Will Smith, the black actor who rose from the ranks of rappers to become a Hollywood superstar, is now officially the top-earning star in Tinseltown.

Smith, 39, earned $80 million in the past year to top the list of biggest earners, ahead of Johnny Depp, who earned $72 million.

The continued success of Smith's movies across various genres means he is the first actor ever to have eight films in a row to break the $100 million barrier at the box office.

Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers came in joint third with pay cheques totalling $55 million each, and Leonardo DiCaprio rounded out the top five with $45 million in earnings.

Action star Bruce Willis was next with $41 million, followed by comedian Ben Stiller with $40 million and Nicolas Cage with $31 million. Comedy stars Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler rounded out the top 10, with $31 million and $30 million respectively.