Sir Anthony Hopkins raked in £19 million last year, earning him the title of highest paid British entertainer according to a newly compiled rich list. The Oscar winner’s financial triumph is due in no small part to the success of Hannibal, which generated a whopping £117 million at the US box office alone and placed him firmly ahead of the glamorous Catherine Zeta-Jones and AI heart-throb Jude Law, who earned £5.5 million and £4 million, respectively.
Acid-tongued TV presenter Anne Robinson, whose The Weakest Link was a major hit across the pond this year, came in at number five with £6.5 million, easily outpacing her Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? rival Chris Tarrant, who earned a comparatively paltry £3.5. And, with the release of her tell-all Memoirs Of An Unfit Mother, Anne looks set to add to her riches.
Other notable entries on the show biz list include Moulin Rouge star Ewan McGregor, whose £5 million was enough for seventh place. Liz Hurley came it at number 11 with just less than £4 million, while her former paramour and Bridget Jones’s Diary cad Hugh Grant deposited £2 million to place 19 on the list.
On the sports list, heavyweight boxing champ Lennox Lewis easily punched his way to number one, scoring £16 million. His closest rival was Manchester United hunk David Beckham, whose footie earnings and lucrative endorsement deals brought in £6.5 million. Formula One driver and notorious playboy Eddie Irvine clocked in at number three with £6 million.
Celebrated Liverpool star Michael Owen was number seven on the sportsmen list with £4.65 million. His recent triumph with the England team has considerably upped his profile, however, and he’ll likely jump ahead in next year’s poll.
The £4 million earned by much-talked-about driver David Coulthard was enough to secure ninth place, and tennis ace Tim Henman, who lost to Wimbledon victor Goran Ivanisevic in the famed tournament’s semi-final, was placed at number 20 with £2.8 million.
The list, compiled by The Sunday Times, examines earnings over the last 12 months.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
