Will Smith, the black actor who rose from the ranks of rappers to become a Hollywood superstar, is now officially the top-earning star in Tinseltown, the dpa reported.
Smith, 39, earned 80 million dollars in the past year to top the list of biggest earners, ahead of Johnny Depp, who earned 72 million dollars. The continued success of Smith's movies across various genres means he is the first actor ever to have eight films in a row break the 100 million dollar barrier at the box office.
Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers came in joint third with paychecks totaling 55 million dollars each, and Leonardo DiCaprio rounded out the top five with 45 million dollars in earnings.
Action star Bruce Willis was next with 41 million dollars, followed by comedian Ben Stiller with 40 million dollars and Nicolas Cage with 31 million dollars. Comedy stars Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler rounded out the top 10, with 31 million dollars and 30 million dollars respectively.