Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr named highest paid actor in Hollywood for second year

The Iron Man actor has topped the Forbes list after earning $75m

Daisy Wyatt
Tuesday 22 July 2014 09:35 BST
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Robert Downey Jr in his starring role in Iron Man 3
Robert Downey Jr in his starring role in Iron Man 3

Robert Downey Jr has been named the highest paid Hollywood actor for the second year running, earning $75 million (£44m) in the past year.

The 49-year-old has topped the Forbes list of top earning actors thanks to his starring role in Iron Man 3, which earned almost $1.2 billion at the global box office.

Forbes said his key role in the Marvel blockbusters were pivotal to the franchise, adding “it would be incredibly difficult for Marvel to continue to make Iron Man and Avengers films without him”.

Dwayne Johnson, known to many as ‘The Rock’, was named the second highest paid actor in Hollywood, earning an estimated $52 million (£30m) in the past year mainly thanks to his work in the Fast and Furious franchise.

Bradley Cooper came third in the Forbes list, and is estimated to have earned $46 million (£27m) last year from a mixture of blockbuster and award-winning films including starring roles in The Hangover franchise and the Bafta-winning American Hustle.

Leonardo DiCaprio completed the top five with estimated earnings of $39 million (£23m) after The Great Gatsby and The Wolf of Wall Street performed better than expected, earning a combined $743 million at the global box office.

Forbes said: “DiCaprio is the rare actor who can earn $15 million and up for the kind of adult films that studios don’t often make anymore.”

Forbes compiled the rankings and estimated by talking to managers, producers and agents. The earnings are measured from June 2013 until June 2014.

Hollywood’s Highest Paid Actors in 2014

1 Robert Downey Jr - $75 million

2 Dwayne Johnson - $52 million

3 Bradley Cooper - $46 million

4 Leonardo DiCaprio - $39 million

5 Chris Hemsworth - $37 million

6 Liam Neeson - $36 million

7 Ben Affleck - $35 million

8 Christian Bale - $35 million

9 Will Smith - $32 million

10 Mark Wahlberg - $32 million

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