Dick van Dyke recently named this generation of actors as the greatest ever, but is that true?
MEN | # | WOMEN | |
1 | Humphrey Bogart | 1 | Katharine Hepburn |
2 | Cary Grant | 2 | Bette Davis |
3 | James Stewart | 3 | Audrey Hepburn |
4 | Marlon Brando | 4 | Ingrid Bergman |
5 | Fred Astaire | 5 | Greta Garbo |
6 | Henry Fonda | 6 | Marilyn Monroe |
7 | Clark Gable | 7 | Elizabeth Taylor |
8 | James Cagney | 8 | Judy Garland |
9 | Spencer Tracy | 9 | Marlene Dietrich |
10 | Charlie Chaplin | 10 | Joan Crawford |
11 | Gary Cooper | 11 | Barbara Stanwyck |
12 | Gregory Peck | 12 | Claudette Colbert |
13 | John Wayne | 13 | Grace Kelly |
14 | Laurence Olivier | 14 | Ginger Rogers |
15 | Gene Kelly | 15 | Mae West |
Lists voted for by the public are quite different. On the American Multi-Cinema website, it is names such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman that feature in the top spots – although Marlon Brandon again makes the top five.
Today’s celebrity culture is marred by scandal and gossip, with celebrities like Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton repeatedly making headlines for drug abuse and crime. Despite this, not all stars draw bad press. Jennifer Lawrence has experienced a surge in popularity and received commendation for her private demeanour, whilst Leonardo DiCaprio, a man whose career has spun over twenty years, has avoided major scandal and received praise for his environmental and charitable work.
Today at least, the most iconic names in acting are still those that drew crowds half a decade ago: Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and Humphrey Bogart … the names of the great acting legends. Despite this, with today’s films constantly breaking records and setting the bar ever higher, the names we see today could easily be those that dominate the industry for decades to come.
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