "Billy" Tyne, Jr., captain of a swordfishing boat that sank during a bad storm in 1991, in the thriller The Perfect Storm , which brougtn him him another $8 million. A few years later he made $15 million playing Miles Massey in the romantic comedy Intolerable Cruelty alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones before starting the Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Thirteen movies, for which he earned a combined $35 million. He also racked up critical and industry acclaim, nabbing an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for 2006's Syriana , and another Oscar for Best Picture as a producer of 2012's Argo .

Related: How George Clooney and Julianna Margulies Still Pay Tribute to Their 'ER' Characters

The very next year, he starred in the space blockbuster Gravity, playing an American astronaut who attempted to return to Earth after the destruction of his team's Space Shuttle. While it's reported there weren't a ton of expectations for the film at first, it ended up being a box office hit, earning the actor a whopping $34 million. Given his major payout, Clooney decided to pay it forward to the people who helped him throughout his acting career. In a 2020 interview with GQ , Clooney spilled all the details on why he decided to share the love.

“Amal and I had just met, but we weren't dating at all,” he told GQ . “I was a single guy. All of us were aging. I was 52 or something and most of my friends are older than me... and because they didn't want to pay us, they gave us percentages of the movie, 'cause they thought it was gonna be a flop, and that ended up being a very good deal."

After being surprised by the amount he ended up making, Clooney decided to put the money to good use. "I thought, what I do have are these guys who've all, over a period of 35 years, helped me in one way or another. I've slept on their couches when I was broke. They loaned me money when I was broke. They helped me when I needed help over the years. And I've helped them over the years. We're all good friends. And I thought, you know, without them I don't have any of this. And we're all really close, and I just thought basically if I get hit by a bus, they're all in the will. So why the fuck am I waiting to get hit by a bus?”

The Sale of Casamigos Tequila

When you think of affordable tequila that's as smooth as it is well-priced, you probably imagine Casamigos. And while you might be familiar with the flavor, did you know that George Clooney was one of the people who started the brand?

Founded in 2013 by friends George Clooney, Rande Gerber, and Mike Meldman, Casamigos went on to become the fastest-growing spirits brand at the time. The trio formed Casamigos to create a liquor that fit their personal taste and had no intention of selling the company until beverage company Diageo purchased the brand for $1 billion in 2017. Yes, billion with a b.

“We are excited to work alongside the founders Rande Gerber, George Clooney, and Mike Meldman as we continue to grow the brand,” president of Diageo North America Deirdre Mahlan said in 2017.

Brand Partners Pay the Big Bucks

There's no doubt about it, Clooney has made a ton from his movies. But his partnerships with brands like Omega, Martini Vermouth, Fiat, and Nespresso (yes, he's out there selling coffee along with booze) are what really earned him the massive net worth.

While most of his brand deals have given him an extra-large cushion in his bank account, his deal with Nespresso probably out-paid them all. It is said that Clooney made a whopping $40 million for his Nespresso commercials, which makes sense given his appearance not only gave the brand credibility but also made it a favorite coffee maker option for those who love his films.