OLD HOLLYWOOD – Many columns back, Highspeed quoted Life magazine which named its four greatest actresses of old Hollywood. In the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s… when as they say movies were movies and stars had faces. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn.
Who are the four greatest actors? Life didn’t name them and so Highspeed attempts to do so. Source is Webster’s New World Encyclopedia, which listed only the best.
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FOUR GREAT ACTORS – Here they are:
MARLON BRANDO – American actor whose casual style, mumbling speech, and use of Method acting earned him a place as a distinctive actor. He won best-actor Academy Awards for “On the Waterfront” 1954 and “The Godfather” 1972.
CLARK GABLE – US actor. A star for more than 30 years in 90 films, he played romantic roles such as Rhett Butler in “Gone with the Wind” 1939. His other films include “The Painted Desert” 1931 (his first), “It Happened One Night” 1934 (Academy Award), “Mutiny on the Bounty” 1935, and “The Misfits” 1960. He was nicknamed the “King” of Hollywood.
HENRY FONDA – US actor whose engaging style made him ideal in the role of the American pioneer and honorable man. His many films include the Academy Award-winning “The Grapes of Wrath” 1940, “My Darling Clementine” 1946, and “On Golden Pond” 1981, for which he won an Academy Award for best actor. He was the father of actress Jane Fonda and actor and director Peter Fonda.
SPENCER TRACY – US actor distinguished for his understated, seemingly effortless, natural performances. His films include “Captain Courageous” 1937 and “Boys Town” 1938 (for both of which he won Academy Awards), and he starred with Katharine Hepburn in nine films, including “Adam’s Rib” 1949 and “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” 1967, his final appearance.
His other films include “Bad Day at Black Rock” 1955, “The Last Hurrah” 1958, “The Old Man and the Sea” 1958, and “Inherit the Wind” 1960. He was one of Hollywood’s most versatile performers.