Though she was a Hollywood staple for many years, Cameron Diaz retired from her massive acting career in 2014 —  and she stuck it out, not having appeared in a film since Annie, until announcing her return to acting in June 2022. Years later, how much money does the A-lister have in the bank?

Cameron is estimated to be worth an incredible $140 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. How has she amassed so much cash over the years? Here’s what we know.

Cameron Diaz Movies and Roles

The actress’ Hollywood career had humble beginnings, but her charisma and star power has made her incredibly rich over the years. She is known for roles in The Mask (which was her breakout film), There’s Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Charlie’s Angels, Vanilla Sky, Gangs of New York, Bad Teacher and the Shrek franchise.

Her films have grossed insane amounts of money, which has given her a shocking figure of $7 billion in box office sales. The Mask grossed a whopping $351 million worldwide while There’s Something About Mary grossed another $369 million — and even secured the performer her first Golden Globe nomination. Charlie’s Angels grossed an impressive $264 million. The Shrek series has grossed a staggering amount worldwide over the course of four films. Shrek grossed $487 million, Shrek 2 grossed $919 million, Shrek the Third grossed $813 million and Shrek Forever After grossed $752 million.

Because of these box office successes, Cameron has garnered some seriously insane paychecks. She was paid $2 million for There’s Something About Mary and $12 million for Charlie’s Angels. For the film’s sequel, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, she earned $20 million. For her role in Bad Teacher, she only took a $1 million paycheck upfront in exchange for a percentage of the film’s gross — which helped her earn a massive $42 million for her efforts.

However, the starlet retired a year before she married husband Benji Madden in 2015. “I met my husband, we started a family,” she revealed in an August 2021 conversation with Kevin Hart on his Peacock series Hart to Heart. “All those things that I didn’t have the time for before, and not just didn’t have the time for, but didn’t have the space to make the right decisions for me at the time.”

Benji Madden and Cameron Diaz Welcome Daughter Raddix
Courtesy of Benji Madden/Instagram

“Even with all the amazing experiences I’ve had in traveling, accomplishments of working hard, putting things into the world that I’m proud of,” she previously explained to Naomi Campbell on her YouTube series No Filter. “I know this is the most gratifying moment in life to be in this place. When you’re my age and when you decide to [have a baby] it’s a real choice, something that you really have to work hard for it.”

Cameron Diaz Owns Real Estate

In 2001, she purchased a home above the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles for $1.34 million. Her primary residence is a Beverly Hills compound she purchased for $9.5 million in 2010. Ten years later, Cameron and her husband bought a new Beverly Hills mansion for $14.7 million in 2020. The home boasts seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms among 9,000 square feet of property. The house, which is located in a gated community, sits on 1.7 acres of land.

In New York, she bought a $9.5 million condo in Chelsea in 2013. She also owned Greenwich Village loft for several years but sold the property for $4 million in 2015.

Cameron Diaz’s Return to Acting

The actress revealed on June 29, 2022, that she was coming out of retirement and working on her first movie since 2014. For her return to acting, Cameron will star in the upcoming Netflix action-comedy Back in Action alongside Jamie Foxx, with whom she worked on the 1999 movie Any Given Sunday, as well as the aforementioned Annie.

News of Cameron’s coming out of retirement was confirmed via social media, where an audio clip was shared by Jamie from a phone call involving NFL quarterback Tom Brady, who famously ended his retirement after just 40 days. 

“I was talking to Jamie, and he said you need a few tips on how to un-retire,” the pro footballer says in the clip. “I’m relatively successful at un-retiring.”

“Honestly, exactly what I needed,” Cameron replied laughing. 

Cameron posted the video on her Instagram Stories with the caption, “@JamieFoxx only you could get me back in action! I can’t frickin wait it’s gonna be a blast.”