Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson tops Forbes' 2019 richest actor list

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has climbed to the top of Forbes rich list of Hollywood's highest-paid actors after raking in a mammoth $89.4 million.

Johnson made his fortune from his movies such as Hobbs & Shaw and Jumanji: The Next Level, while he also stars in the HBO show Ballers.

In 2018, Johnson brought in $124 million — the most Forbes had ever seen a single Hollywood actor make in the history of its Celebrity 100 list.

The 41-year-old also has a huge social media profile with more than 151 million Instagram followers, while he is expanding his business interests by launching a tequila brand, and has also cut deals with Under Armour and Voss water.

Johnson's pile of cash is blocking the path of the challenger to his throne - Aussie star Chris Hemsworth - who came in second with a staggering $76.4 million.

The Byron Bay local has well and truly conquered Tinseltown, with the majority of those earnings coming from the Marvel box office juggernaut Avengers: Endgame.

The 35-year-old will resume his role in Marvel's fourth Thor instalment Thor: Love and Thunder, which will also see the return of Natalie Portman and Tess Thompson.

Despite being runner-up to Johnson, Hemsworth has come a long way since his modest beginnings.

The father of three told Variety last month he started acting because of his love for film and TV but also because he and his family "had no money".

He told the outlet he was driven by a desire to help his parents financially.

"I wanted to pay off their house, initially," the Men in Black: International actor said. "That was my sort of thing."

However, he added the strain of his goal may have hurt his chances in the audition room by making him more tense.

"I almost put too much pressure on myself," he said. "If I hadn't taken it upon myself to take care of my family, I might have been more relaxed."

Though Hemsworth had a recurring role on Home And Away from 2004 to 2007, he struggled to land bigger roles in Los Angeles.

He still remembers the roles he missed, including the 2009 hit G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra — which starred Channing Tatum — and the role of Gambit in the Wolverine X-Men films — which was played by Taylor Kitsch.

"At the time, I was upset," Hemsworth said. "I was running out of money. But if I played either of those characters, I wouldn't have been able to play Thor."

Other top earners in 2019 included musician Taylor Swift, makeup guru Kylie Jenner, talk show host Dr. Phil and soccer star Lionel Messi.