Robert Downey Jr. Tops List Of Hollywood’s Best Paid Actors

Forbes magazine has come out with the annual list of best paid Hollywood actors and Robert Downey Jr. sits on top comfortably.

The 48-year-old actor starred in the mega blockbuster franchise Iron Man 3 earlier this year playing playboy billionaire Tony Stark in the series.

Downey Jr. earned $75 million before taxes and considering that The Avengers and Iron Man 3 made about $1 billion, it shouldn’t come as a surprise since the actor received ticket commissions plus a large salary for both films.

The actor didn’t make the top 10 in 2012, the honors fell to Tom Cruise who earned the exact same amount as Downey Jr. did this year. RDJ made the list for the first time in 2011, coming in at $31 million. That year Leonardo DiCaprio topped the list with $77 million for his films Inception and Shutter Island.

Downey Jr. has signed up for two more Avengers films, the first of which will hit theaters in 2015.

For Robert Downey Jr. it wasn’t always this easy, he used to be a drug addict and had a stint in jail during the 1990s, famously wearing the orange jumpsuit. He was considered damaged goods and productions companies steered clear from hiring him.

Many in his position have not survived including Heath Ledger and most recently Cory Monteith who died of an apparent drug overdose.

But Downey Jr. prevailed, he went to rehab and cleaned up and now sits on top of the list of wealthiest Hollywood stars according to Forbes.

The information for the list comes from talking to agents, producers, managers, and others in the business and earnings between June of one year to June of the next are estimated.

What do you think of Robert Downey Jr. place on top of Forbes list?