Highest-Paid Actors 2011

According to Forbes.com, “Pirates of the Caribbean” star Depp topped the list in 2010 with $75 million but this year drops to #2, raking in a still-impressive $50 million. DiCaprio, however, was able to break his previous record by making $77 million in 2010 thanks to the success of flicks like “Shutter Island” and “Inception.”

Both Depp and DiCaprio are sure to keep their profiles high thanks to a slew of upcoming projects on both their dockets. DiCaprio is set to star in “J. Edgar,” “The Great Gatsby” and “Django Unchained.” Meanwhile, Depp has upcoming films “Dark Shadows” and “21 Jump Street” on his plate. Both  actors have achieved wealth and fame by making some unusual choices with their careers.

---

Leonardo DiCaprio

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $77 million

Between Shutter Island and Inception, DiCaprio had an excellent 2010. Lately he’s mostly been in the press for dating Blake Lively. But later this year he’ll star in J. Edgar, a film about the famous FBI director. Clint Eastwood directs which means the film is already getting Oscar buzz.

---

Johnny Depp

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $50 million

Depp puts his own spin on every role and whether he’s voicing a chameleon or lurching around as Captain Jack Sparrow, his movies bring in the big bucks. Up next for Depp: a film version of the cult television show Dark Shadows directed by Tim Burton.

---

Adam Sandler

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $40 million

Sandler is one of the surest things in Hollywood. His films might not get a lot of love from critics but the ticket-buying public love him. His most recent film, Just Go With It gets an 18 on Rotten Tomatoes but earned $214 million at the global box office.

---

Will Smith

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $36 million

Lately, Smith has put his own career on the back burner in order to focus on his budding star children. He produced The Karate Kid which starred Jaden and is developing a remake of Annie for his daughter Willow. Smith will next star in Men in Black III slated for a May 2012 release.

---

Tom Hanks

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $35 million

Hanks’ latest film, Larry Crowne, was a bona fide flop earning less that $100 million. But the actor still pulls in plenty of money from voicing Woody in Toy Story. The third film was the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Hanks will next star opposite Sandra Bullock in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

---

Ben Stiller

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $34 million

Stiller earns big bucks from franchises like Meet the Parents and Night at the Museum. His next film will be Tower Heist which features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Murphy and Matthew Broderick. The film is about a bunch of ripped-off employees trying to rob a Bernie Madoff type.

---

Robert Downey Jr.

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $31 million

Thanks to huge hits like the Iron Man movies and Sherlock Holmes, Downey has officially left his troubled past behind to become a big movie star. The first Sherlock Holmes film earned an amazing $525 million. The sequel, which hits theaters this Christmas, could do even better.

---

Mark Wahlberg

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $28 million

The former underpants model isn’t just a movie star. He also produces a slew of popular television shows like Entourage, How and Boardwalk Empire. Entourage, which is in its final season, is now poised to become a movie. The show is loosely based on Wahlberg’s life in Hollywood.

---

Tim Allen

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $22 million

Allen makes our list this year mostly thanks to his work as the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 3. But he also still earns from Home Improvement. Allen has a new show in the works called The Last Days of Man about “a married father of three trying to maintain his manliness in a world increasingly dominated by women.”

---

Tom Cruise

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $22 million

Cruise isn’t the movie star he once was but he still earns more than almost anyone else in Hollywood. A lot of that comes from residuals off of his older hits like Jerry McGuire and War of the Worlds but he also got a nice upfront payday for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol which hits theaters this winter.

Jim Carrey

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $20 million

Carrey is an actor who likes to mix safe family-friendly fare, like his recent Mr. Popper’s Penguins, with much riskier films. He earned rave reviews for playing a gay con artist in I Love You Philip Morris even though the films tanked at the box office.

---

Daniel Craig

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $20 million

2011 is shaping up to be the year of Daniel Craig. Cowboys & Aliens is a hit earning $TK million its opening weekend. In September he’ll star in horror film Dream House where he met his new wife, Rachel Weisz. This Christmas he’ll face off against himself in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and The Adventures of Tintin.

---

Robert Pattinson

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $20 million

The Twilight star branched out recently with Water for Elephants, which costarred Reese Witherspoon. The film did OK but its box office was a drop in the bucket compared to the Twilight films. With two movies left, expect Pattinson to keep earning big for the next two years.

---

Brad Pitt

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $20 million

Pitt’s been busy with four movies slated for release between now and the end of 2012 (including Happy Feet 2 where he does voice work). The most intriguing is the movie he’s filming right now, World War Z, based on the best-selling book, about a war against zombies.

---

Matt Damon

July 2010 to July 2011 Earnings: $18 million

Damon continues to be a solid player with films like True Grit which earned an impressive $250 million at the global box office. This September he’ll star as a desperate father in a world where everyone is getting sick and dying in Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion.

---

Source: Forbes.com