In this day and age I think we’ve lost a bit of the old Hollywood magic. Sure, there are ‘Hollywood’ stars galore, with their yoga regimes and mansions in rural France, but I think the silver screen lacks some of the charisma of the old days. Instead of era-defining roles and movies like Taxi Driver and we seem to care more about what these people do off screen than what they do on it. And as much as I admire actors like Matt Damon and Leonardo di Caprio, there’s something amiss.

What I think we’re missing is an appreciation for the kind of Hollywood heroes who created roles that burned into the screen. Strong characters who inspire you to think, live or look differently. Maybe it’s just the effect of black and white, but icons from James Bond to James Dean are also signposts of good style for both clueless blokes and dapper gentlemen.

So I’ve decided to make a little compilation of some classic Hollywood heroes who deserve a bit more attention than Johnny Depp’s dreadlocks in Pirates of the Caribbean.

MARTIN SHEEN

Martin Sheen is an incredible actor and it is criminal that he isn’t even in the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Actors of All Time. Whatever your take on Americana, Sheen seems to have been there. We know him now as President Jed Bartlett in The West Wing - and he was also amazing in Martin Scorsese’s recent Oscar-winning The Departed - but he is at his iconic best in Badlands (pictured above). This film was made in 1973 by Terrence Malick - and the 1970s was a great decade for film and for Sheen: he finished the period with Apocalypse Now (1979, Francis Ford Coppola). Sheen exudes measured intensity whilst driving around the plains of the Mid West in a cool black sedan, after shooting his girlfriend’s (Sissy Spacek) father and beginning an inadvertent killing spree. In his denim jacket and white t-shirt, he even makes being a rubbish collector (his job at the start of the film) seem cool.

MONTGOMERY CLIFT

Bit of an underdog’s choice here, but then that was something Clift specialised in. He was the classic outsider/anti-hero, often victimised by fellow characters but showing a silent, surly conviction. Something about his air of melancholy makes him a much more interesting star than contemporaries like Gregory Peck. He was masculine without ever just being another guy in a suit. My girlfriend also loves him - especially in her favourite movie, The Misfits, with Marilyn Monroe. Clift was at the end of the his career by this point - as was Clark Gable - but this 1961 Western clearly did something right. It’s all denim, dust and discontent - and easy lessons in how to dress. My girlfriend is always on New Look trying to get cheap alternatives to Monroe’s dark jeans and a white shirt. (Isn’t that the easiest thing to find, ever?!)

MARLON BRANDO

No one will contest this choice - Brando is pretty much unequivocally the world’s favourite actor of all time - but I suppose a few people might be sceptical about how good his influence is on other human beings… Brando was a real character, though, and a huge mass of energy on screen and stage. Everyone bangs on about The Godfather (great suit, crazy cheeks and a mean, mean streak) but I think Brando really nails it in other, more niche films. His Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire is an amazing performance - and a lesson in how not to act around ladies. He is pure aggression, storming into every scene with a scowl and a leather jacket. And my favourite, above, is him in Apocalypse Now -he hid in a water tower for two days, so intense was his preparation as Kurz. That entire film is a testament to doomed youth and badly-managed power: from Dennis Hopper’s free-wheeling journalist to skinny Laurence Fishburne’s trigger-happy rookie. Louche and manic at the same time: iconic, in short, a 1970s classic. Another 70s film I love is The Last Picture Show, with the young Jeff Bridges - and it’s coming back!

HUMPHREY BOGART

Last but definitely not least is Humphrey Bogart, one of the coolest men ever to make a mark on screen. And hey, he did make quite the mark. I love this guy for being a real romantic anti-hero. He’s in some incredible films as the romantic lead - with Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca), Lauren Bacall (his wife and co-star in five films, including The Big Sleep) and Katherine Hepburn (The African Queen) among others - but he’s the least schmaltzy or hunky actor you’re likely to find. Nothing like modern Hollywood smush. Instead, he delivers pure charisma and steel: you can see he’s got real comfort with who he is and what he’s doing. All that with a permanent cigarette dangling from his mouth, topped with a sharp hat and trenchcoat, he is my real icon of effortless cool.