WILL SMITH - HOLLYWOOD'S MOST VALUABLE ACTOR

CONGRATULATIONS TO WILL SMITH


By John Burman
Forbes staff

Will Smith won't take home anything shiny at this year's Academy Awards, but members of the entertainment industry say he's tops at mining real gold, a more critical skill given the current economy. Smith ranks first in our inaugural Forbes Star Currency survey, an exclusive look at what the business side of Hollywood really thinks of more than 1,400 working actors when it comes to ensuring the financial success of film projects.

Smith was the only person to receive a perfect score of 10, edging out Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Angelina Jolie, who all tied for second with scores of 9.89. Others in the top 20 include Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson and Matt Damon.

It's an all-star cast that shows consistent muscle in attracting financing and generating global box office revenues. They also have hefty celebrity personas that grab press attention, creating valuable awareness for their projects. There's a considerable amount of acting talent there, too. Consider that, of the top 20 names alone, 16 have been nominated for an Academy Award in the acting categories. Collectively, they have 69 nominations and 15 wins, pending the outcome of the Feb. 22 ceremony, which sees Pitt, Jolie and Streep up for honors.

Smith won for good reasons. Look at his numbers:

-- His films have raked in more than $5.2 billion at the box office worldwide (through Feb. 1, 2009), according to Exhibitor Relations Co.
-- Seven of his live-action films opened consecutively in the No. 1 spot at the North American box office, from "Men in Black II" (2002) through "Hancock" (2008).
-- His three top-grossing films alone ("Independence Day," "Hancock" and "Men in Black") have pulled in more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office, according to Exhibitor Relations Co.
-- He has been nominated for two Best Actor Oscars, for "Ali" (2001) and "The Pursuit of Happyness" (2006).

"Will Smith is unique in that he is one of a very few people who is a draw purely on name alone," says Rick Alvarez, longtime Wayans brothers producing partner, including the upcoming "Dance Flick." "It almost doesn't matter what genre. The name alone creates a confidence with the audience that they're going to get something that's entertaining whether it's action, comedy, drama."

Star Currency Rank: No. 1
Star Currency Cumulative Score: 10 (out of 10)
Global Box Office: $5,239,409,825
North American Box Office: $2,313,659,825
Box Office, Outside North America: $2,925,750,000
Three Top-Grossing Films (Global figures):

1. Independence Day (1996): $816,969,255
2. Hancock (2008): $623,586,274
3. Men in Black (1997): $589,390,539

Age (as of Feb. 10, 2009): 40

Will Smith stands alone as the only actor to score a perfect 10 among industry voters in the Star Currency survey. Just look at the flashy box office numbers here to get an idea why. Among his feats: Seven of his live-action films debuted in the No. 1 slot at the North American box office, starting with Men in Black II (2002) through Hancock (2008) (the number jumps to eight if you count his voice work in the animated feature Shark Tale).

"He has shown, time and again, that, in today's world, regardless of the material, people want to watch Will Smith. He is cross-genre and proved it multiple times," says Ashok Amritraj, chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment.

For more info on Forbes' Hollywood's Most Valuable Actors, go to MSN and for the Forbes Star Currency, go to Forbes