Over the past century, Hollywood has become the most popular movie industry in the world. With millions of people wanting to be a part of this booming world, the film industry has created opportunities for anyone who wants to pursue a career in acting.
Whether you choose to be an actor for life or want to pursue other careers, there are plenty of opportunities to succeed in Hollywood. Here are just a few of the most popular actors and actresses of our time.
Paul Canon
Canon was born in Liverpool in 1914. He moved to London at the age of 18 to pursue his acting career. He made his film debut in 1944 with a minor role in the movie ‘Thunderball’, before going on to a prolific career in Hollywood. He became famous for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of nine films. He was also known for playing the role of James Bond in five movies. He died in 1991 at the age of 65.
Charlie Pattinson
Pattinson was born in London in 1889. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his film debut in 1914. He spent the rest of his acting career mostly in Hollywood, though he did go back to England a few times to perform. He is most famous for his role as Albert, King George’s favorite manservant, in the 1924 movie ‘Jamaica Inn’. In later years, he supported himself by painting, though this was considered a ‘part-time’ job.
Stanley Kramer
Kramer was born in Chicago in 1913. After serving in the Army during World War II, he moved to Hollywood and started his movie-making career in the early 1950s. He is most famous for directing ‘The Man With the Golden Arm’ (1955), which won the Academy Award for best picture. In 1961, he established the nonprofit organization ‘Creative Coalition’, which was dedicated to promoting cultural and educational events in Los Angeles. He died in 1978 at the age of 65.
Monty Wooley
Wooley was born in New York City in 1907. He moved to Hollywood in the late 1920s and started his acting career on the radio. He eventually made his film debut in ‘The Mad Adventurer’ (1945) and went on to have a prolific career in Hollywood, starring in over 100 films. He continued to appear on-screen until the late 1950s, when he became the voice of Porky Pig for the entirety of the ‘50s.
Charlot Sweets
Sweets was born in Montreal in 1896. After moving to Hollywood, he began a career as a singer, performing with bands like Louis Armstrong’s and Benny Goodman’s. He eventually stopped performing and became best known for his work in commercials, before passing away in 1972 at the age of 74.
Ricky Nelson
Nelson was born in Hollywood in 1926. After serving in the Army during World War II, he moved to New York City to attend college. He was discovered while performing in a production of Arthur Miller’s ‘All My Sons’ and went on to star in a string of successful movies such as ‘Laramie’ (1954), ‘The Great Waldo Pepper’ (1954), and ‘Walk Slow’ (1955). In 1957, he was named the most popular athlete of the year, largely due to his role as George Washington in the movie ‘George Washington’. He died in 1979 at the age of 45.
Papa Joe Camp
Camp was born in Toronto in 1895. After serving in World War I, he moved to Los Angeles and started selling jewelry. He began acting in the movies in the 1920s and went on to star in around 100 films. He became famous for portraying the father of Judy Garland in the eponymous film. He died in 1971 at the age of 72.
Peter Lorre
Lorre was born in Los Angeles in 1894. He began his career in Hollywood in the 1920s and went on to appear in around 100 films. He became famous for playing duplicitous characters and is probably best known for his role as Mr. Mushnik in Orson Welles’ ‘Citizen Kane’ (1941). At the time of his death, Lorre was one of the most respected and popular actors of his generation.
Harry Houdini
Houdini was born in Budapest in 1874. After a stint as a professional magician, he moved to America and became a famous entertainer and inventor. He was known to create magical illusions for Hollywood stars like Gloria Swanson and believed he could perform “any miracle, so long as [he] had the strength to do it.” He was eventually struck by pneumonia and died at the age of 52.
Arnold Palmer
Palmer was born in Melbourne in 1874. After moving to Sydney in 1894, he became a professional golfer. In 1897, he moved to the United States and joined the rival professional organization the PGA. He became an American citizen in 1922 and won the Masters Tournament that year. He was the first player to shoot a 62 in an open golf tournament and went on to win a record 13 PGA Championships. In 1930, he founded the Tournament Course at Palmer Park in Delray Beach, Florida, which bore his name. He died in 1982 at the age of 88.
Elmo Lincoln
Lincoln was born in San Francisco in 1899. After serving in World War I, he moved to Los Angeles and started his acting career in the early 1920s. In the ‘30s, he became known for playing shady characters in gangster films. He was also featured on the cover of Life Magazine in 1933, which led to his being named the ‘Most Popular Actor in America’. Around this time, he established and headed up the Lincoln Agency, which promoted new and upcoming talents in Hollywood. He was named the ‘grandfather of public relations’ in 1939 and died in 1972 at the age of 77.
Mitchum, Michael
The American actor Michael Mitchum was born in Toronto in 1895. He moved to California in 1912 and became one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men. He was probably best known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock. Mitchum was nominated for an Academy Award for best actor for his role in 1932’s ‘The Informer’. The following year, he starred in one of Hitchcock’s most popular films, ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’. He played the part of Sherlock Holmes in 1936 and went on to star in over 20 more Sherlock Holmes movies, along with playing the part 15 times in various radio adaptations. In 1938, he starred in a Broadway play, ‘Golden Holiday’, which was adapted into a film of the same name, winning a Tony Award for his role as Professor Moriarty. He was also well known for his part in the original Broadway production of ‘Gentleman Joe Palooka’, which ran for 123 performances, and reprised the role in the film adaptation, winning a second Tony Award. He died in 1960 at the age of 62.
Leo Gorcei
The Brazilian actor Leo Gorcei was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1895. He began his acting career in the early 1920s and went on to have a prolific career in Hollywood. He was most famous for his part in the crime film noir ‘The Roaring Twenties’, in which he played a gangster. In 1942, he starred in ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’, which is considered one of the great film comedies. He reprised the role in the sequel, ‘Dandy Dick’, in which he played an even more exaggerated version of himself. In 1951, he played the title role in the biopic ‘Leo the Lion’, which won the Academy Award for best foreign language film. He was also known for playing the role of Sherlock Holmes in the radio drama ‘The Adventures of Nero Wolfe’ and adapted and directed several plays, including ‘The House of the Seven Gables’ and ‘The Skin of Our Teeth’. He died in 1964 at the age of 67.