Robert Downey Jr. named world's highest paid actor for third year in row after £50m salary

Robert Downey Jr. has raked in millions thanks to his Avengers role

HOLLYWOOD icon Robert Downey Jr. has topped Forbes list of the world's highest-paid actors for the third time in a row.

 

The 50-year-old Iron Man star pocketed $80million (£51,377) last year thanks to the popularity of his blockbusters such as The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

The Marvel superhero flick grossed $1.39billion worldwide, but experienced particular success thanks to the Chinese market with their box offices raking in $240million.

 

Robert's mind-boggling earnings were thanks to a profit-share deal that gave him a proportion of the Avengers riches, as well as a reported $40million for playing Iron Man once more in upcoming film Captain America: Civil War. 

 

Robert's had shares in the profits of Avengers: Age of Ultron

 

Jackie Chan and Vin Diesel came second and third on the rich list

Chinese action legend Jackie Chan, 61, was the second highest paid male with $50million thanks to his role in Dragon Blade, and Vin Diesel came up third after his $47million payday from the Fast and Furious franchise.

 

Among the ranks were Bradley Cooper, Adam Sandler and Tom Cruise while a slew of Bollywood talent made the rich list for the first time after Forbes examined international markets.

Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan shared the seventh place after they both earned $33.5 million, shortly followed by Akshay Kumar who netted $32.5 million.

The tenth on the list was Ted 2 star Mark Wahlberg who took home $32million over the past year, followed by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio who narrowly missed out on the top 10.

Daniel Craig, known for his portrayal of James Bond, bagged the 15th spot, which he shared with Australian-born Chris Hemsworth, recognised for his roles in Thor and Avengers. 

 

"From Hollywood to Hong Kong and Bollywood, the ranking examines international stars' earnings for the first truly global dollar tally of film's flushest stars," Forbes wrote. 

"Though we have long looked at foreign actors starring in the US films - Irishman Liam Neeson, Brit Daniel Craig and Australian Hugh Jackman have all made the Highest-Paid Actors list previously - we have never examined those working solely in international movie industries."

The full list includes 33 actors from seven countries.

Together they earned a combined $877 million before taxes and fees.