Forbes' list of the richest celebrities aged 50 and above are based on earnings drawn in the year ended June 2009.
Well ahead of the pack is talk-show host Oprah Winfrey. Her pay packet is as big as George Lucas' and Madonna's combined.
1 Oprah Winfrey, 55
US$275 million ($397m)
The earnings of Winfrey, dubbed the queen of talk-show TV, is little surprise given the unparalleled power of her brand and media empire.
Since she was first ranked on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in 1999, her earnings have climbed year on year.
In addition to her monthly magazine, she has a three-year, US$55m contract with XM Satellite Radio. Her Harpo production company will introduce a show hosted by DrMehmet Oz this fall. And in a few months' time, she will roll out the lifestyle-themed Oprah Winfrey Network in partnership with Discovery Communications.
2 George Lucas, 65
US$170 million
His No2 spot is largely thanks to earnings from the fourth instalment of Indiana Jones - Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - of which he split a large portion of the back-end receipts with director Steven Spielberg and actor Harrison Ford.
A healthy chunk of his earnings come from his ownership rights in all things Star Wars, including a new animated movie and TV show, The Clone Wars. 5
3 Steven Spielberg, 62
US$150 million
After leaving Viacom in October 2008, Spielberg scouted for a home for his DreamWorks studio. He finally settled for Disney four months later. Fortunately, this struggle didn't hurt his earnings, though.
Similar to Lucas, Spielberg's US$150 million earnings is also thanks in part to the latest Indiana Jones movie, of which he split a large portion of the back-end receipts with Lucas, the film's executive producer, and actor Harrison Ford.
4 Madonna, 50
US$110 million
The one main event in her career during this period is the one that boosted her to this top five list. The queen of pop's Hard Candy album tour was last year's top-grossing international tour, bringing in US$280m for 58 concerts in 17 countries.
Her reported love affair with baseball slugger Alex Rodriquez, the end of her eight-year marriage to director Guy Ritchie and trouble with her latest attempt to adopt a second African baby also ensured she was in the news, channelling more publicity for her.
5 Jerry Bruckheimer, 63
US$100 million
The master of television series, especially his three CSI shows, minted money for Bruckheimer in syndication. But he also does well with his movies.
Even without a Pirates Of The Caribbean instalment, he earned US$100m. The blockbuster master is striking gold this summer with G-Force, a family film about some really smart guinea pigs.
This article was first published in The New Paper
