Zoe Saldaña Is Now The Highest-Grossing Actor In Box Office History – Essence

Zoe Saldaña started off 2026 with a powerful moment, officially becoming the highest-grossing actor of all time as of mid-January 2026.

She has had roles in the three highest-grossing films ever, including “Avatar” (2009), its 2022 sequel The Way of Water, and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. She landed the top spot on highest grossing actors after the third Avatar movie, Fire and Ash, released mid-December 2025. It has since earned about $1.23 billion. Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson formerly and most recently claimed the highest-grossing actor spot.

She took to Instagram to express gratitude in response to this news. “I just want to express my sincerest gratitude for the extraordinary journey that has led me to become the highest-grossing film actor of all time today, an achievement made possible by entirely incredible franchises and the collaborators that I have been fortunate to be a part of,” she said. “To every director who placed their trust in me, thank you.”

The Oscar-winning actor — who won Best Supporting Actress in 2025 for her role in Emilia Pérez and was the first of Dominican descent to win —- is also the first actor to have starred in four films that have grossed more than $2 billion each, per Good Morning America. But before getting her big break in Avatar, she remembers leaving the audition with director James Cameron unsure but grateful.

“I walked away, getting on a flight back to New York, where I was living at the time, and I remember thinking I don’t know if I’m going to book this, but I got to interact with one of my idols and that’s enough for me.” she said on Good Morning America.

The 47-year-old actor, born to Dominican and Puerto Rican parents, grew up in New York City in the 1980s. She’s the middle child of three sisters and a ballet lover, which is what led her to acting. Saldaña lost her father to a car accident at just nine years old. These family dynamics and that loss shaped who she became.

“When my father passed away, we all went straight into survival mode,” Saldaña told Harper’s Bazaar in 2025. “We dropped all those little pleasures of life that you do in a day that compel you to calm down. I remember my mom used to wear red lipstick, and she used to walk around in little tight shorts and tight jeans, and she always looked pretty and was always flirting with my dad, and the moment he passed away, she wouldn’t get out of bed for more than a couple of years.”
Ahead, Saldaña is set to star in upcoming Avatar movies 4 and 5, and there’s a good chance she’ll extend her run as the highest-grossing actor of all time.