Bradley Cooper's Net Worth In 2023 From 'Maestro' to 'A Star Is Born' and Beyond
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper's net worth in 2023 is worth its weight in Oscar gold—even if he doesn't personally have a statuette (yet).
Cooper, who stars in Academy Awards-bait Maestro, previously told Parade that he works for the sake of the work, not for fame, at least partially because he didn't become mega-famous until his 30s with The Hangover.
"By then I was 34, and I had already figured out enough to know that if I was going to invest anything in that, then I'm looking for some serious trouble," he said. "Now, if that happened to me when I was 23, I probably would have gotten into some trouble. There's no power in fame at all. If anything, you give up your power. It's a creation of something that's completely frivolous and it goes away like that. You never own any of it. All you can do is your work. It's always been clear to me. I just want to get better and work with great actors and directors. The rest you just have to deal with."
That work he speaks of? It pays handsomely, too. Find out Bradley Cooper's net worth and how he made it.
Related: Facts You Never Knew About Bradley Cooper
How did Bradley Cooper become famous?
Cooper grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, then attended Villanova University for a year before transferring to Georgetown University, majoring in English and minoring in French. While at Georgetown, he performed with the Nomadic Theatre troupe and became fluent in French.
Cooper graduated from Georgetown in 1997, and two years later, made his TV debut as Jake in an episode of Sex and the City Season 2. In 2000, he hosted a tourism series called Globe Trekker and had a recurring role in The $treet as Clay Hammond. During this period, Cooper also trained at the famed Actors Studio Drama School in New York.
In 2001, Cooper made his movie debut in the ensemble comedy Wet Hot American Summer, and had his big break in Alias as Will Trippin. He grew frustrated with his character's lack of screen-time and eventually requested to be written off of the series and even considered quitting acting entirely.
Cooper appeared in a few other TV and film projects that weren't as successful, but had a star turn with his role in Wedding Crashers in 2004. He also starred in Kitchen Confidential, a series based on Anthony Bourdain's life, but the show was canceled for poor ratings despite having glowing critical reviews.
Cooper next starred on Broadway's Three Days of Rain with Paul Rudd and Julia Roberts, followed by minor roles in movies and TV shows including Failure to Launch, Nip/Tuck, Yes Man and The Rocker. In 2008, he led the Clive Barker film Midnight Meat Train, which wasn't commercially successful, but developed a cult following and critical acclaim.
Cooper finally broke out in 2009 thanks to He's Just Not That Into You, a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live to promote it—and a little comedy called The Hangover.
Related: Bradley Cooper's Dating History
What is Bradley Cooper's net worth in 2023?
Bradley Cooper's net worth in 2023 is estimated at $120 million.
How much did Bradley Cooper make from A Star Is Born?
Warner Bros.
Cooper served as producer, director and star of A Star Is Born, and he reportedly opted to not take an upfront salary, instead taking a percentage of the film's $150 million profits. He also likely gets a cut from the soundtrack's success, because he sings on a lot of the songs with Lady Gaga.
Related: The Best Movies About Addiction and Alcoholism
How much did Bradley Cooper get paid for Maestro?
Jason McDonald/Netflix
Cooper wrote, directed and stars in Maestro, a film that follows composer Leonard Bernstein and his love story with wife Felicia. The film, produced for and released on Netflix, doesn't have its budget numbers publicly available, but because it's a streaming release, chances are Cooper got a sweet upfront sum as opposed to backend points for his pay. We can estimate he likely pocketed somewhere in the $20 million to $30 million range based on his prior deals.
Related: The Best Movies on Netflix Right Now
How much did Bradley Cooper get paid for American Sniper?
Warner Bros.
Cooper produced and starred in Clint Eastwood's American Sniper. He made the decision to forgo an upfront fee to get paid in backend points, and it was a really wise move: The movie made $547 million worldwide on a $58 million budget, making it massively profitable. As such, he made close to $50 million on the deal.
Related: Clint Eastwood's Best Movies
How much did Bradley Cooper get paid for Guardians of the Galaxy 3?
Marvel Studios
Though his specific salary hasn't been revealed, compared to other Marvel Cinematic Universe stars, Cooper likely commanded at least $5 million up front for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. MCU stars typically get substantial increases with each film, and Cooper's Rocket Raccoon was the star of the third tearjerking installment. He probably also made a sweet deal for back-end on the box office, which grossed $845.5 million worldwide on a $250 million budget.
If his up front salary seems lower than the likes of other MCU stars, keep in mind that Rocket is a voice role—which means he doesn't need to spend a ton of time on a set, traveling or training.
Related: Scarlett Johansson's Net Worth and Massive Marvel Paydays
How much did Bradley Cooper get paid for The Hangover?
Warner Bros.
Cooper's salary for The Hangover (2009) isn't known, but it was enough for him to come back for two sequels—and he's game for a fourth if director Todd Phillips would be at the helm again.
“I would probably do Hangover 4 in an instant," Cooper said on The New Yorker Radio Hour in December 2023. "Just because I love Todd, I love Zach [Galifianakis], I love Ed [Helms] so much. I probably would."
Related: Is The Hangover 4 Really Happening?
How much did Bradley Cooper make for Rocket?
Marvel Studios
It's estimated that Cooper raked in $20 million to $30 million to voice Rocket Raccoon in the MCU. That encompasses his debut in Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as all of his subsequent appearances in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as well as The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, plus three episodes of the Disney+ series I Am Groot.
Forbes reported that Cooper was likely able to command 1% of the backend of Avengers: Endgame, which was one of the biggest blockbusters of all time—and for his relatively small role in the MCU ensemble mecca, he likely made at least $7 million.
Related: Marvel Trivia Questions and Answers
How much did Bradley Cooper make for Dungeons & Dragons?
If you haven't seen Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves yet, beware of spoilers ahead (and see it, because it's genuinely a really fun movie!)
That said: Cooper had a brief cameo in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves as Marlamin, the diminutive and sweet ex-husband of Holga (Michelle Rodriguez). His salary isn't known, but his inclusion in the film came as a surprise not just to the audience, but also to the cast and crew. The role had originally been played by Dexter Fletcher, but didn't have as much of an impact.
"I asked him on a lark if he would be game to come and spend a day with us," director John Francis Daley told Entertainment Weekly. "We sent him a rough cut of the film and fortunately he really responded to it."
Paramount Pictures
Rodriguez recalled that even she was shocked at Cooper's appearance in the movie, which viewers may be able to see onscreen for themselves. She explained, "I felt like I dropped character for a second there and it was like a spoof on a spoof within the movie, and then we can go back to suspension of disbelief. 'Cause for a moment there I think everybody is not thinking about the character within the movie. They're just seeing Bradley Cooper, this iconic actor, celebrity on screen. And I thought that was kind of really funny."
Related: The Best Sci-Fi Movies of All Time
How much did Bradley Cooper make for Silver Linings Playbook?
JoJo Whilden/The Weinstein Company
Cooper both starred in and served as an executive producer for Silver Linings Playbook. His salary isn't publicly known, but we do know about other parts of his contract for the movie courtesy of documents obtained by The Blast: There was to be zero nudity (including body doubles) of his character without his express consent, and he was to have equal accommodations to an unnamed co-star, as well as right to approve first-class travel and lodging amenities. Cooper also had the right to approve or deny any replacements for other leading cast members, ostensibly Jennifer Lawrence or Robert DeNiro.
Cooper's contract also stipulated that production would foot the bill for an assistant five days per week, as well as his nutrition, training and supplements for the role. He'd also get a per diem of $200 for expenses. He received bonuses for Oscar and Golden Globe nods for the role and was eligible for additional bonuses if he won said awards. (He didn't win, but isn't it an honor just to be nominated? That's what everyone says, at least!)
Related: Jennifer Lawrence's Net Worth Revealed
How much did Bradley Cooper make for American Hustle?
Columbia Pictures
The paydays for American Hustle were controversial and became public knowledge after the 2015 Sony hack—but came under more scrutiny when Jennifer Lawrence wrote an essay for Lena Dunham's Lenny Letter saying that her co-stars made more than she did because they have "d*cks" and she has a "vagina."
Lawrence signed on to the film later than the rest of the cast, who Deadline reported took pay cuts not just to get the film produced, but also to make room in the budget for Lawrence's salary. Cooper was paid $2.5 million for 46 days and received nine back-end points (which kick in once a movie makes its budget back).
Cooper and co-star Christian Bale reportedly each gave up one point of each of their back-end deals so Lawrence, who worked for 19 days and got a total of $1.5 million for the movie, could have seven back-end points.
Cooper wasn't salty about her laments at all, telling Howard Stern (via The Daily Beast), "Here's the great thing about the effect of what she did: It started the conversation. I'm a huge tennis fan and that’s the one place where, at the end of it, they tell you what the money is as a reward, and they hand you the check … And I remember being a kid, and you’re watching this huge match between these two women, and the difference between the [male and female] check … the disparity is insane. And now, Serena Williams is the biggest tennis star in the world."
