Spielberg, Lucas Are Hollywood's Richest Men
George Lucas and Steven Spielberg
Hollywood's richest men have Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to thank.
George Lucas, who earned $170 million in 2008, and his Indy co-producer Steven Spielberg ($150 million), top Forbes' first list of the 15 highest-earning men in entertainment. Their Crystal Skull star Harrison Ford, who reportedly negotiated for a healthy chunk of the film's back-end profits, earned $65 million, which was enough to land him at No. 11 on the list.
TV and movie producers occupied many prominent spots on the list, including Jerry Bruckheimer (No. 3, $100 million), Tyler Perry (No. 6, $75 million), Dick Wolf (No. 7, $75 million) and Simon Cowell (No. 8, $75 million). Musicians Bruce Springsteen (No. 9, $70 million) and Kenny Chesney (No. 12, $65 million), buoyed by tour revenues, made the cut. Seinfeld co-creators Jerry Seinfeld (No. 4, $85 million) and Larry David (No. 15, $55 million) prove that syndication is forever, and that they are still the masters of their financial domain.
Rounding out the list are Oprah protégée Dr. Phil McGraw (No. 5, $80 million), radio shock jock Howard Stern (No. 10, $70 million), mystery writer James Patterson (No. 13, $60 million), and actor-producer Adam Sandler (No. 14, $55 million).
In a shocking twist of events, I did not make the list.
