More than half a century after beginning his acting career, tough guy icon Clint Eastwood was America’s favorite movie star in 2009, according to the Harris Poll from Harris Interactive.
Eastwood displaced Denzel Washington, the most popular US movie star in 2008, who moved down to number three. Johnny Depp jumped from number eight in 2008 to number two in 2009.
The rest of the top 10 in 2009, with their 2008 ranking in parentheses, are:
4. Sondra Bullock (not ranked)
5. Tom Hanks (7)
6. George Clooney (not ranked)
7. John Wayne (3)
8. Meryl Streep (not ranked)
9. Morgan Freeman (9)
10. Julia Roberts (6)
Top 10 actors from 2008 who did not make the list in 2009, with their 2008 ranking in parentheses, were Will Smith (3), Harrison Ford (5) and Angelina Jolie (tied with Morgan Freeman for 9).
Who You Like Depends Who You Are
Different demographic groups prefer different movie stars. Overall number one choice Clint Eastwood is most popular among men, Republican and independent voters, baby boomers ages 45-63, matures ages 64-plus, and residents of the East and West. Women selected heartthrob Johnny Depp as their most popular movie star, as did Echo Boomers ages 18-32, and residents of the Midwest. Democratic voters selected Denzel Washington as their favorite movie star, while Sondra Bullock won the hearts of Generation X ages 33-44 and the South.
‘Gran Torino’ Puts Clint on Top
The popularity of Clint Eastwood’s 2008 directorial/acting feature film “Gran Torino” may have helped propel him to the number one spot in 2009. According to research by The Nielsen Company, “Gran Torino” was the sixth-best-selling DVD of 2009.
About the Survey: This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States December 7 and 14, 2009 among 2,276 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
