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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Beckhams ranked fifth richest Hollywood couple by Forbes with £28m annual fortune... as Beyoncé and Jay-Z top list

By Ben Todd

Rolling in it: David and Victoria Beckham, pictured in December, have been ranked as the fifth richest Hollywood couple by Forbes after earning £28m last year


We all look forward to pay day, but perhaps not as much as David and Victoria Beckham.

The glamorous couple earned £28million last year, according to financial bible Forbes.

That's £76,700 every day of the year. Or £3,200 an hour. Or . . . well, you get the point.

But in findings that could have Mrs Beckham, 35, changing her New Year's resolution to 'must do better', their income was enough for only fifth place on the magazine's Hollywood Power Couple list - down from the third spot with £35million the previous year.

And if proof was needed that money can't buy you everything, the figures were released as Mrs Beckham was savaged by U.S. TV critics after making her debut as a judge on American Idol.


Tinseltown's top earners: First place went to Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z, who topped the magazine's list with £75m between them


The Los Angeles Times said she was the 'night's saddest failure', while influential New York newspaper The Village Voice's blog was equally cutting, saying: 'I always thought a British accent made people sound smart but I guess I was wrong'.

The majority of the Beckhams' £28million came from 34-year-old David, who was paid by both Los Angeles Galaxy and loan team AC Milan during the period.


Nice little earner: In second place were Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart (left) who raked in £43m while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie came in third with £34m


They are Britain's only entry in the list, but lag well behind pop star Beyoncé Knowles, 28, and her hip-hop mogul husband Jay-Z, 40, in the Top-Earning Couples list.

The duo earned a staggering £75million between them. Beyoncé picked up the lion's share, earning £54million.

Harrison Ford, 67, and his partner Calista Flockhart, 45, were second with £43million, but virtually all of that came from Ford reprising his role of Indiana Jones.


Counting the cash: Will Smith and wife Jada Pinkett Smith, pictured here with son Jaden in 2007, came fourth with £30million


In The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, Ford and fellow producers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas made a deal with Paramount that gave them a portion of the film's earnings after the studio broke even.

As a result, Ford earned £40million for one film.

Celebrity magazine favourites Brad Pitt, 46, and Angelina Jolie, 34, were third on £34million.

Pitt had one of the biggest hits of his career last year with The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, while Miss Jolie had a hit with 2008's Wanted.

Will Smith, 41, and Jada Pinkett Smith, 38, sneaked in ahead of the Beckhams with £30million.

Despite the global recession, Smith can still command £12.5million a film, while his wife was the voice of Gloria in the popular Madagascar films and last year produced The Secret Life Of Bees.


Lifestyles of the rich and famous: The Beckhams and the Smiths, seen here with Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise in 2007, who made it into the top 10


The Smiths would earn even more if they included their offspring's pay cheques.
Daughter Willow, nine, appeared in I Am Legend with her father and did voice work on Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.

Son Jaden, 11, co-starred with his father in The Pursuit Of Happiness and will star in the upcoming remake of The Karate Kid.

The list includes sportsmen, actors, musicians and athletes, and figures are based on earnings between June 2008 and June 2009.


source: dailymail