by Diane Quinn

Created on: September 11, 2008   Last Updated: September 02, 2009

Movies have long been the reflection of our society. As our culture has changed, so has the movie industry and the way current movie stars relate to the public. Over the last decade, and largely due to technological advances, movies focus on realism with gritty subject matter and special effects that would have quickly made obsolete the dead movie stars I miss the most.

All of the nominees on my list were skillful actors and each received critical acclaim for a variety of performances throughout their careers. They were all products of a studio system that developed 'personalities', very much unlike the way film actors work today. As Katharine Hepburn once said, "Show me an actress who doesn't have a personality, and I'll show you one who doesn't work." All the dead movie stars I miss had more than their share of 'personality' and that is probably the reason why, even in death, their personalities transcend their films.

Let me begin with the ladies first.

Audrey Hepburn

If ever there was a movie star who embodied the word "class", it would be Audrey Hepburn. As a young ingnue, her love affair with the camera became legendary. Her luminescent face, big, soulful dark eyes, and her natural charm quickly won her many fans. Best remembered for her role as the fanciful Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," her long career included other classics like "Roman Holiday" with Gregory Peck that won her an Oscar. In "Charade," with Cary Grant, film director Alfred Hitchcock used her innocent beauty to weave a tale of intrigue around her character. My personal favorite is "Sabrina," where her youthful passions proved a perfect match for the somber, and much older, Humphrey Bogart. I always viewed Audrey Hepburn as a pure soul. Much of the volunteer work she did throughout her life proved to me that my admiration of her was not misplaced.

Katharine Hepburn

This always in-control actress was ahead of her time and the feminist movement. I always admired her what-you-see-is-what-you-get style of acting that actually hurt her career in its early years. Later when paired eight times with the strong and respected character actor, Spencer Tracey, the strength of her talent held firm against his skillful acting and made her a role model for a generation. A four-time Oscar winner, Katharine Hepburn was the measure that the next generation of actresses used in evaluating their own skills. I grew up watching many of her black and white movies like "Mary Queen of Scotland", "Woman

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