FredCDobbs Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I suggest VIVIEN LEIGH, with 19 movies, 1 TV show, and 2 Oscars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 James Dean. Case closed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinemafan Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 James Dean - I believe he appeared in 4 (movie) films. (darkblue and I agree) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bogie56 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 King Kong. Those others in the sequels and remakes were just pretenders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarmaGirl Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Luise Rainer---13 movies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gorman Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 GRACE KELLY wasn't in many movies, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arturo Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 James Dean. Case closed. I agree. Dean starred in 3 movies before.his untimely death. He did far fewer films than Leigh or Rainer. He is an iconic figure to this day; Rainer is forgotten by all but classic film fans, and while Leigh is iconic due to GWTW, and to a lesser degree,.STREETCAR, she is only to people who have seen them. Dean is like Marilyn Monroe, famous and instantly recognizable by people who have never seen one of their films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gorman Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Wasn't there a movie made about the 'James Dean Mystique' circa 1977 or '78? I think it was titled "September 30, 1955" (or something very close to that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight08 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Mae West-12 films from Night After Night" in 1932 to Sextette in 1978. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Dean is the champ of this category of course, but for "normal" careers: I suggest VIVIEN LEIGH, with 19 movies, 1 TV show, and 2 Oscars. She beats Warren Beatty, who by my count had 21 feature films (over 40 years). Beatty is an interesting case who maintained stardom despite a relatively small output and IMHO never being a major box office draw. Beatty's true genius was for making friends with Hollywood bigwigs, such as Charles Bludhorn and Robert Evans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight08 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I believe this forum is closed with James Dean most arguably being the "most famous movie star" with the least number of films. Not only is he a famous star but an icon as well. So why not continue this forum but change it to "famous movie stars with a low output of movies"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 James Dean - I believe he appeared in 4 (movie) films. Off the top of my head he was in 6 features: Sailor Beware Fixed Bayonets Has Anybody Seen My Gal EOE RWAC Giant Records at WB supposedly show him as being on the payroll for Trouble Along The Way, but I've never been able to spot him in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Wasn't Dean also in "Deadline - U.S.A." (1952)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Kimble Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Wasn't Dean also in "Deadline - U.S.A." (1952)? I'd never heard this before, and I've seen Deadline USA. However, IMDb lists him as appearing in the tiny, non-speaking role of a press boy. There are errors on IMDb, which get picked and posted on other sites. Unless someone can post a pic of his scene I guess I'll have to slog through Deadline USA again to make sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gorman Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I've not seen "Deadline U.S.A." (1952) myself, but the Leonard Maltin Classic Video Guide has this sentence at the end of the review. It might help you find James Dean's itty bitty part. "Don't blink or you'll miss a young James Dean in a silent bit part during a newspaper production montage." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I believe this forum is closed with James Dean most arguably being the "most famous movie star" with the least number of films. Not only is he a famous star but an icon as well. So why not continue this forum but change it to "famous movie stars with a low output of movies"? Dean, Grace Kelly, Vivien Leigh. For supporting players, Josephine Hull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Another actress who is famous for only one superb role is Frenchwoman Maria Falconetti (1892-1946) of the great 1928 silent achievement THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. I believe she appeared in only two other films both in 1917 though she was a noted stage actress. Falconetti's one intense moving effort as Joan of Arc consigns her to a very high place in the history of cinema. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midnight08 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Ruby Keeler-11 films (from 1933-1941) and Harold Russell-1 film (Best Years Of Our Lives). Harold also won the best supporting actor for this his one and only role. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Another actress who is famous for only one superb role is Frenchwoman Maria Falconetti (1892-1946) of the great 1928 silent achievement THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC. I believe she appeared in only two other films both in 1917 though she was a noted stage actress. Falconetti's one intense moving effort as Joan of Arc consigns her to a very high place in the history of cinema. If you start mentioning actors who were primarily stage performers and appeared in few films, that doesn't really address the question, because they are famous primarily because of their stage work.........e.g., Ethel Merman and Mary Martin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roverrocks Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 If you start mentioning actors who were primarily stage performers and appeared in few films, that doesn't really address the question, because they are famous primarily because of their stage work.........e.g., Ethel Merman and Mary Martin. In your opinion only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 In your opinion only. Well who is famous or not isn't a matter of opinion (as it relates to when one of us say XYZ is famous). Being famous is the collective opinion of a group of people. Now if this group of people is current Americans I assume most of the actors mentioned here are unknown to most Americans with maybe the exception of Dean (but my guess is that most of the people that know who Dean is haven't seen any of his movies). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 According to IMDB, James Dean was in 33 TV shows and 8 movies: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000015/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sepiatone Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I agree too, with Dean being the "winner" in this category. but, should "bit" parts be included? If, say, so-and-so is the billed "star" of a movie, and "who'sit", who becomes famous five years down the road might have had a two second "walk-on" in that movie, CAN it be considered among HIS "output"? Plus, I have to take issue with KIMBALL, I think, who claimed Warren Beatty never had "box office draw". Sure he did. Without it, SHAMPOO might never have (thankfully) been made! It was HIM IN IT that sold the tickets. Certainly NOT beause it was "great cinema art". Sepiatone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakeem Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Ruby Keeler-11 films (from 1933-1941) and Harold Russell-1 film (Best Years Of Our Lives). Harold also won the best supporting actor for this his one and only role. Russell appeared in two other feature films -- "Inside Moves" (1980) and "Dogtown" (1997). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownGoesFrazier Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 I agree too, with Dean being the "winner" in this category. but, should "bit" parts be included? If, say, so-and-so is the billed "star" of a movie, and "who'sit", who becomes famous five years down the road might have had a two second "walk-on" in that movie, CAN it be considered among HIS "output"? Plus, I have to take issue with KIMBALL, I think, who claimed Warren Beatty never had "box office draw". Sure he did. Without it, SHAMPOO might never have (thankfully) been made! It was HIM IN IT that sold the tickets. Certainly NOT beause it was "great cinema art". Sepiatone The best think about seeing SHAMPOO recently was that it reminded me of Buffalo Springfield's great "Mr. Soul", which I had completely forgotten about. It was playing in the background in one of the election scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts