38. CAROLE LOMBARD
Nothing Sacred (1937)

As Hazel Flagg, a woman who dupes Manhattan into thinking she's dying, Lombard runs through a repertoire of Lombardisms — the mock-quizzical look that morphs into a mock tantrum followed by mock tears or superbly executed physical bits, tossed off with a dizzying hyperspeed that dares us to keep up. Lombard also demonstrates here that her seductive energy could bolster an entire film. Without her, Nothing Sacred would be nothing sacred.