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May 18, 2013

The Top 10 Highest Paid Actors on TV

by Chris Harnick, posted Oct 12th 2011 5:15PM

The Top 10 Highest Paid Actors on TVIt's no secret that being on TV can be a very well-paying gig, but do you know just how much some of your favorite actors are making?

Forbes has released its annual list of the Top 10 highest paid actors on TV and the usual suspects -- Charlie Sheen, Hugh Laurie, Ray Romano -- are still present. However, some of these actors have already left their TV homes, and others might not have shows to pay them after this year.

Sheen's off 'Two and a Half Men' and production on his new sitcom has yet to begin, Romano's 'Men of a Certain Age' was canceled and it's looking like this could possibly be the last seasons for 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'House.'

In September, the names of the highest paid actresses came out. When you compare the lists, you'll not-so-shockingly see there's quite a difference in what the two genders command -- $40 million versus $13 million a year. But, we've seen a shift this season: Audiences are flocking to female-driven shows like 'New Girl' and '2 Broke Girls.' Come next year, the wages on the two lists may look very similar.

Before you check out the list, remember Forbes also took into account movie deals, product endorsements and back-end profits when applicable.

The Top 10 Highest Paid Actors on TV

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Conni T

Of all the actors listed, I think Ray Romano is the least deserving. He was the least funny character on his hit show -- could never match for the rest of the cast. Christopher Meloni and Hugh Laurie do not belong in the last two spots -- they are fantastic actors! Mark Harmon, on the other hand, deserves to be ahead of Steve Carell and Ray Romano. Charlie Sheen was good in his day, but he made himself 'ugly' by his high demands.

November 07 2011 at 1:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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October 31 2011 at 5:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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October 31 2011 at 4:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
ainpchnts

Yes, I agree Mark Harmon does deserve to be paid the most money. He is one of the best actors there ever was, or will be. He deserves to be recognized from the television industry for all the things he has done. One award that he should have had a long time ago is the lifetime Achievement Award.

October 17 2011 at 1:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bianca

I also want to note that Chris Meloni made a million less than his female costar, Mariska Hagartiay, despite the fact that they both carried L&O:SVU. I was totally expecting a "most favored nations" deal there.

October 16 2011 at 2:55 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bianca

Well, if you consider that the top 3 highest paid actors are no longer on TV: a) Mark Harmon deserves to be the highest paid current actor, since NCIS is the highest rated scripted TV series and he is a true leader, and b) he earns the same amount as Tina Fey, the highest paid actress and a true leader on a moderately rated show, the gender imbalance is not so offensive. Now if it's true that Ashton Kutcher's salary is even close to Romano's I will cry grave injustice. I've also figured out why Men of a Certain Age was canceled, despite it's critical acclaim. If Ray Romano's salary were just half that, it probably would have made it at least another season.

October 16 2011 at 2:49 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Robin

What show was Romano making $20 million for? Was it Men of a Certain Age?

October 16 2011 at 1:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Roberta Waker

Fishburne is definitely overpaid and we're happy he's gone from CSI - now if they will just get rid of Danson it might be worth watching again. As for Sheen, the people that paid him $40 mil must be nuts - you can hire FOUR actors that are better for that kind of money. The rest are all boring like most soap operas. Too bad they can't come up with some original ideas for new shows and new actors to become stars. We can only hope.

October 13 2011 at 9:33 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Roberta Waker's comment
DL

I actually really like Danson on CSI. He brings a kooky quirky aspect that's been sorely missing since Bill Petersen's departure. He reminds me of the old days of CSI that I loved so much. I just don't think they needed to add the character of Ecklie's daughter Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois). If anything they should've brought back Liz Vassey as Wendy and had her character finally be a field CSI.

October 16 2011 at 3:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dexter Morgan

WOW..all lame network shows....

don't watch any of them.... and the ones i watched for awhile.....SHUT them down out of either... boredom or annoyance...

NCIS...annoyed to da max with DeBOZO
House...annoyed with his crapola
Greys...annoyed and bored...HATED every character
L&O......bored...just lost interest
The Office...annoyed......Hated the Carrell and Helms characters
CSI...no Peterson...seeya later

October 12 2011 at 7:31 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
Kathy

Remember when high paid actors were good looking? There are an awful lot of wrinkles in these pictures.

October 12 2011 at 6:13 PM Report abuse -4 rate up rate down Reply
4 replies to Kathy's comment

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