‘King of the world’ has a suitably Titanic bank balance

LEONARDO DiCaprio once crowed that he was “the king of the world,” and the 36-year-old actor now has the bank account to back it up.

Thu, 04 Aug, 2011 - 01:00

Chris Michaud, New York (Reuters)

DiCaprio and Johnny Depp, actors who alternate between box office blockbusters and quirky, independent films, topped the list of Hollywood’s highest-earning actors, Forbes.com said.

“Hollywood careers are built on smart (and not always obvious) choices,” Forbes said in its annual look at the film world’s best-paid stars.

It added that DiCaprio and Depp, who earned $77 million (€53m) and $50m respectively, are living proof of that.

Funnyman Adam Sandler, who earned $40m, captured the No 3 spot, while Will Smith and Tom Hanks were close behind, at $36m and $35m.

Forbes described Sandler, a “Saturday Night Live” alumnus, as one of the surest things in Hollywood, and added that even if his films are not loved by critics they are popular with the ticket-buying public.

Although Smith has been focusing more on his family lately, he still managed to be among the top five best-paid actors. Hanks’s film Larry Crowne was a flop but the actor also voices Woody in the Toy Story films. The third Toy Story was the highest-grossing animated feature of all time.

DiCaprio, who vaulted from fifth to first place, had two box office hits last year, Shutter Island and Inception, which between them earned more than $1 billion.

In his next films he will play FBI chief J Edgar Hoover and the title role in The Great Gatsby.

Depp, last year’s top-paid actor, continues to sell tickets with his foppish turn as Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Depp has Dark Shadows and a cameo role in 21 Jump Street coming up in 2012, both big-screen versions of popular television programs.

Forbes compiled the list based on earning after speaking to agents, lawyers, producers and industry insiders to estimate what each actor earned for the year that ended May 1.

Johnny Depp was last year’s winner at $75m.

A list of Hollywood’s highest earning actresses released by Forbes last month had Angelina Jolie and Sarah Jessica Parker in joint top spot.

Top earners:

1. Leonardo DiCaprio ($77m)

2. Johnny Depp ($50m)

3. Adam Sandler ($40m)

4. Will Smith ($36m)

5. Tom Hanks ($35m)

6. Ben Stiller ($34m)

7. Robert Downey Jr ($31m)

8. Mark Wahlberg ($28m)

9. Tim Allen ($22m)