Old Hollywood Stars’ Co-Workers Discuss The Shocking Impression They Left

1. Katharine Hepburn

Hepburn was exceptional… She gave me one piece of sound advice: “Don’t act; you don’t have to act; you have excellent shoulders and a good voice… ” Watch the Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy film. She was incredibly kind and tough, and it was a pleasure working with her. No being unprofessional or being late to the set. ― Anthony Hopkins speaking in 2012 at BAFTA’s Life in Pictures. He appeared in The Lion in Winter, a 1968 film, alongside Hepburn.

2. Humphrey Bogart

“Sometimes things will be difficult for you, but the movie will work fine. Humphrey Bogart and I had a really difficult time working on Sabrina. He had never before worked with Paramount. People would have drinks in my office every night after shooting, and occasionally I neglected to invite him. He was quite furious and never forgave me. ― Billy Wilder, who helmed Bogart’s 1954 film Sabrina, as quoted in The Paris Review from 1996.

3. Bette Davis

I hate her. I fail to see how she managed to make a career out of a set of mannerisms as opposed to actual acting talent. What remains when the pop-eyes, the cigarette, and the amusingly clipped phrases are removed? She’s a fraud, but I suppose that appeals to the general audience. — Joan Crawford, who appeared alongside Davis in the 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, in Roy Newquist’s 1980 documentary Conversations with Joan Crawford.

4. James Stewart

“He had the classic American appearance. When I first started out, he gave me a lot of advice. Jimmy had the best attitude and work habits. I also picked up a lot from simply observing how he carried himself in public. He loved the work he did and honored those who helped him become famous. He served as a mentor and an inspiration. — Charlton Heston, who acted alongside Stewart in The Greatest Show on Earth in 1952, as he was quoted in a 1997 edition of Variety.

5. Audrey Hepburn

“Even before I met Audrey, I had a crush on her, and a day after meeting her, I felt as though we were old friends… Most of the guys she worked with had romantic feelings for her as well as fatherly or brotherly ones. She was my true love. Quoted in Michael Heatley’s Audrey Hepburn: In Words and Pictures by William Holden, who co-starred with Hepburn in the 1954 film Sabrina.

6. Marlon Brando

He has a hilarious sense of humor. When Marlon is around, you can always count on some form of practical joke to be pulled during the course of the day. Or he’ll have used his tiny electronic machine to make a whoopee cushion and placed it just where [Robert De Niro] would land during the scene’s most sad moment. — Edward Norton, who acted alongside Brando in The Score in 2001, speaking with ABC News.

7. Ingrid Bergman

We are now entering a domain that I am unable to respond to. I can only say that I truly loved her, and I believe that is where I should end this. Other than to mention that she resembled a magnificent Swedish rose. I was a young person. She was a young woman. We worked closely and diligently for several weeks. — Gregory Peck, who starred alongside Bergman in 1945’s Spellbound, in an interview with People.

8. Fred Astaire

“Fred Astaire was the nicest man ever… During one of my breaks, I was crying under the piano because my back felt like it had been broken, and my feet were hurting me. You never give up, dancing is difficult, and there is no quick fix, he stated. You must persevere through it if you want to be good. He also offered to see him practice inside. He let me watch him dance until he was only slightly red in the face, so no one else got to watch him. Then it clicked on me: attaining truly exceptional performance is difficult for even the greats. But you must persist in your efforts. — Debbie Reynolds spoke to NPR in 2013; she co-starred with Fred Astaire in The Pleasure of His Company in 1961.

9. Greta Garbo

Rushes were never noticeable to her since they were always inferior to her expectations and what she believed she was capable of. An extreme perfectionist who is amazing. She frequently had to leave work early in order to calm down. She gave her acting her all, and as a result, it drained and wore her out. She enjoyed working the same way I do: very shaky rehearsing and first-time real performing in front of the cameras. Few actors or actresses have the talent that she did. — George Cukor, who directed Garbo’s performances in the films Camille (1936) and Two-Faced Woman (1941), in an interview with Richard Overstreet for Film Culture in 1964.

10. James Cagney

Working with you was truly one of the happiest experiences of my life. Additionally, you are more than just an actor, as anybody who has ever worked with you is aware. In other words, you embody the character rather than simply playing one. You give your own performance new life and elevate the rest of us to a whole new level. Because of your presence, that is. And tonight, simply by being here, you uplift the entire planet. — Doris Day, who acted alongside Cagney in three films, addressed Cagney in 1974 at the presentation of the AFI Life Achievement Award.