Comedy reigns supreme for actors looking to make their fortune on TV. Seven of the ten topped paid actors on American TV are best known for their sitcom work.
Ashton Kutcher tops the Forbes list, with earnings of €18 million between June 2012 and June 2013. The actor returned to screens as the replacement for Charlie Sheen (who just makes the top ten himself) on the wildly popular Two and a Half Men. Kutcher's co-star Jon Cryer is in second place, while the 'half' of the title Angus T. Jones makes eighth position with approximately €8.15 million. Jones has recently been 'downgraded' on the show after criticising the show for conflicting with his religious views, suggesting his payday next year will be significantly lower.
Other comedians included on the list include Ray Romano, Neil Patrick Harris and Tim Allen - all of whom feature prominently on current shows as well as earning a steady source of income from the syndication of their earlier programmes. In terms of dramatic actors, Mark Harmon of NCIS, Patrick Dempsey of Grey's Anatomy and Dexter's Michael C. Hall all broke the $10 million mark (approximately €7.4 million). Several of the actors featured supplement their TV income with film roles.
Forbes release separate lists for actors and actresses, as was the case with their film survey earlier this year. Those lists were topped by Robert Downey Jr. and Angelina Jolie, although overall showed major discrepancies between male and female earnings.
You can see the full top ten list below, with dollar earnings adjusted to Euro.
1. Ashton Kutcher - €18 million
2. Jon Cryer - €15.6 million
3. Ray Romano - €11.9 million
4. Neil Patrick Harris - €11.1 million
5. Mark Harmon - €11.1 million
6. Patrick Dempsey - €9.6 million
7. Angus T. Jones - €8.15 million
8. Tim Allen - €8.15 million
9. Michael C. Hall - €7.4 million
10. Charlie Sheen - €7.4 million
