Favorite Actors/Actresses
UPDATED slightly: August 16, 2019 and updated very slightly on May 21, 2022
It's always an interesting question when someone asks about our favorite actors and actresses. I can't answer with only one or two, because I like a good many performers. I can't always say why I like them, I just do, and most are now gone. As a child I saw many of the then older stars on television, although their heydays had passed, but their movies from 20 or 30 years prior made it to television in the 1950s and 1960s. They were very popular and well respected, something that undoubtedly made a big impression on a kid. This list does NOT mean I didn't/don't like others. Some performers I liked in particular roles, like George C. Scott in "Patton," Ben Kingsley in "Gandhi," Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind," Charles Laughton in "Witness for the Prosecution" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Marlene Dietrich in "Witness for the Prosecution," Luise Rainer in "The Good Earth." Women were not customarily given top billing years ago, and I likely was influenced by such. I always liked Luther Adler, Diahann Carroll, Irene Ryan (who didn't like Granny on "The Beverly Hillbillies" on CBS in the 1960s?), Lloyd Nolan (he co-starred with Diahann Carroll in the television series, "Julia" on NBC in the late 1960s, but he was well known before that for movie roles), Don Adams and Barbara Feldon (both starred in "Get Smart," on NBC and its final year on CBS), Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer (both from CBS's "Gilligan's Island, although Backus was well known before that for movies and television, including his voice of "Mr. Magoo"), Steven Hill as Adam Schiff on "Law & Order." Television was a big influence, because you saw many performers generally on a weekly basis, as they starred in various series. I'm sure minutes after I post this, I will think of many others, so you never know, I may do an update at some point. Remember too, I'm not just naming big stars, many of whom are missing from my lists, but performers I really liked. So here are my lists (ahh, for now):
Laurence Olivier, Paul Muni, Rod Steiger, Claude Rains, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Raymond Massey (undoubtedly influenced because he played Dr. Gillespie in the "Dr. Kildare" television series in early to mid 1960s on NBC), Gary Cooper, Ward Bond, Sidney Poitier, Edward G. Robinson, Charlie Ruggles, Lee J. Cobb (likely because of his role on The Virginian, a television series of 90 minute episodes from the 1960s, where he played Judge Garth), Chill Wills, Redd Foxx, Walter Huston, George Raft, Sam Jaffe, Victor McLaughlin, Luther Adler, James Earl Jones.
Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Shirley Booth (I think, at least partially, because she reminded me of my grandmother), Barbara Stanwyck, Ingrid Bergman, June Allyson, Beulah Bondi, Ethel Waters (although she was more of a singer), Claudette Colbert, Lucille Ball, Jean Arthur, Maureen O'Sullivan, Susan Hayward, Jane Seymour, Esther Rolle, Bea Arthur, Helen Hayes, Thelma Ritter, Edna May Oliver.
WORD HISTORY:
Favor (British: Favour)-This word, distantly related to both "day" and "fever," goes back to Indo European "dhegh," which meant "burn, hot." This gave Latin "favere," ^ which meant, "to feel warmth toward, to have warm feelings for;" thus, "to feel kindly toward someone or something." This then gave Latin "favorem," the nominative form of which, "favor," meant, "kindness, good will." This was passed onto Old French, a Latin-based language, as "favor," with much the same underlying meaning, including further, "partiality" ("I'm partial to vanilla ice cream"/"I favor vanilla ice cream"). This was borrowed by English, as "favour," in the 1300s, but it is unclear to me whether English first used the noun form ("a kind act, a kindness, a good deed") or the verb form ("to see someone or something in a good way, to feel partial toward," and "to do a favor [the noun] for someone").
^ The Germanic languages continued with the "d" sound from Indo European "dhegh;" thus, "day," a Germanic word, but the Italic branch of Indo European developed the "f" sound; thus, "fever," a Latin derived word borrowed by many of the Germanic languages; obviously, including English (German has "Fieber"). Another Latin word with Indo European "dhegh" as its source, is "foment" (to cause hot feelings," but its ancestor also meant "heat."
It's always an interesting question when someone asks about our favorite actors and actresses. I can't answer with only one or two, because I like a good many performers. I can't always say why I like them, I just do, and most are now gone. As a child I saw many of the then older stars on television, although their heydays had passed, but their movies from 20 or 30 years prior made it to television in the 1950s and 1960s. They were very popular and well respected, something that undoubtedly made a big impression on a kid. This list does NOT mean I didn't/don't like others. Some performers I liked in particular roles, like George C. Scott in "Patton," Ben Kingsley in "Gandhi," Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind," Charles Laughton in "Witness for the Prosecution" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," Marlene Dietrich in "Witness for the Prosecution," Luise Rainer in "The Good Earth." Women were not customarily given top billing years ago, and I likely was influenced by such. I always liked Luther Adler, Diahann Carroll, Irene Ryan (who didn't like Granny on "The Beverly Hillbillies" on CBS in the 1960s?), Lloyd Nolan (he co-starred with Diahann Carroll in the television series, "Julia" on NBC in the late 1960s, but he was well known before that for movie roles), Don Adams and Barbara Feldon (both starred in "Get Smart," on NBC and its final year on CBS), Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer (both from CBS's "Gilligan's Island, although Backus was well known before that for movies and television, including his voice of "Mr. Magoo"), Steven Hill as Adam Schiff on "Law & Order." Television was a big influence, because you saw many performers generally on a weekly basis, as they starred in various series. I'm sure minutes after I post this, I will think of many others, so you never know, I may do an update at some point. Remember too, I'm not just naming big stars, many of whom are missing from my lists, but performers I really liked. So here are my lists (ahh, for now):
Laurence Olivier, Paul Muni, Rod Steiger, Claude Rains, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Raymond Massey (undoubtedly influenced because he played Dr. Gillespie in the "Dr. Kildare" television series in early to mid 1960s on NBC), Gary Cooper, Ward Bond, Sidney Poitier, Edward G. Robinson, Charlie Ruggles, Lee J. Cobb (likely because of his role on The Virginian, a television series of 90 minute episodes from the 1960s, where he played Judge Garth), Chill Wills, Redd Foxx, Walter Huston, George Raft, Sam Jaffe, Victor McLaughlin, Luther Adler, James Earl Jones.
Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Olivia de Havilland, Shirley Booth (I think, at least partially, because she reminded me of my grandmother), Barbara Stanwyck, Ingrid Bergman, June Allyson, Beulah Bondi, Ethel Waters (although she was more of a singer), Claudette Colbert, Lucille Ball, Jean Arthur, Maureen O'Sullivan, Susan Hayward, Jane Seymour, Esther Rolle, Bea Arthur, Helen Hayes, Thelma Ritter, Edna May Oliver.
WORD HISTORY:
Favor (British: Favour)-This word, distantly related to both "day" and "fever," goes back to Indo European "dhegh," which meant "burn, hot." This gave Latin "favere," ^ which meant, "to feel warmth toward, to have warm feelings for;" thus, "to feel kindly toward someone or something." This then gave Latin "favorem," the nominative form of which, "favor," meant, "kindness, good will." This was passed onto Old French, a Latin-based language, as "favor," with much the same underlying meaning, including further, "partiality" ("I'm partial to vanilla ice cream"/"I favor vanilla ice cream"). This was borrowed by English, as "favour," in the 1300s, but it is unclear to me whether English first used the noun form ("a kind act, a kindness, a good deed") or the verb form ("to see someone or something in a good way, to feel partial toward," and "to do a favor [the noun] for someone").
^ The Germanic languages continued with the "d" sound from Indo European "dhegh;" thus, "day," a Germanic word, but the Italic branch of Indo European developed the "f" sound; thus, "fever," a Latin derived word borrowed by many of the Germanic languages; obviously, including English (German has "Fieber"). Another Latin word with Indo European "dhegh" as its source, is "foment" (to cause hot feelings," but its ancestor also meant "heat."
Labels: actors, actresses, English, etymology, films, French, Latin, movies, television shows
posted by Randy at 8:43 AM
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