A "Supporting Actor" Oscar winner in the 1955 naval comedy Mister Roberts, Jack Lemmon took center stage in the early '60s earning nominations for "Best Actor" in three films, including The Apartment and the heavily dramatic tale of an alcoholic in Days of Wine and Roses in 1963. He would appear in nearly 100 films before his death in 2001, including such box office hits as The Great Race (1965), The Odd Couple (1968), The Out-of-Towners (1970), The China Syndrome (1979) and Grumpy Old Men (1993).
VA 1000 Original Hits 1950 1969 2001
Hollywood's original Man's Man and forever known as \u201CThe Duke,\u201D John Waynestill holds the record for leading acting roles with an incredible 142 to his credit. By 1949, he was a certified big screen superstar riding a string of hits with 1948\u2019s Fort Apache and 1949\u2019s box office blockbuster She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (pictured). With a career that spanned some 50 years, Wayne\u2019s acting legacy simply cannot be overstated as this very short list of memorable titles only gives you a taste: They Were Expendable, The Searchers, Rio Bravo, The Green Berets, True Grit (his only Oscar win), Chisum, The Cowboys and The Train Robbers. Wayne died of cancer in 1979 at the age of 72. \u00A0
Although only on screen for a few minutes in John Huston\u2019s The Asphalt Jungle in 1950, it was enough to have audiences and critics take notice of the budding actress named Marilyn Monroe. But no one could have predicted just how high the former Norma Jean Mortenson would fly in the ensuing years. The quintessential sex symbol of the 1950s (if not, all-time), Monroe\u2019s beauty would sadly often overshadow her acting abilities, which were on full display in such hits as Clash By Night, Niagra, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Seven Year Itch, Bus Stop, The Prince and the Showgirl, Some Like It Hot and The Misfits. Monroe did win the Golden Globe for her comedic abilities in Some Like It Hot. Monroe died of a barbiturate overdose in 1962 at the age of 36, but her popularity remains, including being immortalized in Elton John\u2019s hit song \u201CCandle in the Wind.\u201D
Possessing a gaze that captured a million hearts, Tony Curtis broke through to major stardom in back-to-back hits, Some Like It Hot (1959) and Spartacus (1960). He would continue as a leading man for more than a decade, starring in popular comedies like Sex and the Single Girl and The Great Race (both opposite screen legend, and our 1962 selection, Natalie Wood). Acting in more than 100 films between 1950 and 2008, Curtis\u2014the father of popular actress Jamie Lee Curtis\u2014passed away in 2010.
A \\\"Supporting Actor\\\" Oscar winner in the 1955 naval comedy Mister Roberts, Jack Lemmon took center stage in the early '60s earning nominations for \\\"Best Actor\\\" in three films, including The Apartment and the heavily dramatic tale of an alcoholic in\u00A0Days of Wine and Roses in 1963. He would appear in nearly 100 films before his death in 2001, including such box office hits as The Great Race (1965), The Odd Couple (1968), The Out-of-Towners (1970), The China Syndrome (1979) and Grumpy Old Men (1993).\u00A0
The son of a Pentecostal minister, New York-born Denzel Washington had done well in supporting roles during the 1980s, including a six-year stint on the hit series St. Elsewhere and winning the \u201CSupporting Actor\u201D Oscar for 1989\u2019s Glory, but it was his first major role in Spike Lee\u2019s bio-pic Malcolm X, as well as box office hits The Pelican Briefand Philadelphia that made Washington a superstar in 1993. He went on to win the \u201CBest Actor\u201D Golden Globe (and an Oscar nom) for 1999\u2019s The Hurricane before winning Oscar gold in 2001\u2019s Training Day. Since that time, Washington has starred in a slew of box office hits like John Q, American Gangster, The Book of Eli, Flight and received another Oscar nomination for last year\u2019s Fences. 2ff7e9595c
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