The result of such dominance in a specific genre, whether critically or at the box office, usually leads to the slippery slope that has become known as “typecasting,” or when an actor is continually cast in the exact same role, in seemingly the exact same movie, over and over again. When thinking of a British romantic-comedy, whose mind isn’t flooded with images Hugh Grant charmingly stammering his way through awkward pickup lines that still manage to make us laugh every time?
Just as John Wayne once embodied the spirit of the classic, American western from the 30s through the 70s, so have Melissa McCarthy, Adam Sandler, and Kevin Hart come to personify the raunchy, summertime comedies of late. Throughout cinema’s relatively short but rich history, genres have often been defined by the actors who dominate them. On his 75th birthday, let’s take a look at how the two time Oscar winner defined a genre in a way, unlike any other actor before him.
