Richest African American Actors 2012 – Top 10 List

African Americans Making Big Bucks in Hollywood

How African American actors took a prominent place in Hollywood mainstream movies over the last decade is quite obvious. African American actors are now casting quality films with meaty-roles that have proven to draw hordes of fans to the box office.

The 50s and 60s are gone when movie pictures were limited to 'only whites.' Some of the highest paying actors doing smash hit movies are African Americans today.

Talk about films such as Training Day and Monster's Ball which won both Denzel Washington and Halle Berry Oscars in 2002. How about Will Smith 's Men in Black and Training Day; Pulp Fiction by Samuel L. Jackson, the Million Dollar Baby by Morgan Freeman, and the Dreamgirls by Oscar-winning Jennifer Hudson — all top grossing black films. And the list can go on and on from actors in movies, to top producers and directors of films.

It's not hard to understand why these African American actors are receiving so much love from film fans all over the world with their incredible talent and raking in big bucks from movie theatres.

Here’s a list of some of the highest paid and consequently richest African American actors in Hollywood today based on the net worth from Celebrity Bio,  Forbes and other sources. Tyler Perry, who’s the richest African American in Hollywood with an estimated net worth of $350 million, didn’t feature in our list mainly because he is more of a producer and director. Let’s see who made the list.

Will Smith

Net valuation: $215 million

Mention 'Will Smith' will immediately come to mind and movies like Men in Black and Hancock will. Incidentally, Will pocketed a whopping $20 million talent fee for the hit Men's latest iteration in Black III, and approximately the same amount for the 2008 Hancock superhero movie.

Will's acting career started in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a 90 's television sitcom. But his career kicked off after hit action films Bad Boys and Independence Day, with the latter earning more than $800 million in revenues. Will also won Grammy Awards for his rap music at home, and produced many movies including Seven Pounds and I am Legend.

Born as a school administrator and refrigerator engineer to humble parents, Will has come a long way with all the success he 's earned. With his million, Will can almost buy her own school for his daughter!

2= Jackson, Samuel L.

Net valuation: $150 million

Samuel's most recent box office appearance was for Iron Man and Avengers, the Marvel hit flicks, where he is said to have signed a film appearance contract in some nine other Marvel-related comic book movies ... hello big bucks! Reports say he receives around $10 million annually.

With no interest in acting, Samuel in his younger years was active in black student civil rights movements. Only when he met actor Morgan Freeman was he mentored in both film and acting. His first motion picture was Jungle Fever in 1981. Some of his significant roles were in the Goodfellas series, Pulp Fiction where he got an Oscar nomination, and Die Hard III.

Samuel remains a staunch civil rights advocate particularly for African American groups.

2= Washington Denzel

Net valuation: $150 million

The stunning good looks of Denzel and the outstanding acting talents undoubtedly pay off by the millions. Born and raised in New York, Denzel began his theater performing career and moved slowly to make-for-TV movies where he landed a role in St. Elsewhere and stayed with the TV show six years later until his final season. He received his first Oscar nomination for the movie Cry Freedom around the same year, and the following year he won Best Supporting Actor for his stunning performance in the movie Glory.

Denzel is the second African American actor ever to win an Oscar for Best Actor; he won for the Training Day movie. Denzel is an actress, scriptwriter, producer and director with a salary of around $40 million a year. Now, that explains his net worth of $150 million.

4. Lawrence Martin

Net valuation: $110 million

Whoever has said that comedy can't win millions? Martin is famous as a thief, cop or both for his comedic roles. After starring in hit movies Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House he made his name in Hollywood.

He began as a stand-up comedian in the 90's with his own TV series called Martin, which started to bring big bucks into his career.

5. Ice Cubicle

Net valuation: $110 million

O 'Shea Jackson a.k.a Ice Cube started out as a rapper and songwriter for the controversial N.W.A. band. He was still in high school when his interest in hip-hop began, and he might never have thought he 'd be raping his way into a millionaire. His N.W.A. group performed at parties and influential events, until he left in 1989 to go solo. He released albums like Kill at Will in the hit charts which went gold and platinum! Cha-Cha-ching! He went on to create music that would top pop charts and R&B charts.

Ice Cube began a shift to acting, while earning a lot in music. His first feature film was Boyz in the Hood, followed by others like Higher Learning and Three Kings. And as though he had not won enough, Ice Cube went on to direct and produce movies. He's worth millions of dollars, now!

6. Brother Morgan Freeman

Net valuation: $90 million

No one will dare to argue that Morgan Freeman is one of the most respected figures in American cinema, by far. His long, starred and supported film biographies are literally too many to mention in this review. From the 1971 film Who Says I Can't Ride a Rainbow, to the 1989 hit Driving Miss Daisy, to the 2004 film Million Dollar Baby's Oscar-winning success.

Besides his film achievements he is also the voice behind countless top documentaries produced by TV. His beautiful voice tone was ideal for voicing various commemorative materials in the US film industry. His highly respected status demands only millions of salaries.

Did you know that Morgan started his stage career as a dancer even before he started acting? Yes , you read it right, you dance!

6= Foxx jamie

Net valuation: $80 million

Jamie definitely ranked high among the A-list of Hollywood after winning an Academy Award for his lead role in the 2004 film Ray — including 18 other quotes from other award-giving bodies! His rate of going is now estimated at $10 million which is what he snagged for the 2006 Miami Vice film.

He has spent more than 20 years in the entertainment industry. Starting out as a stand-up comedian, then landing a role for a TV comedy, starring in his own TV show, doing R&B music, and finally starring in hit movies and earning millions — Jamie definitely has come a long way to earn his box office clout. His latest films include Ambush, Jarhead, and Dreamgirls.

6 = The LL Cool J

Net valuation: $80 million

LL Cool J born James Todd Smith, did not have his nickname until a recording company, which loved his demo music, discovered him. James released his first album now at the age of 15 under the stage name LL Cool J, meaning 'Ladies Love Cool James.'

It didn't take long for America to fall in love with Cool J. More than 100,000 copies of his single I Need a Beat sold across the US. It was obvious he would be a huge part of the rap industry.

Cool J has also tried his luck in acting and landed roles in movies such as H2O and Deep Blue Sea. His most recent appearance is in the hit TV series NCSI: Los Angeles where he is said to earn around $125,000 per episode on a six-figure salary!

8. With Eddie Murphy

Net valuation: $75 million

Very few celebrities in Hollywood will earn a whopping $10 million just to lend their voice to a movie. In this amount, Eddie easily raked for doing Donkey 's voice in the hit animated Shrek.

His career began as a stand-up comedian, and was later cast for the Saturday Night Live television show. Within 48 hours, his comic talent landed his first movie appearance. But the 1984 hit movie Beverly Hills Cop was what really propelled him into box office superstardom. Winning him a Gold Globe, Eddie was now a face for celebrities around the globe.

His latest films include The Nutty Professor, and Doctor Dolitttle. Either doing voices in animated movies behind the scenes, performing impersonations, or acting as a character, Eddie's comic abilities will continue to win love and big bucks from his fans.

9. Chris Rock-Rock

Net valuation: $70 million

Chris Rock was a favorite among New York 's bar comedy circuit and spent years building a stand-up comedy career. He got his first big break on television in the show Saturday Night Live in 1990. From here on he began to win Emmy Awards and became recognised as one of America's best comedians.

His incredible talent and stand-up experience landed him roles in films like Beverly Hills Ninja and The Longest Yard. As honors started to come in from Emmy's to Grammy's so did the comedian's bigger salaries!

10. 10. John Earl Jones

Net valuation: $45 million

Who, in the animated Lion King, does not remember the voice behind Mufasa? Yeah, James Earl Jones' voice was.

In his earlier years, he started his 40-year acting career with dramatic lessons. James has built a name for himself in Hollywood, winning three Emmy Awards, two Tony's, and a Golden Globe — a name that demands big bucks from the industry.

Doing the Voice in Star Wars for Darth Vader: Episode III could be one of the most memorable roles of his career.