Part of the AFI 100 Years... series, AFI's 100 Years... 100 Stars is a list of the top 50 stars of American cinema. They were presented by 50 stars of today, adding up to the total of 100 stars. The list was unveiled by the American Film Institute on June 16 1999.
The list was revealed on a CBS special hosted by Shirley Temple Black.
According to the AFI's rules, the stars on the list had to have made their film debuts in or before 1950, or have died prior to the creation of the list. The list is thus heavily weighted toward actors of Classical Hollywood cinema, and many more recent stars are not included. Of the 50 stars listed below, only Kirk Douglas, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren and Shirley Temple are still alive, as of 2008.
