Stuart Townsend Highest-Paid Director in the World

By Carol Kearney
Dublin
Last updated on July 31, 2025

Stuart Townsend led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid directors” released on Wednesday.

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It's been a rough year for the director, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 52-year-old Stuart Townsend has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid directors for 2025 with an estimated $82 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 31/07/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Stuart Townsend 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 Wednesday (July 30) that Townsend is the highest-paid director in the world, pulling in an astonishing $82 million between July 2024 and July 2025, a nearly $50 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 Irish director has an estimated net worth of $245 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 Townsend Burger” chain) in Dublin, a Football Team (the “Dublin Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondertownsend - Ireland), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Stuart) and a fashion line called “Stuart Townsend Seduction”.

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