Big bucks ... no wonder Cameron Diaz is smiling / AFP
Hollywood's 10 top-earning actresses collectively banked $277.24 million for the 12 months until June 1, 2008, according to Forbes magazine's first rich actress report.
Australian stars Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Naomi Watts missed out on making the cut.
Diaz's main earnings came from her lucrative re-occurring role as princess-turned-ogre in the Shrek animated franchise, with a fourth installment in the series on the way.
The actress also starred in the comedy What Happens in Vegas and nabbed large pay cheques for her role in the adaptation of best-selling novel My Sister's Keeper.
While movie and television roles are major money-spinners for Tinseltown's A-list actresses, product endorsements and fashion deals are huge salary boosters for the big screen's most beautiful bombshells.
Coming second on the list was British actress Keira Knightley, who earned $36.29 million from starring roles in films including Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Atonement, as well as being the face in a series of racy ads for Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle perfume.
Former Friends star Jennifer Aniston earned $30.62 million, with starring roles in the family comedy Marley & Me and the ensemble romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You.
Her income was boosted by payments from the syndication of Friends and lucrative endorsement deals for Smartwater and Heineken.
Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow tied for fourth place on the list, each banking $28.51 million during the year.
Witherspoon will star opposite funnyman Vince Vaughn in big-budget Four Christmases and the mother-of-two also landed a three-year contract worth an estimated $34.22 million to be the first "global ambassador" of Avon cosmetics.
After a series of indie flicks and some time off with her two children, Paltrow scored big with her leading lady role opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the summer blockbuster, Iron Man, which has earned a whopping $647.81 million at the worldwide box office.
Another moneymaker for Paltrow was a multi-year contract as spokeswoman for cosmetics giant Estee Lauder.
"Years ago, endorsing a product was considered something a movie actress shouldn't do," Paltrow recently told a US newspaper.
"But now having a contract is almost like a status symbol."
Filling out the top ten were Jodie Foster, Sarah Jessica Parker, Meryl Streep, Enchanted star Amy Adams and Angelina Jolie.
Kidman has previously featured high in the rankings in other Forbes money surveys.
In January last year, Forbes magazine ranked Kidman the 18th highest-paid female entertainer in the US, estimating her net worth at $65 million.
But last August, Forbes' first Ultimate Star Payback survey - where an actor's earnings are measured against what they generate at the box office - suggested Kidman was "wildly overpaid", with several of her films tanking in ticket sales.
In June last year, Blanchett was ranked 63rd on the Forbes' 100 most influential celebrity list - which ranked entertainment industry names based on earnings, internet hits and media coverage - with the Elizabeth star earning $15.5 million.
Though the actresses earnings were impressive in the list released yesterday, they were still much lower than those for top-earning male actors.
According to a recently published Forbes list, Will Smith was the top earner with $90.71 million, followed by Johnny Depp with $81.64 million and Shrek co-stars Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers, who tied for third place with $62.37 million.
Diaz's earnings put her ahead of Leondardo DiCaprio, who came in fifth on the men's list with earnings of $51.32 million.
Tune into the Top 40 music videos and tracks.
Countdown to Take 40's Top 40 videos and tracks or check out the selection of playlists on offer
Have your say!
Add your comments or
read what others are saying