Most Underpaid Golden Globe Winners

In “Book Club,” Diane Keaton is joined by Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, and Mary Steenburgen as lifelong friends whose book club is upended when they read the salacious “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Keaton has been nominated for  nine Golden Globes and has won two.

The film with highest return high on investment starring the comedian-turned-dramatic actor is the 1994 comedy, “The Mask.” Carrey was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in the film.

Bateman has been nominated for four Golden Globes, including two times for the TV series “Ozark” for best performance by an actor in a television series. He won a Golden Globe in 2005 for best actor in a musical or comedy for is role in “Arrested Development.”

Dame Judi Dench has been acting in films since the 1960s. She received her first Golden Globe award in 1998 for her performance in “Mrs Brown.” She has won once more and been nominated a total of 12 times.

“Blue Valentine,” starring Ryan Gosling, grossed $9.7 million on a budget of $1 million. Gosling has been nominated for five Golden Globes and won once for best performance by an actor in a motion picture – musical or comedy – for “La La Land” in 2017.

The name Tom Hanks is near synonymous with box office success. His greatest success – from an ROI perspective – is 1996’s “That Thing You Do!” Hanks not only wrote the film, which had a production budget of $2.5 million, but also starred in and directed it.

Steve Carell has been a reliable money-maker for the motion picture and television industry. Besides his acknowledged work on the television series “The Office,” for which he won a Golden Globe, Carell appeared in “Little Miss Sunshine” in 2006, a movie that raked in $60 million domestically on a budget of $8 million.

Sigourney Weaver shot to fame after starring in “Alien,” which was made for $9 million and grossed more than $80 million at the domestic box office. Weaver has since won two Golden Globes, one for her performance in “Gorillas in the Mist: The Adventure of Dian Fossey” and one for “Working Girl.”

The quirky and sometimes manic Michael Keaton has been nominated for two Golden Globes and won one for his performance in “Birdman.” He did a turn as the Caped Crusader in “Batman” in 1989, and that film pulled in more than $251 million.

After finding success with work on large budget features such as Disney’s “Aladdin,” Robin Williams starred in the independent film “Good Will Hunting” in 1997, helping it gross over 13 times its initial budget in the U.S.

Woody Allen directed, wrote, and starred in “Annie Hall,” which grossed $38 million domestically on a budget of $4 million, at the time his biggest commercial success in motion pictures. Allen has been nominated for 13 Golden Globes and has won twice.

Billy Bob Thornton has found great success with small films such as “Monster’s Ball” and “Sling Blade,” which he also wrote and directed. His two Golden Globe wins were for his work on television shows “Goliath” and “Fargo,” however.

The British actor has had a long and distinguished career, from provocative movies like “Caligula” to period pieces such as “Elizabeth I” to the long-running television series “Prime Suspect.” The Golden Globes has acknowledged this by honoring her with 15 nominations and three wins. In 2018, she appeared in the horror movie “Winchester” that raked in more than $25 million at the box office.

Maggie Smith has racked up 12 Golden Globe nominations and three wins in her more than 50-year-long acting career. Her performance in “A Room with a View” helped turn a $3 million budget into nearly $21 million at the U.S. box office and also earned her her second Golden Globe.

Morgan Freeman is a proven star, with credits in movies such as “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Unforgiven.” He has garnered five Golden Globe nominations and won one, for his memorable role in “Driving Miss Daisy.” That film, which also starred Jessica Tandy, has grossed more than $106 million since its release in 1989.

Clint Eastwood has a history of turning ordinary budgets into extraordinary box office successes. The films that he starred in that have grossed their budgets back at least five times over — in the U.S. alone — include “Unforgiven,” “Pale Rider,” “Gran Torino,” and “Escape from Alcatraz.”

John Travolta, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe nine times and won three times, has proved to be a reliable and versatile box-office star with lead roles in hits such as “Saturday Night Fever” and “Pulp Fiction.” Travolta, who rose to fame on the 1970s television sitcom “Welcome Back, Kotter,” starred in 1978 in the musical “Grease,” which has raked in almost $160 million on a $6 million budget.

British actor Emily Blunt helped turn “A Quiet Place” into one of the year’s top-earning horror films, grossing $188 million in the U.S. on a $17 million production budget. She is also nominated for a Golden Globe this year for her performance in the Disney film “Mary Poppins Returns.”

Ben Affleck has distinguished himself as a director (“Argo”), writer (“Good Will Hunting”), and actor (“Hollywoodland”), and has earned three Golden Globe nominations. He won twice. Affleck starred in the $250,000-budget “Chasing Amy” that was directed by Kevin Smith in 1997, and the film pulled in more than $12 million at the box office in the U.S.

Emma Stone drove major profits for studios with her performances in the films “Easy A” and “The Help.” While she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in the former, her only win thus far has been for her role in 2016’s “La La Land.”

Mel Gibson enjoyed great success in front of the camera in epics like “Braveheart,” “The Patriot,” as well as buddy films like “Lethal Weapon.” He also distinguished himself as a director with the war movie “Hacksaw Ridge.” The Australian actor and director has earned five Golden Globe nominations and won one for directing “Braveheart.” In 1980, he starred in the original “Mad Max,” which gained a cult following and grossed about $100 million at the box office worldwide.

Bill Murray spent the 1980s acting in some of the decade’s biggest comedies, such as “Caddyshack,” “Ghostbusters,” and “Ghostbusters II.” He later dedicated himself to numerous roles in much smaller productions, such as “Rushmore” and “Lost in Translation,” undoubtedly leading these film’s substantial financial success.

The highly prolific John Goodman has had leading roles in numerous successful films, including “The Flintstones” and “The Jungle Book 2.” Yet the film that earned the greatest ROI under his lead was 2016’s “10 Cloverfield Lane.” With a $5 million budget, the horror movie grossed $72 million in the U.S. and $108 internationally.

Action hero Sylvester Stallone has carried numerous film franchises to box office success, including the Rambo and Expendables movies. His greatest success, however, is “Rocky,” which he both wrote and starred in. Made on a $1 million budget, the movie grossed more than $117 million in the U.S. in 1976, becoming the top grossing film of that year.

Jamie Lee Curtis rose to fame thanks to her performances in numerous horror films, including 1978’s “Halloween.” Horror movies often turn a profit after being made on shoestring budgets, and Curtis’ films often do even better. Returning to the role of Laurie Strode in this year’s newest “Halloween” film, Curtis helped the $10 million budget film gross $159 million in the U.S.

Her two Golden Globe wins were for work outside the horror genre, however. She won in 1990 for her role on the television series “Anything But Love” and in 1995 for the movie “True Lies.”