Dwayne Johnson named Forbes' highest-paid actor for 2019
Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Dwayne Johnson has been deemed the world's highest paid actor by Forbes for 2019 ahead of Avengers stars Chris Hemsworth and Robert Downey Jr.
Johnson earned $89.4 million in pretax earnings from June 2018 to June 2019 due to his upfront salary for sequel Jumanji: The Next Level, his role on HBO's Ballers, royalties from his Under Armour line of clothing and from earning a cut of the profit from films such as Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.
In second place is Thor actor Hemsworth with $76.4 million due in part to earning a cut from the profits of Avengers: Endgame. The same film helped Iron Man actor Downey get in third place with $66 million.
Rounding out the rest of the Top 10 is Bollywood star Akshay Kumar ($65 million), Jackie Chan ($58 million), Bradley Cooper ($57 million), Adam Sandler ($57 million), Chris Evans ($43.5 million), Paul Rudd ($41 million) and Will Smith ($35 million).
George Clooney topped the list last year with $239 million due to his lucrative business venture with tequila company Casamigos.
Taylor Swift, in July, was named the highest paid entertainer for 2019 having earned $185 million over the past year from her Reputation world tour, deal with Netflix to air a tour special, endorsement deals with Apple, AT&T and Diet Coke and new record deal with Republic Records and Universal Music Group.