Forbes releases list of hardest-working actors, not highest paid

Seth Rogen will collaborate with Evan Goldberg on the film (AFP PHOTO / VALERIE MACON)

Forbes magazine, the business publication known for its “lists” - the World’s Billionaires, Most Powerful Women and Top-Earning Dead Celebrities, for example – has released its annual ranking of A-list actors who work more than most.

The top 10 actors with top billing with the largest number of movies over the past five years are interestingly not on the list of Hollywood's highest-earners, according to data from the box office analysis of Exhibitor Relations.

For example, Matt Damon’s movies pulled in a total of $696 million because he also makes a mix of independent films as well as blockbusters such as The Bourne Ultimatum.

While stars like Will Smith and Tom Hanks have big box office draw, the "hard-working" actors often take films, such as Transformers and Batman. They give the studios a strong idea of the stars whose work is most productive and effective.

To compile the rankings, Forbes included the 559 films between January 2005 and December 2009 that earned over $20 million at the US box office. Actors with the most starring roles and cumulative box-office totals were considered.

On this year’s list, Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep take the place of Scarlett Johansson, who took time off for a Broadway play, and Queen Latifah.

1.  Seth Rogen - 12 films, $892 million total
( Shrek the Third, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Shrek the Third)

2.  Morgan Freeman – 9 films, $1,168 billion total
( The Dark Knight, The Bucket List, Batman Begins, Evan Almighty, Invictus)

3. Matt Damon - 8 films, $696 million total
( The Bourne Ultimatum, Invictus, The Informant!, The Departed, Ocean's Thirteen)

4. Will Ferrell - 8 films, $607 million total
( Talladega Nights, Man vs. Wild, Step Brothers, Bewitched, Stranger Than Fiction)

5. Robert Downey Jr. - 7 films, $788 million total
( Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, The Soloist, Good Night, Good Luck)

6. Samuel L. Jackson - 7 films, $700 million total
( Star Wars: Episode III and Revenge of the Sith, Snakes on a Plane, Inglorious Basterds)

7. Sandra Bullock - 5 films, $655 million total
( The Blind Side, The Proposal, All About Steve, Miss Congeniality 2 )

8. Meryl Streep - 7 films, $547 million total
( Mamma Mia!, Julie & Julia, Devil Wears Prada, Doubt, It’s Complicated)

9. Shia LaBeouf - 6 films, $1.3 billion total ( Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
( Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Eagle Eye)

10. Christian Bale - 6 films, $1 billion total
( The Dark Knight, Terminator Salvation, Public Enemies, 3:10 to Yuma)