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Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors
 8 The epitome of grace and charm, he transformed the movie musical, creating a new level of sophistication and style, especially in his legendary team-ups with Ginger Rogers.
Essential Films Top Hat 1935, RKO You Were Never Lovelier 1942, Columbia Easter Parade 1948, MGM Royal Wedding 1951, MGM Funny Face 1957, Paramount 
8.2 "The Great Profile" brought his pedigree as the most acclaimed member of a great theater dynasty to both straightforward romantic leads and offbeat character parts.
Essential Films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1920, Famous Players-Lasky Don Juan 1926, Warner Bros. Grand Hotel 1932, MGM Dinner at Eight 1933, MGM Twentieth Century 1934, Columbia 
8.7 An antihero for the ages, this unlikely leading man built a career playing street-smart gangsters and cynical tough-guys, but is best remembered for his most romantic role, as Rick in Casablanca.
Essential Films The Maltese Falcon 1941, Warner Bros. Casablanca 1942, Warner Bros. To Have and Have Not 1944, Warner Bros. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948, Warner Bros. The African Queen 1951, United Artists 
7.1 His hooded gaze, suave manner, and Gallic sophistication made him the quintessential continental lover and a perfect romantic match for the screen's most glamorous leading ladies.
Essential Films Mayerling 1936, Nero Algiers 1938, United Artists Love Affair 1939, RKO Gaslight 1944, MGM The Earrings of Madame de... 1953, Arian 
8.7 Credited with introducing Method acting to the screen,
his naturalistic performances combined raw sexuality and barely masked sensitivity. Essential Films A Streetcar Named Desire 1951, Warner Bros. On the Waterfront 1954, Columbia The Godfather 1972, Paramount Last Tango in Paris 1972, United Artists Apocalypse Now 1979, Zoetrope/United Artists 
8.2 Starting out as a song-and-dance man on Broadway, he ultimately found success as one of the screen's most famous gangsters, electrifying audiences with his machine-gun line delivery and aggressive stance.
Essential Films The Public Enemy 1931, Warner Bros. Angels With Dirty Faces 1938, Warner Bros. Yankee Doodle Dandy 1942, Warner Bros. White Heat 1949, Warner Bros. Ragtime 1981, Paramount 
8.3 The screen's first great horror star, he was dubbed "the Man of a Thousand Faces" for bringing a gallery of grotesque yet sympathetic characters to life.
Essential Films The Miracle Man 1919, Paramount The Hunchback of Notre Dame 1923, Universal He Who Gets Slapped 1924, MGM The Phantom of the Opera 1925, Universal The Unknown 1927, MGM 
8.9 As the Little Tramp - the prankster with the heart of gold, as prone to heartache as mischief - "Charlie" was one of the world's most recognized figures, one of the first truly international stars.
Essential Films The Kid 1921, First National The Gold Rush 1925, United Artists City Lights 1931, United Artists The Great Dictator 1940, United Artists Monsieur Verdoux 1947, United Artists 
8.3 Fans and critics alike swooned over the riveting combination of physical beauty, psychological nuance, and vulnerability that be brought to his introspective, alienated characters.
Essential Films The Search 1948, MGM Red River 1948, United Artists A Place in the Sun 1951, Paramount From Here to Eternity 1953, Columbia The Misfits 1961, United Artists 
7.3 With his mellifluous voice and debonair wit, he was the rare silent-era star whose career soared with the talkies.
Essential Films Beau Geste 1926, Paramount A Tale of Two Cities 1935, MGM Lost Horizon 1937, Columbia Random Harvest 1942, MGM A Double Life 1947, Universal-International 
8.2 With his lanky good looks, bashful smile, and no-nonsense masculinity, he commanded the screen in low-key performances that turned stoic men into American movie icons.
Essential Films Morocco 1930, Paramount Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 1936, Columbia Meet John Doe 1941, Warner Bros. Sergeant York 1941, Warner Bros. High Noon 1952, United Artists 
7.6 An influential, chart-topping pop crooner and the world's first multimedia star, he brought his laid-back musical style to the big screen, infusing roles both comic and serious with an endearing warmth and intimacy.
Essential Films Road to Morocco 1942, Paramount Going My Way 1944, Paramount White Christmas 1954, Paramount The Country Girl 1954, Paramount High Society 1956, MGM 
8.5 Despite having only three starring roles before he died at twenty-four, he captured the soul of a generation and has become one of the screen's most iconic figures.
Essential Films East of Eden 1955, Warner Bros. Rebel Without a Cause 1955, Warner Bros. Giant 1956, Warner Bros. 
8.2 His straight-from-the-guts acting style simmered with restrained intensity in portraying men who refused to submit to authority.
Essential Films Ace in the Hole 1951, Paramount The Bad and the Beautiful 1952, MGM Lust for Life 1956, MGM Paths of Glory 1957, United Artists Spartacus 1960, Universal 
7.7 The first great action star, introducing both Robin Hood and Zorro to the screen, his high energy and charisma carried over into his real life trailblazing as a founding father of Hollywood's movie industry.
Essential Films The Mark of Zorro 1920, United Artists The Three Musketeers 1921, United Artists Robin Hood 1922, United Artists The Thief of Bagdad 1924, United Artists The Black Pirate 1926, United Artists 
8 Devil-may-care swagger and exceptional good looks were fitting for the valiant heroes he portrayed, the roles seemingly inspired by his real-life adventures and exploits.
Essential Films Captain Blood 1935, Warner Bros. The Dawn Patrol 1938, Warner Bros. The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938, Warner Bros. Gentleman Jim 1942, Warner Bros. The Sun Also Rises 1957, 20th Century Fox 
8.5 An American Everyman of Midwestern strength and integrity, his natural delivery revealed the tender side of characters struggling against injustice.
Essential Films The Grapes of Wrath 1940, 20th Century Fox The Lady Eve 1941, Paramount 12 Angry Men 1957, United Artists Once Upon a Time in the West 1968, Paramount On Golden Pond 1981, Universal 
8.3 To millions of film fans, he was Rhett Butler, the cynical rogue whose romantic heart, killer smile, and macho presence were the irresistible stuff of earthy virility.
Essential Films Red Dust 1932, MGM It Happened One Night 1934, Columbia Mutiny on the Bounty 1935, MGM Gone With the Wind 1939, MGM The Misfits 1961, United Artists 
8.5 Breaking the polished studio mold with a dynamic mix of angst, toughness and sensitivity, he created defiant urban outsiders in performances so naturalistic they feel contemporary.
Essential Films Four Daughters 1938, Warner Bros. Pride of the Marines 1945, Warner Bros. The Postman Always Rings Twice 1946, MGM Body and Soul 1947, United Artists Force of Evil 198, MGM 
7.4 He was a superstar of the silents, his passion and energy hitting romantic heights in celebrated pairings with offscreen love Greta Garbo, their chemistry igniting the screen.
Essential Films The Merry Widow 1925, MGM The Big Parade 1925, MGM Flesh and the Devil 1926, MGM A Woman of Affairs 1928, MGM Queen Christina 1933, MGM 
8.4 A quintessential leading man with the perfect blend of elegance, sophistication, charm, and wit, he was for many the ultimate movie star that man wanted to be and woman wanted to be with.
Essential Films Bringing Up Baby 1938, RKO Gunga Din 1939, RKO Notorious 1946, RKO An Affair to Remember 1957, 20th Century Fox North by Northwest 1959, MGM 
7.8 He made cynicism big at the box office, overcoming typecasting as a genial good boy to find stardom as a wisecracking loner out to take the world for a ride.
Essential Films Sunset Blvd. 1950, Paramount Stalag 17 1953, Paramount Picnic 1955, Columbia The Bridge on the River Kwai 1957, Columbia The Wild Bunch 1969, Warner Bros. 
7.2 The clown prince of Hollywood, he seldom got the girl but always got the laughs, making an art of self-deprecating quips in Road capers and tirelessly hitting the road for five decades to entertain America's armed forces.
Essential Films The Cat and the Canary 1939, Paramount Road to Singapore 1940, Paramount Road to Utopia 1946, Paramount The Paleface 1948, Paramount The Seven Little Foys 1955, Paramount 
7.6 A square-jawed, strapping hunk, he was one of the last great studio-created stars, projecting the illusion that he was every woman's ideal mate.
Essential Films Magnificent Obsession 1954, Universal-International Written on the Wind 1956, Universal-International Giant 1956, Warner Bros. Pillow Talk 1959, Universal-International Seconds 1966, Paramount 
8.8 His impassive responses to even the most outrageous situations gave his characters an ironic detachment, and "the Great Stone Face" weathered outrageous peril with soulful grace and comic agility.
Essential Films Our Hospitality 1923, Metro Sherlock Jr. 1924, Metro The General 1927, United Artists Steamboat Bill Jr. 1928, United Artists The Cameraman 1928, MGM 
8.1 Umbrella and lamppost have never been the same since this lovestruck hoofer splashed his way into the hearts of moviegoers in Singin' in the Rain, creating an iconic movie moment and proving that real guys do dance.
Essential Films For Me and My Gal 1942, MGM Cover Girl 1944, Columbia On the Town 1949, MGM An American in Paris 1951, MGM Singin' in the Rain 1952, MGM 
7.6 He emerged as one of the screen's iciest tough guys, a handsome blond whose stoic face made him as fit to play cold-blooded killers as noble heroes.
Essential Films This Gun For Hire 1942, Paramount Two Years Before the Mast 1946, Paramount The Blue Dahlia 1946, Paramount Shane 1953, Paramount The Carpetbaggers 1964, Paramount 
8.3 Behind the glistening smile and impressive physique, his magnetic tough guys possessed an unexpected sensitivity.
Essential Films From Here to Eternity 1953, Columbia Sweet Smell of Success 1957, United Artists Elmer Gantry 1960, United Artists Birdman of Alcatraz 1962, United Artists Atlantic City 1980, Paramount 
8.5 He could do zany or tragic with equal success, but he's best remembered for his comic, put-upon Everyman characters.
Essential Films It Should Happen to You 1954, Columbia Some Like It Hot 1959, United Artists The Apartment 1960, United Artists The Odd Couple 1968, Paramount Glengarry Glen Ross 1992, New Line 
8.4 He was a master of physical comedy, throwing his milquetoast, bespectacled characters into ever more dangerous situations in pursuit of love and laughs.
Essential Films Grandma's Boy 1922, Hal Roach Safety Last! 1923, Pathe The Freshman 1925, Pathe The Kid Brother 1927, Paramount Speedy 1928, Paramount 
7.6 With a successful career on both stage and screen, he ventured far beyond his successful romantic roles to tackle an extraordinary range of challenging, often anguished characters with sublime craftsmanship and nuance.
Essential Films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1932, Paramount A Star Is Born 1937, United Artists The Best Years of Our Lives 1946, RKO Death of a Salesman 1951, Columbia Pictures Inherit the Wind 1960, United Artists 
7.9 He was an uncomplicated good guy whose lack of pretense and wholesome good looks embodied an ideal of American innocence and frontier spirit.
Essential Films Foreign Correspondent 1940, United Artists Sullivan's Travels 1941, Paramount The Palm Beach Story 1942, Paramount The More the Merrier 1943, Columbia Ride the High Country 1962, MGM 
8.2 Speed was a way of life for the king of cool, who answered to nobody in roles marked by fierce independence and raw intensity.
Essential Films The Magnificent Seven 1960, United Artists The Great Escape 1963, United Artists The Thomas Crown Affair 1968, United Artists Bullitt 1968, Warner Bros. Papillon 1973, Allied Artists 
8.2 He made blase sexy with his take-it-or-leave-it insolence and sleepy eyes while his offscreen antics added to his image as a tough guy rebel.
Essential Films Out of the Past 1947, RKO The Night of the Hunter 1955, United Artists Heave Knows, Mr. Allison 1957, 20th Century Fox The Sundowners 1960, Warner Bros. Cape Fear 1962, Universal-International 
7.5 More interested in the quality of his work than in box office success, he was a master of screen biography, immersing himself in the lives of history's most driven men with an unsurpassed vigor and intensity.
Essential Films Scarface: The Shame of a Nation 1932, United Artists I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang 1932, Warner Bros. The Story of Louis Pasteur 1936, Warner Bros. The Good Earth 1937, MGM Angel on My Shoulder 1946, United Artists 
8.7 This blue-eyed matinee idol refused to be typecast, pursuing challenging roles that ultimately made him both a box office draw and a critical success.
Essential Films Somebody Up There Likes Me 1956, MGM The Hustler 1961, 20th Century Fox Hud 1963, Paramount Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969, 20th Century Fox The Verdict 1982, 20th Century Fox 
8.4 His name has become synonymous with virtuosity for stage and screen accomplishments that are revered among fellow actors, including groundbreaking interpretations, as actor and director, of Shakespeare.
Essential Films Wuthering Heights 1939, Samuel Goldwyn Pride and Prejudice 1940, MGM Henry V 1944, Two Cities Films Ltd. Hamlet 1948, Universal The Entertainer 1960, Continental 
8 He shot to screen frame playing T.E. Lawrence, the first and most vivid of many wild-eyed visionaries he would bring to life with delightful eccentricity and a devilish gleam.
Essential Films Lawrence of Arabia 1962, Columbia Pictures The Lion in Winter 1968, AVCO Embassy Goodbye, Mr. Chips 1969, MGM The Ruling Class 1972, AVCO Embassy My Favorite Year 1982, MGM 
8.4 Tall, sturdy, and urbane, he was a quiet but powerful force of moral decency, who brought nobility to his portraits of gentleman heroes.
Essential Films Duel in the Sun 1947, Selznick Gentleman's Agreement 1947, 20th Century Fox Twelve O'Clock High 1949, 20th Century Fox Roman Holiday 1953, Paramount To Kill a Mockingbird 1962, Universal-International 
8 The first black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor and the first top box office star of color, he blazed a trail into the Hollywood mainstream with his charismatic portrayals of intelligent, self-possessed men of profound dignity.
Essential Films A Raisin in the Sun 1961, Columbia Lilies of the Field 1963, United Artists To Sir, With Love 1967, Columbia In the Heat of the Night 1967, United Artists Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 1967, Columbia 
8.2 Suave, streetwise, and never far from a cocktail shaker, he cornered the market on debonair irony as the ultimate gentleman sleuth in the Thin Man films.
Essential Films The Last Command 1928, Paramount The Thin Man 1934, MGM My Man Godfrey 1936, Universal Libeled Lady 1936, MGM Life With Father 1947, Warner Bros. 
7.8 Playing roles of many nationalities, he started his career as one of Hollywood's most versatile character actors before carving a niche for himself as a larger-than-life man of the earth.
Essential Films Viva Zapata! 1952, 20th Century Fox La Strada 1954, Trans-Lux Requiem For a Heavyweight 1962, Columbia Zorba the Greek 1964, International Classics The Secret of Santa Vittoria 1969, United Artists 
8.4 This atypical leading man proved his staying power in a versatile fifty-year career, beginning with the snarling, cigar-chomping underworld big shots that became a mobster prototype for the screen.
Essential Films Little Caesar 1931, Warner Bros. Double Indemnity 1944, Paramount The Woman in the Window 1945, RKO Our Vines Have Tender Grapes 1945, MGM Key Largo 1948, Warner Bros. 
6.8 Just over five feet tall, he filled the screen with larger-than-life energy and spunk, performing inspired duets with Judy Garland and topping the box office charts as everybody's favorite kid brother in MGM's Andy Hardy films.
Essential Films Love Finds Andy Hardy 1938, MGM Boys Town 1938, MGM The Human Comedy 1943, MGM National Velvet 1944, MGM The Black Stallion 1979, United Artists 
7.7 The scrawny songster dubbed "the Voice" initially parlayed his singing success into film musicals, but he developed a talent worthy of the challenging, serious roles that marked his later career.
Essential Films On the Town 1949, MGM From Here to Eternity 1953, Columbia The Man With the Golden Arm 1955, United Artists Some Came Running 1958, MGM The Manchurian Candidate 1962, United Artists 
8.7 With his stammering delivery and gangly physique, he gave audiences a boyishly likable rooting interest, often playing average guys struggling to do the right thing when pushed to the limits.
Essential Films Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939, Columbia The Shop Around the Corner 1940, MGM The Philadelphia Story 1940, MGM It's a Wonderful Life 1946, RKO Vertigo 1958, Paramount 
6.8 Rising above his youthful good looks, he shone in action films as well as romances, bringing gallantry and a robust, take-charge enthusiasm to three decades of work.
Essential Films Camille 1937, MGM A Yank at Oxford 1938, MGM Waterloo Bridge 1940, MGM Johnny Eager 1942, MGM Quo Vadis 1951, MGM 
8.2 He played forthright, good-hearted individualists with such ease that he seemed not to be acting, whether in dark dramas or the crackling romantic comedies that paired him with his longtime offscreen companion, Katharine Hepburn.
Essential Films Fury 1936, MGM Woman of the Year 1942, MGM Adam's Rib 1949, MGM Father of the Bride 1950, MGM Bad Day at Black Rock 1955, MGM 
8.2 Recognized as the first male sex symbol, he mesmerized female moviegoers with his exotic blend of illicit romance - only to leave his fans devastated by his unexpected death at the age of 31.
Essential Films The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse 1921, Metro Camille 1921, Metro The Sheik 1921, Paramount Blood and Sand 1922, Paramount The Eagle 1925, United Artists 
7.8 No one rode taller in the saddle than "the Duke." His straight-talking drawl and ability to stare down the toughest opponent made him the embodiment of the men who tamed the West.
Essential Films Stagecoach 1939, United Artists She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1949, RKO The Quiet Man 1952, Republic The Searchers 1956, Warner Bros. True Grit 1969, Paramount |
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