GREATEST FILM STAR LEGENDS

Nominees and Winners

The American Film Institute in Los Angeles, California selected the 50 greatest American Film Star Legends (composed of the top 25 women and top 25 men - defined as actors or a team of actors with a significant screen presence in American feature-length films whose screen debut occurred in or before 1950, or whose screen debut occurred after 1950 but whose death marked a completed body of work).

Fifty of today's stars paid tribute to the 50 screen legends (hence, 100 stars) during a 3-hour CBS television broadcast in June of 1999.

From a list of 500 nominees (250 in each gender category, as compiled by AFI historians, the following criteria was used in vote-casting by a jury of film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, etc.), critics, historians, executives and other cultural leaders to select the 25 Greatest Men and 25 Greatest Women Screen Legends of all time:

Criteria for Star Legends Selection:

  • Star Quality: An actor's charisma and unique personal characteristics that create a strong on- and off-screen presence which is often embraced by audiences as a separate, mythic persona.
  • Craft: An actor's ability to embody distinctly different characters through the use of strong acting techniques and other creative methods.
  • Legacy: An actor's body of work that enriches American film heritage and continues to inspire artists and audiences today.
  • Popularity: An actor's public following over time.
  • Historical Context: The role of world events, politics, and changing social mores in shaping, promoting or curtailing a legend's status and career.

Greatest Film Star Legends

The 500 Screen Legend Nominees

(Winners, Identified by this Graphic Symbol star and Ranking)


250 Male Nominees
250 Female Nominees
  1. Bud Abbott & Lou Costello
  2. Brian Aherne
  3. Don Ameche
  4. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson
  5. Gilbert M. "Bronco Billy" Anderson
  6. Dana Andrews
  7. Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle
  8. George Arliss
  9. Louis Armstrong
  10. Edward Arnold
  11. Fred Astaire star #5
  12. Gene Autry
  13. Lew Ayres
  14. King Baggot
  15. John Barrymore
  16. Lionel Barrymore
  17. Richard Barthelmess
  18. Freddie Bartholomew
  19. Warner Baxter
  20. Noah Beery
  21. Wallace Beery
  22. Ralph Bellamy
  23. John Belushi
  24. William Bendix
  25. Jack Benny
  26. Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy
  27. Milton Berle
  28. Humphrey Bogart star #1
  29. Ray Bolger
  30. Ward Bond
  31. William Boyd
  32. Charles Boyer
  33. Eddie Bracken
  34. Marlon Brando star #4
  35. Walter Brennan
  36. Lloyd Bridges
  37. Joe E. Brown
  38. Yul Brynner
  39. George Burns
  40. Richard Burton
  41. Francis X. Bushman
  42. James Cagney star #8
  43. Eddie Cantor
  44. John Carradine
  45. Leo G. Carroll
  46. Jack Carson
  47. John Cassavetes
  48. Lon Chaney
  49. Lon Chaney, Jr.
  50. Charles Chaplin star #10
  51. Maurice Chevalier
  52. Montgomery Clift
  53. Lee J. Cobb
  54. Charles Coburn
  55. Ronald Colman
  56. Jackie Coogan
  57. Gary Cooper star #11
  58. Jackie Cooper
  59. Joseph Cotten
  60. Buster Crabbe
  61. Broderick Crawford
  62. Hume Cronyn
  63. Bing Crosby
  64. Robert Cummings
  65. Tony Curtis
  66. Dan Dailey
  67. Ossie Davis
  68. Sammy Davis, Jr.
  69. James Dean star #18
  70. Divine
  71. Richard Dix
  72. Robert Donat
  73. Brian Donlevy
  74. Kirk Douglas star #17
  75. Melvyn Douglas
  76. Jimmy Durante
  77. Buddy Ebsen
  78. Nelson Eddy
  79. Douglas Fairbanks
  80. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
  81. William Farnum
  82. José Ferrer
  83. W.C. Fields
  84. Peter Finch
  85. Barry Fitzgerald
  86. Errol Flynn
  87. Henry Fonda star #6
  88. Glenn Ford
  89. Clark Gable star #7
  90. John Garfield
  91. John Gielgud
  92. John Gilbert
  93. Jackie Gleason
  94. Farley Granger
  95. Stewart Granger
  96. Cary Grant star #2
  97. Sydney Greenstreet
  98. Sir Alec Guinness
  99. Edmund Gwenn
  100. Jack Haley
  101. Rex Harrison
  102. William S. Hart
  103. Laurence Harvey
  104. Sessue Hayakawa
  105. Sterling Hayden
  106. Gabby Hayes
  107. Van Heflin
  108. Paul Henreid
  109. Charlton Heston
  110. William Holden star #25
  111. Bob Hope
  112. Edward Everett Horton
  113. John Houseman
  114. Leslie Howard
  115. Trevor Howard
  116. Rock Hudson
  117. Tab Hunter
  118. John Huston
  119. Walter Huston
  120. Rex Ingram
  121. Burl Ives
  122. Emil Jannings
  123. Ben Johnson
  124. Van Johnson
  125. Al Jolson
  126. Louis Jourdan
  127. Raul Julia
  128. Boris Karloff
  129. Danny Kaye
  130. Buster Keaton star #21
  131. Howard Keel
  132. Gene Kelly star #15
  133. Arthur Kennedy
  134. Alan Ladd
  135. Bert Lahr
  136. Burt Lancaster star #19
  137. Harry Langdon
  138. Mario Lanza
  139. Charles Laughton
  140. Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy
  141. Peter Lawford
  142. Oscar Levant
  143. Jerry Lewis
  144. Harold Lloyd
  145. Peter Lorre
  146. Bela Lugosi
  147. Keye Luke
  148. Fred MacMurray
  149. Gordon MacRae
  150. Karl Malden
  151. Fredric March
  152. Herbert Marshall
  153. Dean Martin
  154. Lee Marvin
  155. The Marx Brothers star #20
  156. James Mason
  157. Raymond Massey
  158. Victor Mature
  159. Joel McCrea
  160. Roddy McDowall
  161. Victor McLaglen
  162. Steve McQueen
  163. Adolphe Menjou
  164. Burgess Meredith
  165. Ray Milland
  166. Sal Mineo
  167. Thomas Mitchell
  168. Robert Mitchum star #23
  169. Tom Mix
  170. Ricardo Montalban
  171. George Montgomery
  172. Robert Montgomery
  173. Mantan Moreland
  174. Frank Morgan
  175. Zero Mostel
  176. Paul Muni
  177. George Murphy
  178. The Nicholas Brothers
  179. David Niven
  180. Ramon Novarro
  181. Jack Oakie
  182. Edmond O'Brien
  183. Pat O'Brien
  184. Donald O'Connor
  185. Sir Laurence Olivier star #14
  186. Jack Palance
  187. Larry Parks
  188. Gregory Peck star #12
  189. George Peppard
  190. Anthony Perkins
  191. Slim Pickens
  192. Walter Pidgeon
  193. Sidney Poitier star #22
  194. Dick Powell
  195. William Powell
  196. Tyrone Power
  197. Elvis Presley
  198. Robert Preston
  199. Vincent Price
  200. Anthony Quinn
  201. George Raft
  202. Claude Rains
  203. Basil Rathbone
  204. Charles Ray
  205. Ronald Reagan
  206. Wallace Reid
  207. Ralph Richardson
  208. Paul Robeson
  209. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson
  210. Edward G. Robinson star #24
  211. Buddy Rogers
  212. Roy Rogers
  213. Will Rogers
  214. Gilbert Roland
  215. Cesar Romero
  216. Mickey Rooney
  217. Charles Ruggles
  218. Harold Russell
  219. Robert Ryan
  220. Sabu
  221. George Sanders
  222. Randolph Scott
  223. Peter Sellers
  224. Robert Shaw
  225. Frank Sinatra
  226. Red Skelton
  227. James Stewart star #3
  228. Dean Stockwell
  229. Woody Strode
  230. Robert Taylor
  231. The Three Stooges
  232. Franchot Tone
  233. Spencer Tracy star #9
  234. Ben Turpin
  235. Peter Ustinov
  236. Rudolph Valentino
  237. Rudy Vallee
  238. Conrad Veidt
  239. Erich Von Stroheim
  240. Max Von Sydow
  241. Robert Walker
  242. John Wayne star #13
  243. Clifton Webb
  244. Johnny Weissmuller
  245. Orson Welles star #16
  246. Richard Widmark
  247. Cornel Wilde
  248. Chill Wills
  249. Gig Young
  250. Robert Young
  1. Gracie Allen
  2. June Allyson
  3. Dame Judith Anderson
  4. Annabella
  5. Eve Arden
  6. Jean Arthur
  7. Mary Astor
  8. Lauren Bacall star #20
  9. Pearl Bailey
  10. Lucille Ball
  11. Tallulah Bankhead
  12. Vilma Bánky
  13. Theda Bara
  14. Ethel Barrymore
  15. Anne Baxter
  16. Louise Beavers
  17. Barbara Bel Geddes
  18. Constance Bennett
  19. Joan Bennett
  20. Ingrid Bergman star #4
  21. Joan Blondell
  22. Claire Bloom
  23. Ann Blyth
  24. Beulah Bondi
  25. Shirley Booth
  26. Clara Bow
  27. Alice Brady
  28. Helen Broderick
  29. Betty Bronson
  30. Louise Brooks
  31. Virginia Bruce
  32. Billie Burke
  33. Spring Byington
  34. Kitty Carlisle
  35. Madeleine Carroll
  36. Cyd Charisse
  37. Ruth Chatterton
  38. Mae Clarke
  39. Claudette Colbert star #12
  40. Dolores Costello
  41. Jeanne Crain
  42. Joan Crawford star #10
  43. Viola Dana
  44. Dorothy Dandridge
  45. Bebe Daniels
  46. Linda Darnell
  47. Danielle Darrieux
  48. Jane Darwell
  49. Marion Davies
  50. Bette Davis star #2
  51. Joan Davis
  52. Doris Day
  53. Laraine Day
  54. Yvonne De Carlo
  55. Ruby Dee
  56. Gloria Dehaven
  57. Olivia De Havilland
  58. Dolores Del Rio
  59. Marlene Dietrich star #9
  60. Louise Dresser
  61. Marie Dressler
  62. Margaret Dumont
  63. Irene Dunne
  64. Deanna Durbin
  65. Jeanne Eagels
  66. Dale Evans
  67. Frances Farmer
  68. Glenda Farrell
  69. Alice Faye
  70. Betty Field
  71. Gracie Fields
  72. Geraldine Fitzgerald
  73. Rhonda Fleming
  74. Nina Foch
  75. Joan Fontaine
  76. Kay Francis
  77. Greta Garbo star #5
  78. Ava Gardner star #25
  79. Judy Garland star #8
  80. Peggy Ann Garner
  81. Betty Garrett
  82. Greer Garson
  83. Janet Gaynor
  84. Mitzi Gaynor
  85. Hermione Gingold
  86. Dorothy Gish
  87. Lillian Gish star #17
  88. Paulette Goddard
  89. Ruth Gordon
  90. Betty Grable
  91. Gloria Grahame
  92. Bonita Granville
  93. Kathryn Grayson
  94. Jane Greer
  95. Corinne Griffith
  96. Jean Hagen
  97. Barbara Hale
  98. Margaret Hamilton
  99. Ann Harding
  100. Jean Harlow star #22
  101. June Haver
  102. Helen Hayes
  103. Susan Hayward
  104. Rita Hayworth star #19
  105. Sonja Henie
  106. Audrey Hepburn star #3
  107. Katharine Hepburn star #1
  108. Judy Holliday
  109. Celeste Holm
  110. Miriam Hopkins
  111. Lena Horne
  112. Marsha Hunt
  113. Kim Hunter
  114. Ruth Hussey
  115. Betty Hutton
  116. Jennifer Jones
  117. Ruby Keeler
  118. Grace Kelly star #13
  119. Madge Kennedy
  120. Deborah Kerr
  121. Veronica Lake
  122. Hedy Lamarr
  123. Dorothy Lamour
  124. Elsa Lanchester
  125. Priscilla Lane
  126. Angela Lansbury
  127. Piper Laurie
  128. Florence Lawrence
  129. Janet Leigh
  130. Vivien Leigh star #16
  131. Joan Leslie
  132. Viveca Lindfors
  133. Gina Lollobrigida
  134. Carole Lombard star #23
  135. Sophia Loren star #21
  136. Bessie Love
  137. Myrna Loy
  138. Ida Lupino
  139. Jeanette Macdonald
  140. Anna Magnani
  141. Marjorie Main
  142. Dorothy Malone
  143. Jayne Mansfield
  144. Mae Marsh
  145. Mary Martin
  146. Virginia Mayo
  147. May McAvoy
  148. Mercedes McCambridge
  149. Hattie McDaniel
  150. Dorothy McGuire
  151. Nina Mae McKinney
  152. Butterfly McQueen
  153. Una Merkel
  154. Ethel Merman
  155. Ann Miller
  156. Carmen Miranda
  157. Marilyn Monroe star #6
  158. Maria Montez
  159. Colleen Moore
  160. Agnes Moorehead
  161. Rita Moreno
  162. Mae Murray
  163. Mildred Natwick
  164. Alla Nazimova
  165. Dame Anna Neagle
  166. Patricia Neal
  167. Pola Negri
  168. Anna Q. Nilsson
  169. Mabel Normand
  170. Margaret O'Brien
  171. Maureen O'Hara
  172. Maureen O'Sullivan
  173. Merle Oberon
  174. Seena Owen
  175. Geraldine Page
  176. Lilli Palmer
  177. Eleanor Parker
  178. Gail Patrick
  179. Mary Pickford star #24
  180. Zasu Pitts
  181. Eleanor Powell
  182. Jane Powell
  183. Marie Prevost
  184. Edna Purviance
  185. Luise Rainer
  186. Vera Hruba Ralston
  187. Martha Raye
  188. Donna Reed
  189. Lee Remick
  190. Anne Revere
  191. Debbie Reynolds
  192. Thelma Ritter
  193. Dame Flora Robson
  194. Ginger Rogers star #14
  195. Ruth Roman
  196. Gail Russell
  197. Jane Russell
  198. Rosalind Russell
  199. Ann Rutherford
  200. Lizabeth Scott
  201. Martha Scott
  202. Jean Seberg
  203. Norma Shearer
  204. Ann Sheridan
  205. Dinah Shore
  206. Sylvia Sidney
  207. Jean Simmons
  208. Simone Simon
  209. Penny Singleton
  210. Alexis Smith
  211. Gale Sondergaard
  212. Ann Sothern
  213. Barbara Stanwyck star #11
  214. Gloria Stuart
  215. Margaret Sullavan
  216. Gloria Swanson
  217. Blanche Sweet
  218. Constance Talmadge
  219. Norma Talmadge
  220. Jessica Tandy
  221. Elizabeth Taylor star #7
  222. Shirley Temple star #18
  223. Gene Tierney
  224. Ann Todd
  225. Thelma Todd
  226. Claire Trevor
  227. Lana Turner
  228. Helen Twelvetrees
  229. Lupe Velez
  230. Evelyn Venable
  231. Vera-Ellen
  232. Ethel Waters
  233. Mae West star #15
  234. Pearl White
  235. Esther Williams
  236. Lois Wilson
  237. Marie Wilson
  238. Marie Windsor
  239. Shelley Winters
  240. Estelle Winwood
  241. Jane Withers
  242. Anna May Wong
  243. Natalie Wood
  244. Irene Worth
  245. Fay Wray
  246. Teresa Wright
  247. Jane Wyatt
  248. Jane Wyman
  249. Clara Kimball Young
  250. Loretta Young


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