Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise and Britney Spears are among Tinseltown's highest earners
Forbes has released its annual list of the world's highest-paid celebrities. In this top 20 countdown you'll find pop stars, TV moguls, movie directors and eye-watering amounts of money.
20. Britney Spears: $58 million
Britney Spears sneaks in to Forbes' list at number 20 after a busy year in which she performed over 75 shows as part of her Femme Fatale tour, while her album of the same name went platinum.
The 30-year-old also earned big money through her fragrance line with Elizabeth Arden, along with other endorsements, and the next 12 months are certain to keep her in the public eye due to her role on 'X Factor USA'.
19. Ryan Seacrest: $59 million
Two deals signed by Ryan Seacrest have ensured the American television presenter enjoyed a bumper pay packet this year. Seacrest agreed to host 'American Idol' for another two years and extended his presence on cable company Comcast to cover news, sport and entertainment on NBC, as well as his duties on E!
To add to his earnings, Seacrest produces several shows, most notably 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'.
18. Donald Trump: $63 million
A 12th season of the US series of 'The Apprentice' ensured that the last year was a good one financially for Donald Trump. However, that was just the tip of the cash iceberg for the American business magnate.
Trump, who made his fortune in real estate, can count on an ever-expanding portfolio of products and services to rake in extra cash, including books, alcohol, personal appearances and pageants.
17. Dr Phil McGraw: $64 million
Dr Phil, famous for his daily talk show, ranks 17th on Forbes' list of the highest-paid celebrities with earnings of $64 million in the last 12 months. His hard-hitting advice show has been running for over a decade and shows no signs of waning in popularity.
16. Manny Pacquiao: $67 million
Despite losing his first fight in seven years last June in a highly controversial split decision to American Tim Bradley, boxer Manny Paquaio can console himself with reported earnings of $67 million over the last 12 months.
In the last five years, Paquaio has managed to generate at least one million pay-per-view sales on four separate occasions. Incredibly, all this has been achieved while the 10-time world champion has been sitting in the House of Representatives in the Philippines.
15. Rush Limbaugh: $69 million
Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has amassed a devoted following across the United States in his 40 years as a commentator, so much so that he is one of the highest-paid people in the media with a six-year deal worth $400 million.
14. Dick Wolf: $70 million
American producer Dick Wolf produced the cop drama 'Miami Vice' in the eighties but his current earnings are thanks to 'Law & Order', which ran for 20 years until 2010, and its lucrative offshoot, 'Law & Order SVU'.
13. Tom Cruise: $75 million
His personal life may be in tatters but Tom Cruise remains one of the hardest working men in showbiz. His earnings for the last 12 months were boosted thanks to 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol', which earned a staggering $700 million at the global box office, placing him at number 13 on Forbes' list of the highest earning celebrities.
12. Elton John: $80 million
At 65, Elton John shows no signs of slowing down. He played over 100 shows in the last 12 months and a new album, his 34th, is in the works. The singer's bank balance was also boosted by the success of the animated film 'Gnomeo and Juliet', which he produced.
11. Glenn Beck: $80 million
Glenn Beck isn't well known outside the United States, where the political commentator is a household name for his internet channel and radio show. He rose to fame for airing his controversial views as a daily host of Fox News, which he left in June 2011.
10. Simon Cowell: $90 million
The first series of 'X Factor USA' wasn't the massive success that Simon Cowell hoped, but he earned an estimated $90 million in the last 12 months largely thanks to One Direction, who were discovered on British 'X Factor' and are signed to his label, Syco Records.
9. George Lucas: $90 million
To this day, George Lucas continues to earn massive amounts due to his phenomenally successful 'Star Wars' franchise. But he also lines his pockets via his special effects studio, Industrial Light and Magic, which provided effects for films such as 'The Avengers' and 'Battleship'.
8. James Patterson: $94 million
American author James Patterson made the eighth spot on Forbes' list of high-earning celebrities thanks to his impressive output - he released 14 titles in 2011 alone.
His most famous character, American psychologist Alex Cross, was portrayed by Morgan Freeman in the films 'Kiss the Girls' and 'Along Came a Spider'.
7. Howard Stern: $95 million
Shock jock radio DJ Howard Stern earned most of his millions thanks to his syndicated radio show, but his new role as a judge on 'America's Got Talent' also boosted his bank balance by a reported $15 million.
6. Tyler Perry: $105 million
Tyler Perry does it all - he's an actor, director, screenwriter, playwright and producer. He made his fame and fortune by writing and starring in his own plays and movies and despite remaining largely unknown outside the United States, he raked in $105 million in the last year.
5. Dr Dre: $110 million
Dr Dre's mammoth earnings in the last 12 months don't come from his albums or his work as a producer, but almost entirely from the success of his headphone line, Beats by Dre.
4. Jerry Bruckheimer: $155 million
Jerry Bruckheimer was the man behind 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides', which was one of the highest-grossing films of 2011, racking in $1 billion, making it the most popular film in the Pirates series so far.
3. Steven Spielberg: $130 million
The bulk of Spielberg's earnings comes from residuals from his classic films such as 'Indiana Jones' and 'ET', which continue to be shown all over the world. But he also had success on the big screen with 'War Horse' and on the small screen with 'Smash' and 'Terra Nova'.
2. Michael Bay: $160 million
Director Michael Bay had a very fruitful 12 months thanks to the success of 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon', which made $1.1 billion at the box office. He received a share of the profits and also makes money from Transformer action figures and merchandise.
1. Oprah Winfrey: $165 million
Oprah tops the Forbes list of the highest-earning celebrities, having made $165 million in the year to May 2012. She had a busy 12 months, bowing out from her daily talk show after 25 years and focusing her attention on her cable network, OWN.
Amazingly, the media mogul earned nearly double this amount last year.
source msn
