Johnny Depp is America's Favorite Actor, While Denzel Washington is Number 2

NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- It's red carpet season and the stars are getting ready for the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Some movie stars are more loved than others and this year, America's favorite movie star is Captain Jack himself, Johnny Depp who moves up from being number 2 last year. Denzel Washington also moves up one notch this year from number 3 to number 2. And the Duke, John Wayne, moves from number 7 to number 3. John Wayne also has the distinction of being the only actor to be on this list every year since 1994.

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These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,331 adults surveyed online between December 6 and 13, 2010 by Harris Interactive®.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Returning to the list after a one year absence is Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford in the number 4 spot. Also returning to the list is Lara Croft or Angelina Jolie in the number 5 spot. Forrest Gump or rather Tom Hanks is tied for 6th on the America's favorite actor list. They shared the screen in Ocean's 11 and they also share the 6th place with Tom Hanks – George Clooney and Julia Roberts are also tied for number 6.

Last year's number one, Clint Eastwood, drops 8 spots this year and is on the list at number 9. Rounding out the top ten is Miss Congeniality, Sandra Bullock at the number 10 spot, a drop from number 4 last year.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

This year there are two additions to the list from last year, which means that two actors have dropped out of the top ten.  Last year she was in Julie and Julia, but this year Meryl Streep drops from the number 8 spot to out of the top ten. Morgan Freeman was in the 9th spot last year, but this year is off the top ten as well.

Analyze This

Depending on how old you are, where you live and your political leanings, you have different favorite actors. Men cite Denzel Washington as their favorite while women say it is Johnny Depp. Echo Boomers (those aged 18-33) say Johnny Depp is their favorite actor while for both Gen Xers (aged 34-45) and Baby Boomers (aged 46-64) it is Denzel and for Matures (those aged 65 and older), John Wayne is their favorite actor.

Westerners are a region that stands alone. Those who live in the East, Midwest and South all say Denzel Washington is their favorite while for Westerners, their favorite is Johnny Depp. Johnny Depp is also the favorite actor for both Republicans and Independents, but Democrats say Denzel Washington is their favorite actor. Political ideology shows differences as well with Liberals citing Johnny Depp as their favorite actor, Moderates saying it is Denzel Washington and for Conservatives John Wayne is their favorite.

Methodology

This Harris Poll was conducted online within the United States between December 6 to 13, 2010 among 2,331 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in the Harris Interactive panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of Harris Interactive.

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The Harris Poll® #4, January 12, 2011

By Regina A. Corso, SVP, Harris Poll, Public Relations and Youth Research, Harris Interactive

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading custom market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers expertise in a wide range of industries including healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Serving clients in over 215 countries and territories through our North American, European, and Asian offices and a network of independent market research firms, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us – and our clients – stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

SOURCE Harris Interactive