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Kristen Stewart is highest-paid actress

Jun 20 2012.

Kristen Stewart, who shot to fame as Bella Swan in "The Twilight Saga" films and has a starring role in "Snow White and the Huntsman", jumped to the top of Forbes.com's annual list of highest-paid actresses on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old earned an estimated $34.5 million from May 2011 to May 2012 and pushed Angelina Jolie into fourth place.

Cameron Diaz, who had a surprise hit with "Bad Teacher", came in second with $34 million.

"She (Stewart) is an up-and-coming star. She is earning a lot of money from one of the most successful franchises of all time. This is who you would expect to see right now," said Dorothy Pomerantz, Forbes Los Angeles bureau chief.

"This year you are seeing somebody young and at the brink of potentially great stardom sitting on the top of the list."

Forbes.com compiled the list and estimated salaries by talking to agents, managers and lawyers and based earnings on pay, profits, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock, who largely took a break from filming after 2009's "The Blind Side", came third with $25 million.

Jolie, who topped last year's list along with Sarah Jessica Parker, dropped to the fourth spot with earnings of $20 million while Charlize Theron, Stewart's co-star in "Snow White and the Huntsman" who also appears in "Prometheus", trailed at $18 million, and rounded out the top five places.

Parker, whose 2011 film "I Don't Know How She Does It" brought in a disappointing $30 million at the worldwide box office, slipped to seventh place with a $15 million salary.

"She is almost earning more from her perfume and endorsement deals right now than from entertainment. That is true of a lot of women. They have these outside deals that are very lucrative. Angelina Jolie earns a lot from residuals, as does Sarah Jessica Parker," Pomerantz said.

Former "Friends" star Jennifer Anniston just made the list, earning an $11 million salary.

The top 10 actresses earned a total of $200 million, according to Forbes.com, a lot less than the $361 million total that the 10 highest-earning men made.

"It is nowhere near what men are making," Pomerantz said. "I think it will be a while until women see salary parity, if it ever happens. Women are paid less in every industry, not just in Hollywood."

(Reuters)

The full list is as follows (courtesy forbes.com)

Kristen Stewart $34.5 million At the young age of 22 Stewart earned more than any other actress between May 2011 and May 2012. Most of that money came from Twilight where Stewart stars as Bella Swan. But she also earned big buck for starring in Snow White and the Huntsman. The press loves writing about Stewart. Her relationship with Twilight costar Robert Pattinson is a constant source of tabloid interest.
Cameron Diaz $34 million Diaz' 2011 film Bad Teacher was a quiet hit. It earned $216 million on a tiny budget of $20 million. That massive profit helped Diaz earn $34 million between May 2011 and May 2012. The funny-lady took a smaller upfront on the film in exchange for a large share of the profits. It's the kind of deal more movie stars are having to make but in the right film, Diaz can still earn a big advance.
Sandra Bullock $25 million Bullock's most recent film, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, was not a box office hit but the actress is still in demand. Her 2009 film, The Blind Side was the kind of massive hit studios dream about. Bullock got plenty of attention this year away from the big screen for her outings with her young son, Louis.
Angelina Jolie $20 million Even when she's not starring in a big studio flick, Jolie still earns millions from residuals and endorsement deals for companies like Louis Vuitton. Jolie also attracts plenty of attention wherever she goes. The tabloid-friendly actress appeared on 78 magazine covers between May 2011 and May 2012. It didn't hurt her press popularity that long-time life partner Brad Pitt proposed. The couple are parents to six children.
Charlize Theron *$18 million* Theron is in the middle of a major career surge that kicked off with the 2011 movie Young Adult. The film might not have earned a lot of money (it brought in only $23 million) but it gave Theron the kind of buzz she hasn't had in several years. Following up with Snow White and the Huntsman and Prometheus didn't hurt. Theron is also the high-profile face of Dior.
Julia Roberts $16 million Roberts has reached that age where many actresses struggle to find good roles. Instead of taking everything that's offered to her, Roberts has been picky about her projects but even those haven't performed so well. Larry Crowne which costarred Tom Hanks , earned only $52 million. Mirror, Mirror, a retelling of the Snow White tale, did better with $135 million but cost an estimated $85 million to produce.
Sarah Jessica Parker $15 million Parker had a major flop this year with I Don't Know How She Does It which brought in only $30 million at the global box office. But the actress still earns big thanks to reruns of her HBO hit show Sex and the City and her best-selling perfumes like NYC and Lovely. Parker also gets paid to endorse Garnier hair products.
Meryl Streep $12 million The most nominated actress of all time, Streep won her third Academy Award this year for The Iron Lady, a biopic about former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. At the age of 62, Streep has an enviable career. She works consistently and balances smaller, award-worthy films with more mainstream fare like Hope Springs.
Kristen Wiig $12 million The Saturday Night Live star's Bridesmaids earned more money than anyone thought it would: $288 million on an estimated budget of $32 million. Wiig, who just left SNL, followed up Bridesmaids with the tiny Friends With Kids but next Christmas she'll co-star in her first big-budget film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, with Ben Stiller.
Jennifer Aniston $11 million Aniston's biggest recent movie was Just Go With It, an Adam Sandler vehicle featuring Aniston as the nice girl. But she earned more praise for Horrible Bosses where she played very much against type as a sexually aggressive dentist. The former Friend got plenty of press this year thanks to her new relationship with actor Justin Theroux whom she met on the set of Wanderlust.