They Made Millions Just From Being In These Commercials!

These actors have found success by starring in various commercials throughout their careers. You’ll be surprised to discover just how successful many of these commercial actors became!

Vanessa Lynn Branch – Orbit Gum

Carly Foulkes – the T-Mobile Girl

After Catherine Zeta-Jones finished making millions working for T-Mobile as their spokeswoman, the torch was passed to the young Carly Foulkes. Originally from Canada, Foulkes started modeling by the time she was 13. Soon after she began working with Abercrombie & Fitch, Express, Gilly Hicks, Kohls, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Rugby by Ralph Lauren, and Tommy Hilfiger. By the time the 22-year-old took the mantle from Zeta-Jones, she had already made her first million, she’s now worth three.

Peter Grosz – Sonic Drive-In Commercials

Peter Grosz was the second half of the comedy duo in the improvised Sonic Drive-In commercials, where he appeared next to his friend and work colleague T. J. Jagodowski. But Grosz has a lot more on his resume than doing Sonic Drive-In commercials. His other work includes the popular HBO comedy series like Veep and even the popular television series Late Night with Stephen Colbert. Hard work pays off! Peter now has an estimated net worth of approximately $600,000.

Colin Ferguson – the Maytag Man

Colin Ferguson has made his fortune off of much more than just commercials, although working in the latter has certainly raised his profile considerably. This Canadian-American commercial star has also worked as a director and producer on various other projects. But 2014 turned out to be Colin’s year; he was offered the position of the Maytag Man as part of Maytag’s new campaign. He played the role of the appliance where he earned enough to be worth approximately $8 million.

T. J. Jagodowski – Sonic Commercials

T. J. Jagodowski is fairly recognizable for being featured in the long-running Sonic Drive-In commercials. The funniest thing about these commercials is that most of them were actually improvised by the actors on the spot. The improvisation is a unique feature that was probably one of the reasons why they were so popular. For T.J., these improvised commercials were just business as usual. Most of his training was done through improv classes, and they left him with a net worth of $600,000.

Diane Amos – Pine-Sol Commercial Lady

When not being the featured face of the Pine-Sol commercials, Diane Amos was working as both a film actress and a stand-up comedian. Her first taste of television was as a competitor on the popular television game show, The Wheel of Fortune. Several years later, in 1993, Amos landed the spot for the lovely smelling fragrant cleaner, Pine-Sol. Those commercials certainly paid her well, her net worth is estimated to be around $250,000. “That’s the power of Pine-Sol, baby!”

Dean Winters – The Allstate Guy

Better known for his roles on television shows like Oz and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Dean Winters is no stranger to appearing in front of the camera. In 2009, Winters suffered a terrible accident. After being diagnosed with a bacterial infection, Winters was rushed to the hospital where he was actually pronounced dead for several brief moments. After he recovered, he was approached by the insurance company, Allstate, where the Mayhem campaign ended up earning him $4 million.

Melanie Paxson – Red Robin Commercials

Melanie Paxson has been in numerous works on both television and movies, in addition to television commercials. One of her most popular commercial roles was the hamburger loving customer in the popular Red Robin commercials. But that was far from her only on-screen job. She’s played as Jaclyn in Cupid, Sara Brennan in Happy Family, and as Julie in Notes from the Underbelly. Additionally, she was in the Disney Channel TV movie Descendants, which aired in 2015.

Isaiah Mustafa – Old Spice Commercials

Who doesn’t remember Isaiah Mustafa from the “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” commercials for Old Spice? Appearing shirtless and usually doing stunts like motorcycle jumps and bursting through walls, Mustafa’s deep voice and impressive physique kept audiences engaged and laughing. Much of his personal brand and body came from playing as a wide receiver when he was younger. The Old Spice commercials have certainly done well for Mustafa, he now has an estimated net worth of $5 million.

Dennis Haysbert – The Allstate Commercials

Dennis Haysbert has an impressive screen presence with a remarkable ability to eloquently deliver a message with a deep and powerful voice. While he’s starred in numerous television series, one of his most memorable appearances has been his work as the voice of the Allstate Insurance Company, a role he has been performing since 2004. After ending his message with “That’s Allstate’s stand. Are you in good hands?” He was delivered his paycheck. Added up it’s around $14 million.

Beck Bennett – The AT&T Commercials

Beck Bennett got his claim to fame on the AT&T commercials where he would ask children questions while sitting at a comically small table. The series of commercials was known as the “It’s Not Complicated” series, and it served as Bennett’s big break. After making audiences laugh at the advertisement, Bennett got an opportunity to work on the series Saturday Night Live, where he has been a regular member since 2013. He has also founded his own sketch comedy group.

Tim Leigh Williams – Trivago Commercials

Tim Leigh Williams has quite a bit of acting experience under his belt, and not only in the United States. This 53-year-old actor has also worked in Germany where he has starred in several different television shows and German movies. In the United States, his list of films includes the likes of Valkyrie, Ninja Assassin, and Labyrinth of Lies. He is also well known for appearing in the commercials for Trivago and has made a reported $5 million.

Vince Shlomi – the ShamWow Guy

Oh yes, nothing like those infomercials that would run at the most unusual hours of the morning. Well here’s a fun fact, many of them actually worked, generating profits for the companies selling the products and the on-screen salesmen doing the selling. In this case, it was Offer Shlomi, who changed his name to Vince Shlomi after he left Israel, who pitched the popular product ShamWow. Thanks to the work on those infomercials, Shlomi ended up with $2 million.

Charles “Chip” Esten – Carl’s Jr.

For those of us who grew up watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? we all remember Chip as the hilarious rotating guest star of the show as he brought audiences to their knees with his quick and witty improv. But Chip, whose real name is Charles Esten, is known for much more than that. In particular, for his portrayal of the white-bearded man named Carl Hardee Sr. for the Carl’s Jr. fast-food restaurant chain. He’s worth $5 million.

Nichole Randall Johnson – DriveTime Commercials

Known for her role on the comedy series MADtv, Nicole Randall Johnson had been a staple of that cast from the moment she was hired in 2005. After performing in numerous sketches, Johnson was recognized for being a truly funny talent and was also offered a position as a writer of the show for their eleventh season. By 2013, Johnson had raised her profile to a significant enough level to be recruited for the DriveTime commercials. She’s now worth $700,000.

Gillian Vigman – as “Jack’s Wife”

Another comedian from the popular MADtv sketch comedy series, Gillian Vigman also worked as an actress on the show. But she didn’t stop there, fans of the popular sitcom New Girl are likely to recognize Vigman for having a role in the series as well. She’s been in quite a few commercials, the most popular by far being the role as “Jack’s Wife” in the Jack in the Box television commercials. With all her work and experience, she’s worth $500,000.

Hallie Eisenberg – the Pepsi Girl

Looking at Hallie Eisenberg, it might be fair to say that she looks oddly familiar. If you don’t recognize her don’t feel bad, Hallie Eisenberg got her role as the Pepsi Girl when she was very young, unlike her brother Jesse Eisenberg, the star of movies like Zombieland and The Social Network. Looks like on-screen talent just happened to run in this family. While Hallie’s career didn’t go as long as her brother’s, she earned $1 million.

Patrick Warburton – National Car Rental

There’s something about Patrick Warburton’s slow deep voice that viewers just can’t get enough of. This television and movie funnyman has been busy entertaining the masses since the mid 1980s where he has been a part of a number of memorable projects. These include what is probably his most notable role as Joe Swanson on Family Guy. He’s also been the star of a series of commercials for National Car Rental, raising his net worth to about $30 million.

Wendy Kaufman – the Snapple Lady

Many commercial actors are known better by the brand they promoted rather than their actual names. For Wendy Kaufman that certainly is the case. Just go ahead and type into Google “Snapple lady” and within seconds you’ll see Wendy Kaufman. She was hired to work for the delicious juice company in 1991 after her best friend’s father, who was also one of the founders, hired her to be the spokeswoman. After all the commercials, Wendy Kaufman earned an impressive $500,000.

Maria Bamford – the Target Lady

Angela Sarafyan – The Umbrella Girl

Angela Sarafyan got her start as the Umbrella Girl from the well known Cingular Wireless commercials. Her yearly salary for that commercial work was a respectable $75,000. But the rewards she received from starring in those commercials went a lot more than just several thousand dollars. The exposure she got from them elevated her career, helping her to secure roles for Judging Amy, Criminal Minds, and Westworld. As a result of all this work, Sarafyan is now worth $6 million.

Demetri Goritsas – Slim Jim Guy

Demetri Goritsas has appeared in a number of blockbusters including The Bourne Identity and even X-Men First Class. So how did Goritsas get there? Many probably don’t remember, but this blockbuster actor began his career in the 1990s playing the Slim Jim Guy for the popular jerky snack that can be found everywhere from gas stations to supermarkets. It might be easy to think that he only made money in movies, in fact, Goritsas made $100,000 from commercial work.

Laurel Coppock – as Toyota Jan

Laurel Coppock has also been in a number of films and television shows. But in spite of all that on-screen experience, she’s often remembered as playing Jan in the Toyota commercials. That’s not to say that her other works haven’t been notable of course. In fact, they include a number of heavy hitters including Arrested Development, Modern Family, and The Office. After years of professional acting Coppock is living it big with an estimated net worth of $1 million.

Orlando Jones – the 7-Up Commercials

It seems like MADtv has a habit of hiring funny people right before they go on to star in popular commercials. For Orlando Jones, this formula didn’t pass him by. In addition to starring in the popular sketch comedy series, he also worked between 1999 to 2002 as the spokesman for 7-Up. Those two works combined certainly paid off for Jones! He went on to become a screenwriter for the comedy A Different World and is now worth $5 million.

Valerie Bertinelli – Jenny Craig Program

Valerie Bertinelli got her start acting at the young and hopeful age of 15 when she landed the role of Barbara Cooper Royer on the CBS television series called One Day at a Time. The show ran for a number of years, beginning in 1975 and ending 9 years later in 1984. Bertinelli then leveraged her television presence to become the face of the Jenny Craig weight loss program. She was paid an impressive $1.55 million for these memorable commercials.

Brad Pitt – Chanel No. 5

It’s a stretch to say that Brad Pitt is a commercial actor, in fact, it makes more sense to call him an A list star who has appeared in some of the most impressive and well-received movies ever to hit theaters. That being said, Pitt has done his fair share of commercial work as well, particularly with the Chanel perfume company and their line of Chanel No. 5. The company paid Pitt a remarkable $7 million for appearing in their commercials.

Angelina Jolie – Louis Vuitton Ads

It’s not fair to talk about Brad Pitt without mentioning the equally impressive Hollywood star Angelina Jolie. Not only has she acted in a variety of great movies, but she’s also directed a few of her own as well. It’s no surprise then that if her former husband was going to get commercial work, she was going to get some too. While Brad was given $7 million for his commercial appearances, Jolie got $10 million for appearing in Louis Vuitton ads.

Catherine Zeta-Jones – the T-Mobile Girl

For many people, it was the commercial work that made the star. Just look at the number of actors on this list who got their start working on commercials before getting roles on television and movies. But it definitely pays to have made it first before appearing in those ads. For Catherine Zeta-Jones, she had already become a household name before starring as the T-Mobile girl. Her appearances boosted mobile sales quite considerably and earned her an impressive $20 million.

Jay Z – Samsung Galaxy Phones

By far one of the most popular and successful rappers ever to hit the music and entertainment industry, Jay Z is known worldwide and his concerts have a habit of selling out in moments. With all this success comes even more opportunity, and before long one of the largest cell phone companies in the world, Samsung, came knocking. They were willing to offer Jay Z $20 million to promote their Galaxy phone, and the results more than spoke for themselves.

Beyonce – “Queen B” in Pepsi

Jay Z might be one of the most successful rappers to ever create music but even he pales in comparison to his wife, Beyonce. Considered by many to be one of the most beloved celebrities ever, there were YouTube videos during the height of her success that showed people reacting in horror after hearing others say they didn’t “absolutely love” Beyonce. So who could be better to use for advertisements? Beyonce was offered $50 million to appear in Pepsi commercials.

50 Cent – G Unit Sneakers

Just when it seemed like celebrities couldn’t get paid more than Beyonce’s incredible $50 million deal with Pepsi, in walks 50 Cent to raise the bar. Widely considered to be one of the most successful celebrity endorsements, Reebok ended up paying 50 Cent an almost record-breaking $80 million to advertise their shoes. 50 Cent took up the mantle as the face of the G Unit sneakers and as a result Reebok almost sold out during their winter sales.

Jake Wood – the Geico Gecko

Since the mid 1980s, Jake Wood has been a popular fixture of British television. Most on the far side of the pond will likely recognize him from his work on EastEnders where he played the role of Max Branning. For a while, Wood was the very recognizable voice of the Geico Gecko, providing voice work for the animated lizard for over 10 years. Wood ended up leaving after refusing a pay cut but brought $3 million of pay with him.

Paul Marcarelli – Verizon Wireless Guy

Thanks to Paul Marcarelli we’ll never be able to say the line, “Can you hear me now?” without hearing his voice. During his 10 years as the Verizon spokesperson, Marcarelli was popularly known as the “Can You Hear Me Now? Guy” for his frequent use of the line in those memorable commercials. During the 10 years working for the popular phone company, Marcarelli was a hard worker. He made 40 commercials a year and earned $10 million for his work.

Andrea Rosen – Many TV Commercials

Andrea Rosen is one funny lady, so funny in fact that she’s managed to make a career (and a significant amount of money) because of it. She has made a name of herself as part of the comedy troupe, Stella and Variety Shac, but her television career is where she has really managed to shine. Her advertising work has been varied and many, and includes working with big companies like Bing.com, Staples, Office Supplies, and Yoplait. She’s worth $1.5 million.

J.K. Simmons – Farmers Insurance Group

It’s hard to picture J.K. Simmons working in commercials, not when he’s had so many roles in feature films. Some of his most notable and memorable works include Whiplash, Juno, La La Land, and, of course, the original Spiderman films. But Simmons hasn’t been afraid of using his considerable talents in order to help give companies an edge. Some of his advertising work has been with M&M (he’s the yellow one) and Farmers Insurance Group. He’s now worth $16 million.

Milana Vayntrub – Lily Adams, AT&T

Milana Vayntrub originally came to the United States from Uzbekistan where she decided to try the American dream and become a comedian. So far, it seems as though things have worked out pretty well so far for this funny actress. Not only has she starred in a few short films and web series, but she also landed a spot on several TV programs. Her most popular role is as Lily Adams from the AT&T commercials which have earned her $3 million.

Katherine Crown – DriveTime Girl

Katherine Crown’s talent and enthusiasm have gotten her far in her career. In fact, who would’ve guessed that you could make so much money just from being charming and funny? Well, probably a lot of us based on the amount of talent on this list, a list that Katherine Crown has more than earned a spot on. She was hired in 2013 to play one of the DriveTime Girls in the advertising campaign that has earned Crown $1 million.

Morgan Smith-Goodwin – Red from Wendy’s

Morgan Smith-Goodwin is one funny character. She’s managed to turn her sense of humor into a successful career, one that has put her on the map—in addition to putting her in a really nice house! Many fans might recognize her from the popular HBO comedy series Veep, but she’s probably better known for her role in the Wendy’s commercials. Playing the role of Red, Morgan has earned enough to put her net worth at $3 million.

Stephanie Courtney – Flo from Progressive

As we like to say, if someone can say just one name and everyone knows who they’re talking about then that person has hit a high level of fame. Well, Flo from the Progressive commercials certainly fits that bill. In fact, she’s probably known more as Flo than her real name, Stephanie Courtney. Stephanie began entertaining via stand-up before moving to California and being cast in the Progressive commercials, making her $800,000 per year and $5 million total.

Jonathan Goldsmith – Most Interesting Man