Monday, March 24, 2014

Sizing Up Old Hollywood--Heights of Classic Leading Men


Last year I shared a chart I created with the heights, weights, and measurements (as available) of our favorite actresses from classic cinema.  The reason I originally put it together was that the information was asked of me again and again when I taught classes or gave presentations on the History of Fashion in Film.  The petite Joan Crawford, for example, always blows audiences away when they hear her height--only around 5' tall--since she seems so imposing on screen.  People love learning about her size and that of others--it's become the most visited post and page here on GlamAmor.

And so, because there has been so much interest in the ladies, I thought it would be fun to share similar information on the men.  As with the first chart, you'll see that this list is organized from shortest to tallest actors.  The same disclaimers exist here as far as the numbers, which come from a variety of sources.  Some come from their tailors.  Some come through the studios' press agents for the movie magazines (often idealized, though close to accurate).  Some are simply the best guess of film historians and the current collective opinion.  I also bring in my own best judgement and I'm always open to hearing your opinions as well.

Be sure to check out GlamAmor's permanent Vintage Sizes & Silhouettes page for a recently updated chart on the ladies as well as this chart for the men.  And coming soon--a chart comparing the heights of our favorite onscreen couples!

HeightName
5' 2"- 5' 4"Mickey Rooney
5' 4" - 5' 6"Alan Ladd
5' 6"Dustin Hoffman
5' 7" Bing Crosby
5' 7"John Garfield
5' 7"Gene Kelly
5' 7"Al Pacino
5' 8"James Dean
5' 8"David Hemmings
5' 8"Frank Sinatra
5' 8" - 5' 9"Humphrey Bogart
5' 9" Fred Astaire
5' 9"Kirk Douglas
5' 9" Marcello Mastroianni
5' 9" - 5' 10"Marlon Brando
5' 10"Montgomery Clift
5' 10"Robert DeNiro
5' 10"Steve McQueen
5' 10"Paul Newman
5' 10"Robert Redford
5' 10"Spencer Tracy
5' 11"Glenn Ford
5' 11"William Holden
5' 11" - 6'William Powell
6'Van Heflin
6'Dick Powell
6'Tyrone Power
6'Robert Taylor
6'Franchot Tone
6' 1"Melvyn Douglas
6' 1"Clark Gable
6' 1"Robert Mitchum
6' 1"Robert Montgomery
6' 2"Sean Connery
6' 2"Errol Flynn
6' 2" Henry Fonda
6' 2" James Garner
6' 2"Cary Grant
6' 2"Burt Lancaster
6' 2"Joel McCrae
6' 2" - 6' 4"Gary Cooper
6' 3" Fred MacMurray
6' 3" Gregory Peck
6' 3"Randolph Scott
6' 3"James Stewart
6' 4"Clint Eastwood
6' 4"John Wayne

PHOTOS: William Powell, Gary Cooper, and Clark Gable on set at MGM 1934 (above)
and Clark Gable, Van Heflin, Gary Cooper, and Jimmy Stewart toasting the good life in 1957

9 comments:

Marline said...

I *just* finished writing up my presentation for Gaslight for the Dryden and discussed Charles Boyer's height! This is a wonderful chart to have and I love it. It's a keeper! Hugs, K

Kimberly Truhler said...

What timing! How tall is Boyer--he's almost the only one I didn't include! lol Ingrid was very tall for an actress then (5'9"), so I'm interested to know how he fared against her. ;)

Have fun intro'ing GASLIGHT--I know you'll be terrific!

Jim Lane said...

What fun, Kimberly! Thanks for posting this. But please clarify one point: at 6' 2" you list one "Henry Ford", which I'm sure must be a slip of the keyboard. My question is, should that be Henry Fonda or Harrison Ford?

Kimberly Truhler said...

THANK YOU Jim! Henry FONDA! lol Henry Fonda is who I meant (though I considered including Harrison Ford and likely will on the next update). I really appreciate your calling what was indeed a "slip of the keyboard" to my attention. Appreciate it and so glad you're enjoying the chart. :)

Danny said...

I'm taller than Clark Gable? Good to know!

Melissa Clark said...

What a fun list! One tall actor you didn't include is Rock Hudson. From what I've read he was 6'4". I watched "Pillow Talk" for the zillionth time last night, so he's on my mind. ;-)

Kimberly Truhler said...

Yes--how could I leave off Rock Hudson? :) Thanks so much for the reminder! He'll definitely be first to be added when I update the chart. From what I have read, too, he was indeed 6'4" just like John Wayne. He'll also for sure be featured on the chart that I do on our favorite onscreen couples with him opposite Doris Day. :)

tadpolepilot said...

You also left out James Arness and Clint Walker.

Molly The Retro Gal said...

after checking whos height I match with the actresses I found I'm the same height as Carole Lombard. I took out a tape measure to see how much taller Gable ( my crush since I was 13 now 18) he is 6inches taller than me

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