Hanks Still America's Favorite
Fri Jan 20, 5:49 PM ET
Tom Hanks still ranks--even by doing nothing.
America's favorite everyman has been named America's favorite movie star for the second year in a row in a nationwide Harris Poll.
That the two-time Oscar winner reigned, for the third time overall, as the top silver-screen pick in the annual poll is a particular feat, considering Hanks did not release any new films in 2005. His last big-screen outing was 2004's computer-generated Christmas fantasy The Polar Express.
Hanks, 49, also remained the top pick with the fairer persuasion, ranking as the top movie star among female pollsters.
The folks at Harris Interactive tabulated the results based on an online poll sampling the movie star preferences of 1,001 adults. The poll was conducted between Dec. 8 and 14.
Johnny Depp nabbed the second spot on the list, up two spots from last year, likely fueled by his Oompa Loompa-assisted performance as Willy Wonka in the blockbuster hit Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
While the non-working Hanks topping the poll is remarkable, the still-dead John Wayne showed what real staying power is, tying Harrison Ford for the third spot. Wayne, who was the top pick for male voters, finished in seventh place last year, while the once and future Indiana Jones, who last year ranked as America's fifth favorite movie star, also saw an increase in his standing.
The Duke, who died in 1979, is the only deceased star to appear in the Harris top 10--and he's been there every year since the launch of the poll.
Erstwhile Pretty Woman and new mom Julia Roberts, who, like Hanks, failed to release any films in 2005, rounded out the top five. The Oscar winner, consistently the top-ranking and frequently sole woman on the list, dropped two spots from her number three perch last year.
Though, at least this year she's not the only female to score high with the popcorn-crunching set.
After falling off the list for the past two years, Crash heavyweight Sandra Bullock returned in the number 10 spot, her highest position on the list and a ranking she held in 2001 and 2002, in her Miss Congeniality glory days.
Last year's Best Director Oscar winner, Clint Eastwood, moved up on the chart this year, nabbing the sixth spot on the list, while The Passion of the Christ mastermind Mel Gibson fell from second place to seventh. Gibson once again was the top pick for Hispanic moviegoers, this year tying with Katherine Hepburn.
The voters are nothing if not consistent.
Golden Globes golden boy George Clooney, who released both Syriana and Good Night, and Good Luck last year, pulled rank at number eight. He moved up two spots from last year to secure his place on the list for only the second time.
The consummate Bond, 75-year-old Sean Connery, took the ninth spot. Like Hanks, Connery is the only actor on the list to maintain his rank from last year.
Absent from this year's poll are several big-name, headline-grabbing stars, most notably frequent rankers Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. At least, Pitt has a consolation prize--although he just missed out on a top 10 ranking, he carried the Southern states. Also missing from this year's list was last year's number six star, Denzel Washington, who rated as the favorite with African-American voters.
Harris also sampled the faves of the politically oriented. Hanks got the vote from moderates and conservatives (tying with Wayne for the latter's top pick), while liberals lent their support to Depp.
Here's the complete list of 2005's favorite movie stars, per the Harris Poll:
1. Tom Hanks
2. Johnny Depp
3. Harrison Ford
3. John Wayne
5. Julia Roberts
6. Clint Eastwood
7. Mel Gibson
8. George Clooney
9. Sean Connery
10. Sandra Bullock
http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/en...780814000.html
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