Valentino emigrated to the US from Italy in 1913 eventually finding work as a movie extra. His break leading to stardom came in "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" in 1921. Valentino died at the peak of his career in 1926 while on tour promoting "The Son of the Sheik".
The adventure/romance co-starred Vilma Bankey, was a sequel to his earlier success "The Shiek" and was hailed as one of Valentino's best performances. Valentino played a dual role as both father and son.
2. Katharine Hepburn
Answer: Love Affair
Sadly, Hepburn didn't end her amazing career on an up note. She portrayed the elderly aunt of Warren Beatty in "Love Affair". A remake of the 1939 original romance, the film was an artistic and financial failure despite stars such as Hepburn, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.
The somewhat complicated plot involving a plane's forced landing, an agreement for lovers to meet at a later date and an auto accident, may have contributed to the film's poor performance.
3. John Wayne
Answer: The Shootist
Wayne's prolific 50-year career ended successfully with "The Shootist" in 1976. Though not a huge box office success, the film was given positive reviews by the critics and Wayne's performance was well received. In an "art imitates life" plot, Wayne portrays a dying gunfighter facing a painful death and coming to grips with the life he's led. Wayne died of stomach cancer in 1979.
4. Rock Hudson
Answer: The Ambassador
Released in 1984 about a year before Hudson's death, "The Ambassador" was a political thriller based on Elmore Leonard's novel "52 Pick-Up". Hudson played the chief of security of the American embassy in Tel Aviv while the ambassador (Robert Mitchum) attempts peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
A 1986 remake under the original "52 Pick-Up" title was somewhat more successful at the box office.
5. Clark Gable
Answer: It Started in Naples
Gable co-starred with Sophia Loren. "It Started in Naples", a pleasant romantic comedy, was filmed and released just months before Gables' death in 1960. Gable's character visits Naples to settle his late brother's estate. Discovering that the estate includes an eight year old son, Gable becomes involved with Loren, the boy's aunt and guardian. "The Misfits", which Gable filmed a few months earlier, was released posthumously in 1961.
6. Grace Kelly
Answer: High Society
Grace Kelly was already engaged to Prince Rainier during production of "High Society" and wore her own engagement ring during filming. Kelly plays a socialite whose ex-husband (Bing Crosby) continues to pursue her and attempts to break up her impending second marriage. "High Society" was a musical comedy remake of 1940's "The Philadelphia Story".
7. Sandra Dee
Answer: Lost
In her first film role since 1970's "The Dunwich Horror", "Lost" capped Sandra Dee's run as one of the biggest box office draws of the 1960s. Dee played a stepmother whose stepdaughter ran off into the wilderness because her pet burro became fatally ill. Through the 1970s and 80s, Sandra Dee guest starred in numerous TV episodes.
She'll be long remembered as "Gidget", "Tammy" and "The Reluctant Debutante".
8. Fred Astaire
Answer: Ghost Story
1981's "Ghost Story" was the final appearance for Astaire as well as co-stars Melvyn Douglas and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The three stars investigate the death of Fairbanks' son who died at the hands of a young woman resembling a girl the men had accidentally killed 50 years earlier. The film was successful at the box office and received mixed but generally positive critical reviews.
9. Marilyn Monroe
Answer: The Misfits
Marilyn portrayed a recently divorced woman who falls in love with an aging cowboy (co-star Clark Gable) in this 1961 John Huston production. Monroe turned in one of her best film performances despite "The Misfits" lackluster box office success. Marilyn died in August, 1962.
10. Joan Crawford
Answer: Trog
One of Hollywood's biggest stars, Crawford's career spanned the silent era and continued until 1970. Her last several films were fairly low budget productions, tending to be of the horror and sci-fi genres. In "Trog" Crawford plays a professor who discovers a living troglodyte in a cavern in the British countryside.
Her attempts to tame the creature are disrupted and he ends up going on a killing spree.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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