Top Box Office Stars of the 1990s

Who were the Top Box Office Stars of the 1990s statistically?  This page will attempt to answer that question.  Our main source of information was our Ultimate Movie Ranking (UMR) pages that covered movie stars that made movies in the 1990s. So far we have box office grosses on 6,125 movies made between 1990 and 1999.  Granted this is far from all the movies made during that time frame….but it does cover most of the major movie releases in that decade.

We have included four lists of information.  List one looks at the Top 15 stars by adjusted domestic box office.  List two looks at the Top 15 stars by highest average rating per movie according to critics and audiences.   List three looks at the Top 15 Stars by highest average UMR score per movie.  List four shows our entire table of all the stars we looked at while complying these lists.

Top 15 Adjusted Domestic Box Office Leaders 1990 – 1999

  1. Samuel L. Jackson $3,459.40 million in adjusted domestic gross
  2. Tom Hanks $3,414.50 million in adjusted domestic gross
  3. Bruce Willis $2,706.30 million in adjusted domestic gross
  4. Robin Williams $2,686.90 million in adjusted domestic gross
  5. Bill Paxton $2,616.60 million in adjusted domestic gross
  6. Whoopi Goldberg  $2,507.30 million in adjusted domestic gross
  7. Julia Roberts $2,413.90 million in adjusted domestic gross
  8. Tommy Lee Jones $2,395.80 million in adjusted domestic gross
  9. Jeff Goldblum  $2,252.20 million in adjusted domestic gross
  10. Mel Gibson $2,103.90 million in adjusted domestic gross
  11. Joe Pesci  $2,069.60 million in adjusted domestic gross
  12. Jim Carrey $1,958.00 million in adjusted domestic gross
  13. Arnold Schwarzenegger $1,927.70 million in adjusted domestic gross
  14. Gene Hackman $1,913.00 million in adjusted domestic gross
  15. Tom Cruise $1,880.40 million in adjusted domestic gross

Top 15 Average Critic/Audience Rating Leaders 1990 – 1999 (minimum 9 movies)

  1. Tom Hanks 76.0 % critic and audience voting
  2. Al Pacino 74.1 % critic and audience voting
  3. Matt Damon 73.7 % critic and audience voting
  4. Anjelica Huston 73.0 % critic and audience voting
  5. Ben Kingsley 71.8 % critic and audience voting
  6. Robert DeNiro 71.4 % critic and audience voting
  7. Johnny Depp 70.8 % critic and audience voting
  8. Kevin Spacey 70.3 % critic and audience voting
  9. Paul Giamatti 69.6 % critic and audience voting
  10. Harvey Keitel 69.3 % critic and audience voting
  11. Tom Cruise 69.0 % critic and audience voting
  12. Sean Penn 68.8 % critic and audience voting
  13. Meryl Streep 68.2 % critic and audience voting
  14. Susan Sarandon 67.9 % critic and audience voting
  15. Holly Hunter 67.5 % critic and audience voting

Top 15 Average UMR Score (combo of box office, reviews & awards) Per Movie 1990-1999

  1. Tom Hanks  65.85
  2. Tom Cruise 59.99
  3. Jim Carrey 54.58
  4. Matt Damon 53.01
  5. Mel Gibson  51.13
  6. Harrison Ford 52.00
  7. Al Pacino 51.37
  8. Arnold Schwarzenegger 49.40
  9. Tommy Lee Jones 46.99
  10. Kevin Spacey 46.51
  11. Pierce Brosnan 46.13
  12. Gene Hackman 46.03
  13. Morgan Freeman 45.95
  14. Kevin Costner 45.91
  15. Robin Williams 45.84

Top Movie Stars 1990-1999 Main Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort by actor or actress
  • Sort by movies made between 1990 and 1999
  • Sort by average adjusted domestic box office per movie
  • Sort by total adjusted domestic box office from 1990 to 1999
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each performers’ movies earned
  • Sort by average Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score.  UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
RankUMR Co-Star LinksMoviesAVG B.O. (mil)B.O. 1990s (mil)AVG ReviewOscar Noms / WinsAVG UMR Score
Samuel L. Jackson42$ 82.4$3459.463.2 %023 / 0638.48
Tom Hanks13$ 262.7$3414.576.0 %049 / 1565.85
Bruce Willis25$ 108.3$2706.354.0 %023 / 0239.15
Robin Williams21$ 127.9$2686.956.8 %035 / 0545.84
Bill Paxton20$ 130.8$2616.662.1 %026 / 1339.05
Whoopi Goldberg22$ 114.0$2507.360.3 %015 / 0540.73
Julia Roberts17$ 142.0$2413.955.3 %008 / 0045.64
Tommy Lee Jones17$ 140.9$2395.860.7 %025 / 0546.99
Jeff Goldblum12$ 187.7$2252.253.5 %008 / 0539.91
Mel Gibson13$ 161.8$2103.962.0 %015 / 0752.52
Joe Pesci16$ 129.4$2069.666.8 %016 / 0445.35
Jim Carrey9$ 217.6$1958.064.7 %007 / 0057.92
Arnold Schwarzenegger10$ 192.8$1927.753.5 %010 / 0449.40
Gene Hackman19$ 100.7$1913.066.0 %019 / 0446.03
Tom Cruise9$ 208.9$1880.469.0 %017 / 0159.99
James Earl Jones15$ 118.7$1779.866.3 %009 / 0342.78
Harrison Ford10$ 174.1$1740.862.3 %013 / 0152.00
Kevin Costner13$ 132.4$1721.458.1 %025 / 0945.91
Will Smith8$ 208.4$1667.260.6 %006 / 0248.52
Demi Moore14$ 118.7$1661.653.0 %011 / 0240.26
John Travolta16$ 103.6$1657.258.8 %017 / 0144.04
Ed Harris 15$ 109.6$1643.765.8 %019 / 0245.68
John Heard11$ 144.4$1588.764.9 %008 / 0044.60
Pierce Brosnan11$ 144.3$1587.560.2 %003 / 0146.13
Robert DeNiro24$ 66.1$1585.571.4 %019 / 0144.02
Julianne Moore23$ 67.4$1551.361.6 %018 / 0138.12
Danny DeVito17$ 91.1$1549.460.8 %014 / 0241.45
Eddie Murphy12$ 128.6$1543.646.1 %003 / 0140.31
Cary Elwes10$ 149.9$1498.660.1 %005 / 0345.79
Kevin Spacey18$ 82.9$1492.470.3 %022 / 0746.51
Morgan Freeman13$ 114.3$1485.460.8 %022 / 0445.95
Liam Neeson16$ 92.1$1472.861.6 %019 / 0738.67
Daniel Stern10$ 146.9$1469.053.9 %001 / 0139.52
Sam Neill10$ 145.3$1452.864.7 %018 / 0944.92
Sally Field7$ 204.2$1429.264.6 %014 / 0747.64
Denzel Washington18$ 78.8$1417.965.9 %012 / 0244.07
Harvey Keitel24$ 59.0$1415.969.3 %031 / 0741.14
Leonardo DiCaprio10$ 139.8$1397.964.7 %017 / 1139.76
Philip Seymour Hoffman18$ 77.0$1385.967.1 %018 / 0141.12
Kevin Bacon16$ 86.4$1382.865.2 %023 / 0443.00
Glenn Close13$ 105.7$1373.964.5 %014 / 0243.44
Nicolas Cage18$ 76.2$1370.757.8 %008 / 0139.28
Tim Allen6$ 228.0$1368.175.7 %004 / 0057.31
Meg Ryan15$ 89.6$1343.363.5 %006 / 0243.55
Danny Glover17$ 78.9$1340.961.4 %004 / 0139.53
Macaulay Culkin9$ 147.4$1326.357.6 %000 / 0040.40
Paul Giamatti15$ 87.8$1317.569.6 %021 / 0644.71
Brad Pitt16$ 81.0$1296.266.2 %019 / 0344.72
Christopher Walken22$ 58.7$1292.260.3 %012 / 0236.23
Wesley Snipes21$ 61.4$1290.356.1 %000 / 0035.27
Michelle Pfeiffer15$ 85.0$1274.362.2 %011 / 0241.92
Keanu Reeves17$ 74.5$1267.059.5 %011 / 0938.93
Anthony Hopkins22$ 57.6$1266.862.9 %047 / 1240.94
Sandra Bullock14$ 89.5$1252.850.5 %003 / 0237.42
Val Kilmer13$ 95.7$1243.563.2 %006 / 0241.17
Sean Connery13$ 95.3$1239.151.8 %005 / 0137.93
Kate Winslet8$ 154.3$1234.273.9 %026 / 1242.63
Richard Gere12$ 100.7$1208.757.5 %002 / 0039.80
Garry Marshall10$ 119.3$1193.057.3 %005 / 0042.39
Christian Slater18$ 65.9$1185.658.4 %006 / 0036.83
Robert Duvall20$ 58.7$1173.459.4 %010 / 0137.38
Sharon Stone19$ 61.1$1160.356.7 %005 / 0035.31
Jeremy Irons12$ 96.0$1151.865.6 %008 / 0339.67
Al Pacino13$ 88.5$1150.574.1 %026 / 0451.37
James Woods19$ 60.5$1149.158.3 %012 / 0037.09
Matt Damon9$ 126.2$1135.873.7 %026 / 0753.01
Nicole Kidman12$ 94.1$1128.956.6 %006 / 0039.93
Gary Oldman17$ 65.8$1118.567.4 %019 / 0541.23
John Candy11$ 101.3$1114.452.9 %008 / 0236.03
Steve Martin13$ 83.4$1084.658.7 %003 / 0140.67
Christina Ricci15$ 70.5$1056.962.1 %005 / 0138.19
Drew Barrymore13$ 81.2$1056.260.3 %003 / 0038.68
Michael J. Fox14$ 75.4$1055.961.0 %002 / 0039.94
James Coburn10$ 103.5$1035.448.5 %006 / 0239.11
Ben Affleck13$ 79.2$1030.162.0 %026 / 0940.68
Sylvester Stallone11$ 93.5$1028.747.4 %004 / 0036.39
Cameron Diaz11$ 92.1$1013.461.8 %005 / 0040.93
Donald Sutherland18$ 55.9$1006.957.5 %012 / 0236.16
Kevin Kline15$ 67.1$1006.762.2 %006 / 0039.52
Woody Harrelson16$ 61.9$990.258.0 %009 / 0037.53
Jodie Foster8$ 122.3$978.367.9 %012 / 0553.12
Alec Baldwin17$ 56.1$953.359.1 %006 / 0136.15
Dustin Hoffman11$ 85.5$940.057.8 %013 / 0341.14
Michael Douglas8$ 117.3$938.364.9 %004 / 0148.63
Christopher Lloyd14$ 66.3$928.452.4 %004 / 0033.18
Adam Sandler8$ 112.2$897.747.4 %000 / 0036.72
Halle Berry14$ 63.7$891.547.2 %001 / 0031.36
Holly Hunter10$ 89.0$889.767.5 %012 / 0344.00
Jack Nicholson10$ 87.2$871.761.1 %013 / 0242.25
Laurence Fishburne13$ 66.2$860.865.9 %009 / 0440.62
Ewan McGregor12$ 71.6$858.663.8 %008 / 0135.09
Gabriel Byrne20$ 42.7$854.559.2 %006 / 0034.66
Annette Bening12$ 70.8$849.966.3 %027 / 0744.82
Helen Hunt7$ 120.5$843.865.8 %008 / 0239.86
Natalie Portman4$ 210.0$839.869.6 %003 / 0045.02
Michael Keaton11$ 76.1$837.455.5 %004 / 0036.25
Dan Aykroyd20$ 40.7$813.050.2 %003 / 0029.68
Kurt Russell8$ 101.2$809.865.3 %003 / 0046.64
John Goodman17$ 47.2$802.459.6 %003 / 0034.91
Susan Sarandon14$ 57.1$799.467.9 %017 / 0243.06
Diane Keaton11$ 72.6$798.760.0 %010 / 0039.76
Tim Burton6$ 132.9$797.575.2 %009 / 0353.68
James Caan 12$ 66.4$796.657.9 %010 / 0438.15
Winona Ryder15$ 52.9$793.867.3 %016 / 0540.46
Steven Seagal9$ 87.6$788.546.7 %002 / 0035.37
Bridget Fonda18$ 43.6$784.163.2 %010 / 0036.79
Clint Eastwood8$ 97.9$783.268.9 %013 / 0449.50
John Malkovich17$ 45.3$769.762.0 %010 / 0036.67
Nick Nolte19$ 40.4$767.158.3 %021 / 0134.93
Ben Kingsley11$ 69.6$765.871.8 %024 / 0945.71
Owen Wilson7$ 107.8$754.352.9 %004 / 0038.54
Keira Knightley1$ 748.2$748.262.7 %003 / 0061.65
Jamie Lee Curtis12$ 61.9$743.055.9 %001 / 0034.86
Matthew McConaughey13$ 57.1$742.258.0 %006 / 0036.25
Charlie Sheen17$ 43.2$735.146.4 %003 / 0028.70
Ben Stiller13$ 55.4$720.758.0 %000 / 0035.30
Brendan Fraser15$ 47.7$716.052.0 %003 / 0130.76
Hugh Grant13$ 55.0$715.366.1 %019 / 0341.62
Goldie Hawn8$ 88.8$710.153.8 %002 / 0138.48
Billy Crystal9$ 78.2$703.660.6 %007 / 0139.72
Charlton Heston7$ 98.6$690.163.9 %005 / 0043.43
Bill Murray12$ 57.3$688.166.7 %002 / 0240.65
Patrick Swayze8$ 85.1$680.660.2 %005 / 0237.15
Jean-Claude Van Damme15$ 45.0$674.644.0 %000 / 0027.52
Ted Danson7$ 95.7$670.157.7 %011 / 0534.98
Walter Matthau9$ 74.4$669.854.0 %008 / 0237.24
Richard Dreyfuss 13$ 51.3$666.961.2 %005 / 0037.46
Andie MacDowell14$ 47.2$661.059.7 %005 / 0035.72
Billy Bob Thornton11$ 59.6$656.066.0 %009 / 0139.49
Dennis Quaid14$ 46.3$648.158.8 %004 / 0035.02
George Clooney8$ 80.5$644.159.3 %010 / 0041.24
John Lithgow11$ 58.2$640.457.0 %005 / 0036.63
Willem Dafoe17$ 37.5$637.958.9 %018 / 1032.92
Robert Downey Jr.18$ 35.4$637.956.4 %008 / 0232.60
John Cusack15$ 41.9$628.466.0 %025 / 0138.40
Matt Dillon13$ 48.3$628.166.1 %001 / 0036.78
Christopher Plummer8$ 76.8$614.472.6 %013 / 0046.87
Raul Julia5$ 122.2$611.152.9 %002 / 0039.07
Rob Reiner6$ 101.8$610.962.4 %008 / 0145.06
Ice Cube12$ 50.4$604.260.3 %002 / 0035.35
Johnny Depp14$ 43.0$602.470.8 %009 / 0340.39
Jack Lemmon11$ 54.3$597.167.4 %013 / 0237.91
Donald Trump8$ 73.8$590.743.9 %000 / 0029.29
Meryl Streep11$ 53.6$589.468.2 %008 / 0142.98
Oliver Stone8$ 73.2$585.866.0 %017 / 0345.65
Dennis Hopper13$ 44.3$575.962.4 %004 / 0235.40
Robert Redford5$ 114.6$572.954.7 %003 / 0043.72
William Hurt15$ 37.0$554.465.4 %002 / 0036.30
Sigourney Weaver10$ 55.4$554.266.3 %001 / 0039.79
Jay Mohr9$ 60.9$547.858.7 %005 / 0136.23
Bette Midler7$ 78.1$547.060.8 %002 / 0041.07
Vince Vaughn8$ 66.6$532.660.4 %001 / 0034.54
Anjelica Huston10$ 52.7$527.273.0 %006 / 0038.55
Emilio Estevez10$ 52.0$520.040.9 %001 / 0027.42
Daryl Hannah10$ 51.2$512.152.1 %000 / 0033.38
Walter Lemmon6$ 85.2$510.959.7 %008 / 0240.66
Anne Bancroft6$ 83.2$499.165.7 %000 / 0042.98
Rick Moranis6$ 81.1$486.349.3 %000 / 0033.80
Ally Sheedy8$ 58.9$470.950.9 %000 / 0030.75
Rob Lowe6$ 76.3$458.061.4 %001 / 0040.30
Michael Biehn6$ 74.4$446.251.3 %001 / 0033.54
Melanie Griffith14$ 31.6$442.557.2 %002 / 0032.05
Christian Bale10$ 43.1$431.063.0 %008 / 0235.36
Vin Diesel2$ 213.9$427.888.0 %011 / 0565.06
Charlize Theron8$ 52.7$421.258.9 %008 / 0236.37
Jeff Bridges14$ 30.1$420.961.4 %010 / 0134.45
James Garner5$ 83.0$415.055.1 %001 / 0038.32
Ann-Margret4$ 103.3$413.058.0 %000 / 0042.69
Joseph Gordon-Levitt6$ 66.6$399.452.2 %003 / 0135.15
Kim Basinger8$ 49.8$398.354.6 %009 / 0234.27
Warren Beatty4$ 97.6$390.563.4 %018 / 0549.21
Tom Selleck8$ 48.5$388.243.4 %001 / 0029.86
Paul Rudd6$ 64.5$387.258.4 %008 / 0238.08
Jack Palance4$ 95.6$382.254.0 %001 / 0141.80
Anthony Quinn8$ 47.4$379.249.4 %000 / 0030.58
Frances McDormand13$ 28.5$370.064.2 %010 / 0235.97
Bruce Dern7$ 50.5$353.852.0 %000 / 0032.36
Sean Penn12$ 29.0$347.568.8 %013 / 0138.61
Jamie Foxx7$ 48.7$340.949.6 %002 / 0031.44
Mark Wahlberg8$ 39.9$318.961.4 %003 / 0035.33
Jessica Lange10$ 31.1$310.564.9 %005 / 0136.33
Jake Gyllenhaal 5$ 61.8$309.061.8 %001 / 0137.45
Mel Brooks5$ 61.0$304.850.1 %000 / 0033.00
Lauren Bacall6$ 49.4$296.254.2 %003 / 0134.62
Daniel Day-Lewis5$ 59.0$295.278.0 %015 / 0349.61
Scarlett Johansson7$ 40.6$284.147.4 %001 / 0028.74
Michael Caine8$ 35.4$283.363.4 %008 / 0237.38
Woody Allen8$ 35.4$283.073.0 %005 / 0140.26
Burt Reynolds9$ 31.4$282.749.8 %003 / 0029.73
Edward Norton6$ 46.6$279.377.7 %004 / 0046.42
Tom Berenger12$ 23.1$277.659.2 %001 / 0031.87
Robert Mitchum3$ 91.8$275.575.6 %002 / 0050.24
Chevy Chase7$ 38.8$271.946.0 %000 / 0027.70
Reese Witherspoon11$ 24.7$271.561.5 %004 / 0032.27
Elizabeth Taylor1$ 269.7$269.734.5 %000 / 0047.22
Russell Crowe13$ 20.7$268.964.5 %016 / 0234.12
Martin Sheen9$ 29.6$266.655.3 %001 / 0030.69
Milla Jovovich7$ 37.7$263.960.8 %004 / 0034.84
Steve Guttenberg5$ 52.4$262.151.7 %000 / 0027.86
Faye Dunaway10$ 25.6$255.653.4 %001 / 0029.11
Sidney Poitier3$ 84.9$254.647.5 %000 / 0035.81
Alan Alda9$ 27.9$251.261.4 %000 / 0032.88
Cate Blanchett6$ 40.3$241.568.4 %013 / 0141.08
Barbra Streisand2$ 114.1$228.262.8 %009 / 0050.76
Carrie Fisher5$ 44.1$220.353.7 %002 / 0032.23
George C. Scott5$ 43.7$218.556.1 %000 / 0033.47
Paul Newman5$ 43.6$217.966.6 %003 / 0038.72
Shirley MacLaine7$ 30.9$216.155.8 %002 / 0031.84
Gregory Peck2$ 104.9$209.861.0 %002 / 0045.81
Jennifer Aniston8$ 26.1$208.955.8 %000 / 0030.47
Angelina Jolie8$ 25.4$203.049.6 %001 / 0128.75
Don Ameche4$ 46.7$186.653.3 %000 / 0032.45
Debra Winger7$ 24.9$174.461.1 %002 / 0033.19
Debbie Reynolds3$ 55.2$165.766.5 %001 / 0040.36
Andrew McCarthy8$ 20.6$164.459.9 %000 / 0031.58
Sophia Loren2$ 81.0$161.939.7 %000 / 0031.11
Ernest Borgnine6$ 26.8$160.856.3 %001 / 0030.69
Marlon Brando4$ 39.6$158.246.3 %001 / 0029.10

21 thoughts on “Top Box Office Stars of the 1990s

      1. I think it is more persuasive to add an average box office. In addition, the total number of films should be indicated as the number of leading roles, supporting roles and dubbing

  1. So much information. Highlights for me? Harvey Keitel getting a mention. Love him as an actor. Very underrated. Gene Hackman almost getting a Top 10 spot. Just reinforces my thinking that he is one of the greatest actors ever. And seeing some all time greats getting on the list. Peck, Quinn, Heston and Mitchum really sticking out.

    1. Hey SteinHOF….thanks for stopping by and commenting…..glad you like that Keitel got some attention….I need to go back and add him to the our 1970s and 1980s pages…..I now have over 50 of his movies in my database completely researched….he will probably be getting a UMR page soon.

      Sad that Gene Hackman only worked a few more years after this decade….he retired while he was still near the top. Yep some of the legends make an appearance here….I was glad to be able to include them….as well as Brando.

      Good feedback.

      1. I think it is more persuasive to add an average box office. In addition, the total number of films should be indicated as the number of leading roles, supporting roles and dubbing

  2. Hey I recognise all these names, do I win a prize or something?

    😉

    Hey Charlton Heston did very well on the big chart topping over 100 big names, I like that. It was Steven Seagal’s best decade and aging action hero Chuck Heston effortlessly higher on the rung.

    You left out Jean-Claude Van Damme, he did pretty well in the 90s. Chuck Norris was fading fast and kung fu Bruce Lee has been dead for a quarter of a century. [sniff]

    And that’s my assessment of the big stars of the 1990s, thank you and goodnight.

    Not enough?

    Okay one of my favorites Al Pacino did very well on the mini-charts, in his last great decade. Robert De Niro is n/a despite appearing in Goodfellas, Casino, Cape Fear and Heat.

    Something not quite right here – Vin Diesel tops Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford on the big chart despite not really becoming a star until Pitch Black and Fast and the Furious in the early 2000s.

    Another epic stats-filled movie page Bruce. Vote Up.

    1. Hey Steve
      1. Yep you won the grand prize….I shipped it to you yesterday….let me know when it arrives and what you think about it….direct from the Cogerson archives…lol.
      2. I thought you would enjoy Heston’s final hurrah…..granted he had successfully turned into a supporting character in this decade….but box office glory is box office glory in my mind.
      3. You are 100% correct….I left out JCVD….but I have now included him in the table….looking at box office….JCVD comes in 124th place…right behind Patrick Swayze and right before Ted Danson.
      4. JCVD was a busy man…..making 15 movies that got released in North American theaters in the 1990s….but if you look at the worst UMR average score…only Emilio Estevez had a worse decade…..by the end of the 1990s his power box office days were already gone.
      5. Glad you Pacino did well……he has never been one of my favorites…..but I respect his acting skills.
      6. I think when you sort by UMR score you need to filter out the people that only made one or two films….I used a minimum of 9 movies when compiling my list of leading stars….if you do that people like Vin Diesel quickly get eliminated.
      7. Thanks for the visit and the comment.

  3. Love this love this. I know all of these people. Glad to see Tom Hanks as the Top Dog of the decade. Wonderful page.

    1. Hey Helakoski….glad this page is one in which you are more aware of. I am planning on doing at least one more decade page…with a possible 2010 – 2017 one too. I think Tom Hanks owned this decade for sure. Harrison Ford in the 1980s and Hanks in the 1990s. Thanks for the nice compliment about this page.

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