My Crush Is a Classic Film Star

Sparkler sakeller92, the author of this post, reminisces about the classic charm of silver screen legends from an era defined by leading men who were, well, manly. Unlike the neatly manicured stars of today's cinema (think Zac Efron), these men ate a steady diet of nails before doing their own stunts. Can you say "rugged"? -Sparknotes editors

I love old movies, and thankfully the college town not 10 minutes away from my house has a movie theater that shares this love and shows only the classics every day. Obviously I go there a lot.

From watching these old movies, I have discovered many wonderful men. They’re charming and charismatic, they wear great suits, and they look surprisingly good in black and white. About five minutes in, I find myself staring into their larger-than-life faces with a goofy, lopsided grin normally reserved for preteens staring at the life-sized posters of Edward Cullen hanging above their beds. So clearly it must be true love. Here is a rundown of the most alluring classic film actors:

HUMPHREY BOGART

“Here’s looking at you, kid.” Aaah! It gets me every time. His most famous movie, Casablanca, included some of the most iconic movie lines ever. He is also known for playing tough and cynical film noir detectives. Catch him in Casablanca, Sabrina, The Maltese Falcon, and The Big Sleep.

CARY GRANT

Did you know that the author of the original James Bond novels, Ian Fleming, based James Bond on Cary Grant? Grant was originally offered the role in the movie, but decided he was too old, so Sean Connery got it instead. If this is not a clear indication that he is the ultimate man, I don’t know what is. Armed with style and great comedic timing, Cary Grant always plays the charming, handsome, and witty male lead. Some of my favorite movies of his are To Catch A Thief, Charade, Notorious, The Philadelphia Story, and North by Northwest.

GREGORY PECK

His most memorable role was that of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, but I love him best in Roman Holiday, in which he plays a reporter who falls in love with a princess (played by goddess Audrey Hepburn). He almost always plays courageous (and handsome) and nobly heroic (while handsome!) men. Also, after starring in a bunch of western movies he decided to buy a ranch, so he is an actual cowboy. And he did all his own fight scenes.

JAMES DEAN

One look at his picture and no further explanation is necessary. James Dean is the classic 50s bad boy with a leather jacket and angst to match. Gorgeous and troubled, he was pretty much every girl’s dream and every parent’s worst nightmare. And he was also a race car driver. His most famous movies were East of Eden and Rebel Without A Cause.

MARLON BRANDO

Another 50s rebel type, except he was the rebel on the motorcycle. In The Wild One, he plays the leader of a motorcycle gang who has a conscience. His most well-known movie is A Streetcar Named Desire, but, um, he was actually playing an abusive husband…so never mind. But he was a talented actor and so cute too.

STEVE MCQUEEN

Bada$$. That is the only way to describe Steve McQueen, aka “an American Rebel.” In the Thomas Crown Affair, he plays a wealthy and bored playboy who masterminds a bank robbery and falls for Faye Dunaway. He also had a really nice car in that movie. In Bullit, he plays a cop who is on a quest for vengeance (aren’t they always?). He's in an amazing car chase, and again, he had a sweet ride.

Who's your classic crush?

Related Posts: My Crush Is a Literary Character, My Crush it a Literary Character, Too (Except for Dan Bergstein), My Crush Is Dead, My Crush is a Cartoon, My Crush is Way Older Than Me, My Crush is an Anime Boy

Wanna write for SparkLife? Send your submission and nickname to contribute@sparknotes.com for consideration.