McGregor tops rich list of Scots actors
STAR Wars actor Ewan McGregor has been rated the most successful ever Scottish film star by a movie rich list.
McGregor’s movie appearances are calculated to have earned Hollywood £1.57billion – thanks largely to his role as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the hugely successful sci-fi franchise.
The Trainspotting star came 81st in the rankings compiled by website Box Office Mojo, outstripping other famous Scots names, including Bond legend Sir Sean Connery.
However, McGregor’s pulling power pales beside Hollywood’s biggest draw – fellow Star Wars actor Harrison Ford, whose film career to date has created a staggering £3.6billion for the movie industry.
The top eight places in the rich list are filled by American megastars – Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jnr, Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp, respectively.
The only non-American name in the top ten is Michael Caine, in ninth place. The final spot in the top ten is taken by Hollywood’s most bankable female star, Scarlett Johansson.
In all, Scotland’s stars of the silver screen have contributed more than £6billion to Hollywood’s economy, with McGregor from Crieff, Perthshire, leading the way as the only Scot in the list’s top 100. The next biggest earner is X-men star Brian Cox, from Dundee, who is ranked 122nd and raked in £1.34billion for his roles.
Cox, 70, is followed by another screen veteran, 85-year-old former 007 Connery, whose total is £1.17billion, and Star Wars actor Ian McDiarmid on £1.1billion.
The highest-earning Scottish actress is Tilda Swinton, whose work has earned £790million, a substantial chunk of which comes from her role as the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia.