The Top-Earning African-American Stars

Ale · February 4, 2008

Will Smith

$31 million

One of Hollywood's most reliable box office openers, Smith, 39, earns upward of $20 million per film, plus a coveted stake of the film's grosses. No small thing--his last three films have been among the years' top grossing worldwide. Next up: This summer's action comedy Hancock, about a down-and-out superhero.

Lea Goldman 02.04.08, 4:00 PM ET

Just 15 years old and already winner of six junior championships, a young Tiger Woods told a magazine reporter in 1991, "I'm not out just to be the best black player. I want to be the best golfer ever."

Mission accomplished. Today Woods, 32, is ranked at the top of the sport, with 13 major championship wins under his belt. Between June 2006 and June 2007, Woods banked $100 million, more than any athlete in history. He is an endorsement darling, flashing that mega-watt smile for Gilette, General Motors (nyse: GM - news - people ) and, of course, Nike (nyse: NKE - news - people ). Presuming he continues to dominate the green, Forbes estimates that Woods will become the world's first sports billionaire within a decade.

He ranks No. 2 on Forbes' list of the Top-Earning African-American Stars, behind media queen Oprah Winfrey. Between June 2006 and June 2007, Winfrey, 54, pocketed $260 million. That astonishing salary--it works out to some $712,000 a day--crowns her not just the nation's top-earning African-American, but also the highest-paid entertainer in Tinseltown, black or white.

Worth $2.5 billion at last check, Winfrey enjoys revenues from a string of successful enterprises, including her long-running daytime talk show (and stakes in chat-fest protégées Dr. Phil and Rachael Ray), magazine, satellite radio channel and Broadway show ("The Color Purple"). In January she announced the creation of her own eponymous network, a partnership with Discovery Communications, a unit of Disovery Holding Co., slated to debut late next year.

All the entertainers on the list are the best in their respective businesses. Will Smith, who collected $31 million, is arguably Hollywood's most reliable box office opener. His latest flick, the apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend, has to date grossed $542 million, making it the seventh-highest grossing film on the planet last year. Smith, 39, commands a hefty $20 million paycheck per film, plus a chunk of the box office grosses.

With 10 Billboard-topping albums, rapper-turned-mogul Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter ranks second alongside Elvis Presley as having the most No. 1 albums in history. (The Beatles have the most.) And five years after he was the first overall NBA draft pick, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, 23, has already racked up an astonishing list of record titles: youngest player ever named Rookie of the Year; and youngest player to score 2,000 points in a season, among many other superlatives.

This list is a snapshot of a 12-month period ending June 1, 2007. Following that date, once Forbes had closed the books on its valuations, Coca-Cola (nyse: KO - news - people ) acquired SmartWater for $4.2 billion. Rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson smartly traded his endorsement services for a small stake in the niche beverage company. (There's even a 50 Cent-branded energy drink called Formula 50.) His take: $100 million.

In July, Dwight Freeney, 27, became the highest-paid defensive player in football with a six-year, $72 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts, of which $30 million was paid upfront. Boxer Floyd Mayweather enjoyed his best year ever. He collected a total of $50 million for his May and December fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, respectively.

http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/02/04/...blackstars.html

Edited February 4, 2008 by Ale