Hugh’s back in the queue as Hemsworth gets richer

MELBOURNE-BORN actor Chris Hemsworth has overtaken Hugh Jackman to become the top-ranked Aussie on Forbes’ latest list of the world’s highest-paid actors.

The buff, surf-loving former Home and Away star’s turn as Thor in The Avengers film franchise helped catapult him to No.15 overall on Forbes’ annual list, with estimated earnings of $36.6 million.

His next outing as the god of thunder in Thor: Ragnarok will mark Hemsworth’s fifth outing as Thor following Thor (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015).

The AFL fan, his Spanish wife Elsa Pataky and their children – twin toddler sons Tristan and Sasha and twoyear-old daughter India Rose – moved to Australia from the US last year.

The family now life in a Balinese-style mansion in Byron Bay, a short drive from the Gold Coast’s Village Roadshow Studios.

“We were in California and it just wasn’t conducive for the lifestyle that we wanted with kids,” Hemsworth said of the move.

The middle of three boys – his older brother Luke and younger brother Liam (pictured) are also actors – Hemsworth celebrated his 32nd birthday last month.

His humble beginnings in Australia included bit parts on TV series Guinevere Jones, Neighbours and Marshall Law.

Since moving to the US in 2009, he has enjoyed roles in sci-fi remake Star Trek (2009), thriller A Perfect Getaway (2009), horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods (2012), the dark fantasy Snow White and the Huntsman (2012), war film Red Dawn (2012), biographical Formula One drama film Rush (2013) and Michael Mann’s action thriller Blackhat (2015).

The actor stars opposite Christina Applegate in the latest chapter of the 1980s National Lampoon’s Vacation movies.

People magazine’s 2014 Sexiest Man Alive, Hemsworth has been at work in the US filming his role as Kevin in the highly anticipated remake of Ghostbusters.