Seinfeld Tops 'Forbes' List
Even Jerry Seinfeld would have to admit that $225 million is a whole lot of "yada, yada, yada," especially for a TV show about nothing.
The popular comedian, whose show Seinfeld completed a highly successful nine-year TV run in May, tops this year's Forbes magazine's list of the 40 highest-paid entertainers.
Larry David, the co-creator of the sitcom with Seinfeld, captured No. 2 on the list with a whopping $200 million - this despite his departure from the show two years ago.
Both benefited from the $1.7 billion sale of the show into syndication, Forbes said in its Sept. 21 issue.
The money from the sale enabled them to unseat director Steven Spielberg. The boss of Dreamworks SKG studio earned $175 million this year on the strength of his critically acclaimed World War II drama Saving Private Ryan.
Oprah Winfrey, who topped the list in 1996, took fourth place with $125 million as her diversification into books and movies solidified her spot as one of entertainment's top moneymakers.
The Oscar-winning movie Titanic, which has generated $2 billion in revenue worldwide, also helped rewrite the list.
Director James Cameron finished fifth, bringing in $115 million, while pop diva Celine Dion grabbed the 12th slot with $55.5 million, helped in part by her Titanic theme song My Heart Will Go On. Lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio eked out a mere $37 million, good enough for 34th.
But film and song don't have the clout of television, and Forbes notes that half of the entertainers ranked in the Top 10 were either stars of TV shows, or their co-creators.
This includes Tim Allen, star and creator of ABC's Home Improvement, who ranks sixth with $77 million. Author Michael Crichton, who helped create the hit NBC show ER, finished in seventh place with $65 million.
Rounding out the Top 10 are:
- Harrison Ford, whose most recent acting role in Seven Days, Six Nights, helped him move up to eighth place at $58 million.
- The Rolling Stones, whose comeback tour brought them $57 million and ninth place.
- Master P, the rapper who parlayed his position as chief executive of No Limit Records into $56.5 million and 10th place.
The list, compiled based on interviews with agents, lawyers and other Hollywood insiders, counts income derived from entertainment alone, and doesn't include any outside investments.
Written By Brad Skillman, AP Business Writer