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There are many movie stars who come and go over the years. But the ones that are listed and described below are the ones that have made a significant impact on me and my movie watching in my life.

James Stewart- In his heyday, Jimmy Stewart was one of the top leading men. He wasn’t considered conventionally handsome but seen as gawky and ungainly. But boy could he act!!! My favourite films of Stewart are the many he made with Hitchcock who often used him as the archetypal wrong man. Rear Window is a must see for Stewart fans. And who can forget that famous voice he possessed and the countless imitators who have tried to copy it?

Bette Davis- Another performer not sen as conventionally attractive, Davis worked with what she had and left an indelible mark on the screen. She was best cast as the bitchy or scheming woman who delights in the misery of others but also as women who suffer in some way. Those famous eyes used to convey many emotions on-screen and her voice to blast out acidic put downs and withering insults. For me,when Davis was on the screen everything else stopped and I was immediately drawn to her. Her best performance in my opinion is as the aging actress Margo Channing in All about Eve.

Maggie Smith- A grand dame of acting, Maggie Smith is proof that age doesn’t diminish good opportunities in movies. She imbues her characters with many memorable traits and is highly skilled at portraying waspish grandmothers and stern duchesses. Whatever movie or TV show I watch her in I enjoy, especially when she gets the chance to deliver hysterically bitchy lines and punishing glares.

Al Pacino- What more can be said about Pacino? He is an influential and extremely talented individual who has been acting for over four decades. Whether playing hero or villain or sometimes the tragic hero, he is amazing in his acting delivery. If he is ever forgotten, people will always remember him in The Godfather. And it’s shocking that the studio didn’t even want to cast him. The Godfather without Pacino is just unimaginable.

Natalie Portman- For me, Natalie Portman is one of the leading actresses of her generation. Emerging as a precocious talent at the age of 12 as the Lolita-esque Mathilda in Leon, she made a seemingly easy rise to adult stardom. I like Portman because she is never afraid to take risks; she shaved her hair for V for Vendetta and trained intensley for months for her Oscar-winning role as an unstable ballerina in Black Swan.  A talented and intelligent actress who I hope will continue her amazing career.

Part 2 will follow very soon.