Movie Gods: The greatest of all time
The movie gods who have more than just good looks, we declared them some of the greatest movie actors of all time. It takes more than a chiselled brow to set the movie screen alight -charm, charisma, sexiness and that indescribable 'something' are what makes Paul Newman's smile infectious, Cary Grant the ultimate charmster and a young Clint Eastwood utterly untouchable. Robert De Niro can be terrifying yet we dare you to NOT to watch him, while Brad Pitt - love him or hate him - he sure knows how to work that camera.
Here are our favourite men from the birth of cinema to modern day in all their glory, and then head on over here to see the 50 movie goddesses of all time.
Rex FeaturesRudolf Valentino (1895 – 1926) See him in: The Sheik
"Women are not in love with me but with the picture of me on the screen. I am merely the canvas on which women paint their dreams."
Rex FeaturesHumphrey Bogart (1899 – 1957) See him in: Casablanca
"Acting is like sex: you either do it and dont talk about it or you talk about it and dont do it. Thats why Im always suspicious of people who talk too much about either."
Rex FeaturesClark Gable (1901 – 1960) See him in: Gone With the Wind
"Hell, if I'd jumped on all the dames I'm supposed to have jumped on, I'd have had no time to go fishing."
Rex FeaturesGary Cooper (1901 – 1961) See him in: High Noon
"In westerns you were permitted to kiss your horse but never your girl."
PA PhotosCary Grant (1904 – 1986) See him in: North by Northwest
"Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant."
Rex FeaturesJohn Wayne (1907 – 1979) See him in: True Grit
"Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway."
Rex FeaturesLaurence Olivier (1907 – 1989) See him in: Wuthering Heights
"Acting is a masochistic form of exhibitionism. It is not quite the occupation of an adult."
Rex FeaturesJames Stewart (1908 – 1997) See him in: It’s a Wonderful Life
"My mother approved, my father just didn't accept the idea of my being an actor. I think that's the reason he kept the hardware store in operation, because I think he was pretty sure that I was going to be found out sooner or later, and he wanted to have a job for me to come back to."
Rex FeaturesErrol Flynn (1909 – 1959) See him in: The Adventures of Robin Hood
"The public has always expected me to be a playboy, and a decent chap never lets his public down."
Rex FeaturesGene Kelly (1912 – 1996) See him in: Singin’ in the Rain
"When Ginger Rogers danced with Astaire, it was the only time in the movies when you looked at the man, not the woman."
Rex FeaturesBurt Lancaster (1913 – 1994) See him in: Birdman of Alcatraz
"I am interested in being in pictures that I would like to see"
Rex FeaturesOrson Welles (1915 – 1985) See him in: Citizen Kane
"My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people."
Rex FeaturesGregory Peck (1916 – 2003) See him in: To Kill a Mockingbird
"I just do things I really enjoy. I enjoy acting. When Im driving to the studio, I sing in the car. I love my work and my wife and my kids and my friends. And I think,You`re a lucky man, Gregory Peck, a damn lucky man.'"
Rex FeaturesRobert Mitchum (1917-1977) See him in: The Night of the Hunter
"Every two or three years I knock off for a while. That way I'm constantly the new girl in the whorehouse."
Rex FeaturesFrank Sinatra (1918 – 1998) See him in: From Here to Eternity
"Basically, I'm for anything that gets you through the night - be it prayer, tranquilizers or a bottle of Jack Daniels."
Rex FeaturesMontgomery Clift (1920 – 1966) See him in: A Place in the Sun
"Look, I'm not odd. I'm just trying to be an actor; not a movie star, an actor."
Rex FeaturesCharlton Heston (1923 – 2008) See him in: Ben-Hur
"I've played three presidents, three saints and two geniuses - and that's probably enough for any man."
Rex FeaturesMarlon Brando (1924 – 2004) See him in: The Godfather
"Never confuse the size of your pay check with the size of your talent."
Rex FeaturesMarcello Mastroianni (1924 – 1996) See him in: 8 ½
"They come for you in the morning in a limousine; they take you to the studio; they stick a pretty girl in your arms... They call that a profession? Come on!"
Rex FeaturesRichard Burton (1925 – 1984) See him in: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
"The Welsh are all actors. It's only the bad ones who become professional."
Rex FeaturesRock Hudson (1925 – 1985) See him in: Pillow Talk
"I had to overcome the name Rock. If I'd been as hip then as I am now, I would have never consented to be named Rock."
Rex FeaturesPaul Newman (1925 – 2008) See him in: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
"Every time I get a script it's a matter of trying to know what I could do with it. I see colours, imagery. It has to have a smell. It's like falling in love. You can't give a reason why."
Rex FeaturesTony Curtis (1925 – present) See him in: Some Like it Hot
"I wouldn't be caught dead marrying a woman old enough to be my wife."
Rex FeaturesSidney Poitier (1927 – present) See him in: To Sir, With Love
"If you apply reason and logic to this career of mine, you're not going to get very far. You simply won't."
Rex FeaturesSteve McQueen (1930 – 1980) See him in: The Thomas Crown Affair
"I'm not sure that acting is something for a grown man to be doing."
Rex FeaturesClint Eastwood (1930 – present) See him in: Dirty Harry
"My old drama coach used to say, 'Don't just do something, stand there.' Gary Cooper wasn't afraid to do nothing."
Rex FeaturesSean Connery (1930 – present) See him in: James Bond
"I admit I'm being paid well, but it's no more than I deserve. After all, I've been screwed more times than a hooker."
Rex FeaturesJames Dean (1931 – 1955) See him in: Rebel Without a Cause
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today."
Rex FeaturesPeter O’Toole (1932 – present) See him in: Lawrence of Arabia
"When did I realize I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realized I was talking to myself."
Rex FeaturesMichael Caine (1933 – present) See him in: Alfie
"I'm every bourgeois nightmare - a Cockney with intelligence and a million dollars."
PA PhotosElvis Presley (1935 – 1977) See him in: Jailhouse Rock
"Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess..."
Rex FeaturesRobert Redford (1936 – present) See him in: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
"Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better."
Rex FeaturesJack Nicholson (1937 – present) See him in: The Shining
"I don't want people to know what I'm actually like. It's not good for an actor."
Rex FeaturesWarren Beatty (1937 – present) See him in: Bonnie and Clyde
"You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what you're doing is work or play."
Rex FeaturesAl Pacino (1940 – present) See him in: Scarface
"I'm an actor, not a star. Stars are people who live in Hollywood and have heart-shaped swimming pools."
Rex FeaturesHarrison Ford (1942 – present) See him in: Indiana Jones Trilogy
"You may get real tired watching me, but I'm not going to quit."
Rex FeaturesRobert De Niro (1943 – present) See him in: Taxi Driver
"I don't like to watch my own movies - I fall asleep in my own movies."
Rex FeaturesArnold Schwarzenegger (1947 – to present) See him in: Terminator 1/2
"I'll be back."
Rex FeaturesRichard Gere (1949 – present) See him in: Pretty Woman
"There is nothing real about film. Nothing. Even the light particles that project the film can't be proven to exist. Nothing is there."
Rex FeaturesPatrick Swayze (1952 – 2009) See him in: Dirty Dancing
"If you live through the initial stage of fame and get past it, and remember that’s not who you are. If you live past that, then you have a hope of maybe learning how to spell the word artist."
Rex FeaturesJohn Travolta (1954 – present) See him in: Saturday Night Fever
"I have to believe there's some other life force out there. I don't know in what form. But we can't have all these galaxies and universes without something going on."
Rex FeaturesDenzel Washington (1954 – present) See him in: Malcolm X
"A good actor with a good opportunity has a shot; without the opportunity it doesn't matter how good you are."
Rex FeaturesGeorge Clooney (1961 – present) See him in: Syriana
"Run for office? No. I've slept with too many women, I've done too many drugs, and I've been to too many parties."
Rex FeaturesTom Cruise (1962 – present) See him in: Born on the Fourth of July
"I didn't become an actor to have power, but it just happens that I have it and so I have a lot of opportunities."
Rex FeaturesBrad Pitt (1963 – present) See him in: Fight Club
"Heartthrobs are a dime a dozen."
PA PhotosJohnny Depp (1963 – present) See him in: Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy
"If you catch me saying 'I am a serious actor,' I beg you to slap me."
PA PhotosHeath Ledger (1979 – 2008) See him in: Brokeback Mountain
"I only do this because I'm having fun. The day I stop having fun, I'll just walk away."
