1. Bradley Cooper

Recent Earnings:

He earned $46 million last year to reach a total fortune of $60 million by the age of 40. Cooper managed big commercial projects like The Hangover on a small budget, as well as critically acclaimed films Silver Linings Playbook and American Gossip in 2013 that earned him Oscar nominations. He voiced the character of Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Favorite Rocket Raccoon Project Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), which turned out to be Clint Eastwood’s critically acclaimed American Sharpshooter (2014), which also earned him an Oscar nomination and yet Found time for the American-French drama, Serena(2014).

Fight up:

Although he began working in 1999 with a guest appearance on the popular TV show, Sex and the City , the actor struggled with dead-end supporting roles for a long decade before finally breaking the big league barrier with the first of the three-part franchise , The Hangover (2009). His career didn’t really take off until his late 30’s and before he pursued his dream of becoming an actor, Cooper had to deal with a lot of rejection and do a few menial, random jobs, including working as a porter at a hotel. He suffered from drug and alcohol addiction for many years until one fine day he realized that he was ruining his own life. He became clean in 2004 and has remained sober ever since.

Unlike his hangover character, who thrives on a good buzz, Bradley Cooper now keeps alcohol and drugs at bay. He adamantly refused to take steroids to gain 40 pounds of muscle for his role in American Sharpshooter. Additionally, Cooper firmly avoids staying up late by retiring to bed by 9 p.m.

He attributes his success to his commitment to reach his full potential as an actor and to get better with every project. His long struggle period has matured his instinct to make big creative decisions.

Quotable quote:

2. Sandra Bullock

Recent Earnings:

She made $70 million as of the 2013 release Heavy alone, which included a paycheck of $15 million upfront, plus 15 percent of the film’s gross profits, bringing it to around $200 million in 2015. Her other sources of income are her production company, Fortis films, and a cafe and restaurant in Texas.

Fight up:

Just a few credits before graduation; SandraBullock left college at 22 to move to Manhattan, New York and worked as a bartender for three years before starting to pursue serious work as an actress. Her first big break came with Demolition Man (1993), followed shortly thereafter by the blockbuster Speed ​​(1994). Her career has continued to soar since then, but often at the expense of her personal life.

Her relationships with soccer player TroyAikman, actors Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Gosling and engagement to Tate Donovan did not last. She hooked up with motorcycle builder Jesse James and married him at the age of 40 in 2005. Five years later, Sandra Bullock emerged as having the most volatile year ever on her back while the two were married.

She canceled all her promotional appearances for The Blind Side (2010) to deal with the crisis in her marriage. Despite this, she won an Oscar for her role in the same film and filed for divorce soon after. At the same time, she adopted a boy, Louis Bardo Bullock, born in January 2010, as a single mother.

With titles like Most Bankable Star and The Most Powerful Woman in Hollywood routinely associated with Sandra Bullock, few actors have lived to the heights she has reached at age 50. Still, the media undermines her and psychologists at some level further their success by claiming that no amount of professional success can make up for the lack of marital bliss.

For now, Sandra Bullock continues to find solace in being a mother and prides herself on taking full responsibility for all decisions in her life.

Quotable quote:

3. Liam Neeson

Recent Earnings:

He was paid one million for Taken (2008), 10 million for Taken 2 (2012), and 20 million for Taken 3 (2015). Neeson earned $36 million in 2014 from Blockbuster, Nonstop , The Lego Movie and Taken 3 alone to enter the Forbes top ten list of highest-earning movie stars with an estimated net worth of $75 million, which does not take into account his business ventures and other investments.

Fight up:

Liam Neeson claims he started acting at the age of 11 to impress a girl. In the late 1920’s he was still struggling with roles in Irish regional theatre. He stumbled upon supporting roles in TV miniseries in the mid-1930s. Neeson was only recognized after fifteen years as an actor by an Oscar nomination on Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993) at the age of 41. By the time he turned 56, Liam wanted to play characters that were more physical and made a conscious decision to take on the role in Takenjust to become one of Hollywood’s most popular action stars. At 63, Neeson shows no signs of slowing down and sticks scrupulously to his exercise regimen, which includes the use of kettlebells, boxing and power walking to maintain his endurance.

As if the never-ending period of struggle with much rejection as an actor wasn’t enough, 15 years after his marriage to actress Natasha Richardson, Liam unexpectedly lost his wife to a skiing accident. Soon after her fall, Natasha’s health began to deteriorate until her body completely reverted to a vegetative state. When doctors determined Natasha was brain dead, Liam Neeson made the heartbreaking decision to pull the plug on his wife.

Can’t prepare for the grief, Neeson threw himself into his world of action and the appropriate workouts required for those roles. His social life has taken a back seat since the death of his wife as he spends every free moment raising his two sons, Michael and Daniel Neeson, to look after their well-being.