This morning my wife and I were chatting about which American actors and actresses have given top-notch performances in top grade movies for five consecutive decades. The list is amazingly small and mostly from the studio era. Among actors there were
Henry Fonda (1930s-1980s)
Burt Lancaster (1940s-1980s)
Fredric March1 (1920s-1960s)
Paul Newman (1950s-1990s)
James Stewart (1930s-1970s)
John Wayne (1930s-1970s)
and among actresses there were
Ingrid Bergman2 (1930s-1970s)
Joan Crawford (1920s-1960s)
Bette Davis3 (1930s-1980s)
Katharine Hepburn (1930s-1980s)
Meryl Streep (1970s-2010s and counting)
Joanne Woodward4 (1950s-1990s)
Lillian Gish, astonishingly, gave outstanding performances in every decade from the nineteen teens to the 1980s except the 1930s so she doesn’t make the list. Jimmy Cagney made no movies in the 1970s. Tom Hanks may make the club yet—his first top-notch performance was in the 1980s. Whether Susan Sarandon makes the list or not depends on what you think of the performances she turned in during the 2000s (I don’t think any of them were top-notch).
Have we missed anybody? The criteria again are a) top-notch performances; b) top grade movies; c) five consecutive decades.
1I’m giving Fredric March the benefit of the doubt here. Jealousy, an early sound effort, is no longer extant but by all accounts it was a fine movie and March’s performance was excellent.
2Depending on whether you consider her an American actress or not.
3Depending on what you think of Death on the Nile and her performance in it.
4Depending on what you think of The Glass Menagerie.
Five decades? It’s going to be a very short list. Three potential names off the top of my head are Michael Caine, Lawrence Olivier and maybe Jack Nicholson.
Tom Hanks may make the club yet—his first top-notch performance was in the 1980s.
Who can forget Bachelor Party?
Yes, Jack Nicholson qualifies. Just (Easy Rider, his first qualifying picture, was made in 1969). I don’t think I consider either Caine or Olivier an American actor. I’m also not sure that Michael Caine made a qualifying picture in the Aughts (his first qualifying picture was Alfie made in 1969).
However hard they may try.
What about Harrison Ford?
By my standards Harrison Ford’s last top-notch performance in a top grade movie was in the 1990s. I would say that he’s more an iconic movie star, mostly for his roles in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones pictures, than he is noted for top-notch performances.
Kevin Costner might be a better pick but his first top-notch performance was in the 1980s and since the 80s he’s turned in about one first rate performance per decade. He’s sixty so it’s possible he’ll have a great performance in a top movie in the 2020s but I wouldn’t put money on it.
Ah, I missed the “American” actor part.