Marlon Brando
They don't make movies like they use to, a statement many would agree with. The fifties was an era of true movie icons and great sweeping movies that are still as popular today as they were when they were first released.
But it's the actors of the era that are forever sketched into the pages of movie history with the likes of James Dean, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn all kicking off their careers during this time.
So we take a look at some of the biggest names to grace the big screen during this exciting decade for movies.
- Grace Kelly: kicked off her acting career in the late forties but it was the fifties that brought her worldwide fame.
Before making her move into film the actress worked in both TV and theatre before making her big screen debut in 1951 in Fourteen Hours.
But it was Mogambo that really cemented her as a Hollywood leading lady. Directed by John Ford the movie starred Clark Gable and Ava Gardener.
But it was Kelly that caught everyone's attention and she went on to be nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her performance.
Over the next couple of years Kelly was hot property in Hollywood going on to star in Dial M For Murder, Rear Window and The Country Girl, for which she won an Oscar.
But in 26 she quit acting to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco.
- Marlon Brando: When Marlon Brando burst onto the scene in 1951 in A Street Car Named Desire it was obvious that we were looking at an actor who was very special.
Over the years he became one of the most talented and respected stars, influencing generations of actors that followed him onto the big screen.
His explosion onto the big screen led to an Oscar nomination for A Street Car named Desire and then a nomination for the next three years.
He picked up nods for Viva Zalata! and Julius Caesar before finally getting his hands on an Academy Award for his performance in On the Waterfront.
While the actor would go on to produce classic performances later on in his career in the likes of the The Godfather his opening series of movie established him as a real talent.
- Audrey Hepburn: similarly Hepburn made quite an impact when she made it onto the big screen in this decade.
Released in 1953 Roman Holiday was Hepburn's first starring role alongside Gregory Peck. The film shot her to fame and she went on to pick up an Oscar for her performance as the modern day princess who rebels against her royal obligations.
Another Oscar nomination came her way for her next movie Sabrina while War and Peace saw her notch up Golden Globe and Bafta nods.
At the end of the fifties Hepburn wanted a more serious role and she got it in 1959 with the adaptation of The Nun's Story.
Nun's Story is one of Hepburn's finest dramatic moments and for her performance she was once again nominated for an Oscar.
Hepburn enjoyed a career that spanned forty years with a string of iconic roles and Oscar. nominations.
- James Dean: The fifties was the era of rebellion and anti-heroes as this decade gave birth to icons such as Dean.
With the age of rock and roll in full swing the movie industry tapped into the teenage market and the birth of the teen movie was here.
Leading the way was James Dean in his three films Rebel Without A Cause, East of Eden and Giant which cemented him as a cinema giant and a talent for the future until he lost his life in a driving accident.
Rebel Without A Cause is perhaps the most famous of these and his role as defiant teenager Jim Stark made him an icon as the film highlighted teenagers struggle at finding where they fit in society.
His other movie East of Eden and Giant both brought the actor Oscar nominations, he picked up the Golden Globe for Giant.
- Marilyn Monroe: after small roles in movie at the end of the forties her breakthrough role came in 1953 when she starred in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, which was directed by Howard Hawkes, which was also a huge hit, grossed more than double its production costs.
By the middle of the decade she had the likes of The Seven year Itch and How To Marry A Millionaire under her belt.
In 1955 she signed a new contract that stated she would have to make four movies over a seven year period for $100,000 plus a share of profits for each film.
But she would have to wait to 1959 for her biggest hit with Some Like It Hot, with Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis. Monroe's performance earned her a Golden Globe for best actress in musical or comedy.
- Yul Brynner: enjoyed an acting career that spanned forty years but it was The King and I that launched his career in 1956, he would go on to play King Mongkut of Siam 4,626 times on stage, a role which landed him a Best Actor Oscar.
He saw his career soar as he went on to star in The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston and Anastasia with Ingrid Bergman.
But his most famous role came in 1960 in the form of The Magnificent Seven. Directed by John Sturges and a reworking of the 1954 movie Seven Samurai the movie brought together a great cast in what has become one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Audrey Hepburn James Dean