Sigourney Weaver

The film Alien is still considered a classic in the horror and sci-fi genres, with Sigourney Weaver delivering a knockout performance. Because of that, the star made up to a cool $1 million per movie, which is even more impressive considering she was only paid $35,000 for the first film.

Director James Cameron was the one who insisted on Weaver being paid far more for the Alien sequel, even landing her a share of the total profits. Luckily for the actress, the franchise skyrocketed her to superstardom over the course of their release.