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Discovering Film, celebrates the lives of those who soared the highest. From Marlon Brando to Elizabeth Taylor, we uncover what drove them and why the world loved them.
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Episodes
1. Marlene Dietrich
44m
Marlene Dietrich was an iconic German-American actress and singer.
Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically.
In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as "Lola-Lola" in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame and provided her a contract with Paramount Pictures in the US.
Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom and making her one of the highest-paid actresses of the era. Dietrich became a U.S. citizen in 1939, and throughout World War II she was a high-profile frontline entertainer. Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer.
Dietrich classic roles were in Witness for the Prosecution, Destry Rides Again, Stage fright (Hitchcock) Foreign Affair, Judgement at Nuremberg, Touch of Evil (with Orson Welles)
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth-greatest female star of all time.
Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically.
In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as "Lola-Lola" in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame and provided her a contract with Paramount Pictures in the US.
Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom and making her one of the highest-paid actresses of the era. Dietrich became a U.S. citizen in 1939, and throughout World War II she was a high-profile frontline entertainer. Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer.
Dietrich classic roles were in Witness for the Prosecution, Destry Rides Again, Stage fright (Hitchcock) Foreign Affair, Judgement at Nuremberg, Touch of Evil (with Orson Welles)
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth-greatest female star of all time.
2. Grace Kelly
44m
Grace Patricia Kelly was an American actress who famously, in April 1956, married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, The Princess of Monaco, and commonly referred to as Princess Grace.
This programme illustrates how her film roles provided a journey to become a Princess in the roles she chose.
After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, Grace Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions in more than forty episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. In 1953, with the release of Mogambo with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner, she became a movie star, a status confirmed in 1954 with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nomination as well as leading roles in five films, including The Country Girl, in which she gave her, Academy Award-winning performance. Her classic roles included High Noon with Gary Cooper and Dial M for Murder and Rear Window with director Hitchcock adoring her rich blonde looks. Her final three films were the journey to Monaco including To Catch a Thief set in Cannes, The Swan the story of a Princess and High Society with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.
In June 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her No.13 in their list of top female stars of American cinema
This programme illustrates how her film roles provided a journey to become a Princess in the roles she chose.
After embarking on an acting career in 1950, at the age of 20, Grace Kelly appeared in New York City theatrical productions in more than forty episodes of live drama productions broadcast during the early 1950s Golden Age of Television. In 1953, with the release of Mogambo with Clark Gable and Ava Gardner, she became a movie star, a status confirmed in 1954 with a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nomination as well as leading roles in five films, including The Country Girl, in which she gave her, Academy Award-winning performance. Her classic roles included High Noon with Gary Cooper and Dial M for Murder and Rear Window with director Hitchcock adoring her rich blonde looks. Her final three films were the journey to Monaco including To Catch a Thief set in Cannes, The Swan the story of a Princess and High Society with Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby.
In June 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her No.13 in their list of top female stars of American cinema
3. Lauren Bacall
44m
Lauren Bacall is an American film and stage actress and model, known for her distinctive husky voice and sultry looks.
She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not (1944) and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in Bogart movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), as well as a comedienne in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck.
Bacall has also worked on Broadway in musicals, gaining Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.
In 1999, Bacall was ranked #20 of the 25 actresses on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list by the American Film Institute.
In 2009, she was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award "in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures."
She first emerged as leading lady in the Humphrey Bogart film To Have And Have Not (1944) and continued on in the film noir genre, with appearances in Bogart movies The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948), as well as a comedienne in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) with Marilyn Monroe and Designing Woman (1957) with Gregory Peck.
Bacall has also worked on Broadway in musicals, gaining Tony Awards for Applause in 1970 and Woman of the Year in 1981. Her performance in the movie The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996) earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.
In 1999, Bacall was ranked #20 of the 25 actresses on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars list by the American Film Institute.
In 2009, she was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to receive an Academy Honorary Award "in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures."
4. Deborah Kerr
44m
Deborah Jane Kerr CBE was a Scottish film and television actress. She won the Sarah Siddons Award for her Chicago performance as Laura Reynolds in Tea and Sympathy, a role which she originated on Broadway, a Golden Globe Award for the motion picture The King and I, and was a three-time winner of the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress. She was also the recipient of honorary Academy, BAFTA and Cannes Film Festival awards.
She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress but never won. In 1994, however, she was awarded the Academy Honorary Award, cited by the Academy as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance".
Her classic films include The King and I, An Affair to Remember, From Here to Eternity, Quo Vadis, The Innocents, Black Narcissus, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Separate Tables.
She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress but never won. In 1994, however, she was awarded the Academy Honorary Award, cited by the Academy as "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance".
Her classic films include The King and I, An Affair to Remember, From Here to Eternity, Quo Vadis, The Innocents, Black Narcissus, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Separate Tables.
5. Ingrid Bergman
44m
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute. She is best remembered for her roles as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942), a World War II drama co-starring Humphrey Bogart and as Alicia Huberman in Notorious (1946), an Alfred Hitchcock thriller co-starring Cary Grant.
Before becoming a star in American films, she had been a leading actress in Swedish films. Her first introduction to U.S. audiences came with her starring role in the English remake of Intermezzo in 1939. In the United States, she brought to the screen a "Nordic freshness and vitality", along with exceptional beauty and intelligence.
David O. Selznick, who called her "the most completely conscientious actress" he had ever worked with, gave her a seven-year acting contract, thereby supporting her continued success. A few of her other starring roles, besides Casablanca, included For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949), and the independent production, Joan of Arc (1948).
In 1950, after a decade of stardom in American films, she starred in the Italian film Stromboli, which led to a love affair with director Roberto Rossellini while they were both already married.
Before becoming a star in American films, she had been a leading actress in Swedish films. Her first introduction to U.S. audiences came with her starring role in the English remake of Intermezzo in 1939. In the United States, she brought to the screen a "Nordic freshness and vitality", along with exceptional beauty and intelligence.
David O. Selznick, who called her "the most completely conscientious actress" he had ever worked with, gave her a seven-year acting contract, thereby supporting her continued success. A few of her other starring roles, besides Casablanca, included For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949), and the independent production, Joan of Arc (1948).
In 1950, after a decade of stardom in American films, she starred in the Italian film Stromboli, which led to a love affair with director Roberto Rossellini while they were both already married.
6. Ginger Rogers
44m
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century.
During her long career, she made a total of 73 films, and was best known as Fred Astaire's romantic interest and dancing partner in a series of ten Hollywood musical films that revolutionized the genre. She achieved great success on her own in a variety of film roles and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kitty Foyle (1940). She ranks #14 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars list of actress screen legends.
Her classic films include Gay Divorce, Top Hat, Swing Time, Stage Door, Follow the Fleet and Kitty Foyle (winning Academy Award for Best Actress),
During her long career, she made a total of 73 films, and was best known as Fred Astaire's romantic interest and dancing partner in a series of ten Hollywood musical films that revolutionized the genre. She achieved great success on her own in a variety of film roles and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kitty Foyle (1940). She ranks #14 on the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars list of actress screen legends.
Her classic films include Gay Divorce, Top Hat, Swing Time, Stage Door, Follow the Fleet and Kitty Foyle (winning Academy Award for Best Actress),
7. Ava Gardner
44m
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress. She was signed by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers (1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953) which also starred Clark Gable and Grace Kelly.
She appeared in several high-profile films from the 1950s to 1970s, including The Hucksters (1947), Show Boat (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959), Seven Days in May (1964), The Night of the Iguana (1964), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976).
Gardner continued to act regularly until 1986, four years before her death, at age 67, in London in 1990.
She is listed 25th among the American Film Institute's Greatest female stars.
She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953) which also starred Clark Gable and Grace Kelly.
She appeared in several high-profile films from the 1950s to 1970s, including The Hucksters (1947), Show Boat (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959), Seven Days in May (1964), The Night of the Iguana (1964), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976).
Gardner continued to act regularly until 1986, four years before her death, at age 67, in London in 1990.
She is listed 25th among the American Film Institute's Greatest female stars.
8. Cary Grant
44m
Grant (famously born Archibald Alexander Leach) was an English-born American film and stage actor.
Known for his transatlantic accent, debonair demeanor and "dashing good looks",
This programme shows how Grant was known for both comedic and dramatic roles including The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby with Katharine Hepburn (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story again with Hepburn (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), To Catch A Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).
Grant is considered one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men, with the AFI naming Grant at number two in the Greatest Actor list of all time. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor and five times for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, but was continually and surprising passed over. So in 1970, when he was presented an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards by Frank Sinatra "for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues" justice was done.
Known for his transatlantic accent, debonair demeanor and "dashing good looks",
This programme shows how Grant was known for both comedic and dramatic roles including The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby with Katharine Hepburn (1938), Gunga Din (1939), The Philadelphia Story again with Hepburn (1940), His Girl Friday (1940), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), The Bishop's Wife (1947), To Catch A Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959) and Charade (1963).
Grant is considered one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men, with the AFI naming Grant at number two in the Greatest Actor list of all time. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Actor and five times for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, but was continually and surprising passed over. So in 1970, when he was presented an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards by Frank Sinatra "for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues" justice was done.
9. Robert Mitchum
44m
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor who rose to prominence for his starring roles in several major works of the film noir style, and is considered a forerunner of the anti-heroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s.
Classic roles include His Kind Of Woman (1951), Night of the Hunter (1955) Heaven Knows Mr Allison (1957), The Enemy Below (1957), The Sundowners (1960), Cape Fear (1961) , The Longest Day (1962), Ryan's Daughter (1970 David Lean) and Yakuza (1974).
Mitchum is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time.
Classic roles include His Kind Of Woman (1951), Night of the Hunter (1955) Heaven Knows Mr Allison (1957), The Enemy Below (1957), The Sundowners (1960), Cape Fear (1961) , The Longest Day (1962), Ryan's Daughter (1970 David Lean) and Yakuza (1974).
Mitchum is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time.
10. Fred Astaire
44m
Fred Astaire born in 1899 was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer, musician and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute. He is famous for his on screen partnership with fellow actress and dancer Ginger Rogers, with whom he made ten films.
It is said by Gene Kelly said that "the history of dance on film begins with Astaire". Beyond film and television, many classical dancers and choreographers, Rudolf Nureyev, Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Jackson, Gregory Hines, Mikhail Baryshnikov, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins among them, also acknowledged his importance and influence.
Classic titles include The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Swing Time, Royal Wedding, Holiday Inn, Funny Face (with Audrey Hepburn), On the Beach (anti-nuclear war film set against the cold war) and Towering Inferno.
It is said by Gene Kelly said that "the history of dance on film begins with Astaire". Beyond film and television, many classical dancers and choreographers, Rudolf Nureyev, Sammy Davis, Jr., Michael Jackson, Gregory Hines, Mikhail Baryshnikov, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins among them, also acknowledged his importance and influence.
Classic titles include The Gay Divorcee, Top Hat, Swing Time, Royal Wedding, Holiday Inn, Funny Face (with Audrey Hepburn), On the Beach (anti-nuclear war film set against the cold war) and Towering Inferno.
Extended Details
- SeriesDiscovering Film
- Closed CaptionsEnglish