Classy, Yesteryear vs. Today

This is a blog post I did on another of my blogs that just sort of crumbled... but I really liked this post, and thought I'd share it.  :)  Enjoy.

We know about the classy women of yesteryear... and even the classy men, but who's classy today?  Who do we need to look to, besides those closest to us, for inspiration in class and elegance and true style?

First, let's take a look at those beauties and gentlemen we typically think of representing the 'olden days':

 

Elizabeth Taylor, Best known for acting in 'A Place in the Sun' and ' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof'.  Also known for having many husbands, and she still remains a beautiful and classy lady.

Audrey Hepburn, no one can deny it, was one of the classiest ladies to ever live, and always portrayed nothing but elegance on the screen, most notably in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' and 'Roman Holiday'.

 

Ava Gardner, how pretty she looks in this picture.  Classy, elegant, sophisticated, beautiful.  What's not to love?  She's known for her performance in 'The Barefoot Contessa'.  

For men, I am always drawn to the same three:

Marlon Brando.  May I sigh with delight now?  Yes?  *sigh*  How dreamy is he?  And why is he dreamy?  Because he can somehow pull off being a "bad boy" and not be particularly sleazy or lazy or even messy.  He portrays what I feel is some of the best male acting ... perhaps ever.  And may I mention again how dreamy he is?  Best known perhaps for the following: 'The Godfather', 'A Streetcar Named Desire', and 'On the Waterfront', for which he won an Academy Award.

Another very nice actor, Clark Gable.  Portrayed a gentleman, through and through.  Though perhaps not as dreamy as Marlon Brando, he was still quite sophisticated and handsome.  His best known roles were in the movies 'Gone with the Wind', 'It Happened One Night', 'The Misfits', and 'Mutiny on the Bounty'.  All lovely.

Another handsome man - Paul Newman.  Not your typical upper-class clean cut gentleman... but still a very kind and somehow classy man.  He had his own style of elegance that was just something all his own.  He's known for the films 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid', 'The Sting', and even voiced Doc Hudson in Pixar's film, 'Cars'!

Now that I've shown you the classiest I knew for the 'good old days'... let's spring forward at least 60 years to today.  Who are our classy folks of today?  Let's focus on actors and actresses for right now.  We'll get to other sorts of celebrities later, I promise.

For women, there are so many I think of, including Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman... the list could go on forever... but those are my top choices.  Pictures of the beautiful ladies?  Sure! Here you go:

How gorgeous and classy you are, Anne Hathaway.  

 I must say, I absolutely love the job Nicole Kidman does in many of her movies... My two favorite would have to be 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Austrailia'.  Wonderful acting by a wonderful lady of society.

How strong and confident she is!  I know that not everything Keira has done could be classified as exemplary... however, she strikes me as an entirely classy individual, with an outstanding sense of humor, and a lovely career as an actress.  She can be elegant when the situation warrants it, but fit in with anyone, being a humble individual.

Strong and ferocious.  Lovely.  Natalie Portman.

Let's take a look at men, now.  I know you all are so excited for this, the classiest and most sophisticated male actors of today.  I would have to cast my votes for: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, George Clooney, and Leonardo DiCaprio.  

One of my favorite actors of all time.  When he has a minor role in a film, and I just happen to catch a glimpse of him, I feel compelled to shout out that it's him.  He just brightens my day every time I see him.  Being British does not make him inherently sophisticated or classy, but it does help, and he is both classy and sophisticated.

Morgan Freeman.  How smart and gorgeous.  With 39 award winnings and 35 nominations, Morgan Freeman is an atypically talented actor.  Whether he's acting the part of God for a production, or is a convict's best friend, Morgan Freeman hits the nail on the head.  He's talented, sophisticated, and portrays himself as a wise man. 

Voted Sexiest Man Alive, and who could disagree.  Although he is getting older, he really hasn't lost that charm from his early days.  He's still sexy, lovely to watch perform, and I would assume a wonderful person to have a conversation with.  His roles really are different, with some being silly, or ridiculous - as in 'Burn After Reading' and some being quite intuitive - 'The American'.

Finally we come to....

A younger actor, compared to the rest of this series... but still a famous one.  His early roles included that of Jack Dawson on 'Titanic', an enormous role for him to fill.  Later, as in earlier this year, DiCaprio did splendidly on a couple of movies that left you with quite the same feeling of slight confusion and extreme interest in the outcome, and yet a feeling of hopelessness for DiCaprio's character.  The two movies to which I am referring are 'Shutter Island' and 'Inception'.  Loved both of them, by the way.  

These are the actors of the heydays and of the todays which I have fallen in love with, not only because of their work, but also because of the heart they put into everything they do, and the sophistication they bring onto the screen from their daily lives.  Truly beautiful people we should all strive to be like.