British Actors Smörgåsbord

British Actor Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table

The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.

  • Sort British Actor movies by his co-stars
  • Sort British Actor movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort British Actor movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
  • Sort British Actor movies by how they were received by critics and audiences.  60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
  • Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each British Actor movie received.
  • Sort British Actor movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score.  UMR puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.

Steve Lensman’s John Gielgud You Tube Video

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203 thoughts on “British Actors Smörgåsbord”

  1. As well as being a great actor Sir Peter Ustinov had many other professional accomplishments in spheres such as story writing, directing theatre and opera, screenwriting, dramatist work and newspaper column writing. In addition he had a considerable following as a humorist [which makes your opening quote from Peter highly appropriate]and an avid attendee of Peter’s one-man live stand-up shows was the former British Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath.

    The latter was a bit ironic because Sir Edward was a Conservative politician and Ustinov as a self-proclaimed secular humanitarian would not have subscribed to Heath’s more materialistic and combative brand of mainstream politics and vice versa. Indeed when Sir Edward’s successor, Baroness Margaret Thatcher, won the British general election in 1979 Sir Peter claimed that he was so depressed that he went into a London railway underground rest room and did not come up again for some three hours.

    POSTERS in your Ustinov video that pleased me most are (1) Ashanti (2) both for “Dinosaurs” (3) raunchy one for Hotel Sahara (4) both for Treasure of Matecumbe (5) both for Hammersmith is Out [one of a long run of Burton/Taylor flops as their careers declined] (6) a raunchy 1st one for The Comedians (7) Liz again in seductive pose in the 1st one for Beau Brummell (8) 1st one for The Egyptian (9) Odette (10) the two for We’re No Angels (11) 1st one for Topkapi (12) the entire set for each of Spartacus and Quo Vadis and (13) an extremely raunchy two for Lola Montes.

    STILLS that most entertained me are (1) Ustinov with Liz (2) Poirot on the beach (3) Logan’s Run – if that was Jenny Augutter she was quite stunning to look at (4) a very young Peter in his debut [he looked to me a bit like Boris Johnson in your still] (5) Peter in Death on the Nile (6) Peter in Topkapi [7] him with Mitch and Scotland’s rose (8) with Robert Ryan (9) in Spartacus (10) two terrific ones of Peter in Quo Vadis and (11) him with Edmund Purdom in The Egyptian. Brando was originally cast in the Purdom title role but walked out and was sued by Fox. Betcha Joel simply adored Purdom in the role! Brit Edmund also took over from Lanza in The Student prince and so became known as “The Replacement Actor.”

    EXCELLENT –easily worth 97.5%

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    1. Hi Bob, many thanks for reviewing and rating my Peter Ustinov video, appreciate the info and triva. Happy you liked picture gallery.

      I was surprised to see a photo of Peter with his wife and children, for some reason I had always assumed he was gay, like his pals Laughton and Gielgud.

      That was indeed lovely Jenny Agutter in the still from Logan’s Run, seemingly she was always taking her clothes off in her early film career, and her many fans were more than happy. In the 1990s another naughty Brit Kate Winslet made sure there was a clause in her contract that she can strip off in each film, and no one complained. 😉

      According to the IMDB Peter was “fluent in French, German, English, Italian, Russian and Spanish, and could pass in Turkish and Greek among others.”

      Four of Ustinov’s films scored 10 out of 10 from my sauces – Spartacus, Topkapi, The Sundowners and Lola Montes. Two scored 9 – One of Our Aircraft is Missing and Billy Budd. 6 more scored 8.

      Billy Budd and Spartacus tie for no.1 at IMDB, and Spartacus tops Rotten Tomatoes followed by Billy Budd.

      “The great thing about history is that it is adaptable.”

      “I believe that the Jews have made a contribution to the human condition out of all proportion to their numbers: I believe them to be an immense people. Not only have they supplied the world with two leaders of the stature of Jesus Christ and Karl Marx, but they have even indulged in the luxury of following neither one nor the other.”

      “Rita Hayworth wanted to be the next Mrs. David Niven. Rita was a great deal of fun and extremely beautiful – all that glorious red hair. David loved her, but not enough to want her for his wife. I don’t know if he loved Hjördis Genberg but when she became Mrs. David Niven it made him safe from all the others who wanted to be his wife.”

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      1. HI STEVE Thanks for the feedback including explanations, brilliant quotes and confirmation about Jenny. Never knew that about Kate Winslet’s contract but noticed she liked to use 4-letter words in some movies. The Brit Carry On crowd loved risqué innuendos

        “When we had finished filming for the day they would get me to do publicity shoots and they would insist that I dress in clothes that a schoolgirl would wear outside the classroom. But I didn’t want to dress like that. I longed to wear low-cut dresses and strike alluring poses.” [Edna Mae Durbin 1983 to historian David Shipman].

        Among the “a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do” clique Brit actors often confuse the misinformed about their orientation because many especially English thespians can carry on before the cameras in an exaggerated genteel manner and speak so “awfully awfully” all of which is of course part of their great appeal.

        Sir Noel Coward who in early years was a romantic idol had to ensure that strong feminine romance was worked into his scripts on stage and screen to camouflage the fact that he was gay and Rock had to marry his agent’s sister for a while as a front.

        Louis B Mayer paid supporting actor Keenan Wynn to divorce his own wife so that big star Van Johnson could marry her and throw a suspicious press of the scent. Thank goodness today enormously gifted people like Laughton/Coward can be appreciated for talent with personal orientation consigned to justifiable irrelevance.

        Leslie Townes Hope loved name-dropping the great and famous into all his professional acts. You seem to take a delight in casually mentioning important people by names that few of us will have ever heard before even if we know of the person concerned. Hjordis Paulina Genberg Tersmeden is but one example. Niven is rumoured to have had an affair with Princess Margaret.

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        1. Bob, your quote – “You seem to take a delight in casually mentioning important people by names that few of us will have ever heard before even if we know of the person concerned.” – made me laugh, the pot calling the kettle black. You’re the one who loves using obscure nicknames and aliases of famous actors in your posts, and I have to guess who you’re on about. I’ll bet some of your readers remain befuddled… Archie who? Mr Gimme Moore? Charley Bill eh? What? 😉

          Thanks for the interesting info. I never suspected Van Johnson had gay inclinations, seems like only John Wayne was immune from the ‘well is he or isn’t he?’ rumormill in old Hollywood.

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          1. HI STEVE 1/For a while supporting “nobody” Keenan Wynn was paid higher than big MGM stars such as Gable and Johnson himself so important was it to Louis B to protect the romantic ladies man image of Johnson one of MGM’s biggest stars at the time.

            2/Keenan was working near Brando when the latter was filming at MGM and reportedly after watching ole Mumbles performing a scene Wynn rapped Marlon’s dressing room door and said to him “I’ve called to compliment you on being a very fine actor, Sir.” Keenan should have been a critic as he seems to have been more observant than some of the hack professional critics I could mention !!

            3/I doubt if anyone on this site is a bigger Duke fan than I but unfortunately Big J had some prejudices that I would never share and consider unreasonable. For example it is well known that The Duke chastised Kirk for playing Van Gogh in Lust for Life which explored the relationship between Vincent and Gaugin played by Quinn. The Duke accused Kirk of an taking an “unAmerican” role and it is reckoned that what Wayne meant by that was that there were innuendos among historians about the Gaugin/Van G relationship.

            4/Certainly in Classic era Hollywood it was to my mind cruel the lengths stars had to go to to avoid certain displays of being just human. For example my Deanna had to enter an arranged temporary marriage with producer-actor Felix Jackson to avoid having his child out of wedlock as that would have ruined her career.

  2. HI STEVE

    I like your “less is more” quip ! Though I’ll maybe discover as I work through The Master’s book that more of him is less!

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  3. HI BRUCE

    You would really had to have seen that Cole interview to have believed it. He couldn’t have been more distraught than if he had been reviewed by Joel! I could understand George being annoyed at being cut out of his “father’s” will but I was surprised he wore his heart on his sleeve in public about the matter.

    The pill of being dropped from the will must have been all the more a bitterone for Cole to swallow given that Sim and his wife actually became the UNOFFICIAL guardians of Cole when the latter was an orphaned teenager. George might have taken a hint from the fact that the Sims never took an initiative in formalising the arrangement.

    I can only presume that when he was cut out of Alastair’s will George in a fit of pique had the adoption annulled because he is no longer officially referred to anywhere that I have seen as Sim’s “son”.

    One must presume that it was Alastair’s early patronage that got George so many supporting roles in Sim movies [including the role of the young Ebenezer Scrooge in in the Sim classic so beloved of Flora and many, many others the 1951 A Christmas Carol]. However in his later career George became a Brit household name in his own right as the con man Arthur Daley in the massive long running hit TV series The Minder[1979-1994]. Sadly Sim who died in 1976 was not around to see the belated heyday of his “boy”.

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  4. Even though I made Steve’s Trevor Howard video a “Post of the Day”…added the video here as well…plus now my comments on Steve’s video and Trevor’s movies are ready.

    “Wow…Trevor gets a 10 minute video. All the way to #28 for my first match…Sea Wolves ….fun movie. #23 The Key….rumor has it Michael Caine is somewhere in that one…I did not spot him on my last viewing of that war romantic drama #14 Battle of Britain….all star cast…need to rewatch it. #13 Von Ryan’s Express….good war movie…but no The Great Escape. #12 Around the World in 80 Days….bloated Oscar winner #11 Father Goose…one of my favorite Cary Grant movies…Howard is funny in it #7 Mutiny on the Bounty…movie has some issues…but Howard’s performance is not one of them….he shines in this one. #6 Green for Danger….a nice who-done-it…fun movie #5 Ryan’s Daughter…beautiful looking movie. #4 Superman…small part…but good movie. #3 Gandhi….small part in Oscar winner #2 Brief Encounter…probably his best performance #1 The Third Man….only seen this classic once….and barely remember his role…I guess it is time to watch it again. So that is 13 seen. Voted up and shared”

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    1. Hi Bruce, yup Trev has been a busy actor and you’ve seen 13 of his films not bad, Flora and I are tied at 14.

      Recently ordered a blu-ray for Von Ryan’s Express from the HMV sale, along with Ice Station Zebra. His most famous film among the ‘older’ Brits is Brief Encounter but rating movies rather than performance means The Third Man easily tops this list. Thanks for the comment, vote and share, always appreciated.

      Reply

  5. HI STEVE I am somewhat surprised that you are not including Sim at least this time round. He was a big fave of mine and whilst that will not cut much ice with you he was almost a Brit national institution when he was in his heyday. He does seem to have been a bit of an odd character in real life though.

    You may know that he made a number of films with George Cole [The Green Man, Laughter in paradise, The Belles of St Trinians and Lady Godiva Rides Again]. They had a great professional relationship and Gorge Cole came onto television to talk about Alastair after the latter’s death.

    Cole told the interviewer that the pair got on so well together that some years ago George decided to legally adopt Alastair as his father [though the process usually worked the other way around]. He didn’t consult Sim in the matter opting instead to surprise him with the “gift” and Sim was so non-committal upon hearing the news that George had never fathomed whether or not Sim was pleased. [Alastair had only one blood child, a daughter, Naomi.]

    George then suddenly burst into anger [and almost tears] in front of the interviewer and told the latter that Sim had left a tidy sum of money and that Cole had just been to a reading of the will only to find that Alastair had left all his money to Naomi, other relatives and charity and had made no provision whatsoever for his “son”.

    In short Sim and Cole were clearly a “delightfully British” pair and that story which George told was like something out of one of their screen comedies [laughter in paradise?].

    Anyway I’m otherwise very pleased with your Brit selections to date. Take care.

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    1. Alastair Sim’s version of A Christmas Carol is a Christmas staple in my family. We watch it every Christmas Eve.

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      1. Great choice Flora. It was through Sim as Scrooge that I heard of Scrooge for the very first time, even before I heard of Dickens’ story. Critics generally regard the Sim movie as the definitive adaptation of Dickens’ story.

        At my local cinema The Strand [the only one of the old ones still operating as a cinema in Northern Ireland] which is a five minute walk from my present home, there is a plaque outside the front doors dedicated to Brian Desmond-Hurst who was the director of Sim’s A Christmas Carol.

        Hurst was born and raised in nearby Ribble Street East Belfast Northern Ireland about 10 minutes walk from the Strand. Ribble Street is where my wife too was born and grew up as a young girl and another coincidence is that my wife was born in 1951, the year in which Alastair’s A Christmas carol was released. And the coincidences continue and stretch out to even you in an indirect sense! – because Brian Desmond-Hurst left Northern Ireland for a time to train as an artist in Canada

        My own Christmas “staples” are 1949’s A Holiday Affair, Bing’s 1954 White Christmas and Judy’s 1944 Meet Me in St Louis with of course her singing that wonderful Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas.- the best version of that song EVER. A couple of years ago our local art house had a special Christmas showing of Meet Me in St Louis and my daughter and I went to see it. Take care and best wishes BOB

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        2. Hey Bob….that is pretty cool that Brian Desmond-Hurst has a plaque near you….sounds like he really made an impact in your “neck of the woods”. Of your Christams staples….I have only seen White Christmas….and I just joined that club last year….I know…I am a slacker. Good memory of you, your daughter and Judy. Good stuff.

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      2. Hey Flora…..shockingly….it is almost time to watch Sim’s A Christmas Carol again….we started our Christmas movie watching this weekend….already watched The Christmas Chronicles, A Nightmare Before Christmas and Home Alone (the girls love this movie). Thanks for the feedback.

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        1. HI BRUCE And the hits just keep coming and coming – a “Canuck” teams up with Steve’s Brits!

          I have just been given an early Christmas present of Laddie’s 1953 The Red Beret [aka Paratrooper] in which the Great Alan is a Yank who joins the British Parachute Regiment pretending to be a Canadian and in fact is given the nickname “Canada” [ though his real name is Steve MacKendrick].

          Your 49% rating for it is a bit stingy but Red Beret is probably one that will find its greatest admirers among Ladd fans and certainly it well pleased me.

          Anyway on this occasion I don’t really need your approval of my tastes because I am reassured by support from the highest possible source at least for Laddie in general. I have side copied to Steve this post and he often puts Laddie down to try to make that hambone Statham look good.

          “Alan Ladd was always underrated even though he had genuine star quality, a deep resonant voice, and coldly compelling good looks. Critics ridiculed his low-key acting style but today his performances look less mannered than many of his contemporaries.” [The Master]

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          1. Was that a Joel quote Bob? He can’t be all bad if he liked Alan Ladd, though it is strange , and a little laughable, that he rates Ladd higher than Brando, personal tastes. Or it could be ‘less is more’ is his mantra?

            Jason Statham is the Alan Ladd of Great Britain (Bob gasps in horror) he’s not very tall and barely registers emotion, though more importantly, he can kick higher than Ladd.

        2. I started watching Christmas movies this weekend too. I usually wait until December, but TCM aired Holiday Inn last night. I will be watching Bob’s staples Holiday Affair and Meet Me in St. Louis next month.

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    2. Hey Bob…Alastair Sim’s The Green Danger makes an appearance on Steve’s Trevor Howard video……that is at least one of his movies…..so Steve is trying….lol. Funny story about Sim and Cole….gotta admit…not too aware of George Cole….but I like his sense of humor. Good feedback.

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