AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars

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Created by apronikoff.

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In 1999 AFI continued their "100 Years" series with "100 Years...100 Stars." This list sought to identify the top 25 greatest American actors and the 25 greatest American actresses of all time. The criteria was that the performer (or team of performers) must have made their screen debut prior to 1950 or whose death made a complete body of work.

This list was designed for those who wish to familiarize themselves with the best films of those 50 stars. Using imdb rankings, I have identified the five most highly regarded films for each performer (excluding TV as well as cameos or other very small parts). I have also excluded duplicates, so for example the five films for Fred Astaire include collaborations with Ginger Rogers that do not appear in her five films.

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  1. 16 new

    The Godfather

    1972, in 42 top lists Check
  2. 76 new

    Citizen Kane

    1941, in 39 top lists Check
  3. 17 new

    Apocalypse Now

    1979, in 37 top lists Check
  4. 13 new

    Vertigo

    1958, in 42 top lists Check
  5. 1 new

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
  6. 12 new

    Rear Window

    1954, in 31 top lists Check
  7. 71 new

    Singin' in the Rain

    1952, in 37 top lists Check
  8. 121 new

    Sunset Blvd.

    1950 — a.k.a. Sunset Boulevard, in 35 top lists Check
  9. 26 new

    12 Angry Men

    1957, in 30 top lists Check
  10. 161 new

    The Wizard of Oz

    1939, in 38 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    It's a Wonderful Life

    1946, in 33 top lists Check
  12. 77 new

    The Third Man

    1949, in 37 top lists Check
  13. 151 new

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  14. 27 new

    C'era una volta il West

    1968 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in the West, in 28 top lists Check
  15. 6 new

    North by Northwest

    1959, in 30 top lists Check
  16. 111 new

    The Night of the Hunter

    1955, in 34 top lists Check
  17. 32 new

    Gone with the Wind

    1939, in 31 top lists Check
  18. 116 new

    Double Indemnity

    1944, in 37 top lists Check
  19. 46 new

    City Lights

    1931, in 34 top lists Check
  20. 47 new

    Modern Times

    1936, in 30 top lists Check
  21. 131 new

    All About Eve

    1950, in 25 top lists Check
  22. 62 new

    The Searchers

    1956, in 26 top lists Check
  23. 3 new

    The Maltese Falcon

    1941, in 27 top lists Check
  24. 101 new

    The General

    1926, in 33 top lists Check
  25. 78 new

    Touch of Evil

    1958, in 31 top lists Check
  26. 18 new

    On the Waterfront

    1954, in 32 top lists Check
  27. 81 new

    Paths of Glory

    1957, in 26 top lists Check
  28. 122 new

    The Bridge on the River Kwai

    1957, in 32 top lists Check
  29. 125 new

    The Wild Bunch

    1969, in 25 top lists Check
  30. 31 new

    It Happened One Night

    1934, in 29 top lists Check
  31. 2 new

    The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

    1948, in 25 top lists Check
  32. 56 new

    To Kill a Mockingbird

    1962, in 18 top lists Check
  33. 123 new

    Network

    1976, in 14 top lists Check
  34. 50 new

    The Gold Rush

    1925, in 30 top lists Check
  35. 48 new

    The Great Dictator

    1940, in 25 top lists Check
  36. 66 new

    Rebecca

    1940, in 23 top lists Check
  37. 96 new

    Duck Soup

    1933, in 24 top lists Check
  38. 9 new

    His Girl Friday

    1940, in 22 top lists Check
  39. 28 new

    The Grapes of Wrath

    1940, in 24 top lists Check
  40. 51 new

    High Noon

    1952, in 18 top lists Check
  41. 64 new

    Stagecoach

    1939, in 21 top lists Check
  42. 7 new

    Notorious

    1946, in 24 top lists Check
  43. 8 new

    Bringing Up Baby

    1938, in 23 top lists Check
  44. 4 new

    The Big Sleep

    1946, in 22 top lists Check
  45. 87 new

    Rebel Without a Cause

    1955, in 16 top lists Check
  46. 19 new

    A Streetcar Named Desire

    1951, in 15 top lists Check
  47. 10 new

    The Philadelphia Story

    1940, in 22 top lists Check
  48. 236 new

    To Be or Not to Be

    1942, in 24 top lists Check
  49. 63 new

    Rio Bravo

    1959, in 19 top lists Check
  50. 102 new

    Sherlock Jr.

    1924, in 24 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jan 9, 2013; source