Hello and thank you for being a DL contributor. We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. Please click here to update your account with a username and password.

Hello. Some features on this site require registration. Please click here to register for free.

Hello and thank you for registering. Please complete the process by verifying your email address. If you can't find the email you can resend it here.

Hello. Some features on this site require a subscription. Please click here to get full access and no ads for $1.99 or less per month.

The most overrated legendary actors/actresses

Actors and actresses who have achieved the legendary status with little talent

Marilyn Monroe

Audrey Hepburns

James Dean

by Anonymousreply 140July 18, 2019 6:47 AM

Marilyn Monroe owns this thread totally.

by Anonymousreply 1July 9, 2017 1:50 PM

[quote]Audrey Hepburns

Both of them?

by Anonymousreply 2July 9, 2017 1:52 PM

If Marilyn Monroe is so overrated why are people still talking about her sixty years after her death?

Most actors from five years ago are totally forgotten.

by Anonymousreply 3July 9, 2017 1:53 PM

James Dean was of his time; he had a stylized method of acting which went out of favor in the late sixties. Each style has been extolled as being more natural than the one before, but if one listens to recordings of how actual people spoke in the twenties and thirties, even that hardly sounds natural today.

Perhaps, rather than "Audrey Hepburns" OP meant "both Hepburns." No argument with regard to Katharine. Both of them were highly stylized as well.

And Marilyn Monroe had more talent than people gave her credit for. Dixit!

by Anonymousreply 4July 9, 2017 1:58 PM

I like Audrey Hepburn a lot. She had screen presence and charisma, and in some roles like in "Wait Until Dark," she was surprisingly good. But surprisingly good only measured against her own performances. She was a movie star, not so much of an actor.

I think Katharine Hepburn was immensely talented as an actor, but in the way a singer can have a beautiful or striking voice with a limited range. Roles that were written or reconceived for Katharine Hepburn are utterly unique to this day, and only she could have made them as great as she did. Just my opinion.

I get the criticism of Dean. I saw part of Rebel Without a Cause and it seemed to me like a poor impersonation of Marlon Brando (who was legitimately great). Apparently Brando's manner set a trend for its time like Adele's singing style has been mimicked by countless contemporary wannabe singers, and like Mariah Carey's annoying runs were made more annoying by Xtina Aguilera.

I've talked to a lot of people who have seen one Bette David movie and think she was a "terrible" actor. I thought so, too, but then I saw a dozen and realized her greatness was personal style, not realism.

One future screen legend who I think is a parently mediocre-to-terrible actor is Leonardo DiCaprio.

by Anonymousreply 5July 9, 2017 2:12 PM

Leo DiCaprio is totally overrated. It doesn't help that he has that baby face. Hard to take him seriously.

by Anonymousreply 6July 9, 2017 2:24 PM

r5 Of course, you like Audrey Hepburn and Adele, who are vastly beloved by basic bitches.

by Anonymousreply 7July 9, 2017 2:29 PM

Humphrey Bogart

by Anonymousreply 8July 9, 2017 2:30 PM

I think the question of who's a legend and who's not is always muddied by the fact that everyone has a different definition of what a "legend" is -- i.e., is it based on talent, star power, or a combination of the two? If it's based purely on talent, then most of the people surely to join the list in years to come (Cruise, JLaw, and Affleck among them) won't belong there. But if it's based purely on star power (i.e., the ability to put asses in the seats), then that's a different story altogether.

Personally, I think only those who are a true combination of the two (Kate Hepburn, Bogart, Davis, Crawford, Gable, Streep, Day-Lewis, Nicholson, Pacino, De Niro and Denzel among them) belong there. The rest are just a lot of p.r. bullshit.

by Anonymousreply 9July 9, 2017 2:40 PM

Marilyn's movies are still very enjoyable even for younger generations. She had true star quality and was very appealing in a way no sex kitten has ever been.

by Anonymousreply 10July 9, 2017 2:43 PM

Humphrey Bogart once said of Audrey Hepburn, 'just another bony war orphan with giant feet.'

by Anonymousreply 11July 9, 2017 2:43 PM

R7 I don't really like Adele. (I tried to, but her lyrics are generic and her vocals feel more performed than felt to me. I am a Kate Bush/Tori Amos/Fiona Apple guy.) I do like Audrey for what she was. As a humanitarian, she was a gorgeous human being. And my world has a place for her delightful movies such as Charade. I don't apologize.

by Anonymousreply 12July 9, 2017 2:45 PM

You have to set out how they are "rated" before you argue they are overrated or underrated. Marilyn Monroe obviously has a huge reputation and is iconic, but was her actual acting ability ever really considered that great?

by Anonymousreply 13July 9, 2017 2:46 PM

I love Marilyn Monroe movies! She was underrated.

by Anonymousreply 14July 9, 2017 2:49 PM

Gwynneth Paltrow. Comparisons to Princess Grace are laughable.

Greer Garson. Nostrils and little else.

Halle Berry. Pretty-for TELEVISION!

Sharon Stone. Still living off the notoriety of BASIC INSTINCT. Most of her films post BI have been pretty mediocre.

Al Pacino. So hammy. Plays the same kid guido in every film!

by Anonymousreply 15July 9, 2017 2:52 PM

Some people are also great in their own times, appreciated for reasons that don't translate over generations. That's one of the reasons classical beauty stands the test of time, and also by unusual appearances do. Anything in between tends to lose its currency, and that can be a loss. Rosalind Russell, in my opinion, belongs with the great (stylized, not realistic) actors of the Golden Age. She wasn't as iconically weird in her presentation as K Hepburn, but she was eccentric and distinctive and a really brilliant comic actress. She said she only got away with being funny because she was never accepted as a sex symbol, and that gave her the freedom to be funny. She was gorgeous IMO, but not iconically so like Marilyn. As time passed, Marilyn was remembered more than her movies and Rosalind's movies (whose performances she drove) are remembered more than her talent.

by Anonymousreply 16July 9, 2017 2:52 PM

R15 See, that's interesting. I love so many of Paltrow's early performances. That was of course before I knew who she is as a person. Now I detest her. But Proof, Shakespeare in Love, Emma, The Royal Tenenbaums, etc...she was a great actress before she was a vile public persona. Yes, all her roles were pretentious in a way that now makes sense, but she was very good in them. At least to my eyes and ears.

by Anonymousreply 17July 9, 2017 2:55 PM

r15 None of them are legends.

by Anonymousreply 18July 9, 2017 2:57 PM

I'll get blowback on this, but I've always thought Meryl Street is vastly overrated as an actress. I like who she seems to be as a person...but acting? Men.

Always loved Audrey Hepburn, totally.

by Anonymousreply 19July 9, 2017 3:05 PM

R19, I like Meryl, but sometimes she takes on roles she's incapable of playing. She has been miscast more than once. I for one thought her Julia Child was horrible.

by Anonymousreply 20July 9, 2017 3:08 PM

R18 So who will be "old Hollywood" legends in 30-40 years? Here's my list of deserving ones: Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Robert Downey, Jr., George Clooney, Liam Neeson, Tom Hanks, Jake Gyllenhaal, Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Gwyneth (hate to admit it), Nicole Kidman

Questionable merits: Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, Sandra Bullock, Keanu, Jennifer Lawrence, Matthew McCblahblahblah, Mila Kunis, Jodie Foster (sorry, my opinion)

by Anonymousreply 21July 9, 2017 3:10 PM

I like what r16 said.

by Anonymousreply 22July 9, 2017 3:18 PM

R21 - I do not disagree with you at all, but many on your list might be remembered more for being sex symbols of their era vs. "Old Hollywood Legends". Brad Pitt would not know acting if it bit him on the ass, but he is unquestionably both a star and a huge sex symbol. I will never ever understand the appeal of Matt Damon who is plain in every way looks-wise and whose monotonous, stale delivery never fails to cure insomnia. How he gets work is beyond me. Scarlett Johansson is lovely and likable but is in my opinion seen by most to be merely a sex symbol and not much of an actress. George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, etc. are already thought of as Hollywood royalty. Like him or not, Tom Cruise is also part of that list. JLaw still needs a few more wins under her belt before reaching the same status of the above actors. RDJ has always been way overrated in my opinion. Obviously, Streep, De Niro, Pacino and others have already made it.

by Anonymousreply 23July 9, 2017 8:27 PM

R21 I disagree totally about Pitt and Damon. They've both turned in some incredible performances. Damon deserves a retroactive Oscar for Talented Mr Ripley IMO.

I wasn't talking about who is going to make it to big-time stardom in Hollywood. Obviously all of those people have in one way or another. I was referring to how they might be remembered in 30-40+ years when the 80s-2000s will be "Old Hollywood." Who will emerge as the most iconic, outstanding actors of their time? I'm betting on Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Tom Hanks...people who had charisma, enough quirk to make them stand out, marketability and real acting prowess. I'm not actually a huge Hanks fan but he seems to me to be someone who's going to stand out in the future like a Jimmy Stewart type. Cate is Hepburn like in her unusualness (not only because she played Hepburn), and Winslet is old-time movie star gorgeous and an astounding actor.

by Anonymousreply 24July 9, 2017 8:39 PM

r21 where is Julia Roberts, you fucking shithead ?

by Anonymousreply 25July 9, 2017 8:41 PM

Legendary actors that were overrated have to include Joan Crawford. She could really stink up the screen if she wanted to.

by Anonymousreply 26July 9, 2017 8:42 PM

R25 Good question. Where is she? Last I heard, either Neverland or Texas.

by Anonymousreply 27July 9, 2017 8:44 PM

R26 I agree. Joan was good in a few extraordinary, usually flat, and too often just plain bad. She did have a magnetic onscreen presence, though, and she seemed to be trying realllllly hard even when she gave awful performances. Kind of like Madonna. I find her real-life personality unlikable but I still feel guilty for wretching when she acts because she is TRYING SO HARD. Like, you can feel how much work she puts in. It's just bad work.

by Anonymousreply 28July 9, 2017 8:47 PM

John Wayne. Can't stand him.

by Anonymousreply 29July 10, 2017 8:12 AM

Lindsay Lohan

by Anonymousreply 30July 10, 2017 10:03 AM

Judy

by Anonymousreply 31July 17, 2017 5:19 AM

Jack Nicholson. Brave and original back in the day. Phoning it in for the last 30-40 years.

DeNiro. See Nicholson, above.

Streep, for reasons well-known to her.

Sooo many of the Brits. Where to start? Olivier, for one. Burton, for another (yes, I know, he's Welsh.)

by Anonymousreply 32July 17, 2017 5:51 AM

I don't think DeNiro and Nicholson have been phoning it in for 30-40 years. Maybe 20.

by Anonymousreply 33July 17, 2017 6:02 AM

Oh, my dears, my dears. Can you NOT hear the "click-click-clicking" sound that Kate and I hear?

by Anonymousreply 34July 17, 2017 6:13 AM

Always thought Olivier was ridiculously hammy even before he admitted he was taking crap just to leave more money to his kids. And Katharine Hepburn, talk about affected, and not in a good way. Ava Gardner. No talent, and weird-looking. June Allyson. She was best in those Depends ads. Also, both Van Heflin and Van Johnson. Plain as dirt and just as exciting.

by Anonymousreply 35July 17, 2017 6:32 AM

Just realized it said legendary actors, not just old-time ones. June and the Vans may not qualify as legends, but how they ever got parts is beyond me.

by Anonymousreply 36July 17, 2017 6:36 AM

Katherine Hepburn

by Anonymousreply 37July 17, 2017 6:42 AM

I liked their movies, but Nicholson and Pacino seem to play just 1 character

by Anonymousreply 38July 17, 2017 6:45 AM

In love with R15.

by Anonymousreply 39July 17, 2017 6:45 AM

Susan Anspach

Miss Kay Lenz

Gregory Harrison

Meredith Baxter

Miss Valerie Bertinelli

Mary Stuart Masterson

Mary Louise Parker

Joseph Gordon Levitt

Bruce Willis

Susan Dey

Mr. Anthony Anderson

Candace Clark

Rachel Bilson

Joey Lawrence

Brooke Adams

Zooey Deschanel

Garry Marshall

Nick Lazzarini

Quinn Cummings

Kaley Cuoco

Ms. Season Hubley

by Anonymousreply 40July 17, 2017 7:58 AM

MM was a good actress as was Audrey Hepburn.

Tom Cruise, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, DiCaprio and Johnny Depp come to mind. Of the older stars - Kirk Douglas and Gregory Peck were really bad actors.

Streep is pretty overrated as is Katharine Hepburn, Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie too.

by Anonymousreply 41July 17, 2017 11:22 AM

r40 has a very loose definition of "legendary."

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 42July 21, 2017 4:50 PM

Ruth Buzzi

by Anonymousreply 43July 21, 2017 4:53 PM

Jessica Lange

by Anonymousreply 44July 21, 2017 4:58 PM

Goldie Hawn

by Anonymousreply 45July 21, 2017 5:35 PM

Carol Burnett

by Anonymousreply 46July 21, 2017 5:36 PM

For what it's worth, I teach film and lit in college, and students find MM more funny than sexy. The big surprise to me is when they first see the young Olivier...they literally gasp at how handsome he was (they have no clue who he is). They just don't know or care about most of the folks mentioned here.

by Anonymousreply 47July 21, 2017 5:50 PM

r47 I just watched Rebecca the other day and Laurence Olivier was so fucking hot.

by Anonymousreply 48July 21, 2017 5:57 PM

Jimmy Stewart

John Wayne

Walter Brennan

Katharine Hepburn

by Anonymousreply 49July 21, 2017 6:01 PM

Rumor has it that Olivier and fuckin' Danny Kaye has an affair!!!!

by Anonymousreply 50July 21, 2017 6:07 PM

Absolutely nothing overrated about Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. If you cannot see it, too bad for you. Your loss.

by Anonymousreply 51July 21, 2017 6:19 PM

Add me to the Meryl Streep list. When she is good, she is very good and when she is miscast, she is pretty awful. August Osage County is an example, IMO. She has a hard time convincing me she is gritty; there is still a sophistication about her she can't seem to get past. I could have seen Susan Sarandon in that role. She is nominated every time she steps in front of the camera and some of it is not deserved.

by Anonymousreply 52July 21, 2017 6:32 PM

AVA FUCKING GARDNER

by Anonymousreply 53July 21, 2017 7:39 PM

I love Ava Gardner.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 54July 21, 2017 9:17 PM

Marilyn is legendary for being Marilyn, not for being an actress and it's well deserved.

Ava Gardner is legendary for her beauty and her relationship with Sinatra so like Marilyn she's not legendary for being an actress.

[quote]I liked their movies, but Nicholson and Pacino seem to play just 1 character

And it got old a long time ago.

[quote]Jimmy Stewart

[quote]John Wayne

How are they overrated? And I ask this as someone who is not a John Wayne fan.

by Anonymousreply 55July 21, 2017 9:35 PM

I'm very interested to see who will be considered legendary in 20 years, in 40 years. Think about how culture, pop culture and the consumption thereof has changed so drastically over the past 15-20 years - internet, social media, the simple explosion of content everywhere - both new content and old content which we didn't have access to before. The populace collectively has a shorter attention span, there are more niches and segmentation (because there's content to fill all those niches and segments), plus there's broad platforms for people's opinions - forums and comments sections, blogs and personal websites, social media, youtube videos. Thus, there's less willingness to leave the question of who is legendary up to professional writers, commentators, historians, etc. Yet, despite all this, I think there will be people in various fields (acting, music, etc.) who are considered legends. Of course, there will be vigorous debate - but I just think it's natural for people to want to define who was the best (or worst), who is a legend. It's fascinating to me.

by Anonymousreply 56July 21, 2017 10:19 PM

Definitely Olivier.

Always found Jimmy Stewart boring.

John Wayne didnt have the range to play certain roles. So he didnt pick those. Wise move. He knew who he was. He was great as the cowboy, soldier, rancher, cop type. And he did a great job with those. A well managed & very memorable career. Fucking outstanding in THE SEARCHERS & THE QUIET MAN.

by Anonymousreply 57July 21, 2017 10:33 PM

r56, I have an elderly friend who has an encyclopedic knowledge of silent film stars. It's amazing to hear him talk in detail about them, but it also makes me a little sad, because none of us really knows who he is talking about.

This will happen in the current generation. "Movies" and actors as we know them may be considered quaint as virtual reality continues to bound forward.

I don't worry about who will still have high status in the future. DL is a place where we can discuss our impressions of them now.

And the now is fleeting.

by Anonymousreply 58July 21, 2017 10:34 PM

bump

by Anonymousreply 59July 31, 2017 3:53 PM

Am I the only one here who feels that Marilyn achieved through hard work and preparation? She spent months learning to play guitar and practicing singing for her role in Red River with Robert Mitchum, as one example.

by Anonymousreply 60July 31, 2017 4:00 PM

[quote] Am I the only one here who feels that Marilyn achieved through hard work and preparation? She spent months learning to play guitar and practicing singing for her role in Red River with Robert Mitchum, as one example.

That's the difference between her and Anna Nicole Smith, who tried to emulate Marilyn but only saw the tragic, self-destructive aspects of her life and not the aspirational aspects.

by Anonymousreply 61July 31, 2017 4:12 PM

r60 [quote]She spent months learning to play guitar and practicing singing

You call that hard work? MM had no discipline and was frequently late for work. However, I do think she was genuinely a good person.

by Anonymousreply 62July 31, 2017 4:15 PM

Julie Andrews was and is overrated. Her acting never really improved, her range was always limited, her singing kept getting worse and worse every decade until there was nothing left, and she's part of the reason Blake Edwards died in the closet. [italic]SOB[/italic] and [italic]Victor/Victoria[/italic] are the cries of a closeted gay man yearning to break free of the hell of compulsory heterosexuality.

by Anonymousreply 63July 31, 2017 4:23 PM

[/italic] Mae West couldn't even do a better Mae West than Barbra Streisand could in 1969.

by Anonymousreply 64July 31, 2017 4:24 PM

r63 That's an interesting way to look at it.

by Anonymousreply 65August 1, 2017 4:11 AM

R25 La Roberts would come before any of those actresses Demi Moore @R21 listed.

by Anonymousreply 66August 1, 2017 4:25 AM

Jodie would too

by Anonymousreply 67August 1, 2017 4:26 AM

Henry Fonda most of the time. I almost always find his characters to be preachy and sanctimonious. He's very funny in The Lady Eve and plays a great villain in Once Upon A Time In The West. But he leaves me cold in almost everything else.

by Anonymousreply 68August 1, 2017 4:48 AM

It wasn't Red River! It was River of No Return.

by Anonymousreply 69August 1, 2017 4:57 AM

Lana Turner and Jane Wyman. I always found both to be incredibly dull. Jane never seemed to come into her own until Falcon Crest, despite being a very busy and acclaimed actress for literally decades. I hate to say it, but I also find Sofia Loren to be incredibly overrated. I really like her, but fail to see why she is held in such great regard.

by Anonymousreply 70August 1, 2017 5:03 AM

Cicely Tyson. What a hack.

by Anonymousreply 71August 1, 2017 5:28 AM

[quote]Add me to the Meryl Streep list. When she is good, she is very good and when she is miscast, she is pretty awful. August Osage County is an example...

Agreed. We here at DataLounge came to a fairly unanimous decision that this role would have been far better served if filled by the late Patty Duke as her last big important role. Sadly, it wasn't to be.

by Anonymousreply 72August 1, 2017 5:32 AM

[quote]If Marilyn Monroe is so overrated why are people still talking about her sixty years after her death?

She died August 5, 1962, so this Saturday it will be 55 years since her death.

by Anonymousreply 73August 1, 2017 5:37 AM

Oh c'mon r70, Jane had Zing......

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 74August 1, 2017 5:41 AM

Always thought Robert Redford was a cold, wooden actor, but apparently he's legendary...

by Anonymousreply 75August 1, 2017 5:53 AM

How did Meryl stumble into that Mamma Mia movie anyway?

by Anonymousreply 76August 1, 2017 5:54 AM

Peter Fonda has that legendary status due to his name and being seen as part of the 60s counter culture revolution but he's a terrible actor. I was recently watching Escape From L.A. (terrible in a fun way) and he was just awful. I'd forgotten how bad he really was.

by Anonymousreply 77August 9, 2017 9:59 PM

John Wayne!!! Can't stand the fucker. An asshole from start to finish. He was also a right-wing monster as well as a racist and a bigot. If he lived he'd definitely be a trump supporter and he'd be all over Fox News on a daily basis. Glad he's not here anymore.

by Anonymousreply 78August 9, 2017 10:36 PM

Meryl Streep

by Anonymousreply 79August 9, 2017 10:46 PM

I would certainly agree that Marilyn Monroe owns this category, but I would give a special shout out for Al Pacino. HOO WAH!

by Anonymousreply 80August 9, 2017 11:06 PM

Meryl, Dustin, Bobby D, , Newman, Redford

by Anonymousreply 81August 9, 2017 11:15 PM

Daniel Day Lewis. Scenery chewing, over the top, pretentious (cobbling?), method, totally unsexy. Ridiculous to say that James Stewart is overrated. The man could do comedy, drama, cowboy, action, and do them all damn well.

by Anonymousreply 82August 9, 2017 11:32 PM

Jimmy Stewart, Walter Brennan. Basically, they both played the same character in every single movie they made! And Brennan was given three Oscars? For what??

by Anonymousreply 83August 10, 2017 1:56 PM

Bravo for posting James Dean! I have never seen an actor with less empathy!

by Anonymousreply 84August 10, 2017 2:50 PM

[quote] Always thought Robert Redford was a cold, wooden actor, but apparently he's legendary...

He was always a better director than an actor.

by Anonymousreply 85August 10, 2017 2:51 PM

I thought I was the only one that found Audrey Hepburn overrated. She is all about style but no substance. I found her serious dramatic performance in Wait Until Dark very underwhelming. With a challenging role of a blind woman fighting for her life, she could have gone much further.

by Anonymousreply 86August 10, 2017 3:03 PM

People who think Audrey couldn't act obviously never saw The Nun's Story. That was a great and very subtle performance.

by Anonymousreply 87August 10, 2017 3:06 PM

Can't stand Redford. He was a total cipher in THE WAY WE WERE and OUT OF AFRICA...people love him cause of his WASP bland good looks. As an actor he was all ego and no substance. More about him and his image.

Audrey is magnificent as Sister Luke in THE NUNS STORY!

by Anonymousreply 88August 10, 2017 3:08 PM

Oh, she leaves the convent in the edge.

by Anonymousreply 89August 10, 2017 3:08 PM

End.

by Anonymousreply 90August 10, 2017 3:08 PM

[quote]Sister Luke

Change the name or we will shut you down.

by Anonymousreply 91August 10, 2017 3:09 PM

r87

[quote] Audrey is magnificent as Sister Luke in THE NUNS STORY!

I might check that one out. Hopefully, it'll change my mind about her.

by Anonymousreply 92August 10, 2017 3:19 PM

Vanessa Redgrave isn't good enough of an actress to convince me she isn't anything other than just another goysplaining white gentile bigot.

by Anonymousreply 93August 10, 2017 3:21 PM

People here mentioning Marilyn don't seem to understand what "talent" is.

Monroe was an anti-talent that blazed at people in a way that many - most - found irresistible. Being, for film stars, is a great talent. Inhabiting an appealing persona with grace and humor and occasional pathos is an enormous talent in film.

It is stupid for people who never acted and whose niggling limitations presume to judge "talent" leaves embarrassing errors to be proud of their tastes. Their tastes are theirs, but pretending to state that people who still live in the minds of audiences were untalented is ridiculous.

I wouldn't have wanted Marilyn to overreach, but for what she did - amazing. Weird and affecting and all you could see on the screen, for ill or good.

by Anonymousreply 94August 10, 2017 3:26 PM

MM was not that interesting imo. I cannot sit through her movies.... except Some Like it Hot and that's mainly for jack lemmon.

by Anonymousreply 95August 10, 2017 3:48 PM

The best and most natural actors of the golden age were:

William Powell Henry Fonda Spencer Tracy James Stewart Myrna Loy Claudette Colbert Orson welles Katherine Hepburn Mary Astor

by Anonymousreply 96August 10, 2017 3:56 PM

I never got the appeal of ....

Greta Garbo

Marlene Dietrich

Mae West

James Stewart

John Wayne

Katharine Hepburn

Bette Davis

Humphrey Bogart

Frank Sinatra

James Dean

by Anonymousreply 97August 10, 2017 4:01 PM

Virginia Mayo. But then, she's not really legendary, is she?

by Anonymousreply 98August 10, 2017 4:04 PM

She was never more than a condiment to a bunch of hams, R98.

by Anonymousreply 99August 10, 2017 4:12 PM

Let's face it no current stars are going to become 'legendary' simply because movies are not a huge attraction these days. Not as much as 60 or 70 years ago anyway.

by Anonymousreply 100August 10, 2017 4:21 PM

Vanessa Redgrave always comes across a bit 'Hammy' on film and TV. Though on stage he is great.

Her sister Lynn was a much better screen actress.

by Anonymousreply 101August 10, 2017 4:23 PM

Charlie Chaplin. Never found him funny in the least.

by Anonymousreply 102August 10, 2017 4:44 PM

Bob Hope. So fucking corny. Even his movies with Bing Crosby stank. Big sexist and racist too. Old school Republican. But not funny, not a great actor or comedian. At all.

by Anonymousreply 103August 10, 2017 4:46 PM

Movies and TV are just passive prototypes for the home computer.

by Anonymousreply 104August 10, 2017 5:07 PM

Not to argue semantics but I think a number of posters don't understand the difference between legendary and iconic. Legendary means famous or celebrated. Virtually all of the people named above fit that definition. That does not mean that they actually have acting ability or pleasant personalities. Many of the current generation of movie stars will remain famous in the future simply because the films will remain available. Iconic means that a significant portion of the public considers them symbolic of something, not necessarily acting. Audrey Hepburn is a style icon, Bogart and McQueen represent macho cool , Dean represents rebellion, Grant represents charm and sophistication etc. Frankly I can't see any of the current generation of movie stars as being iconic in the future with the possible exception of Helen Mirren, a symbol of independent mature women.

by Anonymousreply 105August 10, 2017 5:16 PM

Everybody today is so bland and generic they turned movies into extended television commercials.

by Anonymousreply 106August 10, 2017 5:50 PM

[quote]Audrey Hepburn is a style icon, Bogart and McQueen represent macho cool , Dean represents rebellion, Grant represents charm and sophistication etc. Frankly I can't see any of the current generation of movie stars as being iconic in the future with the possible exception of Helen Mirren, a symbol of independent mature women.

And Jennifer Aniston as a symbol of heterosexual female despair.

by Anonymousreply 107August 10, 2017 5:54 PM

Gene Tierney.

by Anonymousreply 108August 10, 2017 5:54 PM

R83, you think James Stewart was the same character in Harvey, it's a Wonderful Life, Vertigo, The Philadelphia Story and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance? What utter bolloxology.

by Anonymousreply 109August 10, 2017 11:56 PM

r94 So every old entertainer who is still remembered by audiences is talented by default?

by Anonymousreply 110August 11, 2017 2:25 AM

James Dean was beautiful to look at (and I am sure he was a great bottom in the sack), but his acting was and is terribly overrated. He played the man/child having a nervous breakdown every second quite well. When he was challenged to do anything else (think "Giant" for instance) - he was miserably bad. He was gorgeous, lived fast and mysterious and died young. MM on the other hand was something of a comic genius. I still love her in "How to Marry a Millionaire". Granted, she did not carry the movie - but it would never have been the sensation that it was without her. She was so skillful playing those bubbly bimbo roles. Even her short appearance in "All About Eve" was fantastic. She captured a persona that no one had done or has done since. Was she limited? Sure, but who in Hollywood isn't? James was a one note, but MM inhabited that persona that she created and had to the ability to be versatile in other films - same persona, different characters. Joan Crawford is terribly underrated. She had more range than Bette or Hepburn and made Garbo look like an amateur (sorry, my opinion - not a fan). Joan unfortunately came across as aloof and cold in many of her roles - hence the reason that she was often the villain or protagonist. When she played the sympathetic roles, they rarely worked for her outside of "Mildred Pierce". Even in that film she somewhat walked the tight rope between heroin and something darker than a purely good and virtuous woman. By the time Baby Jane came around, it was clear that she could not play a sympathetic character. You honestly did not care if Bette killed her in her sleep. She was a much better at playing a bitch.

by Anonymousreply 111August 11, 2017 2:38 AM

Not protagonist - antagonist. Sorry for the slip

by Anonymousreply 112August 11, 2017 2:42 AM

Bump

by Anonymousreply 113October 27, 2017 8:01 AM

ava fucking gardner

period.

by Anonymousreply 114October 27, 2017 8:10 AM

I don't see a need to be complicated about this. Performers who achieve the status of "legendary" have something special that lifted them there. Even the actresses I don't personally warm up to, such as Katharine Hepburn, obviously had "it", to rise to the top of cinema, an art that is a mix of public affection, business, and creative talent.

by Anonymousreply 115October 27, 2017 9:51 AM

bump

by Anonymousreply 116March 2, 2018 6:26 PM

Laurence Olivier.

by Anonymousreply 117March 2, 2018 6:27 PM

June Allyson Betty Grable Anne Baxter

Van Johnson Gene Kelly Danny Kaye

by Anonymousreply 118March 2, 2018 6:32 PM

My WiFi connection is poor from here.

Was I mentioned?

by Anonymousreply 119March 2, 2018 6:36 PM

Compared to today's "stars" they are extremely talented.

by Anonymousreply 120March 2, 2018 6:37 PM

Oh no R96. I think Leigh, Vivien was better than all of them. Grace Kelly was radiant, beautiful to look at, but I wouldn't say a great actress, same with Audrey; Katharine was a great actress, but I would say overrated and over-exposed.Dean was completely overrated but so was Brando. Bacall had one note. But was unforgettable in her noirs from the 40's. Gardner was really grating. Tierney was better than she's given credit for. Olivier was horrible. I never could understand why Rita Hayworth was a star of such magnitude. Sinatra was one lousy actor and you couldn't force me into listening to a whole record of his. So DULL. Same with Garland ( sorry). Holden was very average. O'toole was disgusting. Richard Burton owns this thread, and his piggy wife is a close second. TBH, few of these golden age actors were really good. Garbo was terrible. So was Crawford. Monroe stands the test of time. So do Ritter, Wood, both Hepburns, Davis, V.Leigh, Grant (Cary), Tracy, Cagney, Bogart, Cooper, Fonda, even Wayne. Both de Haviland sisters. T.Power still the most beautiful man who ever lived, but not exactly oscar material. The rest is nostagia.

by Anonymousreply 121March 2, 2018 6:58 PM

George Clooney. Horribly overrated. Looks good in a suit, but his acting is bland and never shows any range. He's been lucky to have some good scripts, but that's it.

by Anonymousreply 122March 2, 2018 6:58 PM

In which universe is 'Clooney' a legendary actor gurlfriend ???

by Anonymousreply 123March 2, 2018 7:01 PM

In the same where 'Pitt' and 'Di Caprio' are...

by Anonymousreply 124March 2, 2018 7:29 PM

r122 & r124 They are not legendary. Well, not yet,

by Anonymousreply 125March 3, 2018 4:29 AM

Meryl Streep, as much as I think she is now a hypocritical toady, has been a great modern actress. The breadth of her roles is almost unparalleled - think Dancing at Lughnasa, Deerhunter, Doubt (ok that's like her role in Dancing at Lughnasa, but she's great), Sophie's Choice. Very expressive face, which is important.

by Anonymousreply 126March 3, 2018 4:55 AM

Katherine Hepburn

by Anonymousreply 127March 3, 2018 5:15 AM

I could never tell wether Meryl was seen from the front or profile.

by Anonymousreply 128March 3, 2018 7:27 AM

R125 = Lauren Bacall 's ghost, posting from beyond

by Anonymousreply 129March 3, 2018 7:55 AM

bump

by Anonymousreply 130March 22, 2018 8:06 AM

I don't know if she is legendary but Angela Lansbury is dismal. Corny, humorless, dour and unattractive on screen and a musical comedy star who is unable to sing. What's so great about her? Julie Andrews also sucks but at least she wasn't ugly.

by Anonymousreply 131March 22, 2018 8:28 AM

Elizabeth Taylor

Audrey Hepburn

John Wayne

by Anonymousreply 132August 30, 2018 5:29 AM

R107 Jennifer Aniston as a symbol of heterosexual female despair

Transexual female despair

by Anonymousreply 133August 30, 2018 5:31 AM

R15 Halle Berry is not legendary lol

by Anonymousreply 134August 30, 2018 6:12 AM

Not really overrated ANYMORE, because there's only 1 movie of hers anyone watches...but that phony, crosseyed kunt Norma Shearer has always made me spit [italic]nails.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 135August 30, 2018 8:11 AM

R96 I would add Ingrid Bergman to your list of great, natural actors from that era. She has a lot of emotion, but is also restrained.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 136August 30, 2018 8:21 AM

I think Bergman is also really good in this.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 137August 30, 2018 8:24 AM

Does Daniel Day-Lewis ever look like he's not acting?

by Anonymousreply 138July 18, 2019 6:16 AM

I think that Marilyn has held the public’s fascination, not with her acting ability, but with her personal life. She was such a vulnerable and tragic soul. I have always been drawn to her struggles with mental illness, men, loneliness. I was never a fan of her films, but I totally get why she is still so loved.

by Anonymousreply 139July 18, 2019 6:22 AM

John Wayne hands down.

by Anonymousreply 140July 18, 2019 6:47 AM
Loading
Need more help? Click Here.

Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Take a look at our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn site without all this bureaucratic nonsense, click ACCEPT. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site for your pointless bitchery needs.

×

Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads!