Real Name: Jodie Foster
Salary Deal : $2,000
Who could that precocious child be using the Viewfinder with Henry Fonda? Why, it’s only two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster, who had one of her very first times in front of the camera with none other than Hollywood royalty Henry Fonda. Foster was only halfway to ten.
Foster’s very first time was when she was just three years of age, appearing as the Coppertone girl. While Viewfinder was high-tech at the time, it’s become obsolete thanks to things like the internet and mobile phones. On the other hand, Coppertone continues to shield people from the killer rays of the sun. Jodie earned a pretty easy $2,000 for working with Fonda.
The Pillsbury Doughboy
Real Name: Paul Frees
Salary Deal: $1 million
For a salary of one million big ones, Paul Frees brought his talent as a man of many voices to Pillsbury, appearing in plenty of ads as the little white creature in the 1960s. Famous for his voice-acting prowess, Frees was born in Chicago in the 1920s and was married to actress Beverly Marlow until he passed in 1986.
There are plenty of places you'll recognize Frees: Rudolph & Frosty, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and Jack Frost. All Christmas movies, yes, but he's done plenty of others, including acting in A Place in the Sun in 1951. But we'll always know him for his cheerful chuckle and delicious bakery treats.
The Slingers (Husband)
Real Name: Nick Offerman
Salary Deal : $50,000
You know Offerman from his famous role as Ron Swanson on Parks & Rec, but he's also appeared alongside his wife Megan Mullally in Sling TV's We are Slingers ad campaign. Don't expect a gruff attitude this time, though – his Slingers character is quite a bit more easygoing than Swanson.
For a $50,000 deal, Offerman offered his likeness and acting prowess for a multi-media campaign, which appeared not only on TV but also in social media and print. Sling TV is a Dish Network subsidiary, a live-streaming service founded in 2015. It's been going through quite a bit of aggressive rebranding, which Offerman has been assisting.
Max Headroom
Real Name: Matt Frewer
Salary Deal : $100,000
The creepy AI character Max Headroom came from the head of Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton and was played by actor Matt Frewer. It has a stuttering, distorted voice as well as plenty of witty remarks, and first appeared in the “20 Minutes into the Future” commercial, in 1984.
While Max Headroom was a short-lived show, he also appeared in this Coke commercial, and the character also appeared in the 2015 movie, Pixels. Frewer received $100,000 for his spot. The name came from journalist Edison Carter, who saw the words “MAX. HEADROOM: 2.3 M”, moments before slipping into a coma.
Ronald McDonald
Real Name: Willard Scott
Salary Deal: $10 million
For a whopping ten million dollars, radio personality Willard Scott played the burger chain's famous mascot starting in 1963, filming three different spots and growing McDonald's into the mega-industry we know today. Scott had plenty of experience under the greasepaint, playing the role of Bozo the Clown for his radio station in Washington D.C. from 1959 to 1962. His clowning caught the eye of McDonald's ad execs.
The McD's clown was originally known as “The Hamburger Happy Clown,” and it was a lot more colorful and energetic than the version we know of today. At least the current version doesn't have a cup for a nose. Or looks like a creepier version of Jigsaw from the famous Saw films.