# Actors who always retained top billing **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563 "2018-03-14T19:06:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/1 "2018-03-14T19:06:53Z")
That is from the very first film in which they got top billing to the last one they starred in. And I’m specifying stars with long careers. Not easy to pull off, many of even the greatest stars wouldn’t qualify, having had to settle for second or third billing as younger stars eclipse them. Of stars who are dead and achieved this I think these qualify: John Wayne Gary Cooper Clark Gable Humphrey Bogart Cary Grant Spencer Tracy I can’t think of any actresses who qualify, Katherine Hepburn for instance often took second billing to actors like Spencer Tracy and Bogart. Any of today’s actors who have a chance of pulling this off, ie who have never been second-billed since becoming stars? Advancing old age is of course the biggest obstacle to getting there. Young people are going to start saying, who? That never happened to the guys above but I really think it would be harder now as the audience has skewed far more to young people since those days. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/2 "2018-03-14T19:10:29Z")
Garbo? Julia Roberts? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/3 "2018-03-14T19:37:19Z")
Charlie Chaplin (not counting cameos). Harold Lloyd ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/4 "2018-03-14T19:44:40Z")
How about Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan? ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/5 "2018-03-14T19:45:10Z")
I don’t think Bogart qualifies. He’s top-billed in _Two Against the World_ (1936), but not in _Marked Woman_ (1937). Not sure about Spencer Tracy, either, as it looks like he is not top-billed in _She Wanted a Millionaire_ (1932), but is the 4 features he made prior to that. I think Paul Muni does qualify. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/6 "2018-03-14T20:06:16Z")
Charlton Heston. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/7 "2018-03-14T20:14:56Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How about Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan? [Limited screen time, but Schwarzenegger was not first in Expendables 2.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/The_Expendables_2_poster.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/8 "2018-03-14T20:28:23Z")
Laird Cregar. He had moved up from small parts and was billed above the title in _The Lodger_ and top billed in _Hanover Square_. He died after finishing the latter at age 30. Stan Laurel ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/9 "2018-03-14T20:35:02Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Charlton Heston. Depends on what the OP means by “Starred In.” Heston was billed as “And Charlton Heston as Richelieu” in _The Three/Four Musketeers_ and was billed the same way when he played Henry VIII in _The Prince and the Pauper_. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/10 "2018-03-14T20:37:03Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > I don’t think Bogart qualifies. He’s top-billed in _Two Against the World_ (1936), but not in _Marked Woman_ (1937). > > Not sure about Spencer Tracy, either, as it looks like he is not top-billed in _She Wanted a Millionaire_ (1932), but is the 4 features he made prior to that. > > I think Paul Muni does qualify. Spencer Tracy played 2nd fiddle to Clark Gable in Boom Town after he had had top billing in Boy’s Town and 5 other movies. Also played 2nd fiddle to Clark Gable earlier in San Francisco, well after the movies you mention. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/11 "2018-03-14T20:37:12Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Charlton Heston. Not even close, as many of his appearances from 1993 on were in supporting roles. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/12 "2018-03-14T21:01:54Z")
Mae West is top-billed in every film she appeared in after her debut in _Night After Night_ (1932). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/13 "2018-03-14T21:06:36Z")
John Wayne definitely doesn’t qualify. He started out as an extra in crowd scenes. His first credited role was in his fourteenth movie and he had fifth billing in that. He didn’t have the lead credit until his twentieth movie. Even after that he went back to a string of non-leading roles (and some more uncredited work as an extra). Wayne wasn’t considered an established lead until he made _Stagecoach_ which was thirteen years into his career. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/14 "2018-03-14T21:08:34Z")
Okay, I think I misread the OP. I thought you were asking for stars who got top billing from their first film. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/15 "2018-03-14T21:38:55Z")
I think the OP has Cary Grant wrong — the guy was, as far as I can tell, top-billed in 1936’s THE AMAZING ADVENTURE before he was second-billed to Constance Bennett in 1937’s TOPPER; and top-billed in 1939’s GUNGA DIN, before getting billed second under Irene Dunne in 1940’s MY FAVORITE WIFE. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/16 "2018-03-14T21:55:04Z")
Tom Hanks since Splash in 1984 ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/17 "2018-03-14T22:07:13Z")
I thought Tom Cruise, but it looks like he took 3rd billing in Lions for Lambs. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/18 "2018-03-14T22:11:04Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Tom Hanks since Splash in 1984 He was 2nd in Catch Me If You Can and Saving Mr. Banks. Which I think says a lot about the premise. Saving Mr. Banks would always have a woman as first billed. So can you really knock someone for taking the male lead? It would be worse to refuse the role because it wasn’t top billed. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/19 "2018-03-14T22:18:33Z")
The OP’s strict rules on taking a lesser billing part is a bit a misnomer. Many A list actors today will take smaller roles, not because they can’t get top billing anymore, but because they may want to work in an ensemble cast, like the creativeness of a smaller role etc. Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder is a case in point. I would put the following actors which have long careers as a-list top billing actors George Clooney Tom Hanks Tom Cruise Daniel Day-Lewis Brad Pitt Robert Downey Jr. Dwayne Johnson Mark Wahlberg ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-who-always-retained-top-billing/810563/20 "2018-03-14T22:21:38Z")
N/m