Hollywood Hall of Fame 6th Ballot

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 6th ballot entrants to the Hollywood Hall of Fame!

The Godfather II (1974)

The first movie was a first-ballot hall of famer, but the second film isn’t too far behind on the sixth ballot. This film saw de Niro enter the franchise, and is widely regarded as one of, if not the, greatest sequel of all-time (Toy Story 2 and another 6th ballot film have something to say about that).

The Dark Knight (2008)

Here’s that other sequel! The Dark Knight may be the greatest superhero film ever made, and certainly delivered the best acting performance in a superhero film with the late great Heath Ledger as the Joker. An iconic film that will stand the test of time.

Back to the Future (1985)

If this project was simply my favorite movies ever, then this would have been a 2nd ballot entrant at minimum. But I was trying to be objective, so I settled for the 6th ballot. This film changed the way we view sci-fi movies, and is the standard to which we measure all time-travel (despite some plot mysteries). This is a fantastic film that shaped generations of movie fans.

The Departed (2006)

A best picture winner, this film had a loaded cast and provided many shocking moments. Leo and Damon give some of their best performances, and Whalberg is going full Whalberg; what more do I need to say?

La La Land (2016)

Oh shit, sorry I meant to type Moonlight! Just kidding. La La Land is my favorite musical movie of all-time, the way Stone and Gosling just love each other so much, the way they take the audience through a history lesson of music, and just the overall vibe of the film is incredible. I love everything about this movie (except the ending!!!), and this deserves to be here, and SHOULD have won best picture (like, actually won)!!!

Stranger Things (2016-)

Hopefully by the time we reach the 100th ballot, they will have finally released season 5 of Stranger Things. But despite the inexcusable gaps between the seasons, this show is utterly mesmerizing. They’ve had one bad episode in three seasons (you know who you are, Chicago episode). On top of how great it is, this was really the first hit show that Netflix had, and thus somewhat kicked off the streaming wars.

Mad Men (2007-2015)

Don Draper is one of the more iconic male characters in television history, and this show was consistently great enough to land on the sixth ballot. Plus, it feels like every sitcom made after 2010 has at least one reference to Mad Men, proving its pop culture significance.

Late Night with David Letterman (1982-2015)

It’s always fun to mix it up and throw in a non-traditional show, and this is more than worthy. For over 30 years, no one in Hollywood officially made it until they went on with Letterman. He became the face of late-night talk shows, which has evolved into many different shows with Colbert, Kimmel, Fallon, etc… But Letterman started it all, and did it better than all other competitors.

Robert de Niro (Raging Bull, The Godfather II, The Irishman)

Robert de Niro probably should have been nominated much sooner than the 6th ballot, but it is fitting he goes in the same class as The Godfather II. He is one of, if not the greatest actor of his generation, and has found a way to be relevant with younger audiences with films like Meet the Fockers and Joker.

Al Pacino (The Godfather, Serpico, The Irishman)

It just feels right to have Pacino & de Niro be inducted together, doesn’t it? They’re like chocolate and peanut butter, a one-two punch that turns good movies into classics. They remind me of Shaq and Kobe, if Shaq and Kobe decided to reunite in 2009 and won another title together (with The Godfather films being the 2000-04 Lakers, The Irishman being the hypothetical 2009 reunion). Pacino is a phenomenal actor who has continued to make great films for the past 40+ years.

Eddie Murphy (Trading Places, Coming to America, Shrek)

Murphy is one of the most beloved comedians ever, and has made countless classic comedies, particularly in the 80’s. He came to define the genre for a solid 13 years, and has even found a way to make a legacy in voice acting with his iconic turn as Donkey in the Shrek franchise.

Maggie Smith (Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, The Lady in the Van)

Has Maggie Smith ever aged? I feel like she’s been 70 my entire life. She was one of the best parts of the Harry Potter franchise, and has been the face of the Downton Abbey universe. Those are two pretty great projects to be remembered for.

Cate Blanchett (The Aviator, Blue Jasmine, Nightmare Alley)

Blanchett is one of my favorite actresses ever; she’s smart, cunning, evil, beautiful, hilarious and physical all at once! A two-time Oscar winner, Blanchett is more than deserving of a spot in the hall of fame.

Viola Davis (Fences, The Help, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom)

Davis is an Oscar winner for Fences, and in my opinion is the greatest black actress ever. She’s delivered so many phenomenal performances, and she wasn’t horrible in Suicide Squad, which might be her greatest achievement.

Martin Scorcese (Taxi Driver, The Departed, The Irishman)

I basically just took the entire team for The Irishman and put them in this class. But Scorcese has delivered countless hits, including Best Picture winner The Departed. Him and Leo and the Phil Jackson-Michael Jordan of films, and look for them to deliver another gem with Killers of the Flower Moon later this year.

There you have it! The 6th 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

West Side Story

Rocky

Unforgiven

Ben-Hur

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

The Godfather II

The Dark Knight

Back to the Future

The Departed

La La Land

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

Game of Thrones

Seinfeld

General Hospital

Stranger Things

Mad Men

Late Night with David Letterman

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

Will Smith

Laurence Olivier

Sean Penn

Robert de Niro

Al Pacino

Eddie Murphy

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

Judi Dench

Natalie Portman

Halle Berry

Maggie Smith

Cate Blanchett

Viola Davis

Directors:

Steven Spielberg

Francis Ford-Coppola

Alfred Hitchcock

James Cameron

Clint Eastwood

Martin Scorcese