George Clooney tops Forbes list of highest paid actors, raking in $239 million

Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Turner

Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Turner

George Clooney topped Forbes annual list of the world's highest paid actors for 2018 thanks in part to the billion-dollar sale of his tequila company.

Clooney, 57, raked in $239 million between June 1, 2017 and June 1, 2018, Forbes reported, making him the top money-maker in the industry.

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Forbes uses both onscreen and offscreen earnings to rank high-earning actors, and Clooney made fistfuls of dollars when he sold his third of the Casamigos Tequila brand for $233 million. He also made several million more on older movies and endorsements, Forbes reported.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ranked No. 2 on Forbes' list, banking $124 million over the past year, thanks to blockbusters like "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" and his social media following, which allows him to negotiate higher contracts, the magazine said.

“Iron Man” Robert Downey Jr. placed third on the list, taking home $81 million, making some $15 million up front for his smaller role in 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and more than twice that for “Avengers: Infinity War.” His co-star in “Avengers,” Chris Hemsworth, ranked fourth, making $64.5 million.

Rounding out the top five, international film star Jackie Chan, China’s top movie star, who took home $45.5 million.

Forbes reported the highest paid female star, topping the list of the actresses earning the biggest bucks in Hollywood, was Scarlett Johansson. Her earnings are in part directly related to her involvement in the blockbuster superhero films, otherwise the top-paid women in Hollywood made a combined dismal $186 million compared to the top 10 highest paid men who generated $748.5 million over the past year, Forbes reported.

Women are still earning just over 80 cents to every dollar a man makes and that number is worse for minority women.

Forbes used information from Nielsen, Box Office Mojo, Com Score and IMDB, along with industry interviews to compile its annual list of the top 10 highest paid women and men in Hollywood.

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