The top 10 celebrities earning the most in the past year are not necessarily who you might think.
According to research by the US Forbes magazine, these are the bankers in the entertainment world who can be relied upon to put bums on seats and downloads on computers:
- Oprah Winfrey – Chat show host, media magnate and business women Winfrey tops the list for the fifth time
- Lady Gaga – Despite staying off-stage due to a hip injury, Gaga still garnered $80 million over the last 12 months
- Steven Spielberg – The evergreen director climbs seven places from outside the top 10 last year thanks to the success of Hollywood blockbuster Lincoln
- Beyonce Knowles – A world tour and millions earned promoting Pepsi and the H&M fashion chain bounced Beyonce to near the top of the list
- Madonna – The Material Girl returns after two-years in the wilderness as 2013’s biggest earner with $125 million banked
- Taylor Swift – The album Red sold 1.2 million copies in the first seven days after release and she’s in-demand from advertisers. At 23, Swift joins the list for the fifth time
- Bon Jovi – The New Jersey band are rocking on. Their latest stadium tour grossed $3 million a night
- Roger Federer – Federer has ten ace sponsors that pay him more than $40 million a year in total
- Justin Bieber – The youngest celeb on the list, Bieber thrives from a huge social-networking presence
- Ellen DeGeneres – The popular TV host and comedienne won an Emmy as well this year
Madonna clawed her way back into the top 10 after a five year absence. Now 55, the singer has proved she really is a material girl earning $125 million from the gruelling MDNA tour that grossed more than $300 million.
Rising and falling stars
A big surprise is tennis player Roger Federer, who raked in more cash than US soccer sensation David Beckham and a host of baseball, basketball and American football stars.
Forbes puts a top 100 celebrity rich list together every year, based on figures provided from agents, managers and other showbiz sources to estimate earnings.
The figures are gross, so do not include tax or other business expenses.
On the rise is 50 Shades of Grey author EL James, who is said to have earned around $95 million from her spicy trilogy, and the man most people love to hate on TV, Simon Cowell.