Forbes actor rich list: who are the highest paid?

Robert Downey Jr has topped Forbes's list of highest-paid actors for the third year running, but as Forbes includes actors working outside the US film industry for the first time, will Hong Kong and Bollywood stars soon catch up?

Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr's "stratospheric $80 (£51m) million payday" helped push the actor $30 million ahead of all other leading men, says Forbes.

Number two on the list is Jackie Chan, who may be a big star in China, but couldn't compete with Downey's Avengers: Age of Ultron, which made a $240 million (£150m) gross in the People's Republic alone.

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For the first time, the list also includes actors who work outside the US movie industry, which means Hong Kong actor Chan and three Bollywood stars have been included in the top 10.

Only one British star made the list, Bond actor Daniel Craig. He shared the number 15 slot with Australian actor Chris Hemsworth. They each earned $27m (£17m) according to Forbes.

Chan scored his second place with earnings of $50 million (£32m) last year alone, despite his latest film Dragon Blade not being released in the US yet, reports The Independent. The film grossed $120 million (£76m), in China with Chan cutting a back-end deal as the lead actor, making him an estimated $10 million (£6.4m).

The Independent notes that Chan's wealth doesn't just come from films. The 61-year-old actor has also monetised his "brand" with lucrative merchandising deals, a cinema chain with his name on it and a Segway dealership. Forbes estimates his net worth at $350 million (£224m).

The Independent quotes Grady Hendrix, co-founder of the New York Asian Film Festival, who says: "Jackie Chan is basically the Mickey Mouse of Chinese culture, a celebrity who is so omnipresent that his name has become shorthand."

Next on the list is action star Vin Diesel who snatched the number three spotwith $47 million (£31.1m), after Fast & Furious 7 zoomed past a billion dollars at the global box office.

Rounding out the top five were Bradley Cooper and Adam Sandler. Cooper's $41.5 million (£26m) earnings from mega-hits American Sniper and Guardians Of The Galaxy put him at number four, while comedy star Sandler's four-film Netflix deal helped him scoop up $41 million (£26.3m) despite his latest film, Pixels, flopping at the box office.

The highest paid Bollywood stars on the list are Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan who each made $33.5 million (£21.5m) to tie at seventh place. Bachchan, 72, has earnings from films such as Bhoothnath Returns and his longstanding role as host of India's version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

Salman Khan is the most controversial entry on the list, says The Guardian. The 49-year-old Mumbai-based megastar has retained his popularity despite a conviction relating to a fatal hit and run. Akshay Kumar ranks ninth with $32.5 million (£20.9m) in annual earnings, equal to George Clooney and Brad Pitt's combined haul in the same time frame.

Forbes has promised a female-only actor rich list at a later date.

Top Ten Richest Actors

1. Robert Downey Jr - $80m

2. Jackie Chan - $50m

3. Vin Diesel - $47m

4. Bradley Cooper - $41.5m

5. Adam Sandler - $41m

6. Tom Cruise - $40m

7. Amitabh Bachchan - $33.5m

8. Salman Khan - $33.5m

9. Akshay Kumar - $32.5m

10. Mark Wahlberg - $32m