Categories to judge top ranking Hollywood superstars vary from annual earnings through films to performances in front of the camera. Hollywood success stories have since decades been judged on the basis of dollars earned per film or the number of Academy Awards, Golden Globes' and BAFTAs won! In Hollywood, top celebrities could either be the richest, most brilliant or well endowed; either way 2011 is proof, that making your way to the top is one thing, staying number one is another and falling down and rising back to top 10 with scrapped knees is the real showcase of courage and exceptional talent.
The year, 2011 saw older and much more experienced film makers and celebrities bag higher ratings and maximum moolah, leaving no chance for newbies. The reasons for this include the number of sequels generated this year. Directors and actors Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Anniston, Christopher Nolan, Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey Jr., all who are amongst the richest Hollywood celebrities this year took a step up after serving in highly acclaimed part twos, threes and fours and stood their ground in the top 10 Hollywood celebs of 2011.
In 2011, the richest celebrities, also regarded as Rank #1s of Hollywood, include Jerry Bruckheimer of Pirates fame, Robert Downey Jr, Tim Burton, Todd Philips and Adam Sandler.
Through the year, the list of richest Hollywood superstars found Eddie Murphy, actor of 'A Thousand Words' annual earning to reach up to $13 million, Director Guy Ritchie $13.5 million, Tom Cruise, of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol fame earning $16 million and Hugh Jackman and Owen Wilson at $ 19 million each.
Stars that weren't on any of the top lists earlier in 2010 made it to the 2011 top celebs list, this year. These include, Katherine Heigl earning $16 million and older actors like Vin Diesel and Daniel Craig at $18 million each.
A new category of super stars that have had their claim to fame in 2011 are the child actors who are not so little anymore. These include Abigail Breslin, Emma Watson, Taylor Lautner, Vanessa Hudgens, Hillary Duff and Miley Cyrus. As child actors, these stars were regarded as the richest children in Hollywood, however, now post 18 and seeking leading and supporting roles in films like The Vow and The Twilight Saga, 2011 these actors make no less than $ 12 million per year.
Well! All said and done, the 'money ain't maketh the man', and audiences across the globe even today crave for a Morgan Freeman or a Merlyn Streep performance even though they are not the highest paid actors. This definitely suggests the need for exceptional talent that Hollywood celebrities are required to showcase and maintain.
In a very surprising yet, well know manner several celebrities have stayed all the list of top Hollywood celebrities since their first film. One such actor is Tom Cruise, who was in the list of top 10 actors when he had acted in Top Gun in 1986 and he still is after Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, 2011. Other consistent celebrities who have kept their ranking in the top 50 Hollywood stars include Will Smith, Owen Wilson, Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Cage and Brian Grazer who all range between $20 and 25 million as their 2011 earnings.
In terms of exceptional performances, 2011 has been a mix of old talents and fresh faces with Steven Speilberg as Director for Warhorse and The Adventures of Tin Tin, Brad Pitt in Moneyball, George Clooney in The Descendants and The Ideas of march and Daniel Craig in The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo.
At Number 1, for Hollywood’s most loved and awaited Director stands Christopher Nolan of The Dark Knight Rises. Actors such as Lionardo DiCaprio, who now charges $70 million per film, forever exist on Hollywood’s best celebrity lists, and even only one film, J. Edgar through 2011 drastically increases their ratings. At Number 1, for Hollywood’s best actor stands Caprio.
Hollywood 2012 seems to be a year where every top 2011 actor and film maker is only going to find themselves in thicker friendships, competition and more money, with film payments for stars gong up to $100 million per film!