Highest Paid Actors of All Time

It is certainly no secret that the top actors in Hollywood charge exorbitant rates of millions of dollars per movie, but only when we see the earnings of these actors can we truly fathom the magnitude of these fees. Movies rake in millions of dollars, and undoubtedly the biggest beneficiaries and profit makers are the actors and the actresses who star in these movies.

The movie business is extremely difficult to be successful in though, and for every top actor there are hundreds of thousands failed actors who could not make it. So these actors definitely deserve what they earn from their entertainment jobs, even though it is very disproportionate when you compare it to the earnings of the common man. Nevertheless, here you will find the highest paid actors of all time list that will make things a bit clearer for you.

The list of top paid actors obviously changes from year to year, because the movie industry is constantly expanding. This list of top 10 paid actors mentioned here is for the period June 2009 - June 2010. Most of these movies have been blockbusters and in all likelihood you have seen them and contributed towards the large fortunes that these actors have amassed.

Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp earned $75 million for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He also starred in the Alice in Wonderland movie and Public Enemies.

Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller came second with earnings of $53 million for the new Night in the Museum movie and the upcoming Meet the Parents movie. He also starred in his own personal venture, a film called Greenberg.

Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks made $45 million in the same period, thanks to the Angels and Demons movie, and an upcoming movie with Julia Roberts. He also gets earnings from other films and TV shows that he produces.

Adam Sandler
A surprising inclusion is Adam Sandler who made $40 million last year. His movie Grown Ups became his third most successful ever, and he also has a hand in producing many other movies.

Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonarrdo DiCaprio made a splash in the movie industry with some memorable flicks like Shutter Island and Inception, which fetched him a total of $28 million, making him a worthy addition to this list.

Daniel Radcliffe
The immense popularity of the Harry Potter series fetched young Daniel Radcliffe an impressive $25 million in the last year, making him one of the most successful young actors of all time. Amazingly, there are no other movies he has starred in so far.

Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. went through a lull period in his career in the recent past, but this past year he made a cool $22 million. Some impressive movies like Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man 2 helped him leave his mark.

Tom Cruise
One of the most famous names in the industry and in the world, Tom Cruise raked in $22 million as well this last year. He grossed this amount from the movie Kinght and Day, the upcoming Mission Impossible movie and other production work.

Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt made $20 million this last year with a role in Inglourious Basterds and a voice-over in the animated movie Megamind. He also earns revenue from a production company that he owns and runs.

George Clooney
George Clooney rounds off the list for 2010 with a fortune of $19 million made in the last year. He entertained us with movies like Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Men Who Stare at Goats, Up in the Air and The American.

Here are the highest paid female actors of the last year.

1. Sandra Bullock - $56 million
2. Jennifer Aniston - $27 million
3. Sarah Jessica Parker - $25 million
4. Julia Roberts - $20 million
5. Angelina Jolie - $20 million

Some more actors and actresses who deserve a special mention for some of their past work are mentioned below, even though they did not make the big bucks in 2010.

1. Will Smith - $80 million
2. Eddie Murphy - $55 million
3. Mike Myers - $55 million
4. Bruce Willis - $41 million
5. Nicolas Cage - $31 million
6. Will Ferrell - $31 million
7. Cameron Diaz - $20 million
8. Reese Witherspoon - $20 million
9. Drew Barrymore - $15 million
10. Halle Berry - $12 million

Some of the highest paid actors on TV for the last year are as follows.

1. Charlie Sheen - $1.25 million per episode for Two and a Half Men
2. Jon Cryer - $550,000 per episode for Two and a Half Men
3. Hugh Laurie - $400,000 per episode for House
4. The leading cast of Desperate Housewives at $400,000 per episode
5. The leading cast of The Simpsons at $400,000 per episode
6. Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay - $395,000 per episode for Law & Order: SVU
7. The leading members of CSI: Miami, CSI and NCIS at $375,000 per episode
8. Tina Fey - $350,000 per episode for 30 Rock
9. Steve Carell - $295,000 per episode for The Office (American version)
10. Gary Sinise - $275,000 per episode for CSI: New York

All of these actors are stars in their own right, and they have worked very hard to become the highest paid actors. Sooner or later they will be usurped from the list of best paid actors and actresses, but until then we must enjoy their critically acclaimed work.