Television's Top Paid Actors And Actress Hugh Laurie, Charlie Sheen, Matt Lauer, Ryan Seacrest and, naturally, Oprah Winfrey are among TV's highest-paid performers in various categories according to a newly released salary breakdown. Though studios have been cracking down on paydays overall to keep costs in line amid sinking broadcast ratings, key performers still draw stunning numbers, with indispensable performers like the Sheens and Snookis of the world continuing to leverage salary bumps. Here's a select sample of some of the top performers from TV Guide's survey ( for the full list go here ): Drama actors (per episode): Hugh Laurie (House) $400,000+ Christopher Meloni & Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU) $395,000 (each) David Caruso (CSI: Miami) $375,000 Marg Helgenberger (CSI) $375,000 Laurence Fishburne (CSI) $350,000 Jeffrey Donovan (Burn Notice) $200,000 Nathan Fillion (Castle) $100,000 Jon Hamm (Mad Men) $100,000 Alex O'Loughlin