A celebrity loved and adored by all, Keanu Reeves is best known for his roles in The Matrix franchise and the John Wick installments and for being a philanthropist at heart. Hailing from Canada, he performed in commercials and appeared in minor stage productions before receiving a significant break with the 1994 film Speed. The movie helped him receive other notable roles like portraying Neo in The Matrix, contributing to the majority of his net worth. Along with working in action and science-fiction movies, he ventured into romance and comedy genres for a few years. His films have made over $4.6 billion at the box office to date, making him one of the most successful actors of all time.
Acting is not the only income source for Reeves as he is known to have a few business ventures under his belt, promote high-end fashion brands, and lend his voice to several video games. Let’s look inside Keanu Reeves’ million-dollar fortune and how the actor earns it.
Acting Career
When Keanu Reeves made his debut in Hollywood with Youngblood in 1986, he earned only $3,000 for his role. He made $95,000 for Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and $1.2 million for Speed. His other notable roles in movies are Johnny Mnemonic and The Devil’s Advocate, for which he made $2 million and $8 million, respectively. One of his most notable roles is playing the titular character in John Wick movies, for which he was paid between $1 to $2.5 million per movie.
His biggest payday occurred in The Matrix when he was given a $10 million upfront salary for the first movie in 1999. As mentioned by Celebrity Net Worth, he earned a portion of the backend earnings, which totaled $35 million for the first movie. Through DVD releases and backend earnings, he has made a total of $200 million from the first three Matrix movies. The actor donated $31.5 million of his revenues from the first movie to fund cancer research.
Brand Endorsements
Since 2017, Keanu Reeves made moderately successful movies after John Wick: Chapter 2 until its much-anticipated sequel was released in 2019 that took the internet by the storm. Reeves had become one of the most talked-about celebrities that year which landed him an endorsement deal with French luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent. He became the brand’s face for the 2019 Fall Menswear campaign, embodying a brooding look for himself as he showcased the new range of leather jackets and sunglasses, as stated by Mirror UK. His million-dollar deal to promote the brand was well-received by fans as they flooded YSL’s Instagram page with likes and comments.
Voicing Video Games
Keanu Reeves broke the internet when he made a surprise appearance at the 2019 E3 Xbox Conference after it was revealed in the trailer that he would be voicing one of the characters in Cyberpunk 2077. He gave a synopsis of the game before announcing the launch date. It was not the first time Reeves has shown an interest in the gaming world. According to Screen Rant, he lent his voice to the 1991 video game Bill and Ted’s Adventures, The John Wick Chronicles, Fortnite, PayDay 2, The Matrix: The Path Of Neo, John Wick: Hex, Constantine, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and the most recent Cyberpunk 2077 where he voices the character of Johnny Silverhand for the game that was released in December 2020.
Band Bassist
While the actor was still lesser known in Hollywood, he bumped into Robert Mailhouse at the supermarket, where they struck a friendship over hockey and music. They began playing music in the garage and were joined by Gregg Miller, who became the guitarist. With Reeves as the bassist, they decided to go on tour as a band and named it Dogstar, taken from Henry Miller’s book Sexus. As the trio went on tours, Reeves turned down the offer to star in the sequel to Speed, for which he was offered $11 million. The alternative rock band performed at festivals and released two albums before disbanding in 2001 when Mailhouse wanted to make different music.
Business Ventures And Published Author
Keanu Reeves ventured into business when he began his production company called Company Films. He has produced several movies that he has starred in, which have added additional millions to his pocket. His company also signed a deal with a Shanghai-based company Fundamental to co-finance multiple projects. A lover of bikes, Reeves turned his hobby into a business when he co-founded Arch Motorcycle with motorcyclist and friend Gard Hallinger. The company creates custom American motorcycles for enthusiasts and sells apparel on the website, as reported by Motor Biscuit. The cost of the custom bikes is upwards of $78,000. A published author has also released two books, Ode To Happiness, a picture book for adults in 2011, and Shadows, an art book in 2015.
A man of many talents, Keanu Reeves has been an avid seeker of opportunities to venture into several fields to learn and grow. The actor began working in movies and now has income sources in multiple areas, from gaming and motorcycles to film production. As his businesses and movie career continues to flourish, his fortune will keep growing over time. The star will be next seen in DC League Of Super-Pets in 2022 and John Wick: Chapter 4 in 2023.
