George Clooney Net Worth: Actor Once Gave His Friends $1 Million In Cash Each

George Clooney started warming people’s hearts when he played charismatic doctor Dough Ross in the hit television show “ER.” But this 59-year-old actor is more charitable in real life than in the roles he's played on television and in movies.

With a net worth valued at $500 million, Clooney’s generosity has been well-known for years. The actor, screenwriter and director is also a known patron and activist of various causes. But an interview with Rande Gerber exposed how good a person Clooney really is on and off cam. Gerber, one of Clooney’s closest friends, revealed in an interview with MSNBC that the actor gave his friends in his inner circle a million dollars each after hitting big with the release of the 2013 film “Gravity.”

“I was a single guy. All of us were aging. I was 52 or something. And most of my friends are older than me,” said Clooney, confirming Gerber’s story in an interview with GQ in November.

He revealed that the success of “Gravity” earned him a substantial amount but had no one to share it back then. At the time, he was not yet married to wife Amal Clooney.

“I thought, what I do have are these guys who've all, over a period of 35 years, helped me in one way or another. I've slept on their couches when I was broke. They loaned me money when I was broke. They helped me when I needed help over the years.”

The best part of Clooney's story is the way he packaged the gift -- he went to an undisclosed place in Los Angeles with pallets of ready cash. He loaded a van with cash, packed them in bags with $1 million cash each and had his friends over for the surprise.

“I said, ‘How do you repay people like that?’ And I said, ‘Oh, well: How about a million bucks?’ And the fun part about it was: That was the 27th, the 28th of September. A year later, on the 27th of September, just by happenstance, was the day I got married.”

Aside from a very successful career in the entertainment industry, Clooney’s fortune also comes from his business ventures and real properties. GQ reported that Clooney’s net worth jumped with the $1 billion-sale of tequila company Casamigos that he founded with Gerber and another friend.

The actor-activist also invests his money in properties around the world. He owns a 15-bedroom villa in northern Italy that he bought for $13 million in 2002, Business Insider reports. He has also properties in Studio City, California, London, England and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.