The Force at The Box Office

Actors who land a part in Star Wars can be assured of one thing: They’ll have a hit movie to add to their résumé. Or as Yoda might say, “Find success at the box office they will.” But to what degree do they owe the franchise for their career success? In this visualization, we analyze the careers of 24 actors by comparing the total box office revenue they earned from the Star Wars saga to their total career box office revenue.

Anthony Daniels

  • Role—C-3PO
  • 8 Star Wars Films
  • 10 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$6,484,876,440
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$7,011,301,271

Kenny Baker

  • Role—R2-D2
  • 7 Star Wars Films
  • 13 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$6,484,876,440
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$6,623,668,436

Frank Oz

  • Role—Yoda
  • 5 Star Wars Films
  • 26 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$3,639,616,208
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$5,690,527,254

Peter Mayhew

  • Role—Chewbacca
  • 6 Star Wars Films
  • 8 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$4,801,136,148
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$4,817,136,148

Mark Hamill

  • Role—Luke Skywalker
  • 5 Star Wars Films
  • 22 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$3,952,137,271
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$4,716,671,242

Harrison Ford

  • Role—Hans Solo
  • 4 Star Wars Films
  • 49 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$3,952,137,271
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$9,427,956,277

Carrie Fisher

  • Role—Princess Leia
  • 5 Star Wars Films
  • 35 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$3,952,137,271
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$5,262,824,341

Ian McDiarmid

  • Role—Emperor
  • 4 Star Wars Films
  • 12 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$3,105,444,248
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$3,389,304,121

Samuel L. Jackson

  • Role—Mace Windu
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 123 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,532,739,169
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$17,575,755,445

Ewan McGregor

  • Role—Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 54 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,532,739,169
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$6,110,408,216

Natalie Portman

  • Role—Padme Amidala
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 38 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,532,739,169
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$5,376,928,803

David Prowse

  • Role—Darth Vader
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 7 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,893,475,046
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$1,961,821,292

Alec Guinness

  • Role—Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 16 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,893,475,046
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,200,233,852

Christopher Lee

  • Role—Count Dooku
  • 2 Star Wars Films
  • 34 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,505,694,492
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$7,349,887,245

Ahmed Best

  • Role—Jar Jar Binks
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 4 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,532,739,169
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,539,276,348

Warwick Davis

  • Role—Wicket
  • 4 Star Wars Films
  • 23 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$3,658,411,981
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$13,401,840,936

Jeremy Bulloch

  • Role—Boba Fett
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 8 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,955,875,916
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,529,720,175

James Earl Jones

  • Role—Darth Vader (Voice)
  • 3 Star Wars Films
  • 51 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,893,475,046
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$6,177,255,322

Hayden Christensen

  • Role—Anakin Skywalker
  • 2 Star Wars Films
  • 19 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,505,694,492
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$1,901,738,336

Billy Dee Williams

  • Role—Lando Calrissian
  • 2 Star Wars Films
  • 18 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$1,106,877,039
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,389,165,297

Daisy Ridley

  • Role—Rey
  • 2 Star Wars Film
  • 5 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,058,662,225
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,063,127,891

John Boyega

  • Role—Finn
  • 2 Star Wars Film
  • 6 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,058,662,225
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,065,213,807

Oscar Isaac

  • Role—Poe Dameron
  • 2 Star Wars Film
  • 25 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,058,662,225
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$3,680,340,722

Adam Driver

  • Role—Kylo Ren
  • 2 Star Wars Film
  • 16 Total Films
  • Star Wars Box Office Revenue—$2,058,662,225
  • Career Box Office Revenue—$2,537,370,867

Total Box Office Revenue

  • Episode IV: $787 Million
  • Episode V: $534 Million
  • Episode VI: $573 million
  • Episode I: $1 Billion
  • Episode II: $657 Million
  • Episode III: $849 Million
  • Episode VII: $2.1 Billion
  • Episode VIII: Coming Soon

Sources

  • http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Star-Wars – tab=acting
  • http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/franchise/Star-Wars – tab=summary

Numbers updated as of April 5, 2017.

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