Sir Sean Connery moves up to No. 3 in the annual `America`s Favorite Movie Star` poll

21-Dec-2003 • Actor News

Sir Sean Connery has risen two places from his 2002 staing in "America`s Favourite Movie Star" poll up to number 3.

Every year at this time the Harris Poll asks a nationwide cross-section of adults who is their favorite movie star. This year Mel Gibson, who was #2 a year ago and has been in the top four every year since 1994, recaptures the top place, which he also held in 1996. Julia Roberts, who was #1 in 2001 and #3 last year, moves up to #2 now.

These are the results of a nationwide poll of 1,102 adults conducted online by Harris Interactive(R) between November 17 and 23, 2003.

There are a number of changes in the top nine places in addition to Julia Roberts moving up and Tom Hanks slipping out of the top place. However, most of these changes are very modest and overall the listing is remarkably stable:

- Sean Connery moves up to #3 from #5 last year.
- Tom Hanks has slipped from #1 last year to #4 this year.
- Harrison Ford held the #4 slot last year; but this year he shares #5
with Tom Cruise, who moves up from #9 last year.
- John Wayne, who was first or second in the list almost every year
until 2001, slips from #6 last year to #7 now.
- Clint Eastwood retains the #8 position he held last year.
- Denzel Washington slips from #7 last year to #9 now.

Nine of the ten stars in this year`s top-ten list were also in last year`s list. The one change: Johnny Depp comes in at #10, displacing Sandra Bullock.

Among all of the movie stars who made this top-ten list, only Johnny Depp had a major box office success thus far in 2003 (in Pirates of the Caribbean). Most of the people on this list have not released a major movie this year, and in a few cases, they have released movies that have fared less well than usual. Also missing from the list are the stars of big box office comedies, e.g. Adam Sandler, Steve Martin, Mike Meyers, and Jim Carrey. Perhaps this says something about the power of video and DVD rentals?

The continuing popularity of John Wayne is, of course, quite extraordinary. It is now 24 years since he died in 1979. No other dead movie star has ever made it into the top ten since Harris Interactive began asking this question ten years ago. Most of his fans are men, and this year more men pick him as their favorite than choose anyone else. Tom Hanks is the second most popular star among men.

Mel Gibson is #1 among women. He is also #1 among whites. Julia Roberts is preferred by people aged 18-29 (who are far more important to the movie industry as they go to the movies much more often than their elders) for the third year in a row.

Denzel Washington retains his #1 position among African Americans. Hispanics pick Robert DeNiro as their favorite. When the replies are analyzed by party affiliation, Republicans and Democrats agree on Mel Gibson as their #1. Among Independents however, Julia Roberts and John Wayne tie for first place.