As part of its ongoing effort to lead the
nation to discover and rediscover the classics of American film, the American
Film Institute (AFI) unveiled its list of the 50 greatest
American screen legends in a three-hour television special on Tuesday,
June 15.
The preeminent national
organization dedicated to advancing and preserving the moving image
arts has named Katharine Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart as the number one
male and female screen legends (complete list below).
To determine America's
top screen legends, AFI officials drew up a list of 500 potential
"greatest stars," and recruited many of the nation's most
noteworthy film actors, technicians, historians, critics and other
cultural leaders to select the 25 greatest male and female motion
picture stars.
The list of 500
finalists was limited to those actors whose careers began in or before
1950, or those who debuted later, but have died. The program's title,
"AFI's 100 Years, 100 Stars" includes the 50 modern stars
who appeared on the television special show to provide commentary
about the impact the 25 male and female legends of cinema had on their
lives and careers.
Each star was
remembered for a particular film, and video retailers are taking part
in a special
in-store promotion that encourages consumers to revisit
these unique and memorable performances, and the classic films that
make up America's cinemtic heritage.
The complete list of AFI's 50
top screen legends appears below, along with the modern stars who
presented the final list.
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