Some things never change, and Hollywood is one of them. There’s always been the glamour, wealth, and unlimited stardom to the people who are lucky enough to make it in the cutthroat industry. While the movies it produces have evolved from silent films to the ability to use CGI to create imaginative characters and backgrounds, they always result in one thing: larger than life movie stars.

Movie stars have been around for more than a century, being adored by the public and awarded for their performances. There are many in the industry, but there only a talented few throughout the years that are undeniably iconic and experience fame like no other.

Here are the biggest movie stars of every decade for the last century!

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10 1920s: Charlie Chaplin

     United Artists

In the 1920s, the silent films of this era were entering their golden years, and no other name would become more synonymous with that time period than that of Charlie Chaplin.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Born to a family of entertainers, Chaplin would go on to make his grand entrance to the stage at the young age of five years old. From there, it was only a matter of time before he took the movie business by storm. His first film wasn’t a great success, and it wasn’t until Chaplin starred in The Tramp the following year that his career would skyrocket.

As the king of silent comedy, Chaplin would go on to direct and star in at least 35 separate films. Of those in the 1920s, The Circus is generally considered one his best comedies, netting him an 1929 honorary Academy Award and multiple Faro Island Film Festival Nominations.

9 1930s: Clark Gable

     Loew's Inc.

“Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” were the words from his character in Gone With The Wind that cemented Clark Gable as one of the most iconic leading men of Hollywood.

On and off the screen, it’s no secret that Gable was touted as a ladies’ man. Looking at his track record of films, it’s easy to see where one might get that idea. While Gable joined Chaplin in the silent films of the 1920s, it wasn’t until the low-budget romantic comedy that was never supposed to succeed, It Happened One Night, that Gable grew into his title as the “King of Hollywood.” The film itself was one of three ever to win all five major Academy Awards, with Gable securing the Oscar for best actor. From there, he continued to own Hollywood by starring in Boomtown, San Francisco, Mutiny on the Bounty, and, of course, Gone with the Wind.

8 1940s: Joan Fontaine

Born to a British family in Tokyo, Joan Fontaine’s success can partially be attributed to her vicious competition with her sister, Olivia. When Olivia took up acting, Joan would attempt to follow in her footsteps. Their mother, who favored Olivia, would refuse Joan the name of de Havilland, which resulted in her taking her step-father’s last name, Fontaine. The two would compete for years, with both actresses even being nominated for Best Actress in 1942. Fontaine would ultimately take home the award for her work in Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion. She continued to star in many popular films, including Letter From an Unknown Woman, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca.

Though both sisters largely refused to comment on their rivalry in a 1978 interview, Joan is quoted as saying, “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she’ll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!”

7 1950s: Marilyn Monroe

     20th Century Fox

Despite the glamour we associate with her, Marilyn Monroe started with humble beginnings, joining the thousands of other women aiding the war effort while working in an aircraft factory. However, by the time her husband returned from the war in 1946, Monroe had already been discovered by a photographer and was well into her career as a successful model, even signing her first movie contract that year.

For the first few years, her career would start rocky with many considering her to not be acting material. But it wasn’t long until she won over the masses with her unique beauty and delightful personality. Monroe would go on to act in over 31 films, predominantly laying heavily into her “blonde bombshell” motif. Her legacy includes The Seven-Year Itch, where Monroe’s infamous dress/vent scene took place, and Some Like it Hot, which earned her many awards.

6 1960s: Julie Andrews

     20th Century Studios

Like many whose parents are performers, music came naturally to Julie Andrews. She made her Broadway debut in 1954 and continued on to perform many times over the next two years. By 1956, she would take on the part of Elizabeth Doolittle in My Fair Lady, a role that would net her a Tony Award nomination for “Best Actress in a Musical,” and see her rise to stardom begin.

After a stunning performance in Camelot, Disney offered Andrews her titular role, Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins, released in 1964. This movie would go on to be a great success, winning both a Grammy and Academy Award for her performance, and propelling her into her next role, Maria in TheSound of Music the next year. This wasn’t the end of her success, as she continued to be involved in a number of popular movies throughout her career.

5 1970s: Harrison Ford

     Lucasfilm

In current times, it’s crazy to think that Harrison Ford used to be just “that guy in American Graffiti.” It wasn’t until a little project came along called Star Wars: A New Hope that he rocketed to unforgettable stardom. With a miniscule budget, the film did a lot of things to save on cost, including casting relatively unknown actors like Ford. No one could have predicted the success of Star Wars and ultimately, the success of Ford.

Ford would go on to star in some of the best action and adventure movies of all time, including the rest of the Star Wars films, Indiana Jones, Blade Runner, and The Fugitive, which got him a nomination for a Golden Globe.

4 1980s: Robin Williams

     Jigsaw Productions

Robin Williams always went the extra mile not only as an actor, but as an individual to create a legacy of kindness, and that is why he is such an unforgettable person. His unique improvisational comedy style was truly what catapulted his career forward. From the delightfully chaotic energy of the genie in Aladdin to the inspirational and free-thinking teacher, John Keating, in Dead Poets Society, no matter which role he was in, it was obvious that Williams did everything he could to give his personal brand of flavor to the characters he portrayed.

More than just a comedian, Williams would easily prove that he had the talent to take on a multitude of more serious roles, as well. Some of his more famous roles include playing a distressed former professor in The Fisher King, and a psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting. For both films, he earned Academy Award nominations, and in the case of Good Will Hunting, received an Oscar.

3 1990s: Julia Roberts

     Touchstone Pictures

During her career, Julia Roberts made her mark as one of the highest paid actors in the industry, raking in a staggering 20 million dollars per movie, which made her the first actress in Hollywood history to surpass that mark. There were a few roles that helped her along the way to that goal, like her guest appearance in the TV series Crime Story, and Daisy in Mystic Pizza. However, it was her performance as Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie in Steel Magnolias that cemented her as an up-and-coming star.

Roberts absolutely dominated the romantic comedy market in the 1990s and early 2000s with iconic roles like Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman, and Julianne Potter in My Best Friend’s Wedding. That said, in Erin Brockovich, she proved that she could excel in the world of drama as well, winning a multitude of awards, including Best Actress in a Leading Role.

2 2000s: Orlando Bloom

     New Line Cinema

There’s no denying that Orlando Bloom was the certified heartthrob of the 2000s, and that was partially due to the popularity of the roles that he took on. His film debut was a bit part in a movie called Wilde, but just two days after his graduation from Guildhall, he was cast in the iconic Lord of the Rings films as Legolas. He earned endless awards for his part in the trilogy and was catapulted into the spotlight. He even got a matching Elvish tattoo with the rest of the main ensemble from the movies.

Bloom followed up the success of Lord of the Rings with another blockbuster series, Pirates of the Caribbean. In 2002, he was listed in Teen People’s “25 Hottest Stars Under 25,” and in 2004, was named the number one “Hottest Hollywood Bachelor” in People. He continued his success in a number of other movies like The Three Musketeers andCarnival Row, as well as quite a few stage performances.

1 2010s: Robert Downey Jr.

     Paramount Pictures

Like many on this list, Robert Downey Jr. was born into a family of artists. In fact, it was his father, a noted underground filmmaker, who gave him his first part. After dropping out of high school to pursue acting, Downey would land a few support roles before catching his break on the comedy show Saturday Night Live. As his fame began to rise, sadly, so too did his dependence on drug use, which landed him in prison for three years.

However, Downey battled back against addiction and took on a multitude of roles that would solidify him as one of the most iconic A-list actors of the early 2000s and 2010s. These include Zodiac, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder, The Soloist, and Sherlock Holmes, gaining a plethora of awards and nominations.