Jolie 'most powerful celeb in the world'

Rex Features

Angelina Jolie has been named the most powerful celebrity in the world.

The actress tops the latest Celebrity 100 list from Forbes magazine, pushing Oprah Winfrey into second place after two years at the top.

Senior editor Matthew Miller said: "In addition to nearly doubling her earnings in the past year, from £9 million to £16 million, Angelina Jolie is the most famous star on the planet.

"She is in the dialogue of popular culture nearly every day - for her acting, for her relationship with Brad Pitt, for her children and for her philanthropic endeavours."

He added: "All of this exposure leads to an extremely powerful celebrity brand - one that allows her to command a higher salary when starring in movies, can bring more people to the theatre and one that she can monetise further if she chose to do so."

New US president Barack Obama is the first head of state to appear in the rankings, being placed at number 49.

The top ten of the new Celebrity 100 is as follows:
1. Angelina Jolie
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Madonna
4. Beyoncé Knowles
5. Tiger Woods
6. Bruce Springsteen
7. Steven Spielberg
8. Jennifer Aniston
9. Brad Pitt
10. Kobe Bryant