Akshay Kumar, Gareth Bale, Zlatan Ibrahimovic—don't recognize those names? You should. These stars are among the highest-earning entertainers and athletes in the world, even if they are little-known outside their disciplines and domeciles.
For the first time ever, Forbes' Celebrity 100 has gone global, tallying the paychecks of race car drivers and rockstars from around the world. Just under a third (32%) of the list hail from outside the United States; 13 of the 100 members are from the United Kingdom.
Manny Pacquiao is the highest earning international star this year, banking $160 million pretax from losing to Floyd Mayweather, who tops the list at $300 million.
Soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic cannot claim any such name-brand recognition outside Europe. The Swede, who plays for French club Paris Saint-Germain, earned an estimated $39 million over the last 12 months before taxes and fees - that's more than Scarlett Johansson and David Guetta. He is tied at No. 55 on the Global Celebrity 100 with British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton.
Fellow driver Fernando Alonso earned an estimated $500,000 more than David Letterman to pocket $35.5 million, but unlike his TV host counterpart, the Spaniard remains largely unrecognized stateside. Ferrari racer Sebastian Vettel banked $33 million between June 2014 and June 2015 - the same amount as Maroon 5 - without anywhere near the number of screaming fans.
The Complete Celebrity 100 List
The same goes for Welsh midfielder Gareth Bale, who out-earned basketballer Derrick Rose ($35 million to Rose's $34 million). Like fellow soccer star James Rodriguez, who banked $29 million, Bale remains largely unrecognized in the U.S.
Bollywood is home to three huge stars who made the ranking without becoming U.S. household names. Amitabh Bachchan, 72, may be India's answer to Robert DeNiro, if Robert DeNiro also hosted Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. (Bachchan's version of the show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, recorded an average weekly viewership of 5.2 million in its 8th season, which aired in 2014.)
Salman Khan, Bollywood's bad boy, earned an estimated $33.5 million in our pay range to tie him with Bachchan. One of the industry's top earners, Khan has been trailed by controversy in his 26 year career: Ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai accused him of abusing her, while in 2006 he was convicted of poaching an endangered gazelle on a 1998 hunting trip. In May 2015 Khan was sentenced to five years in prison for a 2002 hit-and-run car incident which killed a homeless man. These lawsuits have not dented his earnings. Khan maintains a loyal fanbase who flock to see flicks such as 2014's Kick, while some 4.8 people tuned in to the 2014 season of reality show Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Big Brother which Khan hosts.
Akshay Kumar may be India's Matt Damon, if Damon produced a Bourne movie four times a year. Kumar annually stars in four to five action films, such as Holiday and Gabbar is Back . The star bolsters his estimated $32.5 million earnings with product endorsements that align with his roles: Honda motorcycles, a range of white vests, and a brand of steel pipes, among others.
India's fourth star on the Celebrity 100 is cricketer Mahendra Dhoni. The batsman made $31 million in the last 12 months - $4 million more than Peyton Manning and a full $10 million more than Usain Bolt.
