The Golden Dozen
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
In 1958 newspapers complied a list of the 12 most powerful actors in Hollywood. These men were not under constrictive studio contracts. They demanded the best best roles and highest salaries, and they got them! They were named, the “Golden Dozen”.
From L-R: Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper, Tony Curtis, Kirk Douglas, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, William Holden, Burt Lancaster, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra, James Stewart, John Wayne
Source: 12 Kings Rule Hollywood, The Miami News, Oct 6, 1958, Page 89
They thought they could control me. I liked the picture, but they had different ideas about it than I did. I said let’s be friends. They had it differently… I was just trying to be the arbiter between the company and the men I work with. I like to speak up for anybody I can and if I can’t it’s no good. It was just a matter of attitude. 
