LOS ANGELES — Rapper-turned-actor Mark Wahlberg was named the world’s highest paid actor on Tuesday, earning an estimated US$68 million before taxes over the past 12 months.

The 46-year-old star won his place at the top of the list compiled by Forbes magazine, thanks to earnings from Transformers: The Last Knight and comedy sequel Daddy’s Home 2, due out in November.

"The former may have scored a miserable 15 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the lowest gross of the franchise to date, but Wahlberg need not worry – fixed compensation means he benefits even when movies don’t do well," said Forbes.

Dwayne Johnson, who placed first in 2016, is in second place with $65 million, after starring in the big screen reboot of lifeguard action-comedy Baywatch and starring in HBO comedy Ballers.

The former wrestler appears in fantasy adventure remake Jumanji in December and Rampage, a monster movie based on the 1980s arcade game, in April next year.

The top ten men continue to out-earn their female counterparts by a huge margin – $488.5 million compared with just $172.5 million – a disparity Forbes attributed in part to the preponderance of superhero movies and action blockbusters that offer few starring roles for women.

Oscar-winning Emma Stone, 28, topped the list of actresses published last week with a relatively modest $26 million.

Research by the University of Southern California’s journalism school found last year that women comprise just 28.7 per cent of all speaking roles in Hollywood.

Vin Diesel, who co-stars with Johnson in the Fast and Furious franchise, came in third on men’s list with $54.5 million, just ahead of comedy actor Adam Sandler, who made $50.5 million, largely because of a deal with Netflix that allows him to produce his own movies.

Rounding out the top five is Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, still hugely popular in China, who made $49.5 million over the last 12 months.

Robert Downey Jr., Tom Cruise and Bollywood kings Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar rounded out the top ten. — AFP