Tom Hanks Edges John Wayne As America’s Favorite Movie Star

John Wayne in Rio Bravo, 1959. The picture fades, but not Wayne (via Wikimedia Commons)

This should come as no surprise, but Tom Hanks is America’s favorite actor. The popular and likeable actor, starring in Bridge of Spies and currently filming the story of Captain Chelsey ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, topped a survey conducted by the Harris Poll, which simply asked “Who is your favorite movie star?” This is the fifth time Hanks has come in at Number One. Johnny Depp is Number Two (presumably, nobody who took part in the survey saw Mortdecai.) Denzel Washington is Number Three, and the surprise name at Number Four is John Wayne, in spite of the fact that he hasn’t made a film in decades.

Hanks’s director on the ‘Sully’ Sullenberger project is Clint Eastwood, who also appears in the Top Ten Favorite Movie Actors. Three actresses made the list: Sandra Bullock, Jennifer Lawrence, and Julia Roberts. Some interesting statistics from the survey. “John Wayne is again the top pick among men, while women turn to Johnny Depp … Millennials also name Depp as their top pick, while Gen Xers call out Harrison Ford, Baby Boomers point to Tom Hanks and John Wayne rides away with the top spot among Matures.”

America’s Favorite Movie Stars

1. Tom Hanks
2. Johnny Depp
3. Denzel Washington
4. John Wayne
5. Harrison Ford
6. Sandra Bullock
7. Jennifer Lawrence
8. Clint Eastwood
9. Brad Pitt
10. Julia Roberts