Los Angeles, August 26 (RHC)-- The top 10 highest paid actors earned a combined total of $464.5 million, compared to $205 million for the top 10 women combined.  A list of the world's highest paid actresses was released by Forbes, revealing the large gender and race pay gap within Hollywood.   

Jennifer Lawrence was the highest earning actress with $46 million before tax, eclipsing the $33 million earned by Melissa McCarthy over the last year.  But compared to actors, Lawrence's paycheck seems modest.  For the third consecutive year, Robert Downey Jr. topped Hollywood's richest, receiving over $80 million over the same period.  Second ranked Jackie Chan reported earning $50 million.

You have to go down to number four on the actors list to Bradley Cooper with $41.5 million to find a male that is paid less than the top earning actress.  Together, the world’s 10 highest paid actors earned a combined total of $464.5 million.  But the top 10 women were only paid $205 million combined.  Forbes estimated that 90 percent of the world’s top paid actresses still supplement their on-screen pay with advertising endorsements.  

From more than 11,000 on screen characters, only 33.5 percent were female.  Actresses filled only 28.7 percent of all speaking roles in films, according to research from the Institute of Diversity and Empowerment at Annenburg, IDEA. 

Female minority groups were also more likely to be sexualized than white actresses.  Out of Forbes’ top 10 list no African-American or Latina women were included. Pay inequality exists perhaps even more so in general society.  In the U.S., women made only 70 percent of men’s salaries and white men earned almost twice as much as Latina women.