Dedications: My four late friends Rory, Stan, Bryan, Jeff - shine on you crazy diamonds, they would have blogged too. Then theres Garry from Brisbane, Franco in Milan, Mike now in S.F. / my '60s-'80s gang: Ned & Joseph in Ireland; in England: Frank, Des, Guy, Clive, Joe & Joe, Ian, Ivan, Nick, David, Les, Stewart, the 3 Michaels / Catriona, Sally, Monica, Jean, Ella, Anne, Candie / and now: Daryl in N.Y., Jerry, John, Colin, Martin and Donal.

Tuesday 1 August 2017

actors and actresses again ...

Perhaps only another list obsessive would get my compulsion for compiling lists, particularly of favourite actresses and stars - the kind of thing one does in the middle of the night when trying t get back to sleep ... here are my top 30 actresses, and maybe 100 in all, and a lesser amount of actors, but I am not listing everybody - there are some major omissions!

Sophia Loren / Monica Vitti / Lee Remick / Romy Schneider / Marilyn Monroe / Katharine Hepburn / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Garbo / Dietrich / Ingrid Bergman / Susan Hayward / Audrey Hepburn / Anouk Aimee / Julie Christie / Faye Dunaway / Deborah Kerr / Jean Simmons / Elizabeth Taylor / Ava Gardner / Janet Leigh / Kim Novak / Anne Baxter / Ruth Roman / Joan Fontaine / Olivia De Havilland / Catharine Deneuve / Francoise Dorleac / Kay Kendall / Maggie Smith.

I could do A LOT more …

Barbara Stanwyck / Julie Harris / Wendy Hiller / Cate Blanchett / Tilda Swinton / Sarah Miles / Lauren Bacall / Ida Lupino / Mary Astor / Kathleen Turner / Genevieve Bujold /  Jeanne Moreau / Simone Signoret / Maureen O’Hara / Lilli Palmer / Joan Greenwood / Jane Fonda / Vivien Leigh / Uma Thurman / Julianne Moore / Annette Bening / Capucine / Cyd Charisse / Linda Darnell / Gene Tierney / Loretta Young / Irene Dunne / Margaret Sullavan / Gladys Cooper / Celia Johnson / Edith Evans / Flora Robson / Peggy Ashcroft / Angela Lansbury / Natalie Wood / Doris Day / Debbie Reynolds / Ingrid Thulin / Stephane Audran / Marie Laforet / Claudia Cardinale / Silvana Mangano / Gina Lollobrigida / Brigitte Bardot / Isabelle Adjani / Elsa Martinelli / Lana Turner / Vera Miles / Jan Sterling / Jo Van Fleet / Patricia Neal / Anne Bancroft / Dorothy Malone / Shirley Knight / Kay Walsh / Pamela Brown / Glynis Johns / Susannah York / Billie Whitelaw / Vanessa Redgrave /  Lynn Redgrave / Claire Bloom / Ann Todd / Rosamund John / Dinah Sheridan / Virginia McKenna / Anna Magnani  / Fanny Ardant / Isabelle Huppert / Delphine Seyrig / Alida Valli / Gena Rowlands / Genevieve Page / Geraldine Page / Jessica Tandy / Shelley Winters / Gloria Graham / Eleanor Parker / Ann-Margret / Glenda Jackson / Jean Seberg / Thelma Ritter/ Eve Arden / Agnes Moorehead / Belinda Lee / Rosanna Podesta / Paula Prentiss / Melina Mercouri / Suzanne Pleshette / Tippi Hedren / Eva Marie Saint / Lauren Hutton / Margaret Leighton / Charlotte Rampling / Jane Asher / Jane Merrow / Eileen Atkins / Vivien Pickles / Ruth Gordon.

Better stop there ….
Omissions? Where are Meryl, Glenn, Shirley, Joan, Joanne, Judi, Nicole, Julia, Diane, Kate, Barbra, Liza, Julie etc? Don't look for Leo, Al, Jack, Dustin, Daniel, or any of the current popular names either ...

Actors:
My Top 10:  Dirk Bogarde / James Mason / James Stewart / Cary Grant / Gary Cooper / Humphrey Bogart / Montgomery Clift / Robert De Niro / Ralph Fiennes / Peter Finch.

The heavyweights:  Olivier / Alec Guinness / Marlon Brando / Rod Steiger / Burt Lancaster / Gregory Peck / Robert Mitchum / Heath Ledger / Mark Ruffalo / Charlton Heston / Robert Redford / Warren Beatty / Donald Sutherland / George Segal / Farley Granger / Robert Walker / James Garner / Rod Taylor / Colin Farrell / Lee Marvin / Charles Laughton / George Sanders / Claude Rains / Clifton Webb / Vincent Price / Charles Bickford / Jack Carson / and Jack Lemmon for SOME LIKE IT HOT.

The Europeans:  Alain Delon / Jean-Paul Belmondo / Jean-Claude Brialy / Jean-Louis Trintignant / Maurice Ronet / Jacques Perrin / Robert Hossein / Buno Ganz / Raf Vallone / Renato Salvatori / Marcello Mastroianni / Gerard Blain / Gerard Philipe / Jean Gabin / Max Von Sydow.

The British:  Albert Finney / Peter O’Toole / Alan Bates / Tom Courtenay / Ralph Richardson / John Gielgud / Trevor Howard / Harry Andrews / David Hemmings / David Warner / John Hurt / Michael York / Terence Stamp / Michael Craig / Stanley Baker / Stephen Boyd / Jack Hawkins / Nigel Patrick / James Fox / Peter McEnery / Tom Hardy / Tom Hollander / Alfred Molina / Ben Whishaw / Andrew Scott / Alan Cumming / Stewart Granger.

The lookers:  Jeffrey Hunter / Tab Hunter / Guy Madison / Fabian / Jean Sorel / Henri Vidal / Richard (AMERICAN GIGOLO) Gere /  Keanu (SPEED) Reeves / John Gavin / Channing Tatum.

5 comments:

  1. I too am an inveterate list maker so it’s nice to find a kindred spirit. That’s a great collection of actresses and I share many of them as favorites. Here’s my top 30, the top 10 are in order but the rest are too close to place, followed by many that I love almost as much. I’m sure there are many that I’ve left out.

    Linda Darnell
    Julie Christie
    Gloria Grahame
    Ida Lupino
    Susan Hayward
    Thelma Ritter
    Margaret Sullavan
    Jean Simmons
    Doris Day
    Ruth Roman

    Barbara Stanwyck
    Bette Davis
    Claire Trevor
    Deanna Durbin
    Diana Rigg
    Emma Thompson
    Eve Arden
    Geraldine Page
    Judy Garland
    Judy Holliday
    Juliet Stevenson
    Mary Wickes
    Natalie Wood
    Olivia de Havilland
    Priscilla Lane
    Rosalind Russell
    Stockard Channing
    Suzanne Pleshette
    Veronica Lake
    Vivien Leigh



    Agnes Moorehead, Alexis Smith, Alfre Woodard, Alice Faye, Aline MacMahon, Angela Lansbury, Ann Dvorak, Ann Rutherford, Ann Sheridan, Ann Sothern, Anne Bancroft, Anne Baxter, Anne Revere, Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Barbara Nichols, Barbra Streisand, Beah Richards, Betty Field, Betty Grable, Betty Hutton, Beulah Bondi, Billie Bird, Binnie Barnes, Blythe Danner, Bonnie Bedelia, Carmen Miranda, Carol Kane, Carole Lombard, Carolyn Jones, Carroll Baker, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Greenwood, Charlotte Rampling, Christine Lahti, Claudie Blakely, Cloris Leachman, Colleen Dewhurst, Connie Gilchrist, Dame May Whitty, Debbie Reynolds, Deborah Kerr, Diane Baker, Diane Keaton, Diane Lane, Dianne Weist, Dorothy Malone, Edna May Oliver, Eileen Atkins, Eileen Brennan, Eleanor Parker, Elizabeth Ashley, Elizabeth Banks, Elizabeth Montgomery, Elizabeth Patterson, Elizabeth Spriggs, Elizabeth Taylor, Ellen Burstyn, Ellen Corby, Elsa Lanchester, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Merman, Fay Bainter, Faye Dunaway, Florence Bates, Gena Rowlands, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Gladys Cooper, Gladys George, Glenda Jackson, Glynis Johns, Greer Garson, Helen McCrory, Helen Mirren, Helena Bonham Carter, Imelda Staunton, Inger Stevens, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jane Alexander, Jane Darwell, Jane Fonda, Jane Russell, Jane Withers, Jane Wyman, Jean Harlow, Jeanne Moreau, Jeannette Nolan, Jessie Royce Landis, Joan Bennett, Joan Blondell, Joan Crawford, Joan Cusack, Joan Hackett, Joan Plowright, Joanne Woodward, Judi Dench, Judith Anderson, Julianne Moore, Julie Adams, Julie Andrews, Julie Harris, Julie Walters, Kate Winslet, Katharine Hepburn, Kathy Bates, Katy Jurado, Kay Kendall, Kay Medford, Kelly Macdonald, Kim Novak, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lana Turner, Laura Linney, Lee Grant, Lee Remick, Lucile Watson, Lurene Tuttle, Lynn Redgrave, Madeleine Kahn, Mae Questel, Maggie Smith, Marilyn Monroe, Marion Lorne, Marlene Dietrich, Mary Astor, Mary Boland, Mary Tyler Moore, Maureen Stapleton, May Robson, Mercedes McCambridge, Mildred Natwick, Millicent Martin, Miranda Richardson, Mitzi Gaynor, Myrna Loy, Nancy Marchand, Nancy Walker, Neva Patterson, Norma Varden, Olympia Dukakis, Patricia Clarkson, Patricia Collinge, Patricia Neal, Paula Prentiss, Piper Laurie, Polly Walker, Rachel Weisz, Reese Witherspoon, Reta Shaw, Rosamund Pike, Rosemary de Camp, Rosemary Harris, Ruth Hussey, Ruth McDevitt, Ruth Warrick, Sally Field, Sandra Dee, Sara Allgood, Sharon Tate, Shelley Winters, Sheree North, Shirley MacLaine, Sigourney Weaver, Sissy Spacek, Sophie Thompson, Spring Byington, Stella Stevens, Susannah York, Swoosie Kurtz, Sylvia Sidney, Teresa Wright, Teri Garr, Toni Collette, Una Merkel, Valerie Perrine, Vanessa Redgrave, Vera-Ellen, Veronica Cartwright, Wendy Malick and Zelda Rubenstein

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  2. Great collection of actors as well, agree that all the lookers were just that. Funnily enough putting the top 30 actors in some sort of order was easier than the women. But again I’m sure I’ve left scads out.

    My top 30 more or less in order:
    John Garfield
    Richard Widmark
    Robert Ryan
    James Mason
    Daniel Day-Lewis
    William Holden
    Clifton Webb
    Claude Rains
    Robert Mitchum
    Alan Bates
    Edward G. Robinson
    Colin Firth
    Peter O'Toole
    James Cagney
    Charles Laughton
    James Stewart
    Alan Rickman
    George Sanders
    Jack Carson
    Spencer Tracy
    Gene Hackman
    Peter Ustinov
    Lee J. Cobb
    Sydney Greenstreet
    Cary Grant
    Thomas Mitchell
    Kirk Douglas
    Dustin Hoffman
    Errol Flynn
    Clive Owen

    Falling just below in no particular order: Rock Hudson, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Fredric March, Dirk Bogarde, Henry Fonda, William Lundigan, Joel McCrea, Laurence Olivier, Paul Newman, Tyrone Power, Dana Andrews, Burt Lancaster, Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray, William Powell, Montgomery Clift, Jeff Chandler, Alan Ladd, Scott Caan, Jake Gyllenhaal, Brad Pitt, Glenn Ford, Ralph Richardson, Nigel Davenport, Louis Calhern, Kevin Spacey, Hugh Jackman, Tom Hardy, Colin Farrell, Don Cheadle, Eric Bana, Gary Sinise, Jean Dujardin, James Marsden, Ioan Gruffudd, Bill Nighy, Bob Hoskins, Ian McKellan, Ian Holm, James Earl Jones, Ed Harris, Ryan Gosling, Javier Bardem and probably dozen more I’ve forgotten for the moment.

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  3. OMG - you are even worse than me! Problem with lists is that one wants to keep adding to them, so they spiral out of control. I woke up with a start thinking I did not include Patricia Neal or Uma Thurman !

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  4. Ha! So true. As soon as I hit publish I thought "Oh damn! I left off Nita Talbot, Helen Walker and Ann-Margret.

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  5. Between you and Joel, call I can say is there any actor or actress who has appeared in ANYTHING between 1895 and 2017 NOT on these lists!! I think it is called overkill! My problem is knowing when to stop! As you know Michael, I prefer to limit my lists to Top 20 or 50 or so and leave it there so that means going through everyone and then listing them in some sort of order. Still, your lists are ab-fab and I am sure I can find my favourites in there.

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