Class of 2022

In 2022,

The Winter Olympics were held in Beijing, China;

Russia invaded Ukraine;

Argentina won the World Cup;

Benjamin Netanyahu won a third term as Israeli prime minister;

King Charles III ascended the British throne;

Elon Musk bought Twitter;

The cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy;

The US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade;

CNN+ debuted and closed;

CODA won the Academy Award for Best Picture, becoming the first film released by a streaming service to capture the award;

The following is my ranked list of the celebrities who passed away in 2022.

This is not a statement of their worth, but a valuation of their careers.

Everyone’s life is equally valuable, but their careers are not.

 

76. Sacheen Littlefeather

She accepted the 1972 Oscar for Best Actor on behalf of Marlon Brando who was attempting to highlight the cruel way the US had treated Native Americans. His point was, in essence, made for him in the cruel way the audience reacted to Ms. Littlefeather.

Fifty years later, the Academy formally apologized to her for her treatment, just in time for her death.

 

 

75. Dan Vitale

One season in the cast of SNL in the mid 1980s.

 

 

74. Gallagher

Incredibly, he managed to make a career out of the stage show equivalent of David Letterman’s Stupid Human Tricks.

 

 

73. Mills Lane

He parlayed his brief moment in the sun as the referee in the infamous boxing match between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson into appearances in Celebrity Death Match and a stint as a TV show judge.

 

72. Franco Harris

His hard-nosed play helped the Steelers to four Super Bowl titles and he was the central figure in one of the most famous plays in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception.

 

 

71. Michael Callan

A promising start included a part in Cat Ballou (1965), but afterwards confined to mostly TV roles.

 

70. Vivienne Westwood

With Malcolm McLaren, she opened SEX, a fashion boutique in London, which played a pivotal role in establishing the punk aesthetic.

 

 

69. Tony Dow

Wally Cleaver in Leave it to Beaver. A well known role, although beginning to fade into obscurity.

 

 

68. Aesop Aquarian

A minor Hollywood career, but a brief association with the Manson Family has kept him in the popular consciousness. Manson casts a long shadow on popular culture and Aquarian was more than happy to live in it.

 

 

67. Bernard Cribbins

The Railway Children (1970). A temporary companion in Doctor Who. By no means a household name, but a productive sixty year career.

 

 

66. Aaron Carter

He had some success as a singer and competed on Dancing with the Stars. Mostly, he’s famous because his brother was famous.

 

 

65. Jules Bass

With Arthur Rankin Jr., he gave us the holiday staples, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Frosty the Snowman (1969), the animated version of The Hobbit (1977) and the cult film The Last Unicorn (1982).

 

64. Kevin Conroy

The voice of Batman in Batman: The Animated Series. His rendition of the Caped Crusader was universally lauded.

 

 

63. Gaspard Ulliel

Young Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising (2007) and a part in the MCU miniseries Moon Knight (2022) before a a skiing accident took his life at thirty-seven.

 

62. Mike Hodges

Get Carter (1971) was instrumental in establishing Michael Caine as a bona fide movie star. Croupier (1998) is an under the radar good film. Damien: Omen II (1978) was a cash grab.

 

 

61. Austin Stoker

Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). Airport 1975. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).

A pretty decent run for a bit actor from Trinidad in the 1970s.

 

60. Naomi Judd

Her collaboration with her daughter, Wynonna produced several country music hits in the 1980s and 1990s (including “Love Can Build a Bridge”).

 

 

 

59. Lenny von Dohlen

Tender Mercies (1983), the regrettable cash grab Home Alone 3 (1997), and a memorable turn in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.

 

 

58. Peter Brook

Primarily a theater director focused on Shakespeare, he directed the film version of The Beggar’s Opera (1953), Marat/Sade (1967), Lord of the Flies (1963), and a pretty good version of my favorite play, King Lear (1971).

 

 

57. Louie Anderson

After having his own sitcom and an animated series based on his childhood, he hosted Family Feud.

He had parts in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Coming to America (1988), and Coming 2 America (2021).

A late in life resurgence playing the family matriarch in Baskets.

A consistent forty year career just on the outskirts of being a household name.

 

 

56. Pat Carroll

She earned an Emmy for her pioneering work in the television show Caesar’s Hour.

No one could pick her out of a lineup, but everyone under the age of 45 is familiar with her work as Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989).

 

55. Taylor Hawkins

He was the drummer for the Foo Fighters, one of the most lasting legacies of the Seattle rock scene.

 

 

54. Larry Storch

F Troop. Sex and the Single Girl (1964). The Great Race (1965). Airport 1975 (1974). S.O.B. (1981) Sweet Sixteen (1983). He’s not particularly well known now, but he had a consistent 40+ year career.

 

 

53. Monica Vitti

She rose to prominence as the muse of Italian auteur Michelangelo Antonioni. After their relationship ended, she turned to comedies, and was successful, but never captured the imagination of American audiences in the same way again.

Her legacy endures as the prototypical image of a woman in arthouse cinema.

 

 

52. Jean-Louis Trintignant

A lion of French cinema. He worked with Kieślowski, Rohmer, Haneke, Costa Gavras, and Vadim.

Sadly, he never penetrated beyond arthouses in the US.

 

 

51. Nichelle Nichols

Her role as Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek broke barriers and inspired countless girls to pursue a career in science.

Her legacy is tremendous: numerous real life scientists and technological advancements rest on her shoulders.

 

 

50. Henry Silva

One of the original gangsters in Ocean’s Eleven (1960). He had a long career playing mobsters and two-bit criminals. After Manchurian Candidate (1962) and Dick Tracy (1990) he finished up with a cameo in the 2001 Ocean’s Eleven remake.

 

 

49. Robert Morse

He won Tonys in the original production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (before starring in the film adaptation) and as Truman Capote in Tru. He reprised the Capote role for television and won an Emmy.

The Loved One based on the Evelyn Waugh novel is a wickedly funny black comedy about the funeral business.

He was cast as the Wizard of Oz in Wicked, but quit before its initial Broadway run.

To most though, he will be remembered for his late in life turn as Bertram Cooper in one of the most critically praised TV shows of the 21st century: Mad Men.

 

 

48. Leslie Jordan

He was funny as Beverly Leslie in Will and Grace, and found unexpected cultural relevance during the COVID 19 pandemic via his Instagram account. He was a reliable performer (in small doses) when you needed an over the top kitschy presence.

 

 

47. Emilio Delgado

Forty years as Luis on Sesame Street. His face is ingrained in the consciousness of countless Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers.

 

 

46. Bob McGrath

A forty year career on Sesame Street. Millions of children grew up with him in their lives. While his name may fade from memory, his face is certain to be remembered for a long time.

 

 

 

45. Loretta Lynn

A legendary career in country music well before it was mainstream. She was the definitive female country singer for a generation.

The movie based on her life, Coal Miner’s Daughter which won Sissy Spacek an Oscar, was released in 1980 and she lived another lifetime after that.

Country Music Hall of Fame. ACM Artist of the Decade in the 1970s. 3 Grammys. 24 number one hits.

Weirdly, she never ventured into acting, unlike most of her (primarily male) contemporaries.

 

 

44. Meat Loaf

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Fight Club (1999). “I’d Do Anything for Love.” Spice World (1997). Leap of Faith (1990). And an all time stage name.

 

43. Jerry Lee Lewis

One of the seminal voices of early rock and roll, exemplifying the blurred line between early rock and country. His tumultuous personal life kept him from being as huge as he could have been (he married his 13 year old cousin), but his performances were so manic and his influence so vast, they made a biopic about him in 1989 starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder.

 

 

42. Louise Fletcher

A consistent career as a character actress for nearing sixty years.

Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Cheap Detective (1978), Brainstorm (1983), Firestarter (1984), Flowers in the Attic (1987), The Player (1992), 2 Days in the Valley (1996), Cruel Intentions (1999). Recurring roles in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Shameless.

However, her lasting contribution is her seminal role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), winning an obvious Oscar. She was phenomenal. I’ve rarely had a more visceral reaction to a character.

She was dependable background noise, but one time she briefly shined as bright as anyone.

 

 

41. Wolfgang Petersen

After Das Boot (1981), he went on to a dependable Hollywood career with the Gen-X classic The NeverEnding Story (1984), Enemy Mine (1985), In the Line of Fire (1986), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), Troy (2004), and Poseidon (2006).

A consistent twenty five year career as a Hollywood director for someone born in Nazi Germany during World War II is an impressive accomplishment.

 

 

40. Bob Saget

Playing Danny Tanner on Full House endeared him to a generation as a safe, dependable dad. Hosting America’s Funniest Home Videos made him an ubiquitous fixture in American households. The blue comedy of his standup was, to many, an acceptable tradeoff for being such a steady presence in our lives.

He was a part of the fabric of our consciousness for thirty years and recently competed on The Masked Singer showing he was a) still relevant and b) didn’t think of himself as above reproach.

Everyone knew who he was, and no one had anything bad to say about him. Was he the most talented performer? No. But he may have been the most dependable.

 

 

39. Sally Kellerman

A frequent collaborator of Robert Altman (most famously as Hot Lips in M*A*S*H), a memorable role in Back to School (1986), and the voice of a muppet in one of the preeminent films of my childhood: Follow that Bird (1985).

 

 

38. Vin Scully

The voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers for half a century. He was the prototypical baseball commentator and influenced countless others.

Even if you don’t know his name, if you close your eyes and imagine a baseball game, there’s a decent chance you hear his voice.

 

 

37. Joe Turkel

One of the few frequent collaborators of Stanley Kubrick, his turn as the mysterious bartender in The Shining is his claim to fame.

Additionally, he played a pivotal role in Blade Runner.

 

 

36. Tony Sirico

A key role in one of the most beloved television shows of the 21st century: The Sopranos. Paulie Walnuts was always fascinating, frequently stealing scenes from the show’s stars.

In addition, he had an unexpected friendship with Woody Allen and appeared in several of his films.

 

 

35. Gregory Itzin

A memorable, brief role in Airplane! A guest spot on Friends. A part in the cult classic Murder One. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and several roles in the Star Trek universe.

However, all anyone will remember is his pivotal role as President Charles Logan in 24. Logan seemed unbelievably evil then, but in light of how we see the US Presidency now, he seems quaint.

 

 

34. Mary Alice

An Emmy for I’ll Fly Away. A recurring role in A Different World. A Tony for Fences. Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), Awakenings (1990), Malcolm X (1992). A career capping role in The Matrix series as The Oracle after Gloria Foster died exposed her to perhaps her widest audience.

 

 

33. Anne Heche

After a start in soap operas on Another World, she exploded onto the public scene in the late 1990s. Wag the Dog (1997). Romantic lead opposite Harrison Ford in Six Days, Seven Nights (1997). Marion Crane in the spectacular failure of Gus Van Sant’s shot for shot remake of Psycho (1998). I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997). Volcano (1997). After her film career peaked in the 1990s, she was constantly working on TV and Broadway. Earning both an Emmy and a Tony nomination.

In the public eye, however, her career was secondary to her tumultuous personal life. She was in relationships with Lindsey Buckingham and Steve Martin, but her late 1990s relationship with Ellen Degeneres catapulted her to fame. After their split she married Colman Lafoon and had a child with one of her costars, James Tupper.

She was open about her mental health struggles, her family’s dysfunction, and their displeasure with her relationship with Degeneres.

In the last years of her career, she made a memorable appearance on Dancing with the Stars.

Her unusual death only served to cement the public perception of her.

 

 

32. Kirstie Alley

Look Who’s Talking was an unexpected phenomenon in the late 1980s, and she had a pivotal role in one of the best Star Trek movies (Wrath of Khan). She had the unenviable task of replacing Shelley Long’s Diane on Cheers, yet somehow managed to reinvigorate the show in a way which ensured its legacy.

Second place on Dancing with the Stars and an appearance on The Masked Singer.

She was constantly on our televisions for three decades (including Veronica’s Closet, Fat Actress etc.)

After Cruise and Travolta, she’s arguably the third most prominent Scientologist.

 

 

31. tWitch

He parlayed a second place finish on So You Think You Can Dance?, into a sidekick role on The Ellen Degeneres Show. For a period in the 2010s, her show was as ubiquitous as any program in America.

 

 

30. Stuart Margolin

Two Emmy wins for his work in Rockford Files. His career peaked in the 1980s with roles in Death Wish and S.O.B. (an unheralded gem).

 

 

29. Irene Cara

Fame (1980) and the subsequent soundtrack catapulted her to stardom. For a brief period, she was ubiquitous and won an Oscar for the title song in Flashdance (1983). Post 1980s she worked steadily, but never matched the dizzying heights of her early career.

 

 

28. Fred Ward

Escape from Alcatraz (1977). Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff (1983). Big Business (1988). The title character in the cult hit, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985). Henry Miller (opposite Uma Thurman) in Henry and June (1990). A leading role in the ultimate B movie series: Tremors. The Naked Gun 33 1/3 (1994). An Altman regular in The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993). Road Trip (2000). Joe Dirt (2001). Sweet Home Alabama (2002). He even played Ronald Reagan.

He was a prolific character actor with an occasional foray into leading man territory, like a working man’s Harry Dean Stanton.

 

 

27. Angelo Badalamenti

David Lynch’s longtime composer. His creepy, ethereal soundtracks were instrumental in creating the mood of many of Lynch’s most memorable off the wall creations.

 

 

26. Leslie Phillips

In a seventy year career, he was BAFTA nominated for his part in Venus (2006) and voiced The Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.

 

 

25. Gilbert Gottfried

Few people try to craft an annoying stage persona, even fewer make a career of it. A more likable version of Tony Clifton, Gottfried is the gold standard, eventually morphing into a beloved pop culture fixture.

The Aflac commercials and his memorable turn as Iago the Parrot made him an ubiquitous presence. Problem Child 1 and 2 endeared him to Generation X.

Even his failures were legendary: his 9/11 joke at Hugh Hefner’s roast, his jokes at the Emmys about Pee Wee Herman’s masturbation arrest, and the infamous “You Fool!” episode of Hollywood Squares.

 

 

24. Coolio

Gangsta’s Paradise (featured in Dangerous Minds) is a heckuva song and he made a decent career out of it.

 

 

23. Brad William Henke

After his brief football career, he found success as a character actor (his most prominent role was Piscatella in Orange is the New Black). A consistent twenty year career as a second act is pretty good.

 

 

22. Howard Hesseman

WKRP in Cincinnati. Head of the Class. One Day at a Time.

Shampoo (1975). The Sunshine Boys (1975). Silent Movie (1976). The Jerk (1979). Doctor Detroit (1983) (a film I have a personal affinity for). Clue (1985). This is Spinal Tap (1984). Flight of the Navigator (1986). After the 1980s his career stalled significantly, but he’ll always be instantly recognizable to Generation X.

 

 

21. Mikhail Gorbachev

The birthmark is instantly recognizable and parodied. As the last leader of the Soviet Union before the end of the Cold War, he was the face of America’s enemy during a period of time when patriotic fervor was extremely high.

He was a frequent presence on America television and his image still represents a very specific time and vibe in American history. Very few leaders on the international stage have that sort of penetration into American culture.

 

 

20 Olivia Newton-John

Five number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and four Grammys. After a successful pop career, she ventured into film and starred in the iconic Grease (1978), the kind of massively successful, culture penetrating hit most only dream of achieving.

She went on to star in the less well received, cult hit in Xanadu (1980), but post mid-1980s, her career never reached the same heights again.

 

 

19. Christine McVie

She was a founding member of one of the most important bands to emerge from the 1970s, Fleetwood Mac. While she was never as famous as her bandmate Stevie Nicks, McVie was just as important to the band’s success.

 

 

18. Paul Sorvino

Goodfellas (1990). A Southern evangelist in Oh, God! (1977). Starred in a season of Law and Order. A Touch of Class (1973), Reds (1981). Bruce Willis’ dad in Moonlighting. Henry Kissinger in Oliver Stone’s Nixon (1995). He was still working consistently in the last years of his life.

As reliable a character actor as they come.

 

17. Barbara Walters

She was one of the faces of television journalism for more than four decades. She started on The Today Show, became one of the first women to anchor a network news program, and pioneered a new era of interview journalism. Then, in a rare third act, she created The View, a midday blend of journalism and entertainment still going strong in its third decade. Additionally her annual program profiling the most fascinating people of the previous year helped shape popular opinion.

 

16. Benedict XVI

He followed Pope John Paul II as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Ascending to the papacy late in life, he retired after only eight years as the spiritual leader for hundreds of millions of people.

 

15. David Warner

Bilfil in Tom Jones (1963). A photographer in The Omen (1976). The not so subtly named Evil in Time Bandits (1981). The big bad in Tron (1982). The French Lieutenant’s Woman. The Man with Two Brains. Star Trek V and Star Trek VI. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II. Titanic. Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes. And a career capper as Admiral Boom in the underrated Mary Poppins Returns.

He guested in Twin Peaks, enjoyed numerous roles in the Star Trek universe and provided the voice to Ra’s al Ghul, Jor-El, and the Doctor.

 

 

14. Ray Liotta

Shoeless Joe. Henry Hill. Those two roles alone are iconic enough.

He worked with The Muppets, Adam Sandler, Martin Scorsese, and Kevin Costner and had his brain eaten by Hannibal Lecter. He did violent gangster films and broad comedy, willing to parody his own past and image (including a funny turn in Seinfeld’s Bee Movie). 

His constantly evolving career is difficult to immediately assess, only to say he left an indelible mark on our consciousness.

 

 

13. Peter Bogdonavich

He started as a film critic until, inspired by the French New Wave, he turned to directing, latching on to Roger Corman’s circle and helming Targets. The Last Picture Show was a huge 1970s hit, winning Oscars for Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson while launching the careers of Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd and Randy Quaid.

Paper Moon and the underrated What’s Up Doc? made Bogdonavich an important voice in the 1970s.

Sadly, his career then sputtered. Infatuated with Shepherd he made several films with her, but that association ended in 1979 with Saint Jack. He moved on to a new muse, former Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, but she was murdered by her ex husband shortly after their only film together was released in 1980. In 1988, he married Stratten’s younger sister (in the shadow of persistent rumors their relationship began when she was thirteen). His long association with Orson Welles and Old Hollywood, allowed him to return to criticism during a career downturn and during this hiatus, he worked to shape the film canon.

He had limited success after Stratten’s death with Mask (1985) followed by an ill fated attempt to recreate the magic of The Last Picture Show with a sequel, Texasville.

He mined the mysterious murder of Thomas Ince in The Cat’s Meow and was one of the original hosts of The Essentials until Robert Osbourne took over. In his later career, he had a pivotal role in The Sopranos as Dr. Melfi’s therapist.

Returning to his association with Welles, he was influential in shepherding the long shelved The Other Side of the Wind to a 2018 release.

He peaked in the 1970s and had a mediocre career after that, but his influence is massive and his film criticism is valuable.

 

 

12. Robbie Coltrane

He had a career in UK television and was in a couple of James Bond movies, before exploding into the general public consciousness as Hagrid in the Harry Potter series.

Next to Harry, Hagrid was arguably the most important / beloved character in the series and Coltrane did a phenomenal job embodying him.

 

11. Philip Baker Hall

Pitch perfect as Lt. Joe Bookman in Seinfeld. A memorable turn as Richard Nixon in Robert Altman’s underseen Secret Honor. Air Force One. The Truman Show. Rush Hour. A late career resurgence thanks to Paul Thomas Anderson.

He was perfection as a down on his luck old man. I mean that with affection. His sunken eyes and hang dog expression implied he was world weary enough to not give a shit anymore.

 

10. Ivan Reitman

He directed Ghostbusters, Meatballs, Stripes, Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and Junior.

He produced Animal House, Space Jam, and Howard Stern’s attempt at mainstream credibility, Private Parts.

While he never recaptured the heights he reached in the 1980s, Ghostbusters alone ensures he will have a long legacy.

 

9. James Caan

The 1970s were a boon for Jimmy Caan. Brian’s Song (1971) earned him an Emmy nomination. The Gambler (1974). A Bridge Too Far (1977). Romantic lead in Funny Lady (1975) and Chapter Two (1979). Cinderella Liberty (1973). Rollerball (1975).

And, of course, The Godfather (1972). Sonny Corelone is one of the most sympathetic assholes in all of cinema. He was violent and hot tempered, but because of Caan’s charisma, the audience is sucker punched when he’s ambushed.

As tastes changed in the 1980s, he became more of a character actor, albeit still an incredible presence in work like Thief (1981).

His work in Misery (1990) might have earned him another Oscar nomination if he hadn’t been overshadowed by Kathy Bates in a career defining role. Later in the 1990s he moved effortlessly to light comedy in Honeymoon Vegas (1992) and Mickey Blue Eyes (1999).

To a new generation he will be long remembered as Buddy’s actual father in Elf (2003).

As long as they’re watching movies, people will be seeing Jimmy Caan on screen.

 

 

8. Vangelis

Few artists more closely represent electronic music in film than Vangelis. His theme for Chariots of Fire is one of the most iconic cinematic musical compositions and played a role in the film winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.

During his heyday in the 1980s, he also scored Blade Runner and The Bounty.

He made electronic music in film chic and is one of the few film composers to get a number one hit.

 

 

7. Bill Russell

1 Gold Medal. 2 NCAA championships. 5 MVP Awards. 11 NBA Championships.   

In addition to his outstanding playing career, he won NBA championships pulling double duty as a player / coach.

His post playing career was dedicated to activism, and he morphed into a wizened veteran offering advice to the game’s younger, wealthier stars. Bird and Magic saved the NBA from irrelevancy, but Russell built the damn thing.

 

 

6. Pelé

He was the definitive soccer star, leading Brazil to three World Cup titles; he remains the only player to win the tournament three times. He retired in the 1970s, but his fame has not diminished. One of the rare athletes who transcended the sport to become a cultural touchstone.

 

 

5.  Angela Lansbury

Three Oscar nominations, five Tony Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Tony and an Honorary Oscar. Nominated for eighteen Emmys, but famously never won.

She originated the role of Ms. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, performed as Mame and Rose in Gypsy. Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). She worked with Ingrid Bergman, Bette Davis, Kevin Kline, Frank Sinatra, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Jim Carrey. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971). Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast (1991). She had a full career before Murder, She Wrote, where she created one of the most famous amateur sleuths of modern times.

 

 

4. William Hurt

In contention for biggest star of the 1980s: an Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman, Broadcast News, Children of a Lesser God, Body Heat, The Big Chill, The Accidental Tourist. However, partially motivated by a turbulent personal life (including a controversial affair with costar Marlee Matlin), in the 1990s, he was relegated to character roles.

The 2000s included a fourth Oscar nomination for A History of Violence, The Village, and Into the Wild.

In the 2010s, he dipped his toes into the MCU as Thaddeus Ross.

 

3. Sidney Poitier

The first black actor to win an Oscar. In 1963. At the height of the Jim Crow era.

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night (delivering the iconic line: “They call me Mr. Tibbs!”), A Raisin in the Sun, Porgy and Bess, The Defiant Ones.

Lesser known, but no less wonderful films: Blackboard Jungle, Edge of the City, The Slender Thread, and Paris Blues.

In the 1960s, his screen presence helped make black America seem safer to the white middle class. He was that rarest of rarities, a true crossover artist.

By the 1970s, as his onscreen brand diminished, he transitioned to directing, including the seminal Richard Pryor / Gene Wilder vehicle Stir Crazy.

He was one of the last surviving stars from the Golden Age of Hollywood and listed among AFI’s top twenty five male stars. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

 

 

2. Jean-Luc Godard

He reached his peak penetration into American culture in the 1960s, ushering in the French New Wave and establishing what arthouse cinema was in popular imagination.

He pushed cinema beyond the conventional Hollywood studio system and fought against the tendency to judge a film’s value by its profitability.

He developed the auteur theory of cinema, attributing the lion’s share of a film’s success to the vision of its director.

He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2010, but predictably failed to show up to collect the honor.

Breathless (1960), Contempt (1963), Band of Outsiders (1964) are all classics of world cinema and his experimental King Lear (1987) is a personal highlight for me.

Pierrot le Fou (1965), Weekend (1967) are slightly lesser known gems.

His later, more experimental stuff was an attempt to move cinema beyond language. While this stuff rarely connected with audiences, it was undeniably the product of a highly creative and impressive mind.

 

 

1. Elizabeth II

After seventy years on the throne of England, few people are more presentative of the second half of the twentieth century.

She ruled with humor and grace and was an ubiquitous presence in popular culture, parodied in everything from The Simpsons to Naked Gun (1988).

Her short film with James Bond (Daniel Craig) before the 2012 London Olympics and the subsequent short with Paddington Bear celebrating her platinum jubilee are classics.