The world of acting is a busy one, with actors and actresses working hard to keep their careers going. While most actors have day jobs to make ends meet, their salaries are still fairly substantial compared to those of the average person. In fact, there are some who make millions per year by doing what they love best: acting! let us know more about that the Salaries For TV Actors-Know More.
TV actors earn a salary that is based on the length of their contract, the number of episodes or scenes they are required to perform, and the size of their role. The salaries for television actors vary from one show to another, as well as from one network to another. They can also vary depending on whether an actor has a recurring role or if he/she is hired on a per-episode basis. The salary can range from $15,000 to over $5 million depending on the popularity of the show and what the actor has been able to negotiate in their contract. If you are just starting out as an actor, you may have to take whatever role comes your way in order to gain experience and develop your skills. However, if you have already established yourself as an actor and have been working steadily for a few years, then you will be able to negotiate with producers about how much money they are willing to pay you.
Kaley Cuoco, the Big Bang Theory
In the world of television, the stars are often paid more than their co-stars. This is especially true for shows that have been on the air for a long time and have become a huge hit. It’s not unusual to see actors making millions of dollars per episode, but even that still doesn’t compare to what Kaley Cuoco has made as a main character on The Big Bang Theory.
She was only paid $60,000 per episode in season 1 and had no contract at the time! But since then she has become one of the highest earning actresses on TV because she was able to negotiate her salary up to $1 million per episode in season 10.
- She appeared in commercials as an infant model
- She starred in movies like RV (2006), See Spot Run (2001) & Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2003)
- She appeared on shows like Charmed & Gilmore Girls
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Jim Parsons at $1 million per episode for his work on The Big Bang Theory. That may seem like a lot for a sitcom, but he’s also the highest-paid actor on TV overall and within the comedy category. In fact, he’s making more than any other actor working in film or theater today; it’s estimated that his annual salary is around $30 million.
The rest of the cast doesn’t exactly make chump change either: Kaley Cuoco (penny) earns $600k per episode while Johnny Galecki (Leonard Hofstadter) earns $750k and Simon Helberg (Howard Wolowitz) gets paid $700k per show. Plus Kunal Nayyar makes close to $100k as Rajesh Koothrappali while Mayim Bialik makes just under half of that as Amy Farrah Fowler—which isn’t too bad considering her character has been around since day one!
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory
- John C. Reilly, The Big Bang Theory: $1 million per episode; Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory: $1 million per episode; Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar, The Big Bang Theory (for Seasons 6-10): $750,000 per episode; they were unable to renegotiate their contract until after Season 10.
The Big Bang Theory’s Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg
While the rest of the cast members on The Big Bang Theory are making between $100,000 and $300,000 per episode, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar are raking in a cool $750,000 per episode. This is because they are both in their seventh season of playing Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali respectively—and their contracts expired this year.
Mark Harmon, NCIS
You might not immediately think of Mark Harmon when you think of the highest paid actors on TV, but he does make a good case. He is one of the central characters on CBS’s NCIS, which is consistently one of their top-rated shows. When you combine his popularity and nominations with his salary from 2012–2017 (about $525,000 per episode), it seems clear that Mark Harmon should be at the top of any list looking at the highest paid actors in prime time television history.
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order
Special Victims Unit – $500,000 per episode. She has won a Golden Globe and two Emmy Awards, been nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards, five Saturn Awards, four People’s Choice Awards and has won one Television Critics Association Award.
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
$50000 for each episode American actor, producer, screenwriter, and singer Kevin Spacey is also a singer. For his role of the immoral Frank Underwood in the Netflix series House of Cards, he received favorable reviews (2013–present). Spacey was born on July 26, 1959 in South Orange, New Jersey. After being raised in nearby Livingston, he studied acting at The Juilliard School and later at London’s Old Vic Theatre School as well as at Tisch School of the Arts where he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NYU in 1982.
Patrick Stewart, Star Trek The Next Generation
$500,000,000 each episode.
Stewart received the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the future television series Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1991. The program aired on NBC from 1987 to 1994 and was shot in California. Patrick Stewart became one of the highest-paid performers in television at the time thanks to this program; he received $500,000 per episode!
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy
Grey’s Anatomy’s Ellen Pompeo earns $400,000 for each episode. Ellen is estimated to make $400,000 per episode as well as a percentage of any revenue made from merchandise sold related to her character.
George Clooney on ER
George Clooney was the highest paid actor on television in the early 1990s, reportedly earning $1 million per episode of ER—a part he didn’t audition for.
However, his salary was cut to $350,000 per episode during ER’s later years because another actor had joined at a higher rate.
Conclusion
If you’re a television actor, your salary can vary wildly depending on how popular your show is and how many episodes per season it has. But we’ve compiled a list below of some of the highest-paid actors working in Hollywood today. Start with actors who make more than $1 million per episode.
