Richest Hollywood Actor

In Hollywood, you always have to expect the unexpected.

An A-list celebrity could become a nobody in a year, and that nobody from a year ago could be the coolest thing since sliced bread now (funny how that works). But the guys who stick around and make a name for themselves rack in some major millions.

Forbes has released their list of the five highest-paid actors in the past year. Can you guess who made the cut?

Let's count 'em down and see what they made:

5. Tom Hanks ($35 million): 
Born in California, Tom Hanks grew up in what he calls a "fractured" family. His parents were pioneers in the development of marriage dissolution law in that state, and Tom moved around a lot, living with a succession of step-families. No problems, no abuse, no alcoholism - just a confused childhood. He had no acting experience in college and, in fact, credits the fact that he couldn't get cast in a college play with actually starting his career.

Hanks' latest film, Larry Crowne, didn't do his career justice, earning less than $100 million. But the actor still makes some serious bucks from voicing Woody in Toy Story. The franchise's third film was the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Hanks next project is starring opposite Sandra Bullock in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

4. Will Smith ($36 million): 
Born Willard Christopher Smith Jr on October 25th, 1968, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Smith grew up amidst the middle-classes, his mother serving on the school board and his father owning a refrigeration company, installing and maintaining freezer cabinets in supermarkets. The second of four children (the younger Harry and Ellen are twins), Will was a bright child, constantly playing upon his natural charm, a habit which, at Philly's legendary Overbrook High School, earned him the nickname Prince (he'd also star at the city's Julia Reynolds Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School). His upbringing would see him experience many different social circles.

Lately, Smith has put his own career on the back burner in order to focus on his children's budding careers. He produced The Karate Kid, which starred son Jaden, and is developing a remake of Annie for daughter Willow. Smith did however pick up a nice big paycheck this year for Men in Black III, slated for a May 2012 release.

3. Adam Sandler ($40 million): 
He was born Adam Richard Sandler on the 9th of September, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, the third of four kids. His dad, Stanley, was an engineer, while his mother, Judy, was a homemaker, looking after Scott (now a lawyer), Elizabeth (a dentist), Adam and Valerie (a restauranteur). While Adam was still young, they moved north, to Manchester, New Hampshire.

While he brings on the laughs, he's laughing all the way to the bank. Sandler's films may not be a critic's fave, but his most recent film, Just Go With It, earned $214 million at the global box office.

2. Johnny Depp ($50 million): 
Born John Christopher Depp in Owensboro, Kentucky, on June 9, 1963, Johnny Depp was raised in Florida. He dropped out of school at age 15 in the hopes of becoming a rock musician. He fronted a series of garage bands including The Kids, which once opened for Iggy Pop. Depp got into acting after a visit to Los Angeles, California, with his former wife, Lori Anne Allison (Lori A. Depp), who introduced him to actor Nicolas Cage.

Depp came in first on this list last year, but got knocked down this time around. He is known for putting his own quirky, and sometimes scary, spin on every role. Whether he's tackling an animated film or being a drunk, hot pirate, his movies bring in the cash. Depp's next role is in Dark Shadows, directed by, you guessed it, Tim Burton.

1. Leonardo DiCaprio ($77 million): 
Few actors in the world have had a career quite as diverse as Leonardo DiCaprio's. DiCaprio has gone from relatively humble beginnings, as a supporting cast member of the sitcom "Growing Pains" (1985) and low budget horror movies, such as Critters 3 (1991), to a major teenage heart-throb in the 1990s, as the hunky lead actor in movies such as Romeo + Juliet (1996) and Titanic (1997), to then become a leading man in Hollywood blockbusters, made by internationally renowned directors such as Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan. But such a rich, varied career is what you would expect from someone who has had such an unusual upbring as DiCaprio.

The actor shot up to the top from last year's No. 5 ranking. Between Shutter Island and Inception, DiCaprio had an excellent 2010. Aside from creating buzz because of his romantic life with Blake Lively, this year he'll star in J. Edgar, a film about the famous FBI director, directed by Clint Eastwood.