List of Best Paid Actors for 2014

(photo: Edgar Meritano) Marvel has been accused of being stingy when it comes to paying the stars of its blockbuster superhero movies. But the studio (owned by Disney) is plenty generous when it comes to Downey. As Iron Man, he's been the driving force behind four of Marvel's biggest hits, including "The Avengers" which is the third highest-grossing movie of all time.

(photo: Eva Rinaldi) With ensemble movies like "G.I. Joe" and "Fast and Furious," Johnson has transcended his wrestling days to become a true movie star. Now he's graduated to leading man. With "Hercules" and 2015's earthquake disaster film "San Andreas," The Rock is carrying movies on his sizable shoulders.

(photo: jdeeringdavis) Cooper's ability to balance large and small movies lands him on our Celebrity 100 for the first time this year. His work in the lucrative "Hangover" franchise has given him the ability to take risks with smaller films like "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle."

(photo: Christopher William Adach) It's hard to imagine now, but "The Wolf of Wall Street" was a risk for DiCaprio. The actor had to agree to cut his upfront fee in order to get the Martin Scorsese film made. Five Oscar nominations (including for Best Actor) and $395 million later, it looks like "Wolf" was yet another good bet for the actor.

(photo: Benjamin Ellis) The actor category is one of the toughest on the Celebrity 100 and despite earning millions, Hemsworth just failed to make the cut. The "Thor" star isn't resting on his Marvel laurels. Look for him in movies like the upcoming "Cyber" about high-level hacking.

(photo: Karen Seto) When Hollywood needs an actor with a certain set of skills, they turn to Neeson. With "Taken 3" on the horizon, Neeson still makes plenty of money. He just didn't have the fame numbers to rank on our Celebrity 100 this year.

(photo: Gage Skidmore) Poor Ben Affleck. When Warner Bros. announced that the actor would be stepping into Batman's famous shoes, the Internet turned against him heckling the actor as completely unworthy of the role most lately made famous by Christian Bale. But Affleck might have the last laugh.

(photo: Siebbi) Bale has successfully moved on from playing Batman. He earned his second Oscar nomination this year for "American Hustle" and up next he's playing Moses in a big-budget version of the Bible tale -- "Exodus" from director Ridley Scott.

Studios still pay Will Smith top dollar to star in their blockbusters because even when he misfires, he still brings in a huge fan base. Smith's latest film, "After Earth," barely registered in the U.S. earning only $60 million. But it did better overseas bringing in $183 million or 75% of its total global box office.

(photo: Eva Rinaldi) Wahlberg is still collecting money from 2012's "Ted." The raunchy comedy earned $550 million in theaters on a $50 million budget. This year he showed his more serious side with "Lone Survivor." The $40 million movie brought in a healthy $150 million at the global box office.