Tom Cruise 25 spots above Tom Hanks is a total crime!

Another stupid top. Tom Cruise on 3? Oh, give me a break. Are the guys from Premiere scientologists, or just morons?

Johnny Depp should be higher up, at least before Will Smith...ya thats wierd..seeing will smith on there..

Tom Cruise definitely deserves to be in the top 50, but top 5? Come on. Probably not even top 10.

Also, i would probably bump Robert Redford back a few spots. ANd as much as i "like" to watch him in films, Will Smith should not be on there. (I mean William Shatner is a hoot in some movies, and im a big fan, but he couldnt get in this list with a fake ID.) And i never thought of Shirley Temple as such a long lasting "star", but i am after her time, so who knows...

Overall, the list is good, but in my opinion i think missing a few names. First and foremost is Morgan Feeman. And what about Edward Norton? And i have a soft spot for Samuel L. Jackson.

In general, a good list. Mine would be weighted a little towards more recent actors since i have yet to reach 30.

Harrison Ford is #35? After Warren Beatty?
Whatever.

He's in 6 of the Top Ten grossing films of all time (or at some point he was.)

What a load of crap. I stopped reading the list once I found his position. If it was TOP 50 ACTORS, I would not complain. But this TOP 50 STARS. He is probably in the top 3 stars of the last 25 years easy.

Ridiculous.

Such lists are obviously contentious, but any top ten that doesn't have either Pacino, De Niro, Spacey or Hopkins in it, should be treated with contempt. As for Tom Cruise at no. 3!! Even the man himself would be embarassassed by that, assuming he still inhabits planet Earth that is.

The reason Cruise is so high is that he is the biggest contemporary movie star. He's the guy who every studio wants(at least before the Scientology crap).

I for one think Cruise deserves to be in the top 3. I don't understand the backlash against his professional resume just because he's acting all certifiable lately. Risky Business, Born of the Fourth of July, Collateral... come on, guys!

And doesn't Julia Roberts (No 7) count as someone who's still making movies? Or not 'cause she said she was retiring... She was in two movies last year, and has two coming out next year.

Other thoughts:
Henry Fonda should be No 1 or 2... Marilyn Monroe (No 2) should switch with Elizabeth Taylor (No freaking 40!??)... Jack Nicholson should be higher... Tom Hanks should be way higher... Steve McQueen should be way, way higher... Denzel should be higher... Eastwood should be in the top 20... Meryl Streep should be higher... Russell Crowe and Brad Pitt shouldn't be on the list

And where are: Sigourney Weaver, Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Natalie Wood, William Holden, Montgomery Clift, Diane Keaton, Faye Dunaway, Michelle Pfieffer, Mel Gibson, Barbara Stanwyck... they're all way more awesome than some of the jokers on this list...

The thing a lot of people are forgetting is that it's about Stardom, not about great actors. So in my eyes Cary Grant is a huge star, as is Tom Cruise. He's bankable, gets huge space on the posters and trailers, commands the movies, commands respect in Hollywood, has that air of stardom about him. So I'm not so sure it's far off the mark.

Morgan Freeman, for example, shuns most of the trappings of movie stardom, but he's still quite a name and has that air.

Another list would look at how good an actor is, this doesn't. That's what I reckon the list is more about. Still not perfect, but not as off as many of the others.

tom cruise at no. 3?????????
above brando???? above bogart????
above jack????

i forgot deniro!
above de-frikkin deniro????

oh- where is
the walken?
oh hes not on there. but will smith is.
come on.

As Richard pointed out this list is about stardom not great actors.

If that is the case why is James Dean on this list he made only 7 films, one made for TV and the first three of them he was an uncredited extra. He may have been a great star for 2 years. But of all time?

Jane Fonda and Nicole Kidman? If they had kept all their clothes on in their early films no one would have ever paid any attention to them. Both Jane and Nicole belong on the eye candy list, not top stars list.

I agree with most of the rest of the contents of the list. Just not the order. Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts should both be in the 20s or 30s. No way they belong in the top 10.

Top of my list would be:

John Wayne
Jimmy Stewart
Katharine Hepburn
Cary Grant
Humphrey Bogart
James Cagney
Marilyn Monroe
Harrison Ford
Sean Connery
Ingrid Bergman

Notable exclusions that should be on the list:

Olivia deHavallind
Elvis Presley (it's about stardom remember, not acting ability)
Mel Gibson
Basil Rathbone
Morgan Freeman
Gene Kelly
Lionel Barrymore
Douglas Fairbanks
Maureen O'Hara
Claudette Colbert

Brando at 13?

Whatever happened to Dustin Hoffmann?

I have to go along with David's opinion about James Dean. He actually only made 3 crappy movies and he became an icon. His 'acting' consisted of appearing permanently constipated....if he wouldn't have killed himself when he did the movie world would quickly have forgotten about him. Tom Cruise?? Oh well, everyone to their own taste.

I defiantly think that Tom Cruise deserve to be in top 10. I have seen all his films and I only didn't like Cocktail. He chooses the right script, plays different character and delivers every time. I don't know about you but that is what I want from an actor to entertain me and he does that every time!!! He is very likeable too and I DO NOT care about his religion and private life as long as I get my $10 worth out of his films. I agree there are some actors missing from the list and I don't think Will smith and Brad pitt deserve a place in the list. May be Will Smith because he has a audience pulling power and makes a blockbuster.