Action heroes dominated the first three spots of the highest paid actors list this year with "Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. leading the pack, followed by China's iconic movie hero Jackie Chan and "Fast & Furious" actor Vin Diesel.

Downey Jr., who also plays his billionaire Tony Stark character in "The Avengers" movies, landed on the top spot, with his $80 million earnings from June 1, 2014 to June 1 of this year, Forbes reported, citing data collected from Nielsen, Box Office Mojo and IMDB, and pertinent interviews. The site explained that it already excluded estimated fees concerning management and even those paid to taxes.

The 50-year-old actor's net worth increased due to his participation in "Avengers: Age of Ultron," which is a certified hit that commanded $1.4 billion in gross earnings. 

But over all, Downey Jr. ranks 8th on Forbes' highest-paid celebrities list, topped by the boxers who clashed at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas on May 2. The undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. reportedly earned a hefty $300 million while the Filipino boxing champion Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao received $160 million.

Meanwhile, in second place, Chan has attained $50 million in earnings this year despite not having an "American live action hit in five years," noted the site in July. A major portion of this amount came from his "back-end participation" in the movie "Dragon Blade," which earned $120 million in China. He also had success in Chan-branded merchandise, a movie house chain and other dealerships. He ranks 38th on the highest-paid celebrities list of 2015.

In third place, Diesel, who has more than 94 million Facebook followers, posted an astounding $47 million earnings this year. Forbes noted that most of his pay came from "Furious Seven," which tallied a $1.5 billion gross earnings. Most of the film's revenue were derived from movie box office markets abroad, another testament of Diesel's popularity.

Completing the top five are Bradley Cooper ($41.5 million) and Adam Sandler ($41 million).