Tom Cruise Earns $38M More Than Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Sandler

The first half of TomKat has apparently already hired a powerhouse divorce attorney to defend his $75 million earnings from the past year

Better not let Katie Holmes's divorce lawyers read this: Tom Cruise is the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.

The "Rock of Ages" star — who is celebrating his 50th birthday Tuesday — raked in $75 million between May 2011 and May 2012, according to a list compiled by Forbes.

Also read: Kristen Stewart Beats Angelina Jolie, Cameron Diaz on Forbes' Highest-Paid Actress List

Cruise, who is slated for a legal battle with his wife of five years for custody of their daughter Suri, has reportedly hired Los Angeles-based powerhouse divorce attorney Dennis Wasser to defend that treasure trove.

In New York, child support is based on 17 percent of the couple's total income, with each person paying a proportionate amount, according to Forbes. That would mean Holmes could make off with $9 million, but after the amount exceeds $400,000, it's up to a judge's discretion.

The divorce might bruise Cruise's finances, but for now, the last year has been a jackpot.

He earned a fat slice of the $700 million "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" made last fall. Then, Cruise took home a generous paycheck from "Oblivion," his latest sci-fi film, opening in April.  

Cruise's lucrative year leaves him well ahead of his second-place earners: Adam Sandler and Leonardo DiCaprio, whom Forbes estimated earned about $37 million each.

When compiling its tallies, Forbes took upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

Read the full list below:

1. Tom Cruise, $75 million
2. Leonardo DiCaprio, $37 million
3. Adam Sandler, $37 million
4. Dwayne Johnson, $36 million
5. Ben Stiller, $33 million
6. Sacha Baron Cohen, $30 million
7. Johnny Depp, $30 million
8. Will Smith, $30 million
9. Mark Wahlberg, $27 million
10. Taylor Lautner, $26.5 million
11. Robert Pattinson, $26.5 million

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