Skip to main contentSkip to footer

The world's highest-paid actor with £49m may surprise you...

Share this:

Forbes has released its annual list of the world's highest-paid actors, with Johnny Depp, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise all securing a place in the top ten. It may come as a surprise however that the star with the most earnings from the past year is... Dwayne Johnson, also known as The Rock.

Scroll down for list

The Ballers star raked in a near total of £49m this year, compared to his £24m earnings last year that placed him eleventh in the rich list.

forbes2© Photo: Getty Images

The Rock pulled in a near total of £49m this year

For the second consecutive year, Jackie Chan was named the second highest-paid actor, earning a cool £48m. The Hong Kong-born star may not have had a Hollywood release for some time, but he is the king of China's burgeoning box office.

In third place was The Martian's Matt Damon with £41m, jumping up 17 places compared to 2015.

Following Matt in fourth place was Tom Cruise with £40m, newly divorced Johnny Depp with £36m and Ben Affleck with £32m.

forbes4© Photo: Getty Images

Jackie Chan was named the second highest-paid actor for the second consecutive year

But no one could surpass The Rock, who scored his highest annual paycheck to date. The wrestler's wages came from upfront fees for films including Central Intelligence and Fast 8, as well as the forthcoming Baywatch in which he's set to play Mitch Buchannon.

Even at the very top, a pay gap prevails. Jennifer Lawrence is the world's highest-paid actress with £35m – a rough 72 per cent of The Rock's total earnings.

Those who have dropped off the list this year are Daniel Craig, Hugh Jackman and Channing Tatum, largely due to their quieter years. Liam Neeson, Seth Rogen and Chris Hemsworth all narrowly missed the £11m cut off for this year's ranking.

forbes5© Photo: Getty Images

Ben Affleck was placed sixth with £32m 

The world's highest-paid actors for 2016:

Dwayne Johnson – £49m Jackie Chan – £48mMatt Damon – £41mTom Cruise – £40mJohnny Depp – £36mBen Affleck – £32mVin Diesel – £26mShah Rukh Khan and Robert Downey Jr – £25mAkshay Kumar and Brad Pitt – £23m

More Celebrity News

See more