What were actors paid for Star Wars in 1977?

[Darthrazz]

Back to the topic, Hamill, Ford, and Fisher wern't paid very much for Star Wars to start with. After the initial success of the film they were given financial points along with other contributors Kurtz, Mayhew, Prowse, Daniels, Baker and maybe Guinness and Cushing.

The big 3 were paid a bit more for Empire and were given more points after its release. , likewise with Jedi.

So it's possible that Hamill eventually made 650 k at some point following ANH. I'm sure that the main characters have made a comfortable living off of these films.

 

[Chigger58]

Yeah I wasn't aware that Harrison never made it.

Hayden simply can't act, and after merchandising and points I'm sure they still made out better than most actors in Hollywood---even in Hamill's case.

Pretty much summed up my response.

 

[jkno]

I thought McDiarmid was excellent.

Indeed. IMO Ian McDiarmid was one of the very few Prequels actors that played a superb role.

 

[Darthrazz]

Indeed. IMO Ian McDiarmid was one of the very few Prequels actors that played a superb role.

It was pretty funny, that when he was younger he played an older version of the Emperor and when he was older he played a younger version of the Emperor!

 

[jkno]

It was pretty funny, that when he was younger he played an older version of the Emperor and when he was older he played a younger version of the Emperor!

Yeah but in both cases he played his role very well

 

[Mad Old Lu]

Well, I can argue that Ford was still a nobody after SW and was in real danger of falling into oblivion. After ANH he only did Force 10 From Navarone and Hanover Street, both of which did fairly poorly in the BO. I don't think it was til ESB that audiences (and Hollywood) really saw his leading man potential to carry a movie (let's face it, he WAS the HERO in ESB). And if there was any doubt after that, Raiders obliterated it. Maybe Spielberg wouldn't have even given Raiders to Ford if all he had done was SW, Force 10 and Hanover St. Same with Ridley and Blade Runner.

I really do feel sorry for Hamill. He probably could have been huge and I think could have worked past his stereotyping as Skywalker if it wasn't for his car accident. Suddenly his boyish good looks are gone and Hollywood doesn't quite know what to do with him. He can't pull off the naive young pretty boy adolescent who rises to the occasion because of his newly scarred face, and he doesn't quiet come off well as the dangerous rugged type. I'm just glad he did finally manage to build a career in voice acting.

 

[Must. Have. Now.]

One could argue that Mark Hamil is a much better voice actor than a live action actor. In the long run, I believe it all worked out for the best.

Must. Have. Now.

 

[Vivisect]

Who is this Harrison Ford?

I could swear he is the guy that bags my groceries.

 

[Vader AL]

Well, I can argue that Ford was still a nobody after SW and was in real danger of falling into oblivion. After ANH he only did Force 10 From Navarone and Hanover Street, both of which did fairly poorly in the BO. I don't think it was til ESB that audiences (and Hollywood) really saw his leading man potential to carry a movie (let's face it, he WAS the HERO in ESB). And if there was any doubt after that, Raiders obliterated it. Maybe Spielberg wouldn't have even given Raiders to Ford if all he had done was SW, Force 10 and Hanover St. Same with Ridley and Blade Runner.

I really do feel sorry for Hamill. He probably could have been huge and I think could have worked past his stereotyping as Skywalker if it wasn't for his car accident. Suddenly his boyish good looks are gone and Hollywood doesn't quite know what to do with him. He can't pull off the naive young pretty boy adolescent who rises to the occasion because of his newly scarred face, and he doesn't quiet come off well as the dangerous rugged type. I'm just glad he did finally manage to build a career in voice acting.

Apocolypse Now...? Harrison would have been o.k. without ESB...it was just a matter of time.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't know. There are lots of talented actors out there who never become anything because they never get into the public consciousness for whatever reason. Lots of character actors, particularly, who end up with jobs on TV shows if anything.

Plus, wasn't Ford in Apocalypse Now for, like, 2 minutes? I haven't seen that movie in years, but I don't recall him having much of a role.

 

[Vader AL]

I don't know. There are lots of talented actors out there who never become anything because they never get into the public consciousness for whatever reason. Lots of character actors, particularly, who end up with jobs on TV shows if anything.

Plus, wasn't Ford in Apocalypse Now for, like, 2 minutes? I haven't seen that movie in years, but I don't recall him having much of a role.

it was about 4 1/2 minutes.....

 

[karamazov80]

Oh, scratch previous post then

 

[Batty]

BTW, Ford's character was named Colonel Lucas in Apocalypse Now.

 

[Darthrazz]

it was about 4 1/2 minutes.....

..and it looked like weighed 90 pounds .

 

[Ninersphan]

I also read in an interview with Hamil that he gets a copy of every item Lucas authorizes with his image on it. So he's been "paid" in action figures, statues, posters, drinking glasses, bed sheets, tooth brushes and on and on ...

 

[Vader AL]

Speaking of ESB, the newest Maxim issue has the UFC ring girl Arianny(!!) and some stuff on ESB.

 

[Vivisect]

Apocolypse Now...? Harrison would have been o.k. without ESB...it was just a matter of time.

I dont think Apocolypse Now really counts much, but yea ESB and Indy were a good boost for him, but I think he would have done well anyway, he has been acting in various things since the 60's, he just needed something big for exposure, which could have happened eventually anyhow.

It was the bad writing. When you give Sammy J stilted lines like "This party's over" without saying mutha****** ever other word he has no material to work with.

Truer words where never spoken.


Heres how one scene when in my head when I thought about that:

MACE: Anakin Skywalker, we have approved your appointment to the Council as the Chancellor's personal representative.

ANAKIN: I will do my best to uphold the principles of the Jedi Order.

YODA: Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine.

ANAKIN: Why?! What do you mean by that.

MACE: You are on this Council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master.

ANAKIN: What?! How can you do this?? This is outrageous, it's unfair. How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?

MACE: What planet are you from?

ANAKIN: What?!

MACE: "What" ain't no planet I ever heard of! They speak Basic on "What"?!

ANAKIN: what ?!

MACE: Basic, mother****er! Do you speak it?!

ANAKIN: yes!

MACE: Then you understand what I'm saying.

ANAKIN: What?!

MACE: Say "What" again! C'mon, say "What" again! I dare ya, I double dare ya mother****er, say "What" one more ******* time!

ANAKIN: Forgive me, Master.

MACE: You read the Bible, Anakin?

ANAKIN: yes...

MACE: Well, there's this passage I've got memorized, sort'a fits the occasion. Ezekiel 25:17? "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. [begins pacing about the room] And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers! And you will know my name is the Lord [pulls out his lightsasber and aims it at Anakin] when I lay my vengeance upon thee!"



Well you get the picture.

 

[minivader]

I dont think Apocolypse Now really counts much, but yea ESB and Indy were a good boost for him, but I think he would have done well anyway, he has been acting in various things since the 60's, he just needed something big for exposure, which could have happened eventually anyhow.



Truer words where never spoken.


Heres how one scene when in my head when I thought about that:

MACE: Anakin Skywalker, we have approved your appointment to the Council as the Chancellor's personal representative.

ANAKIN: I will do my best to uphold the principles of the Jedi Order.

YODA: Allow this appointment lightly, the Council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine.

ANAKIN: Why?! What do you mean by that.

MACE: You are on this Council, but we do not grant you the rank of Master.

ANAKIN: What?! How can you do this?? This is outrageous, it's unfair. How can you be on the Council and not be a Master?

MACE: What planet are you from?

ANAKIN: What?!

MACE: "What" ain't no planet I ever heard of! They speak Basic on "What"?!

ANAKIN: what ?!

MACE: Basic, mother****er! Do you speak it?!

ANAKIN: yes!

MACE: Then you understand what I'm saying.

ANAKIN: What?!

MACE: Say "What" again! C'mon, say "What" again! I dare ya, I double dare ya mother****er, say "What" one more ******* time!

ANAKIN: Forgive me, Master.

MACE: You read the Bible, Anakin?

ANAKIN: yes...

MACE: Well, there's this passage I've got memorized, sort'a fits the occasion. Ezekiel 25:17? "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. [begins pacing about the room] And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers! And you will know my name is the Lord [pulls out his lightsasber and aims it at Anakin] when I lay my vengeance upon thee!"



Well you get the picture.

I wish anakin was killed off then and there. Woulda make a better PT.

 

[Badism]

They got paid by having their lives ruined by a greedy man with a "vision."

I'm sure they couldn't walk down the street without people stopping and saying things like "oh my god! You're the guy from starwars! Do you really have a lightsaber Luke Skywalker?"

I watched some show a few months back, it was about the lives of different famous people, the one I watched was about Mark Hamil, apparently, he had a really hard time getting acting jobs because to everyone else, he wasn't Mark Hamil, he was Luke Skywalker. The next actng job he got advertised their production as having "Luke Skywalker" in it, he just really couldn't get away from the character for a long time. He hasn't really been able to do anything big ever since then. The most recent thing he did, as far as I know, was voice actng for the joker in the Batman: Arkham Asylum (that's a video game by the way!).

Harrison Ford did well as Indiana Jones, got into several other movies since he wasn't as much of an icon as Hamil as Skywalker, but he never made it big. Well I guess you can't really say that, but without having been Indiana Jones, he would be far less succesful. (don't forget Lucas was involved with Indiana Jones too)

You look at actors like will smith, and they've done a trillion different things, but once your in a Star Wars movie, people won't take you seriously enough. Look at Hayden Christiansen (AKA Anakin in AOTC and ROTS), he was in that movie Jumper, but nothing else that I've heard about.

Whatever amount the actors in ANH were paid, in most cases I'm sure they would've been paid a lot more in their life spans for other acting jobs if they had started out being big stars in some other, slightly less iconic movie.

I'm sure you've already been corrected, but Harrison Ford is/was and ever shall be one of the biggest movie stars of all time and not just because of Jones and Solo.

As for Hamill, he's been doing the voice of the Joker since the early 90's. He has been the voice for every single animated incarnation of The Joker since then. He was never going to be a big leading man as his look's just didn't hold up. It's not anyone's fault, just nature.

 

[CyberVillain]

My stand point is still that Harrison Ford cant act.
I love many of his movie's and characters, but he always plays the same role.