Tom Cruise: Tops Forbes' highest-paid actor list of 2012

Tom Cruise: Tops Forbes' highest-paid actor list of 2012

Tom Cruise, who is currently in the process of divorcing wife Katie Holmes, earned $75 million (£48 million) between May 2011 and May 2012 thanks to his involvement in last year's box office hit Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

The star is $38 million ahead of his closest rivals, last year's winner Leonardo DiCaprio and Adam Sandler, who tied in second place with earnings of $37 million over the last three months.

Another star Dwayne Johnson's franchise success in Fast Five and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island places him in fourth place with $36 million, while comedy star Ben Stiller's upcoming roles in The Watch and the Madagascar sequel put him in fifth place.

Johnny Depp, Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Smith all pocketed $30 million to share sixth spot ahead of Contraband and Ted star Mark Wahlberg.

Actor Taylor Lautner's involvement in the Twilight franchise and his leading man role in Abduction put him in tenth place with $26.5 million.

The winner of 2012, Cruise, has two high-profile releases in the pipeline for the next 12 months: Jack Reacher and the science fiction movie Oblivion.