Ever wonder what the greatest movies of all-time are? What about actors and actresses? The Circuit has decided to create our own Hollywood Hall of Fame, where we honor the greatest films, shows, actors, actresses & directors of all-time!
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Sports have a Hall of Fame. Music has a Hall of Fame. Movies don’t. How can an industry that is so prominent in pop culture, and so obsessed with its own history, not have a Hall of Fame? We are changing that here at The Circuit by creating the Hollywood Hall of Fame!
Because we have about a century of movies and television shows to catch up to, we are going to induct a new class to the Hollywood Hall of Fame each month. Each class will include:
Five films
Three television shows
Three actors
Three actresses
One director
Here at The Circuit, we are obsessed with history and context. We like to categorize everything and rank everything. Sports have a Hall of Fame dedicated to celebrating history and enshrining the best of the best.
Here are the 4th ballot entrants to the Hollywood Hall of Fame!
Titanic (1997)
This film certainly hit Hollywood like an iceberg in the late 90’s. A star-making turn for DiCaprio and a Titanic ship full of money from the box office, this film arguably should have been inducted sooner.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
This isn’t necessarily the first Jack Nicholson movie you think of, but maybe it should be. This is one of the few films to ever win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor & Best Actress at the Oscars, so that alone gets it into the Hall of Fame.
The Matrix (1999)
This film is not of the same quality as some of the others in this Hall of Fame, but it revolutionized special effects in the movie industry. “Bullet Time” became a sensation heading into Y2K, and this movie spawned three (unspectacular) sequels.
Psycho (1960)
This movie earned its place in the Hall of Fame not only because it is great, but because it is one of the fundamental horror movies of all-time. Horror has become one of the top genres in Hollywood in large part due to how Alfred Hitchcock defined the genre with films like Psycho.
Toy Story (1995)
This is the first animated entry into the Hollywood Hall of Fame, and rightly so. The first film from Pixar absolutely changed Hollywood forever, and nearly 30 years and numerous great sequels later, Woody and Buzz take their place among the film greats.
The Twilight Zone (1959-1964)
This is a show that most people probably wouldn’t think of as one of the greatest shows ever, but it certainly is one of the most iconic. How many times do you hear your friends or family reference “the twilight zone”? Anything that resembles creepiness or weirdness, this is often the go-to comparison.
Grey’s Anatomy (2005-)
Meredith Grey is one of the iconic female characters in the history of Hollywood. She’s powerful, she’s independent, she’s sexy, she has it all. While the early seasons are certainly much stronger than the later seasons, this show has pioneered diversity on screen in a phenomenal way and is one of the best shows of all-time.
Sesame Street (1969-)
I defy you to find someone who doesn’t know who Elmo or Big Bird are. Go ahead, I’ll wait… Oh you couldn’t? Of course you couldn’t! They are national staples, and in one way or another helped teach nearly everyone in the United States.
Denzel Washington (Malcolm X, Training Day, Tragedy of Macbeth)
It took far too long, but Denzel is the first black actor to enter the Hollywood Hall of Fame. Denzel is a phenomenal actor with a couple Oscars on his mantle, and is nominated once again in 2022. Washington has a visceralness to his acting, and no matter what he is in people are going to watch.
Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, A Raisin in the Sun, To Sir, With Love)
While Poitier is technically the second black entrant to the Hollywood Hall of Fame (see literally five sentences above), he was the first black actor to win an Oscar! That alone is enough to get him the nomination here.
Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Doubtfire, Aladdin)
Williams was a treasure. His voice acting is one of the greatest individual thespian skills we have ever seen, but he also had the emotional range to bring us all to tears over and over again. Taken far too soon, we will never know what he could have blessed us with moving forward, but we do know what he left us with will stand the test of time.
Bette Davis (Dangerous, Jezebel, All About Eve )
As a multi-time Oscar winner, it’s not hard to understand why Davis is in this Hall of Fame. Even as an older performer, her name has managed to stay in pop culture references all these years later.
Angelina Jolie (Tomb Raider, Girl, Interrupted, Mr. & Mrs. Smith )
Most would not think of Angelina Jolie as one of the best actresses ever, and I wouldn’t totally disagree with that sentiment. However, she is inducted so early into the Hall of Fame because of her physicality. I consider Jolie the queen of action movies, from Tomb Raider to her latest turn in the MCU with Eternals, Angelina Jolie has blazed a trail for female action stars.
Judy Garland (Wizard of Oz, A Star is Born, Judgment at Nuremberg)
Garland is one of the original star actresses with her turn in The Wizard of Oz, which many people consider the first major movie of the “common era” (aka color). Between that and A Star is Born, Judy Garland truly deserves to be in this Hall of Fame.
James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, Blade Runner)
While I am not the biggest fan of his movies, James Cameron is undeniably a box office force. Titanic was the highest grossing film of all-time until Cameron surpassed his own record with Avatar. Every movie he makes is typically massive, and having multiple $2B films is more than enough to get inducted.
There you have it! The 4th Ballot inductees to the Hollywood Hall of Fame! Here is a comprehensive list of the Hall of Famers, which we will update with each class:
Films:
The Wizard of Oz
The Godfather
Shawshank Redemption
Citizen Kane
Lawrence of Arabia
Jaws
Avatar
Schindler’s List
Casablanca
Star Wars: A New Hope
Silence of the Lambs
Pulp Fiction
Avengers: Endgame
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Gone With the wind
Titanic
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
The Matrix
Psycho
Toy Story
Shows:
M*A*S*H*
The Simpsons
The Sopranos
F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Saturday Night Live
I Love Lucy
The Office
Lost
Breaking Bad
The Twilight Zone
Grey’s Anatomy
Sesame Street
Actors:
Tom Hanks
Marlon Brando
Jack Nicholson
Leonardo DiCaprio
Daniel Day-Lewis
Charlie Cahplin
Peter O’Toole
Anthony Hopkins
Paul Newman
Denzel Washington
Sidney Poitier
Robin Williams
Actresses:
Katherine Hepburn
Frances McDormand
Meryl Streep
Jennifer Lawerence
Marilyn Monroe
Sally Field
Uma Thurman
Jane Fonda
Ingrid Bregman
Bette Davis
Angelina Jolie
Judy Garland
Directors:
Steven Spielberg
Francis Ford-Coppola
Alfred Hitchcock
James Cameron