The surprising ways George Clooney earned his millions

George Clooney could be the coolest guy in cinema. The actor's in his sixties, but Clooney still looks and acts like a gold-standard star. One of his most remarkable achievements is his continuing relevance. He broke out in the early '80s, starring in small roles on TV and film. He starred in the coincidentally-titled 'E/R,' a short-lived sitcom that lasted one year on-air. Then came a role in 'Return of the Killer Tomatoes!,' a cult-comedy horror with what could be Clooney's first famous performance.

Clooney's come a long way since then: he is currently one of Hollywood's highest-paid leading men, and his movies have made around US$2 billion at the box office. But how did Clooney get from 'Killer Tomatoes' to counting his millions? In 1994, he got a breakthrough role in the medical drama 'ER.' Playing Doug Ross, Clooney got nominations for Emmys and Golden Globes, but never won, even losing out to co-star Anthony Edwards. He then moved on to the big screen, with his first major Hollywood role in horror-comedy 'From Dusk till Dawn.' 

He continued with commercial hit after commercial hit, with films like 'The Perfect Storm' and 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?.' The best was yet to come though, with a role in a remake of 'Ocean's Eleven.' It became Clooney's most successful film in a leading role, making over $450 million worldwide. Of course, Clooney got his sequels, and only success would follow. If you weren't impressed by his performances in 'Up in the Air' and 'Fantastic Mr. Fox,' then maybe 'The Descendants' and 'Gravity' grabbed your attention.

But Clooney doesn't just make money in TV and film. Back in 2013, the actor founded one of the fastest-growing brands in the world. Casamigos was founded with the intention of making tequila "affordable for everyone," according to co-founder Rande Gerber. "George doesn't need the money, I didn't need it, [Mike Meldman] didn't need it—it wasn't the reason behind launching a tequila. We wanted everyone to be able to drink it and not be exclusive."

If you're jealous of George Clooney, we don't blame you one bit. Why not get inspired by the leading man, and find out just how he got to this amazing point. Click on to discover how Clooney made his millions.