In sports they are always talking about who might be basketball’s next Michael Jordan, football’s next Peyton Manning, hockey’s next Wayne Gretzky or baseball’s Derek Jeter. So if they can have those discussions with sports….it only seems fair to have those discussions about actors and actresses. This page is going to try and answer the question…Who is the next Marlon Brando? Not to mention many other stars from the past.
Who is the next Spencer Tracy? Our pick is Mr. Morgan Freeman.
But Why? All the way back in 2011 we wrote a page on Morgan Freeman. Chris, one of our commenters said “If I could compare him to any of the classic stars, I would say Spencer Tracy, because he comes across as the most natural actors ever and like Tracy, he makes acting look very easy.” I liked and agreed with his comment….and the idea for this page was created. In my return comment to Chris, I said….”well if I ever write that page I will give you credit for Who is the new Tracy?”…five plus years later I kept my word.
Who is the next Katharine Hepburn? Our pick is Meryl Streep.
But Why? Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep are simply the two greatest actresses ever. Hepburn made movies from 1932-1994…while Streep has been making movies since 1975….that’s a combined 84 years of quality performances. Together they have earned 31 Oscar® nominations and have won 7 Oscars®.
Who is the next Jerry Lewis? Our pick is Adam Sandler.
But Why? “I’ve had great success being a total idiot. …. I get paid for what most kids get punished for” – Jerry Lewis. Pretty sure Adam Sandler has had that same exact thoughts.
Who is the next Paul Muni? Our pick is Daniel Day-Lewis.
But Why? First of all I am sure some of the younger readers are wondering who is Paul Muni? Muni was an Oscar® winning actor who was considered by many to be the best actor working in the 1930s. Muni disappeared so far into his characters that audiences never got to really know Muni. Hey that sounds like 3-time Oscar® winner Daniel Day-Lewis.
Who is the next Charles Bronson? Our pick is Bruce Willis.
But Why? Ok….we admit it….we are huge Bruce Willis fans….so we had to get him on this page. Got lots of suggestions. James Cagney, Richard Widmark, Steve McQueen and Gary Cooper were all rejected…..but in the end Charles Bronson seemed to be the best fit. Both actors were known for their action roles and both actors were not considered great thespians. But they both had incredible screen presence. Added bonus is the fact that Bruce is signed to play the Bronson part in a Death Wish reboot.
Who is the next James Stewart? Our pick is Tom Hanks.
But Why? Trying to match Tom Hanks with a Screen Legend was sort of difficult as he seemed like a good match for Cary Grant and Gary Cooper as well. In the end we went with Hanks’ acting idol James Stewart. Both actors appeared in quality movie after quality movie and always gave good to great performances. Off screen they both had great reputations as good people.
Who is the next Doris Day? Our pick is Sandra Bullock.
But Why? Doris Day was the queen of the romantic comedy in the 1950s and 1960s…while Sandra Bullock was the queen of the romantic comedy in the 1990s and 2000s. We realize Bullock can not sing like Day and that Day does not have an Oscar win on her resume. Speaking of Oscars….it is not past time to give Day an Honorary Oscar?
Who is the next Sidney Poitier? Our pick is Denzel Washington.
But Why? Denzel Washington’s Oscar® winning acceptance speech for Training Day says it all. “I will always be chasing you Sidney, I will always be following in your footsteps, there is nothing I rather do sir.”
Who is the next John Wayne? Our pick is Clint Eastwood.
But Why? My first thought was there will never be another John Wayne. But the more I thought about Clint Eastwood the more this pick made sense. Both Wayne and Eastwood became superstars for their roles in westerns. Both actors were very tall…they both were 6 feet 4 inches tall. Their screen personas were almost identical. As they both had a forceful screen presence with virile masculinity and appeared to be indestructible.
Who is the next Edward G. Robinson? Our pick Philip Seymour Hoffman.
But Why? When we originally came up with this pick…Philip Seymour Hoffman was alive and well…sadly he passed away before we got this page finished. After a stellar leading man career, Edward G. Robinson, became one of the greatest supporting actors ever. We really think that is where PSH was heading…to be the next EGR.
Who is the next Gary Cooper? Our pick is Harrison Ford.
But Why? When we think of Gary Cooper and Harrison Ford…one word pops into our minds…..hero. Cooper played the hero in movies from the 1920s to the early 1960s. Ford played the hero in movies from the mid 1970s to present day….that is almost 80 years of movies where you can find either Cooper or Ford playing a hero.
Who is the next Robert Mitchum? Our pick is Jean Reno.
But Why? First of all there seems to be somewhat of a resemblance between the AFI Screen Legend Robert Mitchum and French actor Jean Reno. In Reno’s Leon: The Professional he tries to walk like John Wayne…but I always thought he walked more like Mitchum in that movie. The other connection is that they both have the same quiet intensity in their performances.
Who is the next Paul Newman? Our pick is Matthew McConaughey.
But Why? We remember when Matthew McConaughey’s A Time To Kill was being released… McConaughey was labeled the next Paul Newman. At the time that seemed pretty ridiculous. Fast forward over 20 years and that no longer seems ridiculous. Both are Oscar winners and both have had to overcome their good lucks to be considered great actors.
Who is the next Marlon Brando? Our pick is Leonardo DiCaprio.
But Why? Actually drew a blank when thinking about who is the next Marlon Brando. So we asked an expert on Brando, Bob from Belfast, what he thought. He suggested Leonardo DiCaprio. We took his suggestion and did a twitter poll on that question….and Leo got 75% of the vote followed by 17% for Tom Hardy and 8% for Sean Penn. In the end….we decided to go along with their logic and pick DiCaprio as the next Brando.
So what do you think? Are our picks completely wrong? Are they looking good? Got any suggestions for better matches? There are many more stars we looked at (Bogart, McQueen, Peck, Cagney)…but we could not find a good match. Looking forward to some feedback.
I actually agree with the Jimmy Stewart & Tom Hanks pick! I believe Tom Hanks is THE most successful actor TODAY!!!! Definitely in my top 5!
Hey Patrick… Hanks is so good..we could not figure out who to put him with….Stewart, Cary Grant, Gary Cooper…but in the end we put him with his favorite actor. Stewart and Hanks are in my Top 10 of all-time.
Don’t forget another great American film star, Charlton Heston and then there was Ronald Reagan…
Hey Max….actually I think I have a good match for Heston…Mr. Russell Crowe….what do you think?
1 This quiz is a fresh fun idea. The following are the natch ups with which I personally most identify:
(1) Wayne/Eastwood. This is the most unchallengable one in my opinion though I gather that the Duke would not agree!
(2) Denzel/Sidney. Probably the second hardest to dispute and both are great representatives of their respective generations of actors.
(3) Morg and Tracy. Some similarities between them occurred to me long ago when I watched the two Alex Cross films staring Freeman
(4) Brando/Leo Steve is asking some pertinent questions but I think that Leo is the best we have at the moment and in Shutter Island especially I almost could have taken him for a Brando.clone. However Tom Hardy whom I never thought of is an excellent runner up and in Legend he was most Brandoesque. My son went for Brando/Day Lewis presumably because today Daniel is often associated with method acting I asked my son who would be a good match-up for Alan Ladd and he said Stan Laurel !
(5) Newman/McConaughey . Another one now that I come to think of it which could be a strong contender for the No 2 spot after Duke/Clint.
(6) Harrison Ford/Gary Cooper. Another fine match-up I feel.
2 Although I get small glimpses of where it is coming from I am not sure what to make overall of Day/Bullock given that the former was mocked even in Travolta’s Grease for her ‘Goody Two Shoes’ image and the latter swears like a trooper in some of her films. I will just say that it’s a good job Bruce rated Doris a high 5th in his female legends 1950-2010 because if she was aware of his opinion of Bullock Doris would probably want to ring Bruce’s neck for associating her with Sandra !
POSTSCRIPT TO (4) IN PREVIOUS POST
1 Forgot to say that I explained to my son that he was supposed to select a modern Ladd counterpart but he insisted that there was nobody about today who was as ridiculous as Ladd so Stan laurel was all he had to offer.
2 Given that Laddie is one of my Top 5 idols I am once again reminded that as the Bible says “A prophet is without honour in his own country.” !
BOB
Hey Bob…as you know I toyed with some ideas with Ladd….but currently Tom Cruise is the best fit…but that seems to not give Cruise enough credit….maybe Cruise is the Peck of this generation….Cruise does have 3 Oscar nominations to go with all of those box office hits. Nice quote. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hey Bob…..thanks for checking out our latest page….and thanks for helping us get this page completed.
1. Glad we agree on Clint/Duke…but yes Wayne would not agree at all…because he really disliked the westerns Eastwood was making.
2. I agree the Poitier/Washington was one of the first ones to pop into my head.
3. Steve does not like the Freeman/Tracy one…..and though they look nothing alike…I really feel their acting styles are really really close….their performances are like butter going on toast.
4. After asking you who the new Brando was….I did a twitter poll….and Tom Hardy came up enough for me to give him some serious consideration…and as Steve would put out….Hardy has a pretty good mumble.
5. I like the Ford/Cooper one too….for awhile I was thinking Ford/Bogart…as Blade Runner seems like a Bogart type role…but in the end….Coop and Harrison seem like a better match.
6. I think the early career of Bullock…when all of her movies were light comedy….that is why I picked the connection to Day…plus you can compare Bullock’s Oscar winning role to Doris’ outstanding performance in Love Me or Leave.
Thanks for the breakdown analysis of these “just for fun” comparisons.
There will never be anyone like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, love them both. True Americans!
Hey Carol….they are two of my favorites as well…thanks for stopping by and commenting.
The next Marlon Brando? The next Mr. Mumbles? [Bob winces] 🙂 Di Caprio is an interesting choice, certainly a great actor, when I first saw Gilbert Grape I thought the kid they used was really mentally handicapped and it was only DiCaprio’s 2nd or 3rd film? But does he have the gravitas the stature the acting power of Brando? Di Caprio’s in his 40s now, if they were remaking The Godfather could he play the Don as convincingly as Brando, with the old age make up? I dunno. Brando was 47 when he filmed The Godfather.
Some good choices up there – Jimmy Stewart / Tom Hanks, Gary Cooper / Harrison Ford, Paul Muni / Day-Lewis, Katy Hepburn / Streep. As for Jerry Lewis, Jim Carrey might fit that role better than Sandler, especially in Dumb and Dumber.
John Wayne / Clint Eastwood, they both have limited acting ranges and are famous for their westerns, it makes sense.
Not sure about Robert Mitchum and Jean Reno, the ‘big’ difference here is stature and strength, Mitchum was big and powerful, Reno a lot more quiet and contemplative.
Btw Bruce you have the Mitchum / Reno section posted twice up there.
An interesting article Bruce. Are today’s actors as good as the Hollywood greats? Do they have staying power? Kevin Costner, John Travolta, Nicolas Cage, Mel Gibson all had their glory days and star power but it soon faded and other actors took their places. Maybe the real question you should be asking is Who is the next Mel Gibson? Or the next Eddie Murphy? 🙂
Voted Up!
Hey Steve….you know when I saw you comment I realized that I forgot to include Charlton Heston and Russell Crowe….I will add that combo in a little while. When I showed you the preview to this page…you mentioned you did not like the Reno/Mitchum grouping….so when I went to finish this page….I kept moving it down the page….and one time I forget to delete…..but that issue has been fixed.
I agree the superstars of the 1990s have faded badly….as Costner, Gibson, Murphy, Travolta, Willis, and Cage have all faded very badly. Jim Carrey tried to leave those Dumb and Dumber type of movies as quickly as possible…I think Sandler like Lewis tried to make man child movies about 15 years to late….Sandler is now 50….and a AARP member.
Thanks for the comment and the help in putting this page together.