Harry Potter actor Emma Watson reportedly earned £20m in 2009, putting her in 14th place in Vanity Fair rich list

• Alexandra Topping
• guardian.co.uk, Friday 5 February 2010 19.21 GMT
• Article history

Emma Watson reportedly earned £10m for the final two instalments of the Harry Potter films, The Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2. Photograph: Gareth Davies/Getty Images

There was little doubt that Emma Watson had come a long way since playing the bespectacled swot Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first blockbuster hit featuring the boy wizard.

But just how far she has progressed in financial terms was revealed today when the 19-year-old was named Hollywood's highest paid female actor.

Towering above more seasoned performers such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Angelina Jolie, the star raked in £20m last year in Vanity Fair's list of Hollywood's top 40 earners.

She came 14th in the overall list, and alongside Cameron Diaz was one of only two women in the top 20. She reportedly earned £10m for the final two instalments of the Potter films, The Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2. Co-star Rupert Grint came just behind her in 15th position.

A regular sight on the front rows of fashion shows in London and Paris, Watson last year won a lucrative advertising deal with Burberry and this year launched a clothing collection in collaboration with the ethical label People Tree.

Meanwhile Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry in the films, made £26m, putting him sixth in the table, and bestowing upon him the honour of being the highest paid actor on Vanity Fair's list, the top five positions all taken by directors. His earnings are also likely to be higher than estimated, as other sources of income, such as a promotional deal with Orlando's new Hogwarts theme park, were not counted.

The title of top earner went to Michael Bay, the maker of the latest Transformers film, Revenge of the Fallen, with an income thought to exceed £78m, while Steven Spielberg was in second place with more than £53m estimated earnings.

It's been a good year for James Cameron, whose record-breaking Avatar could sweep the floor at this year's Oscars, having been nominated for nine awards. Avatar recently overtook his last film, Titanic, to become the highest grossing movie ever made. His earning, estimated at £31m, put him at number four in the list.

Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Nicolas Cage and Russell Crowe all made it into the list, compiled by the magazine after a process of interviewing agents, lawyers, studio executives, and sometimes stars themselves, about earnings.

It takes into account other revenue sources than film-making, such as modelling contracts and sponsorships.

According to the annual Forbes rich list, published last July, Angelina Jolie was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, making $27m (£17.2m) between June 2008 and June 2009.