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.
8 out of 9 is not bad. one I see on horizon is adam driver. he portrayed evil with his eyes in star wars the force awakens. sadly a mask and FX might retard his range and development. any others under 40? gosling is one. Gordon levitt is one. ledger is one (RIP). any from television? it gave us willis, w smith, r Williams, Gordon levitt, many others.
Hey Bob Cox…..I like your suggested young actors…Driver and Gosling seem to be actors that will be around for a very long time. I like Gordon-Levitt….but sadly his career seems to have slowed a little bit. You are right some big stars of the future are making waves on the little screen.
this site is new for me. I need structure. a range of birth dates .actors born before 1940, then 1940 to 1980, since 1980. I love you regular contributors with your vast knowledge and personal insights. I got none of that. but I might try to see similarities in acting style. even just a page on thespians born since 1980 would be very helpful since I am not impressed with many of them. I put so much reliance on body of work and number of great movies made I need guidance and your input on this new generation.
I knew they were great and when
d day lewis my left foot
j depp whats eating gilbert grape
r crowe the insider
k reeves my own private Idaho
b pitt 12 monkeys
m damon good will hunting
m mcconaughey a time to kill
l dicapprio titanic
j foxx ray
Hey Steve…..I found this interesting….and I thought of you….and your comment about my Reno/Mitchum match and how you could not see it. From Roger Ebert’s 2005 Yearbook….review of Wasabi.
“he (Reno) shares with Robert Mitchum the unmistakable quality of having seen it all”.
So me and Roger are on the same page.
As Paul Newman said in Sweet Bird of Youth “What about me?” I also see the Reno Mitchum likeness !
Hey Bob….good one….I see Steve did not respond to this comment. Now I am wondering if I Ebert’s Wasabi review and only remembered it when I was doing this page…..or if I came up with the Reno/Mitchum match on one on own and Ebert is confirming it…I will probably never know…..but I do know I do not remember anything about Reno’s Wasabi. Thanks for the Newman quote.
Hey Bruce, maybe reading Eberts book years ago is where you got the connection between the two actors and simply forgot that was when it first popped into your head? No I still don’t see it. [cue Bruce fuming] 🙂
Me and Roger and Bob see the Reno/Mitchum match….why do you want to be Donald Sutherland/Kevin McCarthey here?…..but don’t worry…..you will fall asleep eventually and then you will understand….lol.
1 I agree with Bruce that in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise Orlando could well pass for the young swashbuckling Errol Flynn [though when I first saw Orlando he was sporting a pony tail so that the immediate resemblance that sprung to my mind was Roger Federer **who was also groomed so in the early days.] The resemblance of Mitchum and Reno is just now starting to register with me, so clearly it can take a bit of time to identify with some of the match-ups.
2 According to Indiewire actorJames Franco [who has also recently taught an 8-part film class to High School students] thinks that Shia LaBeouf is the modern Brando. Another site named Stereogum agrees that LaBeouf is in contention but says that if the match-up criteria is having “what it takes to have a complete f—–g meltdown and turn what was a once noble career into a late night monologue joke” or “classic Brandoian reckless self-indulgent nightmare stuff” Mel Gibson is the new Marlon.
3 Other Brando match-up contenders says Stereogum are Will Smith as he’s a “monster narcissistic disaster [waiting to happen] celebrity”; and on the feminine side Stereogum plumps for Angelina Jolie as Brandoesque because she’s “fawned over…..lives an unbearable horror show of a life.. and …The depth of the public’s fascination with her is matched by the depth of her self-importance.”
**My recent list of favourite entertainers of all time was confined to performers whose primary function was to entertain; but had sports celebrities been included Roger and Muhammad Ali would be in contention for places in probably even my Top 5 because as well as being Great sportsmen they have also been great entertainers.
BOB
Hey Bob.
1. Glad you are seeing the light on Bloom and Reno….I knew you would get there….lol. Bloom and Federer….gotta admit…I never saw that….so maybe I will be agreeing with in a couple of weeks…lol.
2. LaBeouf the next Brando? Not seeing that at all….Never been a fan of his at all….it is possible he is making a comeback….he has one indy movie that is getting great reviews….and he is going to play John McEnroe in Borg and McEnroe….but I do not agree with Franco at all.
3. Will Smith….and Angelina Jolie….now those are stretches….thinking my second choice….Johnny Depp is still holding strong in second place….with Tom Hardy being very close to Depp for second.
4. Got it (to point #4)
Thanks for the return visit.
1 Thanks for your thoughts Bruce. However whoever is ultimately recognised as the definitive ‘modern Brando’ will surely lack gratitude for the accolade if he has the kind of luck that Marlon wished for his lookalike in the movie Always Brando (2011) by Tunisian director
Ridha Behi – Wikipedia and IMDB pages provide further details
2 I understand that the movie is about a Tunisian boy who idolises Marlon and looks so much like him that he is ‘spotted’ and lured to Hollywood for fame and fortune. Brando was signed to play himself shortly before his death which obviously delayed production for many years but Ridha Behi persevered claiming that he owed the Great One posthumous ‘homage’ There was talk at one stage of Christopher Walking coming on board but that fell through.
3 I don’t know how the film concludes now but I understand that Bud was encouraging Behi to allow the boy’s American Dream to end in tears with incarceration in Guantanamo Bay.
Thanks for trying to improve the comments flag up situation – you’ve already made a good start.
Hey Bob….great information on Brando, Behi and Always Brando….I learn something everyday. Movie sounds interesting….and adding Walken would only make even more interesting. Glad you like the increase in comments shown.
Hey Chris…here is the Next Brando page…..been doing so much traveling lately I have fallen behind on site index links. Not back home until Friday.