501 Movie Stars: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Screen Actors (Hardcover)

~ Steven Jay Schneider (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This is a guide to major movie legends as well as less-known performers, both American and international. Arranged by the decade of the entrant’s birth, each entry includes a photo; a list of major films; birth date (and, where pertinent, death date); and an essay. Most entries are a page, but major stars such as Bogart and Brando get more coverage. This title complements the editor’s prior title, 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (Barron’s, 2005), and can function as a delightful book to browse as well as a reference source for film fans. --Patricia Hogan

Review

"501 Movie Stars puts together quite a collection of quotes from stars off-camera..." -- Hamilton Spectator, October 29, 2007

From the article ‚“Some of the stars‚’ best lines are scripted


Funny, clever, philosophical‚—the oldes celebs sait it best‚”





‚“The history of Hollywood film is littered with great catchphrases. A while back, the American Film Institute came out with its list of the top movie quotes of all time, and they ranged from Gone with the Wind‚’s ‚“Frankly, my dear, I don‚’t give a damn‚” at No. 1 to Titanic‚’s ‚“I‚’m the king of the world! at No. 100. It doesn‚’t take a move maestro to know Clark Gable spoke No. 1 and Leonardo DiCaprio No. 100. But while Gable and Leo will long be identified with the quotes, they only spoke words someone else wrote."



"Writers are the unsung heroes of Hollywood, but a new book shows that Tinseltown‚’s biggest stars did have a lot to say on their own. 501 Movie Stars puts together quite a collection of quotes from stars off-camera with nary a screenwriter in sight. The book is also filled with bios and filmographies. And the best quotes come from the oldest stars, adding strength to another old movie phrase, ‚“They don‚’t make ‚‘em like they used to‚’‚”.


—Hamilton Spectator, October 29, 2007

“These hefty, valuable volumes are stuffed with tons of information about all your favorite filmmakers.”


—Scene, January 29, 2008

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (November 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764160214
• ISBN-13: 978-0764160219
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.5 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #44,707 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, but missing some obvious movie greats!, January 9, 2008

By	GloriBee "GloriBee" (CT) - See all my reviews

I purchased this as a gift for my son, who is a huge fan of cinema, to put it mildly. Having purchased 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, also by Steven Jay Schneider, it was not much of a jump to order both 501 Movie Stars: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Screen Actors and 501 Movie Directors: A Comprehensive Guide to the Greatest Filmmakers, upon their recent release as soon as they became available.

501 Movie Stars is a thick book and interesting to be sure; filled with wonderful info and photos.

I would doubtless give it 5 stars if it were not for some glaring omissions. It goes without saying that any reader would come up with a list of actors that they felt should be included and this reviewer understands you cannot include every actor of merit.

However, glance at this partial list of actors omitted from this huge hardcover book and tell me they should not have been included (many of whom have been nominated several times and have won Academy Awards):

Sean Astin
Ed Harris (4 nominations)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (1 nomination, 1 win)
Diane Lane (1 nomination)
Jude Law (2 nominations)
Ian McCellan (2 nominations)
Viggo Mortenson
Billy Bob Thornton (1 nomination, 1 win)

Most glaring to us is the omission of Joe Pesci, who was nominated twice and won an Oscar for Goodfellas and Robert Duvall, who was nominated 6 times, including for his work in The Godfather and one win for Tender Mercies.

Again, this is but a partial list. Each day my son thinks of additional notable actors he is shocked to discover have been omitted.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for the cinemaphile, June 5, 2009

By	Ardeal "Emi" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

If you watch movies for a hobby, you may get easily disappointed by the superficial selections of both actors and the movies they played in. Just as an example, I was surprised that we have a page dedicated to Divine (I did not even know of this actor), yet David Carradine, the "Kill Bill", "North and South" and "Kung-Fu" guy is missing.
Ther book is titled "...Guide to the Greatest Screen Actors" and therefore commits to a lot. Unfortunately little is offered. The movie titles listed under each actor is very selective and includes low quality ones instead of better ones - at least with AMG you can select their best work. You will be much better off getting one of Roger Ebert's books or the Video Hound. They may not have all the fancy photographs of this book, yet if you're looking for substance, you'll get a lot more for your buck.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Service, November 12, 2009

By	GRANDMA "GRANDPARENT OF AN ADDICT" (WEST COAST) - See all my reviews

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