Famous figures
Iconic Actors and Film Legends
Test your knowledge of celebrated stage and screen performers, Oscar-winning roles, and cinema history icons.
This is a free, 14-question multiple-choice quiz. Answer each question to see whether you got it right, with an explanation for every answer. There is no sign-up and no time limit — take it as many times as you like, and scroll down for the full answer key once you are done.
Question 1 of 14
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Which English silent film star created the iconic on-screen persona of 'The Tramp' in bowler hat and cane?
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Answer key & explanations
Every question in this quiz, with the correct answer marked and an explanation of why it is right. Use it to revise before or after taking the quiz above.
1.Which English silent film star created the iconic on-screen persona of 'The Tramp' in bowler hat and cane?
- ABuster Keaton
- BHarold Lloyd
- CCharlie Chaplin✓ Correct
- DFatty Arbuckle
Correct answer: Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin wrote, directed, scored, and starred in silent cinema classics such as 'The Gold Rush', 'City Lights', and 'Modern Times'.
2.Who won an Academy Award for playing Don Vito Corleone in 'The Godfather' (1972) after earlier acclaim in 'On the Waterfront'?
- AAl Pacino
- BRobert De Niro
- CMarlon Brando✓ Correct
- DJames Caan
Correct answer: Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando revolutionized American screen acting with his Method performances, famously declining his Best Actor Oscar for 'The Godfather'.
3.Which actress won a record four Academy Awards for Best Actress, for films including 'Morning Glory' and 'The Lion in Winter'?
- ABette Davis
- BKatharine Hepburn✓ Correct
- CIngrid Bergman
- DMeryl Streep
Correct answer: Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn earned twelve Oscar nominations and won four Best Actress statuettes across a career spanning over six decades.
4.Which British actor is the only performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, including for 'There Will Be Blood' and 'Lincoln'?
- ADaniel Day-Lewis✓ Correct
- BJack Nicholson
- CAnthony Hopkins
- DGary Oldman
Correct answer: Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis is famous for his immersive method acting, winning Oscars for 'My Left Foot' (1989), 'There Will Be Blood' (2007), and 'Lincoln' (2012).
5.Who starred alongside Humphrey Bogart in the 1942 romantic drama 'Casablanca' as the conflicted Ilsa Lund?
- ALauren Bacall
- BIngrid Bergman✓ Correct
- CJoan Fontaine
- DGreer Garson
Correct answer: Ingrid Bergman
Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman delivered an unforgettable performance opposite Bogart before starring in Alfred Hitchcock thrillers like 'Notorious'.
6.Which American actor achieved international stardom in Westerns like 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' before directing Oscar-winning films?
- AJohn Wayne
- BClint Eastwood✓ Correct
- CCharles Bronson
- DSteve McQueen
Correct answer: Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood rose to fame in Sergio Leone's 'Dollars Trilogy' and later directed and starred in Best Picture winners 'Unforgiven' and 'Million Dollar Baby'.
7.Who portrayed the chilling psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991)?
- AAnthony Hopkins✓ Correct
- BBrian Cox
- CMads Mikkelsen
- DJeremy Irons
Correct answer: Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins won the Best Actor Oscar with less than 25 minutes of screen time for his electrifying turn opposite Jodie Foster.
8.Which American actress became an enduring pop culture icon for roles in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and 'Some Like It Hot'?
- ARita Hayworth
- BMarilyn Monroe✓ Correct
- CJayne Mansfield
- DAva Gardner
Correct answer: Marilyn Monroe
Born Norma Jeane Mortenson, Marilyn Monroe was one of the 1950s' most bankable Hollywood stars and remains a global cultural symbol.
9.Which actor won the Best Actor Oscar for 'Philadelphia' (1993) and repeated the victory the following year for 'Forrest Gump' (1994)?
- ATom Cruise
- BKevin Costner
- CTom Hanks✓ Correct
- DHarrison Ford
Correct answer: Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks became only the second actor in Academy history, after Spencer Tracy, to win back-to-back Best Actor Oscars.
10.Who played the rebellious anti-hero Jim Stark in 'Rebel Without a Cause' before dying in a car crash at age 24 in 1955?
- AMontgomery Clift
- BJames Dean✓ Correct
- CPaul Newman
- DSal Mineo
Correct answer: James Dean
James Dean became an emblem of teenage disillusionment after starring in just three major films: 'East of Eden', 'Rebel Without a Cause', and 'Giant'.
11.Which actress holds the record for the most Academy Award acting nominations with 21 total nominations as of 2024?
- AMeryl Streep✓ Correct
- BCate Blanchett
- CGlenn Close
- DJudi Dench
Correct answer: Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep has received 21 Oscar nominations, winning three for 'Kramer vs. Kramer', 'Sophie's Choice', and 'The Iron Lady'.
12.Which actor won a posthumous Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in 'The Dark Knight' (2008)?
- ARiver Phoenix
- BHeath Ledger✓ Correct
- CChadwick Boseman
- DPaul Walker
Correct answer: Heath Ledger
Australian actor Heath Ledger gave a haunting, transformative performance as the Joker shortly before his tragic death in January 2008.
13.Who starred as Han Solo in the 'Star Wars' saga and the intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones in 'Raiders of the Lost Ark'?
- AKurt Russell
- BMark Hamill
- CHarrison Ford✓ Correct
- DMel Gibson
Correct answer: Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford anchored two of the highest-grossing cinematic franchises in history under directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.
14.Which classic Hollywood star played Rick Blaine in 'Casablanca' and won an Oscar for 'The African Queen' (1951)?
- AHumphrey Bogart✓ Correct
- BCary Grant
- CSpencer Tracy
- DJames Stewart
Correct answer: Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart was ranked by the American Film Institute in 1999 as the greatest male screen legend of American cinema history.
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