The Thief of Bagdad 1940 premiere

1. Sabu

Sabu Dastagir (or Selar Shaik Sabu, depending on your resource) was born on January 27, 1924, in the little town of Mysore, India, which is nestled in the jungles of Karapur. The son of an elephant driver (mahout) in service for the Maharajah of his town, the young stable boy learned responsibility...

2. Madeleine Carroll

Actress | The 39 Steps

The original ash-blonde "iceberg maiden", Madeleine Carroll was a knowing beauty with a confident air, the epitome of poise and "breeding". Not only did she have looks and allure in abundance, but she had intellectual heft to go with them, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Birmingham ...

3. Freddie Bartholomew

Actor | Captains Courageous

One of the most popular child actors in film history, Child superstar Freddie Bartholomew was born Frederick Cecil Bartholomew in Harlesden, London, the son of Lilian May (Clarke) and Cecil Llewellyn Bartholomew. From age three, he grew up in the town of Warminster under the care of his father's ...

4. Cedric Hardwicke

Actor | The Ten Commandments

Sir Cedric Hardwicke, one of the great character actors in the first decades of the talking picture, was born in Lye, England on February 19, 1893. Hardwicke attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made his stage debut in 1912. His career was interrupted by military service in World War I, ...

5. Fred Astaire

Actor | The Towering Inferno

Fred Astaire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Johanna (Geilus) and Fritz Austerlitz, a brewer. Fred entered show business at age 5. He was successful both in vaudeville and on Broadway in partnership with his sister, Adele Astaire. After Adele retired to marry in 1932, Astaire headed to Hollywood. ...

6. Herbert Marshall

Actor | Foreign Correspondent

Herbert Marshall had trained to become a certified accountant, but his interest turned to the stage. He lost a leg while serving in World War I and was rehabilitated with a wooden leg. This did not stop him from making good his decision to make the stage his vocation. He used a very deliberate ...

7. Edna Best

Actress | The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

Genteel, ladylike British actress who was a much respected theatrical star in the 1920s and '30s, both in her own country and in the United States. Born in March 1900 in Hove, Sussex, she took to the stage at the age of seventeen as Ela Delahay in 'Charley's Aunt'. She played Peter Pan three years ...

8. Henry Stephenson

Actor | Captain Blood

Stephenson was a firm, dignified, worldly presence in Hollywood's classic history-based films of the 30s and 40s. The tall British character actor Henry Stephenson could be both imposing and benevolent in his patrician portrayals, usually expounding words of wisdom or offering gentlemanly aid. He ...

9. Nigel Bruce

Actor | Rebecca

Nigel was, from the beginning, typecast as bumbling English aristocrats, military types or drawing room society snobs and, within the narrow parameters of his range, he was very, very good at playing these parts. Nigel Bruce was born in Mexico, where his father, Sir William W. Bruce, worked as an ...

10. C. Aubrey Smith

Actor | Rebecca

Movie roles are sometimes based upon what the audience expects to see. If the role called for the tall stereotypical Englishmen with the stiff upper lip and stern determination, that man would be C. Aubrey Smith, graduate of Cambridge University, a leading Freemason and a test cricketer for England...

11. John Carradine

Actor | The Grapes of Wrath

John Carradine, the son of a reporter/artist and a surgeon, grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. He attended Christ Church School and Graphic Art School, studying sculpture, and afterward roamed the South selling sketches. He made his acting debut in "Camille" in a New Orleans theatre in 1925. ...

12. Donald Douglas

Actor | Murder, My Sweet

Donald Douglas was born on August 24, 1905 in Kinleyside, Scotland, UK. He was an actor, known for Murder, My Sweet (1944), Gilda (1946) and Fast Company (1938). He died on December 31, 1945 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

13. Vivien Leigh

Actress | A Streetcar Named Desire

If a film were made of the life of Vivien Leigh, it would open in India just before World War I, where a successful British businessman could live like a prince. In the mountains above Calcutta, a little princess is born. Because of the outbreak of World War I, she is six years old the first time ...

14. Laurence Olivier

Actor | Sleuth

Laurence Olivier could speak William Shakespeare's lines as naturally as if he were "actually thinking them", said English playwright Charles Bennett, who met Olivier in 1927. Laurence Kerr Olivier was born in Dorking, Surrey, England, to Agnes Louise (Crookenden) and Gerard Kerr Olivier, a High ...

15. Vicki Baum

Writer | Week-End at the Waldorf

Vicki Baum was born on January 24, 1888 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. She was a writer, known for Week-End at the Waldorf (1945), Grand Hotel (1932) and The Great Flamarion (1945). She was married to Richard Lert and Max Prels. She died on August 29, 1960 in Hollywood, California, USA.

16. Boris Karloff

Actor | Bride of Frankenstein

Along with fellow actors Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price, Boris Karloff is recognized as one of the true icons of horror cinema, and the actor most closely identified with the general public's perception of the "monster" from the classic Mary Shelley book, "Frankenstein". William Henry ...

17. Jack Carson

Actor | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

When Jack Carson arrived in Hollywood in 1937, he found work at RKO as an extra. His first major acting role came alongside Humphrey Bogart in the romantic comedy Stand-In (1937). After a few years, he developed into a popular character actor who would be seen in a large number of comedies, ...

18. Roy Rogers

Soundtrack | Cowboy and the Senorita

Roy Rogers (born Leonard Slye) moved to California in 1930, aged 18. He played in such musical groups as The Hollywood Hillbillies, Rocky Mountaineers, Texas Outlaws, and his own group, the International Cowboys. In 1934 he formed a group with Bob Nolan called Sons of the Pioneers. While in that ...

19. Ronald Colman

Actor | A Double Life

British leading man of primarily American films, one of the great stars of the Golden Age. Raised in Ealing, the son of a successful silk merchant, he attended boarding school in Sussex, where he discovered amateur theatre. He intended to attend Cambridge and become an engineer, but his father's ...

20. Benita Hume

Actress | The Lady of the Lake

Benita Hume was a British actress whose career began on the stage in London. She was born on October 14, 1906 in London, England. After breaking into cinema in a 1925 British silent film in 1925, she transitioned nicely into sound and made two dozen films in England before travelling to the U.S. By...

21. Charles Boyer

Actor | Gaslight

Charles Boyer studied philosophy before he went to the theater where he gave his debut in 1920. Although he had at first no intentions to pursue a career at the movies (his first movie was Man of the Sea (1920) by Marcel L'Herbier) he used his chance in Hollywood after several filming stations all ...

22. Pat Paterson

Actress | Charlie Chan in Egypt

From mill girl to film star was the real life story of Bradford born Pat Paterson. A former Laidler Sunbeam and stage struck she left Lister's Mill office at 15 to join a touring show, After doing cabaret work in London she was seen by an agent for Fox Films and given a part in the British film The...

23. Mary Pickford

Actress | Coquette

Mary Pickford was born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Elsie Charlotte (Hennessy) and John Charles Smith. She was of English and Irish descent. Pickford began in the theater at age seven. Then known as "Baby Gladys Smith", she toured with her family in a number of theater ...

24. Wesley Ruggles

Director | London Town

The younger brother of Hollywood character player Charles Ruggles, Wesley Ruggles spent most of his early years in San Francisco. He attended university there, began a lengthy apprenticeship in stock and musical comedy and then joined Keystone in Hollywood as an actor in 1914 working alongside Syd ...

25. Marcelle Rogez

Actress | Königsmark

Marcelle Rogez was born on September 30, 1902 in France. She was an actress, known for Crimson Dynasty (1935), Big Fella (1937) and I Spy (1934). She was married to Wesley Ruggles. She died on August 19, 1993.

26. Virginia Field

Actress | Waterloo Bridge

London-born actress, daughter of the King's Counsel, St. John Field, educated in Paris and Vienna. Her mother, a cousin of famous Confederate General Robert E. Lee, chose the name "Virginia" as homage to Lee's beloved home state. Virginia also had an actress aunt, Auriol Lee, who paved the way for ...

27. Harry Ham

Actor | The Four Feathers

Harry Ham was born on May 25, 1886 in Napanee, Ontario, Canada. He was an actor and assistant director, known for The Four Feathers (1921), Her Kingdom of Dreams (1919) and Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932). He died on July 27, 1943 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

28. Joan Marsh

Actress | Rainbow Over Broadway

A brassy, blue-eyed platinum blonde of the 1930s in the Jean Harlow tradition. Joan was the daughter of Hollywood cinematographer Charles Rosher and appeared as a child in Mary Pickford movies (on which her father worked as cameraman) billed as Dorothy Rosher. She acted in some amateur dramatics as...

29. Merle Oberon

Actress | Wuthering Heights

Estelle Merle Thompson was born in India on February 19, 1911 of Welsh and Ceylonese (now Sri Lankan) descent. She was educated in that country until the age of 17, when she left for London. She began her career in British films with mostly forgettable roles or bit parts. She appeared in an ...

30. Frances Robinson

Actress | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Frances Robinson was born on April 26, 1916 in Fort Wadsworth, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941), The Lone Wolf Keeps a Date (1940) and The Happiest Millionaire (1967). She died on August 16, 1971 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

31. Judith Anderson

Actress | Rebecca

Dame Judith Anderson was born Frances Margaret Anderson on February 10, 1897 in Adelaide, South Australia. She began her acting career in Australia before moving to New York in 1918. There she established herself as one of the greatest theatrical actresses and was a major star on Broadway ...

32. William B. Hawks

Producer | My Life with Caroline

William B. Hawks was born on January 29, 1901 in Neenah, Wisconsin, USA. He was a producer, known for My Life with Caroline (1941), Imitation General (1958) and The Last Wagon (1956). He was married to Frances Lilian Koshland, Virginia Walker and Bessie Love. He died on January 10, 1969 in Santa ...

33. Virginia Walker

Actress | Bringing Up Baby

Virginia Walker was born on July 31, 1908 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for Bringing Up Baby (1938) and The Caribbean Mystery (1945). She was married to William B. Hawks. She died on December 23, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

34. Zoltan Korda

Director | Cry, the Beloved Country

A one time Hungarian cavalry officer, Zoltan Korda started working in films as a cameraman then an editor before becoming a director with London Films run by his brother Alexander Korda. Zoltan had strong liberal/socialist ideals and often clashed with Alexander, who, despite their both being born ...

35. Joan Gardner

Actress | Dark Journey

Joan Gardner was born on October 26, 1914 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Dark Journey (1937), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) and Wings Over Africa (1936). She was married to Zoltan Korda. She died on September 17, 1999 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles,...

36. Charles Bennett

Actor | Treasure Island

Charles Bennett was born on April 13, 1893 in Dunedin, New Zealand. He was an actor and director, known for Treasure Island (1934), America (1924) and The Little Slavey (1915). He was married to Dorothy Eileen Brown. He died on February 15, 1943 in Hollywood, California, USA.

37. Anita Louise

Actress | The Little Princess

An actress from the age of 6, Anita appeared with Walter Hampden in the Broadway production of Peter Ibbetson. As a juvenile actor, Anita used the name Louise Fremault and made her film debut at 9 in the film The Sixth Commandment (1924). She continued to make films as a child actor, and in 1929, ...

38. Samuel Goldwyn

Producer | The Best Years of Our Lives

Famed for his relentless ambition, bad temper and genius for publicity, Samuel Goldwyn became Hollywood's leading "independent" producer -- largely because none of his partners could tolerate him for long. Born Shmuel (or Schmuel) Gelbfisz, probably in 1879, in the Jewish section of Warsaw, he was ...

39. Frances Howard

Actress | Too Many Kisses

Frances Howard was born on June 4, 1903 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for Too Many Kisses (1925), The Shock Punch (1925) and The Swan (1925). She was married to Samuel Goldwyn. She died on July 2, 1976 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

40. Conrad Veidt

Actor | Casablanca

Conrad Veidt attended the Sophiengymnasium (secondary school) in the Schoeneberg district of Berlin, and graduated without a diploma in 1912, last in his class of 13. Conrad liked animals, theater, cinema, fast cars, pastries, thunderstorms, gardening, swimming and golfing. He disliked heights, ...

41. June Duprez

Actress | None But the Lonely Heart

Glamorous June Duprez was born in Teddington, England, during an air raid on May 14, 1918. Her father, Fred Duprez, was an American vaudevillian who found stage and film work in England. She herself picked up an interest in performing and eventually joined the Coventry Repertory Company to gather ...

42. Alexander Korda

Director | The Private Life of Don Juan

One of a large group of Hungarian refugees who found refuge in England in the 1930s, Sir Alexander Korda was the first British film producer to receive a knighthood. He was a major, if controversial, figure and acted as a guiding force behind the British film industry of the 1930s and continued to ...

43. Vincent Korda

Art_director | The Longest Day

Hungarian born Vincent Korda came to Britain in the 1930s with his brothers Alexander Korda and Zoltan Korda. Vincent became a distinguished Art Director and Production Designer. Among his best works are Things to Come (1936), The Thief of Bagdad (1940) and The Longest Day (1962).

44. Darryl F. Zanuck

Producer | The Longest Day

One of the kingpins of Hollywood's studio system, Zanuck was the offspring of the ill-fated marriage of the alcoholic night clerk in Wahoo, Nebraska's only hotel and the hotel owner's daughter. Both parents had abandoned him by the time he was 13. At 15, he joined the U.S. Army, and he fought in ...

45. William Goetz

Producer | Sayonara

William Goetz, a producer and studio boss who revolutionized the industry with the development of the profit participation deal, was born on 3/24/1903 in Philadelphia, PA, to ship's purser Theodore Goetz and his wife Fanny. William was the youngest in a brood of eight children (six boys and two ...

46. Mervyn LeRoy

Producer | The Wizard of Oz

The great San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 was a tragedy for Mervyn LeRoy. While he and his father managed to survive, they lost everything they had. To make money, LeRoy sold newspapers and entered talent contests as a singer. When he entered vaudeville, his act was "LeRoy and Cooper--Two...

47. William Wyler

Director | The Best Years of Our Lives

William Wyler was an American filmmaker who, at the time of his death in 1981, was considered by his peers as second only to John Ford as a master craftsman of cinema. The winner of three Best Director Academy Awards, second again only to Ford's four, Wyler's reputation has unfairly suffered as the...

48. Hans Rameau

Writer | Die Finanzen des Großherzogs

Hans Rameau was born on November 28, 1901 in Berlin, Germany. He was a writer and actor, known for The Grand Duke's Finances (1934), Waterloo Bridge (1940) and Er oder ich (1930). He died on April 9, 1980 in Gavignano, Lazio, Italy.

49. Claudette Colbert

Actress | It Happened One Night

One of the brightest film stars to grace the screen was born Emilie Claudette Chauchoin on September 13, 1903, in Saint Mandé, France where her father owned a bakery at 57, rue de la République (now Avenue Général de Gaulle). The family moved to the United States when she was three. As Claudette ...