Take your mouse over to the right and take my little poll. Please add your alternative suggestions in the comments. Thank you.
Obviously,many different opinions are possible. The criteria is this:
1. American
2. Dead
3. Appears on the AFI top 25 list.
Actors
Humphrey Bogart
Marlon Brando
Gary Cooper
James Dean
John Wayne
Actresses
Marlene Dietrich
Katherine Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Marilyn Monroe
Elizabeth Taylor
Just because I put a person on the list, doesn't mean that I personally think that star is over-rated.
I'll give my personal opinions after the polls close.
3 comments:
I cast my "actor" vote for Dean. Not that he wasn't talented (though to be perfectly honest, I find his actory twitchiness kind of annoying), but I do think he's overrated, mostly because he was pretty and died young.
Wayne was certainly more icon than actor, but I actually think there's a tendency to underrate him on that basis. His persona was so stylized, consistent, and easy to imitate, that it's easy to overlook how effective he could be, and--given a good script and good direction--how much nuance and subtext he could sometimes convey, while still playing "John Wayne."
For actresses, I've got to go with Taylor, and I'll fight anyone who picks either Hepburn (not really, but I will disagree!).
Policomic. Thank you for participating. You make excellent points. You know what they say about celebrities who died young like Dean, Monroe, Elvis, Diana: it was a good career move.
I hope you will return for a future poll I am planning about film pairings - like Greenstreet and Lorre, etc
Dean and Brando happily share my male vote; for the gals I went for Liz Taylor alone, because I do like Monroe quite a lot, even though she is outrageously over-rated. The other three make me want to break furniture.
Hope all's well with you: I'm afraid the book never reached me - I wouldn't have said anything except that I didn't want you to think I was just ignoring it. Don't worry: this happens all the time with our rotten mail service. It may still turn up yet: no joke.
Best,
Matthew
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