Six People Who Have Made a Fortune Acting in Commercials (2024)

Being a commercial actor may not sound like the most glamorous gig, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average these rolesmake more per hour than any other type of actor.

The industry is strictly regulated, and most aspiring commercial actors arerequired to join the SAG-AFTRA union - Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Actors. The union ensuresthat members are paid benchmark rates by production companies

Many actors and actresses who are superstars today, began their careers by acting in commercials.

Certain actors struck gold in the commercial acting realm and haven't left yet. One person who instantly comes to mind - for many reasons - is Subway's former spokesman, Jared Fogle. Fogle had allegedly made$15 million from his Subway spots since 1999, but this summer he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for having sex with a minor and child p*rnography. Needless to say, we'll exclude him from the list.

Here are six peoplewho are raking in cash from their commercial work:

1.) Paul Marcarelli

'Can You Hear Me Now?' TestMan

Verizon

Net Worth: $10 millionaccording to CelebrityNetWorth.com

Yes, Paul, I can still hear you now.

In 2001, stage actor Paul Marcarelli signed a contract with Verizon for his 'Test Man' role. According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, he allegedly made $10 million during the 10 year period that he remained in this role. For this part, Marcarelliwould film about 40 commercials a year, and was also required to attend many events.

Sounds pretty glamorous, right?

“There’s a price to pay,” Marcarelli said of hisVerizon years in a 2011 interview with The Atlantic. “Don’t feel bad for me, but I’m definitely glad that chapter is over. Most people my age are now trying to trade in their street cred for money, and I kind of made my money. I still want to make something of value.”

A few years before the 'Test Man' gig, Marcarellihad acted in a 30-second Old Navy commercial, but his primary body of work was stage; that was the type of acting that gave him fulfillment.

Though many would argue that $10 million sounds like a reasonable amount to set your dreams aside for a few years, there was a darker side to Marcarelli's 'Test Man' gig.

The role impactedall areas of Marcarelli's life.

He toldThe Atlanticthat at his grandmother's funeral - as her casket was being lowered into the ground - he heard someone whisper: "Can you hear me now?"

Verizon also gave Marcarelli a strict contract, which required him to not discuss the specifics of his role to 'protect the character' and inherently his paycheck. Marcarelli was scared to let the public know he was gay, and even didn't report hom*ophobic harassment because he knew it would have to be logged by the police and thoughtit would affect his public reception.

Today, Marcarelli is using his financial comfort to make up for lost time.

He co-founded a production company, and now works creatively as a filmmaker. He co-wrote the 2011 movie,The Green,which tackles issues surrounding sexuality.

2.) Jonathan Goldsmith

The Most Interesting Man In The World

Dos Equis

Net Worth: $8 million, according toThe Richest

Jonathan Goldsmith started his entertainment career as a young actor in the 1950′s. For nearly 30 years, he kept busy with hundreds of TV and film appearances.

As he grew older, he faced more rejection, and eventually left acting to enternetwork marketing.He initially became very wealthy from this endeavor, but when things went awry he decided to return to acting.

He was sent by his agent to the overcrowded Dos Equis audition. He caught the director's eye after ending his tryoutwith the improvised line,“And that’s how I arm wrestled Fidel Castro."

But, the director was not completely convincedthat Goldsmith was the one to portray 'The Most Interesting Man in the World;'most of the other actors were half Goldsmith'sage.

“How can the most interesting man in the world possibly be only thirty years old?” Goldsmith's agent challengedthe director.

Her logic was well-received: Goldsmith got the part, and he's been thriving ever since.

Though it may not be exactly as glamorous as his experiences in Old Hollywood, according to The Richest,Goldsmith is now worth a cool$8 millionthanks to the part.

3.) Stephanie Courtney

Flo

Progressive Insurance

Net Worth: $5 million, according toCelebrityNetWorth.com

Stephanie Courtney was a theater fanatic in her pre-Flo days. She spent her twenties touring withTheatreworks USA, a job that allowed herto earn an actor's card equity card. Courtney'sstage work led to stand-up, and her stand-up led to representation from an agent who encouraged herto move to LA to pursue screen opportunities.

Once out west, Courtneyturned to commercials as a meansofmaking quick money.

"My first national commercial was a Bud Light commercial in 1999," Courtney recently told Cosmopolitan. "They played it during the Super Bowl. I had a little part in it, but when I got paid, I thought I had made it. I quit all my day jobs, and then six months later I was like, 'I need my job back, please.'"

Though she acted in Mad Menand The Comeback, cable shows didn't pay like network shows, and Courtney found herself focused on booking more commercials.She began doing morecampaigns,appearing in spots for McDonald's, Quaker Oats,Wienerschnitzel,Skittles and Toyota.

"At that point, I don't think anyone noticed me in those commercials," Courtney told Cosmo. "It was never, 'Who is that girl?' I would be the girl in the back of the line looking annoyed. Commercials are great and I loved booking them for the money, but I was actually working more in TV."

Then, in 2006, when she was 38, Courtney got the role that has come to define her career: Flo.

Courtney told Cosmo she felt confident when she went into the audition because of all the recent commercial work she'd been doing.

She knew the campaign featured a Progressive girl who worked behind the desk, but she wanted to make her take on the role memorable.

"So I thought, She'll love them to a fault where she's walking the line of crazy. It's like the love just spills over and becomes a tiny bit inappropriate," she told Cosmo."That's what I came up with in the audition room."

And that over-the-top interpretation of a passionate customer service representative paid off. According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Courtney allegedly makes$800,000 per yearand is worth$5 million.

4.) Carly Foulkes

T-Mobile Girl

T-Mobile

Net Worth: $3 million, according toCelebrityNetWorth.com

In 2010, Carly Foulkes took over as T-Mobile's memorable spokeswoman at the young age of 22. Her predecessor: Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The Canadian born model/actress, beganmodeling in Toronto when she was 13-years-old.

Before her contract with T-Mobile, Foulkesappearedin print campaigns forAbercrombie & Fitch,Artistry Cosmetics,Express,Gilly Hicks,Kohls,Macys,Neiman Marcus,Rugby by Ralph Lauren,andTommy Hilfiger. She was once was even the cover girl for Elle Mexico.

Then, when she was 22, she got the job of a lifetime: 'The T-Mobile Girl.'

Foulkes told PC Magazine that she was grateful casting agents overlooked her heavy Canadian accent and gave her the role:

"We say "mo-bile" [rhymes with "smile"] in Canada so when I auditioned for the thing I said "T-Mobile" [in the Canadian way] and they had to stop me and say 'No, that's not how you say it!'"

According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, during her three years in the role, Foulkes was allegedly paid$1 millionannually, and today, they allege, she has a$3 millionnet worth,thanks to this part,.

5.) Diane Amos

The Pine-Sol Lady

Pine-Sol

Net Worth: $2.5 million, according toCelebrityNetWorth.com

Comedienne Diane Amos started honing her craft a young age. Growing up in San Francisco, Amosstarted doing improv in high school, and later joined a local improv troupe, the National Theater of the Deranged. In 1986, she began doing her famous standup.

Before Pine-Sol, she had experienced a taste ofairtime on TV, when in the mid-to-late 1980s she competedon gameshows to win extra cash. Amoswon $14,750 onWheel of Fortune, $13,000 and a trip to London on The $25,000 Pyramid and $18,400 and a La-Z-Boy recliner from Super Password.

But, Amos' most famous source of income is her longstanding role as 'the Pine-Sol Lady'. Since 1993, she's appeared in national print and television ads for the fragrant household cleaner. According to CelebrityNetWorth.com, Amosis allegedly now worth$2.5 million, thoughthat's not the aspectof her role that she is most proud of.

"I am one of the few national black spokespeople in the country, and I have pride in that," she told the San Francisco Chronicle.

6.) Dean Winters

Mayhem

Allstate

Net Worth: $4 million, according to The Richest

Dean Winters had already starred in Oz and was a working actor when he was diagnosed with a bacterial infectionin 2009. While working on the pilot for Happy Town he was pronounced dead in an ambulance.Though hisvitalswere restored, he had to spend three weeks in intensive care, and that was just the beginning of his nightmare.

“I got really sick and was told I was never going to walk again,” he told the Sioux City Journal. “I was out of the game for three years. I had 17 surgeries and nine amputations. It was the darkest period of my life.

Wintershad originally said no the role, but he now sings a different tune calling the part“the best job I’ve ever had.” Through his role in the series of commercials, Winters gained anew recognizable on-screen identity, which helpedhim get back into acting after histraumaticexperiences.

“I will do anything for those people,” he told the Sioux City Journal. “They came to me knowing I was in the gutter and they breathed new life in me and helped restore confidence in myself.”

Since becoming 'Mayhem,' Winters has acted inJohn Wick,and more recently landed a starring role on the new police dramaBattle Creek,fromBreaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan.

According to The Richest, Winters is now worth$4 millionthanks to the Allstate campaign and the subsequent work it's brought

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