With more movies than any other actor included on the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs list, compiling the greatest comedy films ever made, a surprising star from Hollywood’s Golden Age holds the title of finest comedic actor of all time. Since the poll took place in 2000, a lot of great comedies from the 21st century are missing. If the poll was conducted today, it would surely include hit movies like Borat, Anchorman, Bridesmaids, and Shaun of the Dead. But when this poll took place, those classic comedies hadn’t been made yet, so its data is a little outdated.
There are plenty of revered comedic actors who could arguably be named the greatest of all time. Peter Sellers, Eddie Murphy, and Robin Williams have all played a wide range of characters, provided audiences around the world with plenty of laughter, and starred in some of the most highly acclaimed comedies ever made. But there’s one screwball comedy icon who blew them all out of the water with his revered classics from the 1930s and 1940s, which the AFI ranks among the best comedies in movie history.
Cary Grant Starred In More Of AFI’s Greatest Comedy Movies Than Any Other Actor
Cary Grant has more films included on the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs list than any other actor. Grant starred in eight of the AFI’s top 100 comedy movies. He can be seen in She Done Him Wrong, about a nightclub singer with several suitors to choose from; The Awful Truth, about a divorcing couple who interfere in each other’s love lives; Topper, about a free-spirited young couple who die, become ghosts, and decide to haunt their friend for fun; and Bringing Up Baby, about an archeologist who gets into all kinds of comic mayhem involving a ditzy heiress and a leopard named Baby.
Grant’s other listed comedies include The Philadelphia Story, in which a socialite’s wedding plans are scuppered when a tabloid journalist and her ex-husband show up; His Girl Friday, about a newspaper editor desperately trying to win back his ex-wife; and Arsenic and Old Lace, about a soon-to-be-married man whose aunts are serial killers. The most recent inclusion is Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, about an optimistic couple attempting to build their dream home in the countryside. Grant may not be the best comedy actor of all time (Murphy would like a word), but as a certified movie star from Hollywood’s Golden Age, his comedy wins are even more remarkable.
Cary Grant’s Legendary Comedy Streak Is Even More Impressive Given Its Short Timeline
Grant didn’t just star in eight of the AFI’s top 100 comedies; what’s even more impressive is that he managed to make all those great comedies in the space of just 15 years. They were all released between 1933 and 1948 at the height of the screwball comedy’s heyday. It only took Grant a decade and a half to establish himself as arguably the greatest comedy movie star of all time. That comedy streak is practically unparalleled, although Jim Carrey did star in The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective all within the same year.
