LaBeouf, Hathaway best value actors in Hollywood

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LONDON - Shia LaBeouf, star of the “Transformers” movies, has topped a list of Hollywood best value actors with Anne Hathaway following second.

The best value actor in Hollywood, for the second year running, was LaBeouf, 24. His films had big budgets but took in a huge total of 2.6 billion pounds ($3.5 billion) at the global box office. They made a profit of 81 pounds for every 1 pound the actor was paid.

Hathaway topped in the actress’ category and second overall on the list. Her films made a profit of 64 pounds for every 1 pound she was paid.

That was mainly due to the success of “Alice in Wonderland”, in which she played the White Queen. The film made more than 650 million pounds ($1 billion) at the box office, making Hathaway better value than actresses who receive bigger amounts such as Julia Roberts and Angelina Jolie.

Daniel Radcliffe, the star of Harry Potter, came third.

For every 1 pound the 21-year-old star made personally his films earned 61 pounds.

Although his salary has increased recently, he was said to still be considered an excellent bet for studios hoping to make money, reports telegraph.co.uk.

Actors were rated on how much profit their films made compared to their salaries in a list compiled by Forbes magazine. The figures will be keenly studied by studios struggling to pay out the huge amounts required to cast some major stars.

In order to qualify for the list, actors had to have starred in at least three movies over the past five years, each of which must have shown in more than 500 cinemas.

The list marks a further setback for Hollywood’s so-called Twenty million dollar club, the group of stars who have been paid that much for a film.

Amid the economic downturn studios moved toward casting actors who demand a lower salary in major roles, and vehicles for some of the biggest stars flopped.

Robert Downey Jr, whose career imploded amid drug problems in the 1990s, is now considered one of the best value actors in Hollywood.

His success in films including “Sherlock Holmes” and “Iron Man 2″ made him the fourth best investment for studios.

A surprise inclusion on the list was Jennifer Aniston, who was tied in sixth place with Meryl Streep.

Aniston suffered a huge flop with “Love Happens” but her film “The Bounty Hunter” made 88 million pounds ($136 million) with a relatively modest budget. Overall, her films made a profit of 21 pounds for every 1 pound she earned.