Super Cruise

Showbiz

13:30 16 June 2006

Tom Cruise has topped Forbes' Celebrity Power list.

The 'Mission: Impossible III' actor reclaimed the respected US magazine's poll top spot after dropping to tenth place last year (05).

A spokesman for the publication said: "Love him or hate him, Cruise is Hollywood's most bankable actor."

The power list ranks stars according to their earning power and celebrity "sizzle" over the last 12 months.

Cruise - who has estimated annual earnings of $67 million - has had a tempestuous year in the spotlight.

His now infamous couch-jumping episode on 'The Oprah Winfrey Show' last summer didn't sit well with many fans, however, major box office returns for movies 'War Of The Worlds' and 'Mission: Impossible III', plus his engagement to actress Katie Holmes and the birth of their first child, Suri, in April upped his popularity and influence.

Elsewhere on the list, TV talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey slipped into third place, while rock bands The Rolling Stones and U2 came in second and fourth place respectively.

Golf legend Tiger Woods rounded up the top five.



Forbes Celebrity Power List top 20:



1. Tom Cruise

2. Rolling Stones

3. Oprah Winfrey

4. U2

5. Tiger Woods

6. Steven Spielberg

7. Howard Stern

8. 50 Cent

9. Cast of The Sopranos

10. Dan Brown

11. Bruce Springsteen

12. Donald Trump

13. Muhammad Ali

14. Paul McCartney

15. George Lucas

16. Elton John

17. David Letterman

18. Phil Mickelson

19. J.K. Rowling

20. Brad Pitt

(C) BANG Media International