In Hollywood's "Golden Years" certain stars were icons and did not quickly disappear. Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Brando, Newman, etc. Who do you think today has the ability to transcend aging, remaining relevant and displaying great versatility? I offer two: Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks. I hope that Charlize Theron will continue to develop and have staying power as well.

first, wrong forum

second, yes, i agree with your choice of theron.

i would hope that clair danes not only sticks around but receives more high-profile roles.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by syzygy:
first, wrong forum

[thanks]

A couple that come to mind right now are Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet. I think both have shown a great range and I think both will continue to be successful well into the future.

Actors with staying power.

My nominations of actors with staying power have roughly 40 years of performance and their presence and strength on the screen has remained relatively stable are as follows:

Julie Andrews (1964-2004) - 40 years.
Alan Arkin (1966-2004) - 38 years.
Lauren Bacall (1944-2004) - 60 years.
Anne Bancroft (1952-2003) - 51 years.
Ernest Borgnine (1953-2001) - 48 years.
Marlon Brando* (1950 - 2001) - 51 years.
Jeff Bridges (1969 - 2004) - 35 years.
Lloyd Bridges* (1941 - 1998) - 57 years.
James Brolin (1965 - 2003) - 38 years.
James Caan (1964 - 2003) - 39 years.
Michael Caine (1958 - 2005) - 47 years.
David Carradine (1968 - 2004) - 36 years.
John Carradine* (1933 - 1995) - 62 years.
Stockard Channing (1971 - 2005) - 34 years.
Julie Christie (1963 - 2004) - 41 years.
Lee J. Cobb* (1937 - 1989) - 52 years.
Sean Connery (1957 - 2003) - 46 years.
Gary Cooper* (1927 - 1961) - 34 years.
Joan Crawford* (1926 - 1969) - 43 years.
Bing Crosby* (1930 - 1974) - 44 years.
Peter Cushing* (1940 - 1986) - 46 years.
Blythe Danner (1972 - 2004) - 32 years.
Bette Davis* (1932 - 1989) - 57 years.
Robert De Niro (1968 - 2005) - 37 years.
Kirk Douglas (1946 - 2003) - 57 years.
Robert Duvall (1962 - 2005) - 43 years.
Clint Eastwood (1955 - 2004) - 49 years.
Albert Finney (1960 - 2003) - 43 years.
Laurence Fishburne (1975 - 2005) - 30 years.
Henry Fonda* (1935 - 1981) - 46 years.
Jodie Foster (1972 - 2004) - 32 years.
Clark Gable* (1931 - 1961) - 30 years.
James Garner (1957 - 2004) - 47 years.
Richard Gere (1974 - 2004) - 30 years.
John Gielgud* (1936 - 1998) - 52 years.
Jeff Goldblum (1974 - 2004) - 30 years.
Gary Grant* (1932 - 1966) - 34 years.
Katherine Hepburn* (1932 - 1995) - 63 years.
Charlton Heston (1952 - 2001) - 49 years.
Dustin Hoffman (1967 - 2005) - 38 years.
Ian Holm (1968 - 2004) - 36 years.
Bob Hope* (1938 - 1979) - 41 years.
Anthony Hopkins (1968 - 2004) - 36 years.
Bob Hoskins (1974 - 2005) - 31 years.
Trevor Howard* (1946 - 1988) - 42 years.
John Hurt (1966 - 2005) - 39 years.
Anjelica Houston (1969 - 2004) - 35 years.
Tommy Lee Jones (1970 - 2005) - 35 years.
Diane Keaton (1970 - 2003) - 33 years.
Diane Ladd (1966 - 2000) - 36 years.
Burt Lancaster* (1946 - 1991) - 45 years.
Martin Landau (1959 - 2003) - 34 years.
Charles Laughton* (1932 - 1962) - 30 years.
Cloris Leachman (1955 - 2005) - 50 years.
Christopher Lee (1948 - 2005) - 57 years.
Jack Lemmon* (1954 - 2000) - 46 years.
Myrna Loy* (1926 - 1981) - 55 years.
Bela Lugosi* (1925 - 1956) - 31 years.
Shirley MacLaine (1955 - 2005) - 50 years.
Fredric March* (1932 - 1967) - 35 years.
E.G. Marshall* (1946 - 1997) - 51 years.
Lee Marvin* (1950 - 1986) - 36 years.
James Mason* (1935 - 1985) - 50 years.
Raymond Massey* (1931 - 1971) - 40 years.
Marcello Mastrioanni* (1954 - 1996) - 42 years.
Walter Matthau* (1955 - 1999) - 44 years.
Roddy McDowall* (1941 - 1998) - 57 years.
Malcolm McDowell (1969 - 2004) - 35 years.
Toshiro Mifune* (1948 - 1994) - 46 years.
Helen Mirren (1968 - 2005) - 37 years.
Cameron Mitchell* (1945 - 1995) - 50 years.
Robert Mitchum* (1943 - 1997) - 54 years.
Paul Newman (1954 - 2002) - 48 years.
Jack Nicholson (1960 - 2003) - 43 years.
Leslie Nielsen (1956 - 2003) - 47 years.
David Niven* (1935 - 1983) - 48 years.
Nick Nolte (1974 - 2004) - 30 years.
Laurence Olivier* (1936 - 1989) - 53 years.
Peter O'Toole (1960 - 2004) - 44 years.
Gregory Peck* (1943 - 1998) - 55 years.
Donald Pleasence* (1956 - 1995) - 39 years.
Christopher Plummer (1957 - 2005) - 48 years.
Sidney Poitier (1950 - 1999) - 49 years.
Robert Redford (1965 - 2004) - 39 years.
Lynn Redgrave (1963 - 2004) - 41 years.
Carl Reiner (1959 - 2004) - 45 years.
Rob Reiner (1967 - 2003) - 36 years.
Burt Reynolds (1961 - 2005) - 44 years.
Debbie Reyolds (1950 - 2004) - 54 years.
Ralph Richardson* (1934 - 1989) - 55 years.
Jason Robards* (1959 - 1999) - 40 years.
Cliff Robertson (1955 - 2004) - 49 years.
Gena Rowland (1962 - 2005) - 43 years.
Kurt Russell (1963 - 2005) - 42 years.
Eva Marie Saint (1954 - 2005) - 51 years.
Susan Sarandon (1970 - 2005) - 30 years.
George C. Scott* (1959 - 1999) - 40 years.
Peter Sellers* (1952 - 1987) - 35 years.
Omar Sharif (1962 - 2004) - 42 years.
Maggie Smith (1963 - 2004) - 41 years.
Paul Sorvino (1970 - 2004) - 34 years.
Sissy Spacek (1972 - 2005) - 33 years.
Terence Stamp (1962 - 2005) - 43 years.
Donald Sutherland (1964 - 2004) - 40 years.
Lawrence Tierney* (1945 - 1998) - 53 years.
Cicely Tyson (1966 - 2005) - 39 years.
Jon Voight (1967 - 2004) - 37 years.
Max von Sydow (1950 - 2002) - 52 years.
Christopher Walken (1971 - 2005) - 34 years.
John Wayne* (1927 - 1976) - 49 years.

*deceased.

There are many more other cast members that have extensive performance histories such as Kathy Bates, Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Beau Bridges, Charles Bronson, Gary Busey, Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine, Veronica Cartwright, Kim Cattrall, Jill Clayburgh, John Cleese, James Coburn*, Dabney Coleman, Hume Cronyn*, Keith David, Ossie Davis, Judi Dench, Brian Dennehy, Bruce Dern, Danny DeVito, Charles Durning, Hector Elizondo, Denholm Elliott*, Sam Elliott, Louise Fletcher, Robert Forster, Henry Gibson, Elliott Gould, Alec Guinness*, Clu Gulager, Alan Hale*, Alan Hale, Jr.*, Rutger Hauer, David Hemmings, Barbara Hershey, Pat Hingle, Hal Holbrook, James Hong, Dennis Hopper, Barnard Hughes, James Earl Jones, Richard Jordan, Curt Jergens, Stacy Keach, Harvey Keitel, George Kennedy, Klaus Kinski*, Yaphet Kotto, Angela Lansbury, Piper Laurie, Ed Lauter, Peter Lawford*, Robert Loggia, Herbert Lom, Patrick Macnee, Mako, Tim Matheson, Kevin McCarthy, Darren McGavin, Burgess Meredith*, Ray Milland*, Dick Miller, John Mills, Ricardo Montalban, Jeanne Moreau, Harry Morgan, Michael Moriarity, Pat Morita, Robert Morley*, Charles Napier, Warren Oates*, Hugh O'Brien, Edmond O'Brien*, Arthur O'Connell*, Jack Palance, Vincent Price*, Randy Quaid, Anthony Quayle*, Kathleen Quinlan, Anthony Quinn*, Aldo Ray*, Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed*, Robert Reed*, Edward G. Robinson*, Cesar Romero*, Mickey Rooney, Richard Roundtree, Robert Ryan, George Sanders*, Michael Sarrazin, John Savage, John Saxon, Roy Scheider, Maximilian Schell, George Segal, Ron Silver, Harry Dean Stanton, Bo Svenson, Rip Torn, M. Emmet Walsh, Jack Warden, David Warner, Lesley Ann Warren, Keenan Wynn*, James Wood.

I appreciate all the time you took, and I agree with your post, tabuno. I just thought we should give an R.I.P. to some others on there: Anne Bancroft, Charles Bronson, Ossie Davis, David Hemmings, Richard Jordan, Curt Jurgens, John Mills, Pat Morita, and Robert Ryan.

OK, so it's trivia, but Jack Nicholson was in The Cry Baby Killer in 1958, so you can tack on two more old-fart years (speaking from experience.)

Natalie Portman has been mentioned but Kiera Knightley, who played her double in one of the Star Wars films, should also have a long career.

Scarlett Johanson is someone who could have a long career. She has been in her share of stinkers, but also seems to get good roles, including MATCH POINT and her breakthrough film, LOST IN TRANSLATION.

Jake Gyllenhaal is also carving out an interesting career and had a good '05. He had a small role in PROOF, but also was good in JARHEAD, which didn't do all that great at the box office, and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, in which he and the film were rightly acclaimed.

Well it's got to be Sylvester Stallone doesn't it. After all, he started his career in a porno...

quote:

Frank Valeron Esq. posted:

Well it's got to be Sylvester Stallone doesn't it. After all, he started his career in a porno...

Stallone's movie career began in 1970 and has extended to 2003, 33 years, just on the lower end of my list and considering his more recent films, it doesn't seem that his staying power has really been strong (i.e., Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003).