Australian actor Chris Hemsworth has made it into the Forbes highest paid actors list for 2014.

The leading man in Thor: The Dark World and Rush, and brother of Hunger Games star Liam, is estimated to have earned $US39.5 million from his films this past year, placing him at number five on annual the list.

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Robert Downey Jr, the star of superhero film franchises Iron Man and The Avengers, is Hollywood’s highest-paid actor for the second consecutive year.

His estimated earnings from June 2013 to June 2014 were $US80 million, according to Forbes.com.

The 49-year-old star made most of his money from Iron Man 3, which made $US1.28 billion at the box office.

“As Iron Man, he’s the driving force behind four of Marvel’s biggest hits, including The Avengers,” Forbes.com said.

 Top 10 highest-earning actors

1. Robert Downey Jr ($US80m)
2. Dwayne Johnson ($US55.5m)
3. Bradley Cooper ($US49m)
4. Leonardo DiCaprio ($US41.6m)
5. Chris Hemsworth ($US39.5m)
6. Liam Neeson ($US38.4m)
7. Ben Affleck ($US37.3m)
8. Christian Bale ($US37.3m)
9. Will Smith ($US34.2m)
10. Mark Wahlberg ($US34.2m)

Former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, 42, who starred in GI Joe: Retaliation, and the Fast and Furious films jumped into second place this year from fifth in 2013, with earnings of $US55.5 million.

He was followed by the star of The Hangover films Bradley Cooper, 39, with $US49 million.

Cooper’s lucrative work in The Hangover franchise “has given him the ability to take risks with smaller films like Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle,” Forbes said.

Fourth in the list was the star of The Wolf of Wall Street and The Great Gatsby, Leonardo DiCaprio, 39, who earned $US41.6 million from his two hit films.

The Wolf of Wall Street made $US422 million worldwide and Gatsby, directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann, took $US375 million globally.

US actor Mark Wahlberg, 43, who was in fourth place last year thanks to the comedy hit Ted, slid down the rankings this year with an estimated $34 million.

Forbes.com compiles the rankings and estimated earnings by talking to managers, producers and agents.