Richard Linklater Highest-Paid Director in the World

  • By Carol Kearney
  • Washington
  • Last updated on

Richard Linklater
Richard Linklater led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid directors” released on Friday.

It's been a rough year for the director, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 65-year-old Richard Linklater has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid directors for 2026 with an estimated $46 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 31/01/2026 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Richard Linklater tops annual list of highest-paid directors

In 2023 it looked like the director’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (January 30) that Linklater is the highest-paid director in the world, pulling in an astonishing $46 million between December 2024 and December 2025, a nearly $20 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 American director-screenwriter has an estimated net worth of $145 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 Linklater Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Houston Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderlinklater - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Richard) and a fashion line called “Richard Linklater Seduction”.

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

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