How much is Bradley Cooper worth?
| Net Worth: | $120 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | January 5, 1975 (age 48) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft (1.85 m) |
About Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is a multitalented actor who is arguably just as skillful behind the camera as he is in front of it. He not only acted in A Star Is Born, but he also wrote and directed the massive 2019 hit co-starring Lady Gaga. The actor is known for his prominence in multiple franchises, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe and one of the highest grossing comedy franchises of all time. Cooper’s resumé as a super producer is full of box office record breakers and he has never had a flop. With the standout track “Shallow” from the A Star Is Born soundtrack, he also became a number one Billboard charting artist.
It didn’t take long for Cooper to start getting work regularly in Hollywood. After having a couple of small roles on shows such as Sex and the City, the actor landed his first movie role in 2001, in Wet Hot American Summer as Ben, the gay counselor. It was a few years later in the Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson classic, Wedding Crashers, when he was cast in a role with long enough screen time, that he would finally show audiences what he could do. It’s thanks to this role that he got bigger roles in similar movies, eventually landing the part of “Phil” where he found fame.
After almost being pigeon-holed as the protagonist’s best friend in movies like Yes Man and Failure To Launch, Cooper finally landed a leading role, and it was in a film that he couldn’t have possibly expected to blow up as much as it did. The Hangover, directed by Todd Phillips, didn’t feature any a-list stars, there were no bankable heavyweights that the studio could rely on for it to be successful.
Zach Galifianakis was a small time stand-up comedian, Ken Jeong was a secondary character in a straggling television series, and of course, Cooper had never been much more than a tertiary character to listen to the protagonist’s problems. Nevertheless, the movie was a massive success, blowing records out of the water, and becoming one of the highest grossing comedies of all-time. The movie went on to have two sequels and it made just about everybody in the movie immediate in-demand stars.
Though many people might not know it, Bradley Cooper is also a hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he is an Avenger along with the likes of Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr. However, you won’t have seen him physically on screen as he plays Rocket, a CGI gun loving raccoon. He has now been in four Marvel movies, and soon to be a fifth when Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3 is released in 2023.
The next tentpole movie and perhaps the most important movie of his career to date came out in 2018. Though he was nominated for an Academy Award for his acting in the movie, he also wrote, directed and produced A Star Is Born, which went straight to number one in the box-office and made $436.2 million.
The Hangover franchise has now grossed more than a billion dollars, making it one of the only comedy franchises in cinema history to earn ten figures. The A Star Is Born soundtrack was the biggest selling album all over the world, and it featured “Shallow,” the song that topped charts in more than 10 countries and became an instant karaoke hit. The song technically made Bradley Cooper a Billboard number one artist. As of now, “Shallow” currently has over four billion streams on Spotify, 1.3 billion views on YouTube, and a countless number of fan covers.
For the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Cooper was paid four times as much as the star, Chris Pratt. He earned $6 million dollars, despite only voicing his character of Rocket the raccoon. Though neither of them came close to the huge check Vin Diesel received for voicing Groot, Rocket’s right hand tree.
Though he may not be Scorsese or Spielberg, Cooper may be the very best movie producer working today in terms of financial success. Cooper can make truckloads of cash with tiny budgets. Limitless had a $27 million dollar budget, but earned a box office take of 161.8 million. It was also the very first film that Cooper had ever produced.
A Star Is Born had a $36 million dollar budget, and box office earnings of $436.2 million. Joker, which he also produced, had a budget of just $55 million, and that movie starring Joaquin Phoenix as Joker earned box office revenues of $1.074 billion. In fact, Joker has become the most successful R-rated movie in cinema history.
Cooper has built up a network of high profile relationships throughout his 20 plus year career. He has a great relationship with David O’Russell, who directed him in Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, and Joy, all of which co-star Jennifer Lawrence, who Cooper also works with well. Lawrence and Cooper often play each other’s on-screen spouses, as they are often praised for their movie chemistry by critics.
Limitless was perhaps the most important movie in Cooper’s career because it proved that he could be a leading man and put butts in seats. It became clear Cooper was a bankable star also because the movie had a relatively small budget, yet went on to make over $160 million; a massive amount for a sci-fi movie with a confusing plot line that’s not easy to explain in one sentence. The movie even led to a television series adaptation aired on CBS, which was how Cooper transitioned into an executive producer, and later, a filmmaker.
Cooper’s Total Net Worth
After his appearances in 2009’s The Hangover, Bradley Cooper’s film career really began to take off. He found some success in television series Alias but it was with the release of Limitless in 2011, a film that he starred in and produced, when people really began to look up and take notice. He also reprised his role as Phil in The Hangover Part II that same year, and after appearing as Avery, in The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), his filmography suddenly began to look professional.
For the first Hangover movie, Cooper was paid just $600,000. Then for Part II that figure became $5 million and was followed by $10 million for Part III. In 2014, he appeared as Chris Kyle in American Sniper, a film that went on to gross $547.4 million worldwide, making it Cooper’s highest-grossing live-action film and the third highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
In more recent years, Cooper has earned as much as $15-20 million dollar upfront payments for lead roles and in certain cases even earned more on the backend. For A Star Is Born, a film that he wrote, directed and produced, he received no salary, but earned a share of its $150 million profit. In the end, netting him $35-41 million. He earned a reported $6 million dollars for his role as Rocket in Avengers: Endgame, which included backend points according to Forbes.
Cooper has said, “Fall in love with my looks, fine, but stay with me for my talent.” He placed tenth on Empire‘s list of the “100 Sexiest Movie Stars” in 2013, that year he earned a reported $28 million. He earned a reported $41.5 million in 2015, and $57 million, in 2019. Those figures also don’t include earnings from his endorsement deals, such as his deal with IWC watches or his business ventures, or the growth in his investments in stock and other securities. In total, it is estimated that Bradley Cooper has earned career income of around $205 million (not including his investments growth value).
Of that amount, $14-19 million is expected to have been paid in business related costs. The remainder, $188.5 million, will have been taxed at around 48% as Cooper is bicoastal residing between the states of California and New York. More recently, it seems that Cooper has wanted to leave California and the 13% state tax rate behind, buying a magnificent Manhattan home in 2018. After tax, it is estimated that his career earnings are at around $98.02 million dollars, having paid $90.48 million in taxes.
Bradley Cooper married Jennifer Esposito in 2006 and they divorced a year later in 2007, having had no children together. The divorce was relatively simple as they honored the terms of their nuptial agreement, that “Each party forever waives any right to receive spousal support from the other party.”
Cooper has not remarried but does have one child, Lea De Seine Shayk Cooper, with Russian supermodel Irina Shayk.
In his property purchases, Cooper started with a real estate investment in Marina Del Rey, for $1.2 million dollars in 2004. Since then he has also paid $4.4 million for a property in Pacific Palisades, California. This purchase was made when he was still together with Irina Shayk, however she later moved out.
Then in 2018, Cooper paid $13.5 million for a townhouse in New York City. It is likely that most of his property deals have been for optimizing his own lifestyle, and he has likely not earned substantial financial gains from them. Perhaps $1-3 million in property appreciation, after deducting fees, maintenance, renovations, and losses. It is likely however that he has earned substantial sums from various investment vehicles, including stocks, bonds, private equity and so on, after all, Cooper’s father was a stockbroker.
In his personal life, he is estimated to have spent $4-5 million dollars of his career earnings, including his donations, but also probably possesses assets valued at around $1 million, not including investment assets. Cooper likes to buy motorbikes, including a KTM 1190 RC8 street racer bike, a BMW HP4 and Ducati 1199 Panigale. He also has a Mercedes Benz G53 AMG and Maserati GranTurismo.
The bikes cost from $16,499 to as much as $84,000 and the cars between $100,000 and $200,000. It doesn’t seem like Cooper is a major spender, however, he will have some personal staff costs and travel and expenses that do add up. He also gives to charity, including to the Alzheimer’s Association, Cancer Research Institute, Clinton Global Initiative and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.
Some of Cooper’s career earnings will have been converted into investment assets, his returns from which are being calculated to be in the region of $18-29 million dollars. Therefore, it is estimated that Bradley Cooper has a net worth of a rounded up $120 million. It has been estimated lower, however.
Summing-Up
After having been nominated for an Academy Award nine times, not just for acting, but also for producing and writing, it is clear that Cooper is one of the most talented people working in the film industry today. The films that he has appeared in have earned total gross revenue of $11.2 billion. From his acting and producing, Cooper realized peak earnings of $57 million in 2019.
