Gene Hackman | $80 Million

Despite being voted “The Least Likely To Succeed” by his classmates when he took acting classes, Gene Hackman has since become one of the many well-known figures in the film industry. During his earlier years, when he was still searching for his big break, Hackman worked as a doorman and at a restaurant. Thanks to his hard work and dedication, Hackman eventually received widespread acclaim for his acting credit as Jimmy Doyle in The French Connection, a role that earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor.

After a career that spanned over six decades, Gene Hackman bade farewell to the Hollywood spotlight in 2004. Since then, he has found success as a novelist, with his earlier works, Wake of the Perdido Star, Justice for None, and Escape from Andersonville, being a collaborative effort with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan. With that said, Hackman has also made some solo works, like 2011’s Payback at Morning Peak and 2013’s Pursuit.