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I was just thinking that there are a lot of old "classic" movie stars who are primarily known for something that happened later in life, apart from their classic acting career, by people in my generation (40-ish) and younger generations.
For example, ask anyone who Ronald Reagan was, and nearly everyone will say he's known for being President. I don't think even really old people would go first to "actor." So Reagan is an extreme; his acting career is totally eclipsed by his later role as President.
There are some who become better known for an acting role very late in life, than for their "classic" career in old Hollywood. Example: Gloria Stuart is known to people my age and younger as "that old lady in Titanic" but older people might know her more for her early black & white body of work. Another one of these might be Angela Lansbury, known more for Murder She Wrote in her old age than for her early acting career.
The actors who became known for something else by younger generations that I could think of are:
Roy Rogers: People over 50 will go first to "movie star cowboy" while people under 50 will go to "isn't he the guy who started the fast-food fried chicken joint?"
Joan Crawford: Probably better known for being the drunken child-abuser from the book & movie Mommie Dearest than for her acting career, at least to people my age and younger.
Lionel Barrymore: People my age and younger would say "Isn't he some relative of Drew's?" (He's her great uncle I think). Older people would know him for his acting. Similar situation for Kirk Douglas (Michael's father), Tony Curtis (Jamie Leigh's father), and a bunch of other moms and dads of younger famous people.
Charleton Heston: People my age and younger know him more as the outspoken advocate of 2nd Amendment rights, but older people would know him more for his acting roles.
Elizabeth Taylor: People my age knew her in the 80s as "that fat woman who Joan Rivers makes fun of." Later we knew her as that drug addicted former actress who keeps getting married and divorced, and who is all over the supermarket tabloids. Older people tend to think first of her acting career.
Grace Kelly: People my age are more likely to know her as "that Princess in Europe who used to be American who died in that car crash." Older people know her for her acting roles, and maybe for her "fairytale" wedding. People younger than me probably don't know of her at all.
Orson Welles: For most of my life I thought of him as "that fat guy with the beard who is always a guest on talk shows like Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, or the Tonight Show." I didn't even know he had an acting/directing career until I was in my 20s and got into some old classic movies.
I think I might call this phenomenon "the OJ Simpson effect," since OJ will always be known as an accused murderer and not as an athlete.
Hey that just reminded me of another: Robert Blake. He's now known for being an accused murderer, and not so much for starring in Baretta, and much less for being a famous child actor.
Can you think of any more? There have to be lots of these people who display the "OJ effect."
Interesting topic.
I think Wilford Brimley is pretty much entrenched as the guy who made "diabetes" rhyme with "Cletus", rather than the former film and television actor.
Also Jane Fonda, without a doubt, known more for her political activism (and former marriages) than her film career.
Interesting topic.
I think Wilford Brimley is pretty much entrenched as the guy who made "diabetes" rhyme with "Cletus", rather than the former film and television actor.
Also Jane Fonda, without a doubt, known more for her political activism (and former marriages) than her film career.
haha, I think of Wilfred Brimley as the Quaker Oats guy!
Yes, Jane will be forever known as the one riding on the Viet Cong tank, or for her 80s exercise videos, rather than for any of her movie roles. That's a good one!
Arnold Schwarzenegger? First name that came to mind
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