Smith, Depp best-paid actors in Hollywood
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Depp was nominated for a Oscar for his Sweeney Todd role. (http://blog.nola.com: Johnny Depp, as Sweeney Todd)
Will Smith, Johnny Depp and Eddie Murphy were the best paid Hollywood actors in the past year, according to Forbes magazine's special issue Entertainment All Stars.
Smith, 39, made $US 80 million ($83.2 million) between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2008, thanks to blockbusters like I Am Legend, Hancock and The Pursuit of Happyness, for which he was nominated for best actor in the 2007 Oscars.
Depp, 45, who straddles both commercial movies - including the Pirates of the Caribbean series - as well as more challenging, independent roles, earned $US72 million ($74.9 million) in the same period.
Director Tim Burton's favourite actor, Depp was also nominated to the 2007 Oscars for his starring role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
Murphy, 47, despite his often criticised aggressive style of humour, is still highly marketable, earning $US55 million ($57.2 million) in the past 12 months, mostly from the films he starred in, but above all for being Donkey's voice in the animated Shrek series of films and videogames.
Shrek the Third also made actor Mike Myers - the green ogre's voice - the third top Hollywood moneymaker, along with Murphy at $US55 million, despite his recent comedic flop The Love Guru.
And also thanks to Shrek and the voice of princess Fiona, was not far behind in earnings, with $US50 million ($52 million).
On the women's side, fellow Shrek actor Camera Diaz is the best-paid, earning $US50 million. Keira Knightley was next with $US32 million and then Jennifer Aniston with $US27 million.
Diaz is followed by Leonardo DiCaprio with $US45 million, Bruce Willis with $US41 million, comedian Ben Stiller with $US40 million and Nicolas Cage with $US38 million dollars, according to Forbes.
Australian actors only rated on the Forbes list rating stars in terms of "the best bang for the buck" - topped by US star Vince Vaughn.
Vaughn earned $US14.73 in gross income for studios for every dollar he was paid for The Break-Up, Wedding Crashers and Dodgeball.
Hugh Jackman came in ninth on the list, earning $US9.90 and for every dollar spent. Nicole Kidman ranked 35th with $US1.01 for every dollar spent.
- AFP/ABC
