Tom Cruise led Forbes' annual list of the 100 highest paid actors released on Tuesday (July 3), earning nearly twice that of second place Leonardo DiCaprio and recapturing his spot among Hollywood's top-earning performers after his recent blockbuster movie "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol."
Cruise, who turned 50 on July 3 amid speculation over whether his box office pull could be hurt by his impending divorce from Katie Holmes, earned $75 million between May 2011 and May 2012, according to Forbes' list.
Last year's top earner DiCaprio tied for second place on the list, with his earnings dropping after the 2010 blockbuster "Inception" and his most recent film, "J. Edgar" disappointing at the box office. Adam Sandler was the other second place earner. Sandler's income included his paycheck from the 2011 film "Jack and Jill." Both DiCaprio and Sandler made $37 million.
Former professional wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson came in fourth, earning $36 million including the paycheck from his film "Fast Five" that took in $626 million worldwide, and at No. 5 was comedian Ben Stiller with $33 million, whose next film "The Watch" about a group of Neighborhood Watch dads, is due for release in July.
In compiling the list, Forbes considers factors including upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.
Lindsay Claiborn, Reuters.
