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Edward G. Robinson

Golden Age Hollywood's ultimate O.G., Edward G. Robinson made a living as a "tough guy" in a raft of iterations, from hardboiled newspaperman to intrepid G-man. In real life soft-spoken, intellectual and selfless, Robinson would nevertheless imprint himself as cold-eyed Machiavellian thugs in such film classics as "Little Caesar" (1931), "The Sea Wolf" (1941) and "Key Largo" (1948) - though he could also single-handedly lift films with his rapid-fire comic timing, as with such screwball outings as "The Whole Town's Talking" (1935), and with colorful, cerebral supporting roles, as in "Double Indemnity" (1944). Able to command the screen by both verve and subtlety, he played his roles with such archetypal distinction and verbal flare that he would wind up inspiring a number of cartoon characters, from the shorts of Warner Bros. studio-mate Bugs Bunny while he was alive to lovably inept constable Chief Wiggum in American television's longest-running show, "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ).