The 10 Most Overpaid Celebrities in Hollywood

Dec. 4, 2012 — -- intro:Eddie Murphy's career is by no means dead, but Forbes just announced that he doesn't necessarily throw his films a lifeline, calling him the most overpaid actor in Hollywood.

The actor known for voicing colorful animated characters and his nutty roles tops Forbes' annual list of most overpaid actors. To compile the list, Forbes looked at a celebrity's last three films.

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Here's a list of the top 10 most overpaid actors, according to Forbes:

quicklist: 1title: Eddie Murphymedia: 17875579 text: Eddie Murphy has created a steady line of work since starring in "Saturday Night Live" in the 1980s and creating a string of comic hits like the films, "Trading Places," "Beverly Hills Cop," "48 Hours" and "Coming to America." And along with his signature laugh, he's as recognizable as he was 30 years ago.

But Forbes said his last three films, "Imagine That," "A Thousand Words" and "Meet Dave," have carried a "low return on investment" of 2.3. By Forbes' account, for every dollar Murphy was paid for his last three films, his films returned an average of $2.30.

quicklist: 2title: Katherine Heiglmedia: 17875485text: Actress Katherine Heigl returns $3.40 for every dollar she is paid, according to Forbes. Though Heigl initially made a successful leap to films from television after starring in "Grey's Anatomy," her most recent film, "One for the Money," earned only $37 million.

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quicklist: 3title: Reese Witherspoonmedia: 17875463text: Actress Reese Witherspoon returns $3.90 for every $1 paid, Forbes found. One of her last films, "How Do You Know," earned only $50 million on an estimated budget of $120 million, Forbes said.

quicklist: 4title: Sandra Bullockmedia: 17875409 text: Even Forbes admited that Sandra Bullock was a "surprise entrant" on its list of overpaid actors, considering that her film in 2009, "The Blind Side," was a major hit. However, the comedy "All About Steve," from 2009, in which Bullock plays an awkward crossword puzzle writer for a newspaper, flopped at the box office.

quicklist: 5title: Jack Blackmedia: 17875376text: Comedian Jack Black returns $5.20 for every $1 paid, according to Forbes. While his animated movies, such as "Kung Fu Panda," have performed well at the box office, his live-action film, "The Big Year," made only $7 million on a budget of $40 million, Forbes said.

quicklist: 6. title: Nicolas Cagemedia: 17875364 text: Actor Nicolas Cage has also been in a steady line of work, with some hits and some misses. He returns $6 for every $1 paid, Forbes said. His action film, "Drive Angry," in which he stars as a vengeful father going after his daughter's killers, grossed only $29 million worldwide.

quicklist: 7. title: Adam Sandlermedia: 17875179text: Like Eddie Murphy, comedian Adam Sandler also got his start on "Saturday Night Live." While he also made a successful jump into the big screen, he most recently is returning $6.30 for every dollar paid. Forbes points out that while his film, "Grown Ups," with Kevin James and Chris Rock, was a big hit in 2010, his recent film, "Jack and Jill," also starring Al Pacino and Katie Holmes, was not.

quicklist: 8. title: Denzel Washingtonmedia: 17875331text: Denzel Washington returns $6.30 for every dollar he is paid. Forbes said his films perform well at the box office but he is paid an "outsized" paycheck. His recent film, "Flight," which came out too late to be considered in this list, has so far earned $84 million on a $30 million budget.

quicklist: 9. title: Ben Stillermedia: 17875496text: Comic Ben Stiller returns $6.50 for every dollar he is paid. His film from last year, "Tower Heist," which co-starred Eddie Murphy, earned $153 million on a $75 million budget, Forbes said. But don't worry about Stiller. He's working on "Zoolander 2" for 2014, which may be as big a hit as the first film in 2001, which he also directed.

quicklist: 10. title: Sarah Jessica Parkermedia: 17875542 text: Actress Sarah Jessica Parker, known for her role in the television series, "Sex and the City," returns $7 for every dollar she is paid, making her the 10th most overpaid actor on Forbes' list. Her film from last year, "I Don't Know How She Does It," in which she stars as a woman who apperas to have it all, cost $25 million to make but earned only $30 million at the box office.