Most Successful Actors Of All Time

A trip to the cinema is something that many of us enjoy. Though people may have different tastes in films, many have favourite actors and actresses. Who would you say is the most successful actor of all time?
I've been reading about the Oscars (the Academy Awards) and looking at the list of previous winners to see if there are any candidates that really stand out. It's been interesting to look through the list of names, like stepping through the history of cinema.

Not many actors have won more than one award for their acting ability, so those who have done so are really highlighted as truly great film stars.
Among those who have won an oscar for their acting on two separate occasions are the likes of Tom Hanks (a winner in 1993 for 'Philadelphia' and again the following year for 'Forrest Gump'), Hilary Swank and Denzel Washington. Such modern stars of the movies easily come to find.

Stepping back a bit further in time, Marlon Brando (a winner in 1954 for On The Waterfront and again in 1972 for 'The Godfather') is another who many would hold up as an example of a truly great actor.
Also with 2 Oscar wins are Jodie Foster, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Taylor and Vivien Leigh, to name but a few.

The list of actors and actresses with 3 Oscar wins reveals a very select group indeed. Ingrid Bergman and Jack Nicholson each have that honour, as does Walter Brennan.
Brennan may be a less well known name to more recent cinema audiences, having won the last of his awards in 1940, for his role in 'The Westerner'.

There is one star who stands ahead of all the rest: Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn won 4 Oscars, over a span of some 49 years.
She can certainly lay claim to having been one of the finest actresses of all time, with her awards coming for her roles in 'Morning Glory', 'Guess Who's Coming To Dinner', 'The Lion in Winter' and 'On Golden Pond'.

We may disagree with the decisions of the judges, but there is no doubt that those who have won multiple Oscars include some of the world's greatest all time actors.

See Also : Television reviews