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Denzel Tops Hanks in America's Eyes

Tue., Jan. 16, 2007 8:04 PM PST by Natalie Finn

Last year, movie fans didn't experience the effects of Déjà Vu.

Denzel Washington made a triumphant return to the upper echelons of the nationwide Harris Poll this week, coming in at number one for the first time in the annual survey of America's favorite movie stars.

The Inside Man star, who fell out of the top 10 last year, knocked Tom Hanks out of the top spot, a position he had held for the past two years. Hanks didn't fall far, however, landing comfortably at number two.

Although Washington's most recent big-screen offering was the forgettable Tony Scott spectacle Déjà Vu, the 52-year-old actor's earlier work in Spike Lee's well-received heist film Inside Man apparently was enough to set fans' hearts a-racing in 2006.

More than Tom Hanks and his "hair" in The Da Vinci Code did, anyway.

Washington also placed first among what the Harris Poll termed liberal and moderate voters, and also made a first-place showing in the South.

John Wayne, who has made the list every year since 1994, held fast at number three and ranked first among Baby Boomers (voters ages 42–60).

To better inform you of the fickle whims of the American people, the Harris Poll conducted an online survey of 1,147 U.S. adults Dec. 12–18.

Macho man Clint Eastwood, who took a pass on acting but did some stellar work behind the camera last year, jumped a couple of spots into the number four slot and was tops with male voters.

Despite not appearing in any live-action films in '06, Julia Roberts was the only femme to make the top 10 (fifth place) and was the number one star according to female fans.

Hitting the proverbial skids in 2006 were Johnny Depp, who despite starring in the biggest moneymaker of the year moved from second place to seventh, and Harrison Ford, who rode Firewall all the way from third to 10th. Depp, however, was tops with young'uns between 18 and 29.

Gone entirely from the list were last year's numbers 9 and 10, Sean Connery and Sandra Bullock

Not giving up any ground, however, was Mel Gibson, who may be sharing seventh place with Depp but is not hanging around in 80th place or wherever people who engage in anti-Semitic rants and direct two exploitatively violent films in a row sometimes end up.

Making Harris' top 10 for the first time was Will Smith, a possible Oscar contender for The Pursuit of Happyness, who tied Roberts for fifth place.

The only actor to top a particular voting category without breaking the overall top 10 was Brad Pitt, who was the favorite in the Midwest despite ranking only 14th in the rest of America.

Here's a complete list of America's favorite movie stars in 2006, per the Harris Poll:

1. Denzel Washington
2. Tom Hanks
3. John Wayne
4. Clint Eastwood
5. Will Smith
5. Julia Roberts
7. Johnny Depp
7. Mel Gibson
9. George Clooney
10. Harrison Ford