Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Highest-Paid Actor in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Copenhagen
  • Last updated on

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid actors” released on Thursday.

It's been a rough year for the actor, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 54-year-old Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid actors for 2025 with an estimated $96 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 31/01/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau tops annual list of highest-paid actors

In 2022 it looked like the actor’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Thursday (January 30) that Coster-Waldau is the highest-paid actor in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between December 2023 and December 2024, a nearly $60 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The Danish actor has an estimated net worth of $275 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Coster-Waldau Burger” chain) in Copenhagen, a Football Team (the “Rudkøbing Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondercoster-Waldau - Denmark), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Nikolaj) and a fashion line called “Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Nikolaj fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.

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