My Most Watched Actors and Actresses
I thought it might be a nice idea to give a little overview of my most watched actors/actresses by way of a top 10 list. I keep score on my most watched actors on Letterboxd and update the numbers whenever I've seen a movie (films seen from 1970 onwards are not included in the figures since I don't log them on Letterboxd). Currently the list is as follows (with the total number of films seen until this very date behind the actor's name and with a tie for position 9):
1. Barbara Stanwyck (63)
2. Bette Davis (47)
3. Tyrone Power (42)
4. James Stewart (40)
5. George Brent (39)
6. Cary Grant (35)
7. Ginger Rogers (31)
8. Joan Blondell (28)
9. Humphrey Bogart (27)
9. Loretta Young (27)
9. Joel McCrea (27)
9. Herbert Marshall (27)
10. Kay Francis (26)
2. Bette Davis (47)
3. Tyrone Power (42)
4. James Stewart (40)
5. George Brent (39)
6. Cary Grant (35)
7. Ginger Rogers (31)
8. Joan Blondell (28)
9. Humphrey Bogart (27)
9. Loretta Young (27)
9. Joel McCrea (27)
9. Herbert Marshall (27)
10. Kay Francis (26)
There are many many many actors and actresses I like but to say that this list contains my most favourite actors is not entirely true. So most watched doesn't necessarily equal most favourite, anyway not in all cases.
Barbara Stanwyck heads the list with a whopping 63 films seen and in her case the ranking is 100% true because she has become my fave actress. I simply love her, the wonderful performances she gave, her looks, the twinkling in her eyes, the Brooklyn accent ... Favourite films: Remember the Night, Ball of Fire, There's Always Tomorrow, Clash by Night, Christmas in Connecticut, No Man of her Own, Baby Face, Miracle Woman, The Lady Eve, Meet John Doe, All I Desire, My Reputation. I have to say that I haven't seen Double Indemnity in the longest time (still waiting for it to be shown on the big screen), so I'm not listing it among my faves because I cannot remember much of it. I sometimes even wonder whether I have really seen it in its entirety (which might be considered blasphemous, I know).
Bette Davis occupies second position on the list. It makes sense because I like her a lot and that's why I have seen so many of her films. But I never thought of her in terms of being my second favourite actress. Still, if I have to come up with another actress who might be eligible for second position, I can't think of anyone else. So I guess Bette is really my second fave actress. Many people go for her more challenging roles and her William Wyler dramas, and I love them too, but I also really love Bette from the 1930s with the blond hair and sassy attitude, notably in those fluffy nonsense movies with George Brent. Still, if I would have to name my fave Bette films, I would name the ones where her roles are better and more mature. Favourite films: Now Voyager (hands-down the Bette film I have seen the most), The Little Foxes, The Letter, Dark Victory, It's Love I'm After, All About Eve, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Jezebel, The Old Maid, The Catered Affair, In This Our Life, The Man Who Came To Dinner.
As for the boys, the two most watched actors on the top 10 list are Tyrone Power and James Stewart.
In recent years I have considered James Stewart to be my favourite actor. And I guess he still is. But it just doesn't feel like that anymore since I have been neglecting him shamefully and have been making eyes recently at other actors like Alan Ladd, Robert Young and Joseph Cotten. Time to rectify this very soon. Many classic film fans consider Jimmy Stewart to be their favourite actor too. He's such a likeable and natural actor, gave great performances and has an impressive body of work. I love his romantic comedies where he often plays the awkward shy guy with the aw-shucks demeanour. But he also ventured into noir territory, doing suspense films and westerns and worked multiple times with Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Mann. Favourite films: It's a Wonderful Life, The Shop Around the Corner, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Rear Window, Vertigo, Winchester ’73, The Naked Spur, Anatomy of a Murder, The Philadelphia Story, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Destry Rides Again, Come Live With Me, Vivacious Lady.
As you can see on the top 10 list, Tyrone Power is my most watched actor and that's not so surprising since I have done two major binge-watching sessions of his films in the first half of 2017 (see this post) which made him jump up the list and even rank above Jimmy. I like Tyrone a lot and he might be eligible for second fave actor (though I actually never thought of him in that way). Still, there are more actors who can claim second position, despite the fact that I haven't seen enough of their films yet to secure a spot in the top 10 list. (Think: James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable.) Tyrone Power was a very beautiful man who had a great screen presence, even when playing the lead in the fluffiest of comedies. But he was also a skilled actor and gave his best performance in Nightmare Alley. This is also my favourite Tyrone film, one I have seen multiple times. Other favourite films: Witness For the Prosecution, The Mark of Zorro, Rawhide, The Long Gray Line, Day-Time Wife, The Rains Came, Jesse James, Captain From Castile, The Luck of the Irish, The Razor's Edge, Ladies in Love.
Bette Davis occupies second position on the list. It makes sense because I like her a lot and that's why I have seen so many of her films. But I never thought of her in terms of being my second favourite actress. Still, if I have to come up with another actress who might be eligible for second position, I can't think of anyone else. So I guess Bette is really my second fave actress. Many people go for her more challenging roles and her William Wyler dramas, and I love them too, but I also really love Bette from the 1930s with the blond hair and sassy attitude, notably in those fluffy nonsense movies with George Brent. Still, if I would have to name my fave Bette films, I would name the ones where her roles are better and more mature. Favourite films: Now Voyager (hands-down the Bette film I have seen the most), The Little Foxes, The Letter, Dark Victory, It's Love I'm After, All About Eve, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Jezebel, The Old Maid, The Catered Affair, In This Our Life, The Man Who Came To Dinner.
As for the boys, the two most watched actors on the top 10 list are Tyrone Power and James Stewart.
In recent years I have considered James Stewart to be my favourite actor. And I guess he still is. But it just doesn't feel like that anymore since I have been neglecting him shamefully and have been making eyes recently at other actors like Alan Ladd, Robert Young and Joseph Cotten. Time to rectify this very soon. Many classic film fans consider Jimmy Stewart to be their favourite actor too. He's such a likeable and natural actor, gave great performances and has an impressive body of work. I love his romantic comedies where he often plays the awkward shy guy with the aw-shucks demeanour. But he also ventured into noir territory, doing suspense films and westerns and worked multiple times with Alfred Hitchcock and Anthony Mann. Favourite films: It's a Wonderful Life, The Shop Around the Corner, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Rear Window, Vertigo, Winchester ’73, The Naked Spur, Anatomy of a Murder, The Philadelphia Story, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Destry Rides Again, Come Live With Me, Vivacious Lady.
As you can see on the top 10 list, Tyrone Power is my most watched actor and that's not so surprising since I have done two major binge-watching sessions of his films in the first half of 2017 (see this post) which made him jump up the list and even rank above Jimmy. I like Tyrone a lot and he might be eligible for second fave actor (though I actually never thought of him in that way). Still, there are more actors who can claim second position, despite the fact that I haven't seen enough of their films yet to secure a spot in the top 10 list. (Think: James Cagney, Errol Flynn, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable.) Tyrone Power was a very beautiful man who had a great screen presence, even when playing the lead in the fluffiest of comedies. But he was also a skilled actor and gave his best performance in Nightmare Alley. This is also my favourite Tyrone film, one I have seen multiple times. Other favourite films: Witness For the Prosecution, The Mark of Zorro, Rawhide, The Long Gray Line, Day-Time Wife, The Rains Came, Jesse James, Captain From Castile, The Luck of the Irish, The Razor's Edge, Ladies in Love.
Looking at the top 10 list, there are 4 more actresses ranked. They are in order: Ginger Rogers, Joan Blondell, Loretta Young and Kay Francis.
In the case of Loretta Young, most watched certainly doesn't mean most favourite. Sometimes an actor or actress gets more watched films to her/his name, not because I actively sought out the films for the actor in question but because she or he happened to be in a lot of films that I watched for other actors. In Loretta's case there are already 5 collaborations with Tyrone Power and 2 films with Alan Ladd. I'm not saying that I don't like her because I do. I particularly love pre-code Young but not so much 1940s and 1950s Young. Favourite films: Platinum Blonde (love Young in this one!), Employees’ Entrance, Man's Castle, Heroes for Sale, Along Came Jones, The Stranger, Rachel and the Stranger, The Bishop's Wife, Midnight Mary, The Devil to Pay, Taxi.
With Ginger Rogers, Joan Blondell and Kay Francis it makes more sense that they are on the top 10 list. I have seen many of their films because I like the actresses a lot. If I would have to rank my favourite actresses, all three would be in my top 20 for sure.
Everybody knows Ginger Rogers because of her partnership with Fred Astaire. I love those films but I also love Ginger in comedies because she was an excellent comedienne. Favourite films: Stage Door, Bachelor Mother, Vivacious Lady, Swing Time, The Gay Divorcee, Gold Diggers of 1933, 42nd Street, Carefree, Primrose Path, Top Hat, I'll Be Seeing You. Probably my fave Ginger performance is the one she gave in Stage Door, a film I've seen many times. I just love her wisecracking here.
As for Joan Blondell and Kay Francis ... I only discovered these ladies later in life when I properly delved into classic films. In my younger years I had only seen Joan Blondell in Grease and I had never even heard of Kay Francis. I always enjoy watching a film starring one of them, even if the film itself may be disappointing. Blondell and Francis are nothing alike, especially not in looks, but both have something special to offer. Blondell mainly portrayed sassy characters and always gave a lively and energetic performance. Francis was the epitome of class and elegance and starred in many women's pictures. Favourite Joan Blondell films: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Nightmare Alley, Blonde Crazy, Union Depot, Stand-In, Other Men's Women, Footlight Parade, Night Nurse, Gold Diggers of 1933, The Amazing Mr. Williams, The Perfect Specimen, The Kid from Kokomo, Desk Set. Favourite Kay Francis films: One Way Passage, Jewel Robbery, Trouble in Paradise, Guilty Hands, Living on Velvet, Give Me Your Heart, It's a Date, White Angel, King of the Underworld, Raffles.
Actresses who didn't make the top 10 list but who are definitely among my favourites (they share the list with their male colleagues so the 10 positions are not even exclusively reserved for the girls):
*Jean Arthur (should be on the list instead of Loretta Young, which means I should watch more of her films)
*Olivia de Havilland
*Carole Lombard
*Joan Crawford
*Carole Lombard
*Joan Crawford
*Ann Sheridan
*Myrna Loy
*Gene Tierney
*Rosalind Russell
*Rosalind Russell
*Irene Dunne (shame on me for not even having seen 10 Dunne films yet)
*Claudette Colbert
*Deanna Durbin
*Claudette Colbert
*Deanna Durbin
Other actresses I really like (I'm sure the list is not complete):
*Doris Day
*Doris Day
*Claire Trevor
*Anne Shirley
*Ann Dvorak
*Ann Harding
*Ann Dvorak
*Ann Harding
*Jane Wyman
*Mary Astor
*Hedy Lamarr
*Jean Harlow
*Eleanor Parker
*Joan Bennett
*Audrey Hepburn (Audrey used to be my fave actress when growing up)
*Ava Gardner
*Gail Russell
*Gloria Grahame
*Greer Garson
*Jane Greer
*Lillian Gish
*Linda Darnell
*Norma Shearer
*Teresa Wright
*Eleanor Parker
*Joan Bennett
*Audrey Hepburn (Audrey used to be my fave actress when growing up)
*Ava Gardner
*Gail Russell
*Gloria Grahame
*Greer Garson
*Jane Greer
*Lillian Gish
*Linda Darnell
*Norma Shearer
*Teresa Wright
The other male actors on the top 10 list are George Brent, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall.
It makes sense that George Brent ranks high on the list of most watched actors, considering the fact that on the same list Stanwyck and Davis occupy the first two positions and Mr. Brent made a lot of films with both ladies as his co-star. Fortunately I like George Brent, even though he's not the world's greatest actor. He is sometimes so wooden that you really want to give him a kick in the pants. But at the same time he can be very handsome and adorable (in his 1930s films) so there are also a lot of films that I actively sought out for Mr. Brent himself. Most of his 1930s films are nothing but fluff and easy to digest. Favourite films: Baby Face, Dark Victory, Jezebel, 42nd Street, The Old Maid, Living on Velvet, The Rains Came, My Reputation, In This Our Life, The Great Lie, Front Page Woman.
Cary Grant seems a logical ranking on the list since he's definitely a favourite. I love his comic talent, his sophisticated style, and the fact that he can be the complete gentleman as well as a bumbling fool. There are many films that I already have seen multiple times, like His Girl Friday, Only Angels Have Wings, The Awful Truth, Bringing Up Baby, An Affair to Remember. Other favourite films: The Philadelphia Story, Charade, Notorious, Holiday, Arsenic and Old Lace, North by Northwest, Suspicion, Big Brown Eyes.
With Joel McCrea and Herbert Marshall I was binge-watching their films in the first half of 2017 so I watched a lot of their films in one go (see here). Both actors I really like, that's why I decided to binge-watch their films in the first place, and they would definitely rank among my top 20 of favourite actors. Favourite Joel McCrea films: Sullivan's Travels, The More the Merrier, These Three, Primrose Path, Woman Chases Man, The Palm Beach Story, Four Faces West, Stars in My Crown, Internes Can't Take Money, Foreign Correspondent, Ride the High Country, Dead End, The Great Man's Lady. Favourite Herbert Marshall films: Trouble in Paradise, The Letter, The Little Foxes, Angel Face, Angel, If You Could Only Cook, The Good Fairy, Foreign Correspondent, High Wall, Mad About Music, Crack-Up, The Razor's Edge, Breakfast for Two.
I love Humphrey Bogart too but if you would ask me to name my favourite male actors, he wouldn't immediately come to mind. I also watched a lot of his films for other actors (Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, Kay Francis, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien). But there's no denying he was someone special and I will definitely explore more of his filmography. Favourite films: In a Lonely Place, High Sierra, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, The African Queen, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Casablanca, Angels with Dirty Faces, Dark Victory, The Roaring Twenties, Stand-In, Dark Passage, Sabrina, The Great O'Malley, Marked Woman.
Actors who didn't make the top 10 list but who are definitely among my favourites:
*James Cagney
*Errol Flynn
*Gary Cooper
*Clark Gable
*Dana Andrews
*Henry Fonda
*John Wayne
*Alan Ladd
Other actors I really like (this list is of course not complete):
*Fred Astaire
*Charles Boyer
*Melvyn Douglas
*Arthur Kennedy
*Fredric March
*Van Heflin
*William Powell
*Brian Aherne
*Joseph Cotten
*Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
*Buster Keaton
*Charlie Chaplin
*Pat O'Brien
*Rock Hudson (when growing up, Rock was my favourite actor)
*Brian Donlevy
*Charles Farrell
*Lew Ayres
*Robert Mitchum
*Robert Ryan
*Ronald Colman
*Warner Baxter
*Warren William
So that rounds up this post. Had fun doing this, and I might do a similar post in the near future with a list of actors I like but haven't seen 10 films of. Stay tuned for that!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
I love Humphrey Bogart too but if you would ask me to name my favourite male actors, he wouldn't immediately come to mind. I also watched a lot of his films for other actors (Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, Kay Francis, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien). But there's no denying he was someone special and I will definitely explore more of his filmography. Favourite films: In a Lonely Place, High Sierra, To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, The African Queen, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, Casablanca, Angels with Dirty Faces, Dark Victory, The Roaring Twenties, Stand-In, Dark Passage, Sabrina, The Great O'Malley, Marked Woman.
Actors who didn't make the top 10 list but who are definitely among my favourites:
*James Cagney
*Errol Flynn
*Gary Cooper
*Clark Gable
*Dana Andrews
*Henry Fonda
*John Wayne
*Alan Ladd
Other actors I really like (this list is of course not complete):
*Fred Astaire
*Charles Boyer
*Melvyn Douglas
*Arthur Kennedy
*Fredric March
*Van Heflin
*William Powell
*Brian Aherne
*Joseph Cotten
*Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
*Buster Keaton
*Charlie Chaplin
*Pat O'Brien
*Rock Hudson (when growing up, Rock was my favourite actor)
*Brian Donlevy
*Charles Farrell
*Lew Ayres
*Robert Mitchum
*Robert Ryan
*Ronald Colman
*Warner Baxter
*Warren William
So that rounds up this post. Had fun doing this, and I might do a similar post in the near future with a list of actors I like but haven't seen 10 films of. Stay tuned for that!
PHOTOS/GIFS IN THIS POST FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
*Internes Can't Take Money (1937) with Barbara Stanwyck;
*The Bride Came C.O.D. (1941) with Bette Davis;
*Remember the Night (1940) with Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray;
*Now, Voyager (1942) with Bette Davis and Paul Henreid;
*Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) with James Stewart;
*It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart and Donna Reed;
*Nightmare Alley (1947) with Tyrone Power and Coleen Gray;
*The Gay Divorcee (1934) with Ginger Rogers;
*Platinum Blonde (1931) with Loretta Young;
*Blonde Crazy (1931) with Joan Blondell;
*Jewel Robbery (1932) with Kay Francis;
*From Headquarters (1933) with George Brent;
*Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) with Cary Grant;
*Foreign Correspondent (1940) with Joel McCrea;
*Murder! (1930) with Herbert Marshall;
*The Big Sleep (1946) with Humphrey Bogart;
*Blonde Crazy (1931) with James Cagney.