Hall of Fame
Ten of the most impactful men and women in the evolution of Tinseltown
FRANCES MARION
AMERICAN, 1888 – 1973
Having arrived in Hollywood in the silent era when a script could be little more than a handful of scenarios to play out, Marion helped to define the screenwriter role. She started as an actress, but quickly transitioned behind the camera, writing in both the silent and talkie eras for some of the biggest performers of the time. She was a star writer for MGM, credited with some of its great success, eventually making over 300 movies in her career.
Charlie Chaplin
British, 1889 – 1977
One of the most famous names and faces from the silent era of cinema, ‘The Little Tramp’ helped to transform the comic character archetype of cinema from a sidekick role to the star. In fact, Chaplin was one of the first truly global stars thanks to a string of sympathetic everyman performances that could be enjoyed by everyone. He also changed the business of Hollywood when he co-founded United Artists in 1919 to help produce and distribute his films. They backed independent artists to create their visions until it was bought out by MGM in the 1980s.
Marilyn Monroe
American, 1926 – 1962
There were plenty of Hollywood ‘stars’ before Marilyn Monroe, but few who could be argued to have been bigger after her. Making her name in the 1950s, Monroe upended traditional images of femininity at the time, becoming a fashion and style icon as well as a box office smash. The way in which she played with and against her sexualised image, often for comic effect, was also trendsetting. The tragic end of her life put Hollywood’s treatment of its stars in the spotlight too.
SIDNEY POITIER
AMERICAN, 1927 – 2022
In 2022 Variety described Poitier as the actor who “redefined America”. It’s a bold statement, but one backed up by a string of films through the late 1950s and into the 60s and 70s that challenged conceptions of race and equality at the height of the Civil Rights movement. Poitier’s performances of quiet dignity and gravitas played against stereotypes to create iconic heroes on screen, culminating in an Academy Award win in 1964.
MARY PICKFORD
CANADIAN, 1892 – 1979
Pickford started out as a superstar of the silent era, but that was only the beginning of her impact on cinema. She was a co-founder of United Artists in 1919 alongside Chaplin, giving more power to the creative talents behind Hollywood’s success. And then she helped to found the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
