Break Out Films That Turned Actors Into Stars

The household names of the famous actors, that we have come to know and love, all started somewhere.  Typically, to become a superstar actors have to have an awe-inspiring portrayal in a film that elevates them to such notoriety. Look at our favorite actors, and the roles they started in that catapulted them from actor to a star.

Marlon Brando – Marlon Brando remains one of the most captivating actors of the mid-1900s, who has constantly served as inspiration for other actors since. The film attributed to Brando’s breakout was A Streetcar Named Desire, making him America’s leading man for years.

Clint Eastwood – Even today, Clint Eastwood remains an in-demand actor and director. Eastwood hasnever disappointed his fans. His breakout role came in the 1964 film A Fistful of Dollars, which marked him as an actor destined for greatness.

Mel Gibson – While Mel Gibson is a name that most movie-goers have heard numerous times, many fail to realize that his role in a 1970s film made him the actor we know today. Starring in the film Mad Max, Gibson was a young, fresh-faced actor that lit up the screen and captivated audiences.

Hugh Jackman – Hugh Jackman is widely acclaimed as Hollywood’s hottest hunk, but the role that helped to get him this title was Wolverine in the original X-Men. Even though he played a hairy man with a temper, his portrayal in the movie catapulted him to be an A-list star.

Jennifer Lawrence – As the youngest actor on our list, Jennifer Lawrence has come to make a name for herself in recent years. While she was cast in films such as The Beaver and X-Men: First Class, she didn’t become a household name until 2012 when she portrayed Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games.

Al Pacino – Considered a masterpiece of a film, The Godfather couldn’t have been portrayed by anyone better than Al Pacino. This gritty gangster film not only made him a well-known actor but continues to keep him in high regard, decades later.

Julia Roberts – If you asked anyone what was Julia Roberts’ most successful film you are likely to hear the same response, Pretty Woman. Not only was she able to play the street walker role well, but able to play a classy lady opposite Richard Gere too. The film came out in 1990 but Roberts is still one of Hollywood’s most recognized faces.

Sharon Stone – Even though we might not hear much about Sharon Stone these days, in the 1990s she was one of the most widely recognized actresses in the United States. Thanks to one revealing scenes in Basic Instinct, she became a hit with many, especially the male viewers.

Barbra Streisand – She may not be as young as she once was, but Barbra Streisand has been the leading lady in films for decades. Her role as Fanny Brice in the 1968 film Funny Girl took her from being just an actor to one of Hollywood’s most respected women.

While these are just a few of the actors that have make names for themselves in Hollywood with just a single film, it is important to recognize that talented stars can ‘make’ a movie. Who knows you might be watching a breakout star in your favorite new film and not even know it!

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•  Image courtesy of MyBlogGuest

Sergeo is a professional videographer based in Sydney, Australia. He runs a start-up company Edictive that produce production management software for the industry. 

5 Iconic Film Characters from the 80s

The 1980s was an exciting time for Hollywood Cinema. A time for American Blockbusters and their Sequels, for Rom-Coms, for Gangster Films, Action Heroes, Epic Adventures and Horror Stories. Top Gun, Die Hard, Back to the Future, E.T., Ghostbusters -these are films that everybody knows, even those not yet born or too young to remember.

The 80s marked the dynamic comeback of Hollywood cinema and of the Hollywood star system. If you are looking for the film characters that best capture the 1980s, or you have been invited to an 80s movies fancy dress party, then just take a look at the list of classics below.

You will find that the 80s heroes were not unproblematic but instead, reflected a crisis of the American dream and a system below which lurked divorce, alienation, abuse of minorities and psychological disorders:

John Rambo/ Rambo Series (1982, 1985, 1988): Sylvester Stallone

Following the tremendous success of Rocky, Stallone became synonymous with action movies and a symbol of masculinity. The marine veteran from Vietnam, John Rambo, or as his fans named him ‘The War Machine’, became a trademark role for Sylvester Stallone. Equipped with a hypermuscular body and a massive machine gun, the hero who was once enlisted in the Special Forces of the US Army, and now suffering from post-tramautic stress, is abused by the very system that trained him. This sets him off onto a one-man guerrilla war for justice and retribution, involving practically killing every policeman along the way.

Tony Montana /Scarface (1983): Al Pacino

Scarface, a film that became iconic of the gangster genre, managed to appeal to mass culture while also being critically acclaimed for its aesthetic merit. Loosely based on the Al Capone story it depicts an iconic yet paradoxical hero. Tony Montana: an ex-convict, a criminal, a gangster, a cocaine addict who strives for the American dream, for wealth, success and individualism. Tony rises to the top of Miami’s crime chain, in a film inundated with blood, gore, drugs and incest.

E.T./ E.T the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

E.T. became an iconic 80s hero despite the fact that he lacked guns, muscles and a military past. Elliot, a somewhat lonely and reserved boy living with his mum, sister and brother, one day comes across an aging alien, left behind by his spacecraft. The film that exceeded the earnings of Star Wars, is not simply a kids story about the return of E.T. to his planet. It is instead based on the fantastic friend that Steven Spielberg himself had made up to help him cope with the divorce of his own parents. It is not a coincidence that Elliot’s parents are divorced and that Elliot learns to become more confident in himself and more communicative through his friendship with this older male. E.T although from another world, cares for Elliott and understands him, showing that love can exist outside the family.

Daniel LaRusso/ Karate Kid (1984, 1986, 1989): Ralph Macchio

Karate Kid is the Rocky for teenagers. It is the story of a New Jersey kid without a dad, who has just moved to a California that is anything but welcoming. Harassed and bullied at school, feeling weak and unwanted, Daniel befriends a Japanese janitor who teaches him how to stand up for himself and how to use karate and eastern philosophy to defend himself from his bullies without resort to violence. Considered to be one of the most entertaining films of all times, it is also a film about the friendship and mutual respect that develops between a man without a son and a boy without a father.

Johnny Castle/ Dirty Dancing (1987): Patrick Swayze

The musical that surprised the box-office and remained in history, not simply for its successful soundtrack (Time of my Life), choreography and performances, but also for its meaningful storyline, about the coming of adulthood, love and responsibility. Baby Houseman, an innocent teenager meets the handsome but working class dance instructor Johnny Castle who she falls in love with. However, Baby’s father, the wealthy and respected Dr. Houseman, opposes the match, considering Johnny a low life. Johnny helps Baby find her voice, identity, independence and understand how the world works in this record braking film that marked a star-making performance from Swayze.

This article was written by Joker’s Masquerade, leading providers of fancy dress costumes in the UK