Forbes Starts Counting · 1980s
Top-earning actor
$37,000,000
Forbes, $74M over 1986–87 (half shown)Reported
About $109 million in 2025 dollars
Forbes' first list of top entertainers covered 1986 and 1987 together; Stallone made $74 million, second only to Bill Cosby.
Top-earning actress
$6,500,000
Forbes, $13M over 1986–87 (half shown)Reported
About $19.1 million in 2025 dollars
The only actress on the list, and mostly for her workout videos. Barbra Streisand was right behind, at $11 million.
By U.S. and Canadian box-office gross
$180 million
$175 million
$138 million
Neither top earner was in one of the year's three biggest films.
