This article was originally published on Kueez
You are watching your favorite TV show when suddenly you're interrupted by an annoying ad trying to sell you something. Almost nobody likes watching commercials, yet sometimes we can't stop thinking about them even after they're over. Much of that is due to the actors in these TV ads, some of whom are making the kind of money that you would not believe. In fact, they get paid such ridiculous amounts, that even A-list Hollywood stars will take a break from working on the next blockbuster hit just to get a slice of that massive TV commercial paycheck. Think we're lying? Just wait until you see how much money these commercial stars are making - including one making $160 million.
#38 The Trivago Guy – $20,000
Timothy Williams featured in a hugely successful ad campaign for the hotel site Trivago. He was born in Texas but ended up moving to Germany, where he learned how to speak German like a native. He then started his acting career by working in several German TV shows and movies. Rather than just act in German, Williams landed some English speaking roles in films such as Ninja Assassin, Valkyrie, and Labyrinth of Lies.
He has also made guest appearances on The Sopranos (considered by many critics as one of the best television series of all time). Although he became more popular as the Trivago Guy, he has focused on other things as well. He released his first recorded album Magnolia City in 2018 and currently focusing on his music.
#37 The Dell Computer Dude – $50,000
Benjamin Bowmar Curtis is an American actor who is commonly known as the Dell Dude thanks to a series of successful commercials between 2000 and 2003. Not many people know that before he started his acting career and became known as the Dell Dude, he was a talented magician. When Dell was auditioning for the commercial, Curtis was three years over their desired age, and yet he impressed everyone and got the part.
His famous line from the commercials is “Dude, you’re getting a Dell,” and the advertisement campaign was a huge success. Unfortunately, he had to leave the company in 2003 as a result of getting arrested for buying a bag of marijuana. His career took a big hit after the incident as the entertainment industry blacklisted him.
#36 The Red Robin Lady – $50,249
Before becoming the Red Robin Lady, the Illinois-born actress, Melanie Paxson, featured in commercials for GladWare. She started her acting career with the Steppenwolf Theater Company and has been appearing on screen since the 1990s.
She has appeared on Joey, The Drew Carey Show, Kitchen Confidential, and many other series. As of now, she has a recurring role on the show Happy Family where she is cast as Sara Brennan. Her husband happens to be the co-owner of two restaurants, Simplethings Sandwich and Pie Shop, so you can bet that between her paycheck and his cooking, the two are eating some pretty amazing meals.
#35 The Cingular Wireless Umbrella Girl – $75,000
Angela Sarafyan is an American actress who was initially known as The Umbrella Girl from Cingular Wireless commercials. Her commercials created a world of opportunities, and before long, she was cast in roles ranging from The Immigrant, Repo Chick, and even the popular HBO series, WestWorld.
Although only 36 years old, Angela Sarafyan has over 50 acting credits to her name. It might just run in her genes though since both her parents are artists - her father is an actor and her mother a painter. Initially, her family immigrated to America from Armenia when she was just four years old.
#34 The Snapple Lady – $100,000
Most of us know her merely as the hilarious Snapple Lady, but this wonderful commercial actress is called Wendy Kaufman. Just like her commercials, she’s lively, enthusiastic, and super happy in real life as well. She is a unique Snapple employee because she also answers to the fan mails for Snapple and always has beautiful things to say. The fact that a commercial actress would get fan mail should tell you everything you need to know about her performances.
She was such a huge hit among the audiences that, after hiring her, Snapple sales in the '90s went from $23 million to an incredible $750 million. Despite her direct role in helping the company make a fortune, Quaker Oats decided to fire her after buying Snapple. Once sales began plummeting, the company realized they'd just made a colossal mistake and desperately hired her back two years later.
#33 The Slim Jim Dude – $100,000
Demetri Goritsas is an actor and a documentary narrator. He has appeared in some truly classic movies like Saving Private Ryan, A Mighty Heart, The Bourne Identity and more, but most of us will always remember him as the Slim Jim Guy. He was raised in British Columbia where he attended the Royal School of Speech & Drama.
Despite getting fame as The Slim Jim Dude, he has made a place for himself in the world of entertainment. His most recent movie role was in Radioactive and you can also see him on the Angel of Darkness this year.
#32 Pine-Sol Lady – $250,000
Diane Amos appears in the classic commercials of the cleaning product Pine-Sol. But she's far from being just a commercial actress, also appearing in films such as Nine Months, Twisted, Jasmine, Patch Adams, and Sweet November. Most people recognize her as the Pine-Sol Woman, and it won't be wrong to say that she had a huge role to play in popularizing the product.
Since landing her first TV role as Janet in Midnight Caller, Amos has never looked back, entertaining millions via film, television, and as a comedian. She has been the spokeswoman for the Pine-Sol since 2002, and with her convincing performance in each one of the Pine-Sol commercials, she deserves such a big pay-check.
#31 ‘It’s Not That Complicated’ Comedian – $250,000
Beck Bennet is an actor, comedian, writer, and a lovable current cast member on Saturday Night Live. But before people started recognizing him as a cast member on SNL, he was already known among the masses as the “It’s Not That Complicated Guy” on commercials for AT&T. He produced comedy gold on those ads, and fans loved his work. For instance, his classroom ad was a big hit in which he explains to groups of children about AT&T and its offers.
In addition to working in commercials and making people love ads for a change, he also has an impressive acting resume. He has not only made a special place on SNL, but he also appears on the hit TV Show Arrested Development.
#30 The Target Lady – $300,000
We all probably recognize Maria Bamford as The Target Lady, but she's much more than that. She's also a talented voice actress and a stand-up comedian known for her enthusiastic nature and hyperactive personality. She has the gift of leaving a good impression on viewers, and it didn't take long for her to become a recognized commercial actress.
Bamford first got a movie role in Lucky Numbers in 2000 and then decided to switch to voice acting. The Target Lady has lent her talent to voice characters in American Dad, SpongeBob Squarepants, Stuart Little 2, and more. If you're a 90s kid, then you'll likely also appreciate that she provided voiceover services to the Nickelodeon show, Catdog.
#29 Guy From Sonic Commercials – $300,000
T.J. Jagodowski studied acting at Syracuse University. So when Sonic company was looking for a new commercial actor, they were hugely impressed by his acting skills. He appeared in the Sonic commercials with Pete Grosz. Not many people know that the lines of the commercials were always mostly improvised. They developed such on-screen chemistry that everyone loved them. It also helped in promoting the popular Sonicfood chain’s menu as well.
Although most people remember her as The Guy from Sonic Commercials, he has also achieved success in acting as well. For his performance, The Chicago Improv Festival named him “the best improviser.” He has also appeared in movies such as Stranger than Fiction, Get Hard, and TV shows such as Prison Break.
#28 Pepsi Girl – $333,333
One of the most recognizable faces on TV between the late 90s and early 2000s was without any doubt the Pepsi Girl. Although the cute actress appeared in movies like Paulie and How to Eat Fried Worms, the role of Pepsi Girl will always be the number one reason for people to recognize her.
The little girl is Hallie Eisenberg, and her hilarious commercials were a huge hit among audiences. She has also featured in films such as Disney’s The Miracle Worker, Bicentennial Man, and Holy Rollers.
#27 Vanessa Lynn Branch – $500,000
Vanessa Lynn Branch is an English-born American actress, but she is mostly known as the Orbit Gum girl as she has appeared in all of their commercials. She has made a name for herself by smiling and convincing people to buy Orbit, and we have to admit that she’s pretty good at it.
Not many people know that she has appeared in movies like the Pirates of the Caribbean series, but lately, it seems like her focus is on modeling. Besides this, she also appeared in some smaller roles for shows like Gilmore Girls and skits for Jimmy Kimmel Live. With a pretty white smile, she earns $500,000 a year.
#26 7 Up Guy – $500,000
Orlando Jones was a successful spokesperson for 7-Up from 1999 to 2002, but over the years, he has proven that he is more than just a spokesperson. Although he made a name for himself acting in the sketch comedy series MAD TV, he is mostly remembered as The 7 Up Guy. He got a break in Hollywood as a screenwriter in 1987 when he worked for an ABC comedy called A Different World.
In the 90s, he got the first role on the big screen and he went on to co-produce The Sinbad Show in 1993. He has also appeared in Office Space, Sour Grapes, and Liberty Heights. His perfect comedic timing and writing skills impressed 7-Up and they hired him for the commercials.
#25 Superbowl's GoDaddy Guy – $900,000
Jesse Heiman is a 41-year-old American actor who is best known as The GoDaddy Guy. He first got noticed when he appeared in a GoDaddy commercial, which aired during Super Bowl XLVII. He was lucky enough to be featured alongside model Bar Rafaeli and race car driver Danica Patrick. The best thing about that night was when Heiman and Bar Rafaeli kissed each other, and the audiences absolutely loved it.
He has also done some uncredited work as an extra in a lot of movies and TV shows. Many people also recognize him from his role in American Pie 2, Entourage, NCIS: Maybe It’s Me, and more. However, his last TV appearance was on Criminal Minds in 2014. Let’s see what he does next.
#24 Mr. Mayhem from the Allstate Commercials – $4,750 per Commercial Airing
One of Allstate's smartest and most popular marketing ideas is none other than Mr. Mayhem. The role is based on the character Mr. White from hit movie Reservoir Dogs, and actor Dean Winters' hilarious personality makes the commercials so enjoyable to watch. The actor makes over $4,000 each time one of his commercial airs.
Winters started working as an actor in 1997. Since then, he has worked in quite a lot of TV shows. He has already appeared on Law & Order: SVU, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (plays the role of Detective Keith 'The Vulture' Pembroke), Rescue Me, and as the role of Ryan in Oz.
#23 The Maytag Man – $1 Million
Collin Ferguson is a Canadian/American actor, director, and producer. He has appeared on the show Eureka, where he plays Sheriff Carter and also appeared on the TV show, Then Came You. It's hard to know which television or movie character is the most memorable, but in general, he is most famous for his role as of The Maytag Man.
He became the Maytag man in 2014 and started raking in $1 million a year. To this day, he continues to work as the Maytag Man while also taking other acting roles. He has one son with his wife Lindsay Thompson... and that's all we know since he has kept his personal life private.
#22 The Most Interesting Man in the World – $1 Million
Jonathan Goldsmith earned the title of "The Most Interesting Man in the World" when he appeared in Dos Equis Beer advertising campaign. But with his charismatic persona, he was able to go further than just an actor in a television commerical. He has since become a worldwide phenominon through the popular meme which, by the way also gave the company a nice bit of free advertising. After all, people sharing memes doesn't cost a thing.
He started acting in 1963 and got the first TV part in a Perry Manson series. Since then this experienced actor has over 25 Western movies and 350 TV appearances to brag about on his resume. After hiring him, the beer company increased their sales by 15.4%. So, is there any doubt about him having been chosen as the most interesting man in the world?
#21 Toyota Jan – $1 Million
If you can’t recognize the Toyota Girl, do you really watch TV? Laurel Coppock, aka the Toyota girl, played the character of an ambitious and fun employee named Jan. She is also an actress and has made several guest appearances on multiple shows such as The Office, Modern Family, Arrested Development, and more.
She graduated from Colby College with a Performing Arts degree, where she decided to study professional acting. To that end, she enrolled in the Square Acting Conservatory with the dream of improving her acting and comedy. To say that she has done pretty well in her career would be an understatement - she earns $1 million just from Toyota commercials.
#20 “No More Mrs. Nice Girl” – $1 Million
Carly Foulkes answered a random ad for T-Mobile without realizing that it was about to change her life. After getting the gig, she appeared in the company’s aggressive “No More Mrs. Nice Girl” commercial and it didn’t take long before everyone started recognizing her as the face for T-Mobile.
She featured in the ads from 2010 to 2013 wearing a form-fitting white and pink jumpsuit. What's interesting about the jumpsuit is that T -Mobile trademarked that particular shade of magenta. Since then, she has made a few guest appearances, and the company has made it clear that she is and will forever be a part of the "Brand Family."
#19 Pantene Girl – Between $100,000 to $1 Million
We don’t know the exact income of Kelly Lebrock, but it doesn’t mean that we could make the big mistake of leaving her out of the list. She made a lot of fans and a lot of people jealous of her gorgeous curls back in the 1980s. That is also because of her iconic line, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” As expected, the slogan quickly became popular. As endorsed, her hair is beautiful because of Pantene, and the ad campaign turned out to be a big hit.
She gained national attention from the commercials and went to focus on her acting and modeling career. She has appeared in movies such as A Prince for Christmas, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, and Weird Science.
#18 Jenny Craig Girl: Estimated $1.55 Million
In 2012, Valerie Bertinelli was featured in Jenny Craig’s weight-loss commercial campaign. In one of the commercials, she shocked everyone by walking out wearing a bathing suit. After all, she told everyone that she “hasn’t worn one of these in almost 30 years.”
Her inspirational transformation motivated the American people. But getting to appear in the ad wasn’t an easy journey for Valarie as she had to lose a lot of weight for it. She lost 47 pounds and the dramatic weight loss helped her become a spokeswoman for the company. According to some estimates, she made about $1.55 million from it. Now, losing weight and earing this much is impressive.
#17 InVinceable Guy – $2 Million
Offer Shlomi, better known as Vince Offer, is an Israeli-American infomercial pitchman, writer, director, and comedian. But most people recognize him as the spokesman for ShamWow, AKA The InVinceable Guy. He started to market a cleaning product that he saw in flea markets: an absorbent towel. He named the product "ShamWow!" He made the first advertisement of the product with a $20,000 budget and it received critical praise.
In 1999, he also got a role in a comedy film The Underground Comedy Movie. Even though he was the one who funded the movie, it ended up being considered one of the worst films of all time. At least he found success with his commercials, where he also owns, writes, and produces them.
#16 Wendy’s Girl – $3 Million
Morgan Smith is a beautiful freckled face American actress who has become quite popular as Red, the "Wendy's Girl." Don't get too excited though fellas, she's already married to David Ridgway, and the couple has two adorable children. She grew up in Alabama and attended Birmingham Southern College but moved to New York after graduation. She wanted to start an acting career and had to do different types of concerts and gigs before landing a role on Broadway.
She finally got her break after she was cast in the Off-Broadway show, Freckleface Strawberry. That role opened new doors for her as more and more opportunities started coming her way. Despite her signature red hair, most people don’t know that she is naturally blonde. She dyes her hair red for the commercials.
#15 Old Spice Guy – $5 Million
Even people who don't use Old Spice know them for their successful advertising campaign, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like," popularizing both the product and commercial actor Isaiah Mustafa. With his manly and attractive looks combined with his monologues and funny expressions, Mustafa certainly delivers a convincing performance. By the way, he is the one who thought of some of the famous lines such as "I'm on a horse" and "look at your husband…now look at me."
Originally Mustafa played football as a wide receiver for the Oilers in the 1990s and left the game to pursue acting. He has also been featured on Days of Our Lives and Horrible Bosses. If you are a fan of horror films, you would have also seen him on IT Two. He even showed interest in playing Luke Cage in the Marvel series, but sadly didn’t get the part.
#14 Brad Pitt – $7 Million
Just like Angelina Jolie, her now ex-husband Brad Pitt also did a commercial for a high end and popular brand like Chanel. When the company came out with its perfume line “Chanel No. 5,” they were looking for the best in business to endorse it. And what better option there is than (often cited as the world’s most attractive man) Brad Pitt? According to reports, the company had to pay a whopping $7 million to get an A-lister like Brad Pitt to endorse their product. When the actor did the commercial, he became the first male to feature in the promotion of Chanel No. 5.
Many may think that spending $7 million is way too much, but the company forecasted the impact of hiring Brad Pitt for the commercial as the sales increased drastically. He also helped more men to be aware of Chanel as many thought of it as just for women. It turned out to be worth the investment. The commercial has been made fun on a few occasions, most notably when Saturday Night Live made a hilarious parody.
#13 Flo, The Progressive Insurance Woman – $8 Million
There’s no denying that the Progressive Insurance Woman is one of the most recognized commercial faces out there. Commonly known as Flo, her real name is Stephanie Courtney. What makes her so loved by the audience is her upbeat attitude. Given that her character Flo became popular among audiences, it isn’t a big surprise that she has appeared in over a hundred commercials.
She was a part of the theater club before she got this big break. She has also acted in shows such as The Goldbergs and Mad Men. Her contract is worth $8 million, so we will be seeing her very soon.
#12 The “Can You Hear Me Now?” Guy – $9 Million
How can we forget the iconic ad campaign of Verizon and their signature phrase, “Can you hear me now”? Due to Verizon’s universal coverage, it has become one of the most popularly used catchphrases. The face of the ad is Paul Marcelli, and he made a lot of money saying these words.
He remained a star of Verizon commercials for a decade and then switched teams in 2016 by signing a contract with Sprint. Yes, the very Sprint that happens to be the biggest rival of Verizon. His new catchphrase became “Can You Hear That?” As expected, it created a lot of media frenzy. In addition to acting in commercials, he is also a screenwriter, actor, and even owns a production company.
#11 Little Mikey from Life Cereal – $10 Million
Who remembers Little Mickey from the Life cereal commercials? In the ad, this adorable little kid gets convinced by his brother to taste Life cereal and “Mike Likes It.” Well, the real name of Mickey is John Gilchrist and the boy who plays the role of his brother in the ad is his real-life brother Tommy. By the way, they are seven kids in total.
The cereal ad was so popular in 1974 that it went on to win a Clio Award, given to excellence in advertising. In 1999, TV Guide even classified the commercial as the top ten commercials of all time. So, if you want to relive a classic TV ad, you can simply watch this one on YouTube.
#10 Angelina Jolie – $10 Million
As Louis Vuitton is one of the most high-end brands, it is not a big surprise that they hired one of the biggest stars of Hollywood. So, when Angelina Jolie appeared in one of the ads to advertise their elegant and stunning bags, she went home with a hefty $10 million pay-check. However, there was a controversy as well. This picture features a rural Cambodian backdrop, and the reason why it stirred up controversy is that fans didn’t like the company for advertising their expensive handbags by using such a poor country.
Despite the backlash, the marketing idea was still a huge success. Hiring Angelina Jolie helped the company a lot as their sales increased immediately. Angelina is known for her humanitarian work though, and she felt so sorry that she even donated a part of the pay-check to charity.
#9 Jared Fogle – $15 Million
Before the Jared Fogle scandal surfaced, Subway was already going down. The company had to pay him $15 million for his endorsement. It seems like he lost 245 pounds by eating Subway sandwiches. The scandal was so big that the company started sinking more. Many experts believe that further downfall was because the company wanted to increase sales and hire Fogle, but no one knew it would backfire big time.
The scandal that resulted in a further decline of the company was that Fogle is a convicted sex offender. He got a 15-year jail sentence after he admitted to committing sex crimes against minors. He was also beaten up by another inmate who didn’t want to be around a child molester. We have to admit that we don’t really feel sorry for him.
#8 Jay Z – $20 Million
Jay Z is one of the most famous and established people in the entertainment industry. That’s why Samsung didn’t take long in deciding to hire him to promote his album while also promoting the Samsung Galaxy phone. They paid him $20 million for it. After all, why wouldn’t anyone buy a Samsung Galaxy after seeing that Jay Z owns one as well, right? As expected, there was an immediate increase in sales and online traffic.
It was a win-win deal for Samsung and Jay Z because both benefitted a lot from it. The singer’s album was also successful and the marketing ploy delivered the expected results.
#7 Catherine Zeta-Jones – $20 Million
T-Mobile wanted an attractive celebrity to endorse them and decided to go with Catherine Zeta-Jones. They weren’t expecting the marketing ploy to deliver such great results, but the campaign became a huge hit. They paid her $20 million and it was worth it. They paid her a lot of money for it and then replaced her, but according to them they still love her. It is because they realized her charm helped increase the sales and even gave her an offer to come back and become the spokesmodel for the company.
The company paid $20 million to Catherine Zeta-Jones and confirmed that she helped increase the sales by a lot. It certainly is a success story for both the company and the ever beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones.
#6 Beyoncé – $50 Million
Beyoncé is, without any doubt, one of the world's best-selling music artists and most famous celebrities of all time. She has sold over 100 million records worldwide and was nominated as Time's Person of the Year in 2016. She's a fierce and talented singer and has a huge fan base. So, Pepsi wanted someone famous for endorsing their product and they decided to utilize the charisma of Beyoncé and her huge fan base. With a powerful voice and breathtaking beauty, she deserves a big payout of $50 million.
They had all the right ingredients to make it a smart marketing campaign, but it didn’t turn out as expected. Sure, Beyoncé is a huge celebrity with a massive fan base, but putting her face all over Pepsi didn’t do the trick as the sales decreased by 4-7%. Nevertheless, she walked out with a high pay-check.
#5 50 Cent – $80 Million
When Reebok went on to pay unbelievable $80 million to American rapper 50 Cent, he became one of the highest-paid celebrity endorsements ever. They spent a hefty sum of money to the rapper to use his face for their fashionable G Unit Sneakers. Now you may have guessed it that when the commercial aired, he became the highest-earning commercial artist of all time.
Unlike in the case of Pepsi’s Beyoncé, this marketing ploy was a huge success. The sales of Reebok immediately increased and the rapper got not only free sneakers but also a hefty pay-check of $80 million. By earning so much from just one commercial, it is easy to understand why the rapper has done so much charity in his life. And just so you know, the sales of Rebook increased so much that it became difficult for them to keep shoes in stock during the holiday seasons. Needless to say, spending $80 million did not go to waste at all.
#4 LeBron James – $90 Million ($12.9 million a year)
After 50 Cent became the highest-paid celebrity for commercials, LeBron James scored a big endorsement deal. Many consider him one of the greatest basketball players of all time. As endorsement deals are given to big players of sports, LeBron James got paid a lot of money by one of the biggest sports apparel companies: Nike.
The company paid him $90 million in a seven-year contract. Which means that he can only wear Nike shoes for seven years but who would not want that for such a huge pay-check, right? By only employing LeBron James for the endorsement, the company’s sales increased by 350 million dollars.
#3 Tiger Woods – $100 Million
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is one of the greatest golfers of all time and one of the most renowned athletes. There are many scandals attached to his name and one may find it a bit surprising that he was able to get a big endorsement deal such as this one after his scandalous behavior. Yet, he still managed to get a contract with Nike. They didn't just employ him for endorsement but they also paid him $100 million. Many suspected that it would be a huge marketing failure for the company.
Unexpectedly, hiring Woods worked and the sales of Nike reached new heights. One has to admit that it was a big risk employing Woods, but it worked like a charm and he showed the world why he is one of the best athletes of all time.
#2 David Beckham – $160 Million
Not many people will be shocked to see this one. After all, David Beckham is one of the greatest and most recognizable football players of all time. He has also been among the highest earners in football. With his amazing sports performances, captivating attractiveness, and die-hard fans from all over the world, it was an easy call for Adidas to employ him. They paid him $160 million to be the face of their sports brand. As the footballer had previously helped increased sales of many companies, everyone was expecting it at that time as well.
And guess what? The sales immediately increased while he was still under contract with the company. It was a successful marketing deal and both Beckham and Adidas benefitted from it. With a deal of $160 million, he became the highest-paid celebrity for an endorsement deal. Do you think there is anyone else who would be able to break this record? Let us know.
#1 ‘I’ve Fallen, and I Can’t Get Up Lady’ – Unknown
How can we not include the ‘I’ve Fallen, and I can’t get up’ lady on our list? Her real name is Edith Fore and she’s certainly one of the most famous commercial faces. Her salary is unknown, but one thing we know for sure is that she created a successful TV commercial with the help of her hip injury. She played the character of Mrs. Fletcher, who tells the viewer how she got hurt after falling.
The hit commercial was for the LifeCall pendant which has a button which you can press if you fall. If you press the button, the LifeCall team will be notified about it. The iconic line “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up” helped her gain commercial success at 70 years old. How often do you see that happen, right?