Hugh Laurie, Charlie Sheen Top Salary Survey

LOS ANGELES: Hugh Laurie, the British star of FOX’s hit series House, is the highest-paid actor in U.S. television drama, according to a new survey, earning more than $400,000 per episode, while Charlie Sheen tops the comedy list at a whopping $1.25 million an episode.

Laurie—who graced the cover of World Screen‘s April edition; you can read the full interview here, or listen to it here—sits atop TV Guide Magazine‘s annual survey of drama stars, ahead of Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU, who earn a reported $395,000 each. Rounding out the top five are CSI: Miami‘s David Caruso, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation‘s Marg Helgenberger and NCIS‘s Mark Harmon, each earning $375,000. Others making more than $300,000 per episode are CSI‘s Laurence Fishburne and cable TV stars The Closer‘s Kyra Sedgwick and Rescue Me‘s Denis Leary. Those in the $200,000 and above bracket include CSI: NY‘s Gary Sinise, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Patrick Dempsey, Bones‘ David Boreanaz and Burn Notice‘s Jeffrey Donovan.

In comedy, the highest-paid star is Two and a Half Men‘s Charlie Sheen, at $1.25 million per episode, while co-star Jon Cryer earns $550,000. The Desperate Housewives leading ladies are taking home $400,000 per episode.

On the late night and talk-show front, Oprah Winfrey leads the pack at $315 million per year, while in reality, the highest paid personality is American Idol‘s Ryan Seacrest, earning $15 million a year, well ahead of America’s Got Talent‘s Piers Morgan, earning $2 million a year.