Despite its name, the American Film Institute’s “100 Years...100 Stars” is a list of the 50 greatest movie stars to grace the big screen, not 100. The list is made up of 25 male actors and 25 female actors and contains such screen legends as Henry Fonda, Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier, Orson Welles, Lauren Bacall, and Kirk Douglas.
The top five of each gender category present a definitive AFI-approved list of the 10 greatest movie stars in the history of cinema. Such icons as Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn top the AFI’s ranking.
Fred Astaire
Known for his long-time partnership with Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire appeared in such hit movies as Top Hat, Holiday Inn, and Royal Wedding. He wasn’t just an actor; he was also a world-renowned song-and-dance man.
In 1974, he appeared in the star-studded ensemble cast of the classic disaster epic The Towering Inferno. Astaire never won an Oscar for acting, but he did receive an Academy Honorary Award in 1949.
Greta Garbo
While many actors of her era made their name in screwball comedies, Greta Garbo made a name for herself with nuanced, understated dramatic performances. She started out in Swedish cinema before 1927’s Flesh and the Devil made her an internationally recognized star.
Garbo’s acclaimed turns in movies like Grand Hotel, Camille, and Ninotchka earned her an Academy Honorary Award (on top of her three regular Oscar nominations).
Marlon Brando
With his performances in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront throughout the 1950s, Marlon Brando became universally praised as one of the greatest actors in the world. Over the course of his decades-long career, Brando was nominated for a whopping eight Oscars – and won twice.
In the 1970s, Francis Ford Coppola gave Brando’s career a second wind by casting him as Don Corleone in Apocalypse Now.
Ingrid Bergman
Best known as the female lead from Notorious.
A seven-time Academy Award nominee and three-time winner, Bergman also appeared in the sprawling ensemble of the classic 1974 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
James Stewart
James Stewart was a previous generation of moviegoers’ answer to Tom Hanks: a relatable everyman that audiences around the world adored. He tackled politics in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, showed off his comedic abilities in The Philadelphia Story, and told an uplifting story about the true meaning of happiness in It’s a Wonderful Life.
Nominated for five Academy Awards (but only winning one), Stewart was known for Vertigo.
Audrey Hepburn
Both a revered actor and a historical style icon, Audrey Hepburn starred in such critically acclaimed romances as Roman Holiday and Sabrina before giving arguably her most memorable performance as eccentric socialite Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
She also appeared in George Cukor’s musical gem My Fair Lady. Throughout her career, Hepburn was nominated for five Oscars (and won for Roman Holiday).
Cary Grant
Cary Grant started out in comedies like Bringing Up Baby, but he became a screen legend as a romantic lead in genre movies. Movies like Charade and To Catch a Thief offer a fun blend of romance and mystery. Grant didn’t win for either of his two Oscar nominations, but he did receive an Academy Honorary Award in 1970.
The actor was also known as North by Northwest, the closest that Hitchcock came to making a James Bond movie.
Bette Davis
With a career comprised of over 50 years and 100 acting credits, Bette Davis is one of the most prolific stars in the history of Hollywood. She was the first actor to amass more than 10 Oscar nominations (although she only won twice).
Davis starred in some of the most iconic movies ever made, from the showbiz drama All About Eve to the genre-defining “psycho-biddy” thriller What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.
Humphrey Bogart
A go-to casting choice for hard-boiled detectives, Humphrey Bogart is one of the most recognizable icons in the history of cinema. He played the male lead in Casablanca, ranked by many publications as the greatest movie ever made, and starred in such classic noirs as The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon.
Bogart received three Oscar nominations throughout his career and won for The African Queen, a cross between adventure and romance. He also received acclaim for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, in which his character Dobbs embodies the corrupting power of wealth.
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn first made her name in romantic screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby and The Philadelphia Story, but she went on to become a legendary dramatic actor with 12 Academy Award nominations (and a record-breaking four wins).
She co-starred with Bogart in The African Queen, one of Hollywood’s most iconic love stories, and also appeared in movies with groundbreaking social significance, like 1967’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.
