Who were the most popular actors in the 70s?

My guesses:

Clint Eastwood
Jack Nicholson
Sean Connery
Dustin Hoffman
Gene Hackman
Donald Sutherland
Elliott Gould
Gene Wilder
Paul Newman
Roger Moore
Burt Reynolds
Charlton Heston
Faye Dunaway
Karen Black
Michael Caine
Robert Redford

By far, I think Clint Eastwood was the most popular. Escape from Alcatraz, The Outlaw Josey Wales, High Plains Drifter, Kelly's Heroes, and of course Dirty Harry and its multiple sequels.

Very solid list!

But don't forget the Grease factor. It's late 70's, but it's in there.

John Travolta
Olivia Newton John

Travolta and John didn't really become popular, I feel, until the late 70s. In contrast, Robert Redford was pretty prominent throughout the 70s, Jeremiah Johnson, A Bridge Too Far, etc.

That is true. Like the Matrix in the 90's, it snuck in at the end. Saturday Night Fever was 1977 though, so he had two big hits in the final 3 years.

Solid list and you're probably right but how come only two actress on that list? Can you make a list of most popular actresses in the 1970s? I'd like to see that.

Robert Redford was definitely the bigger star overall. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was from 69, but from that point Redford and Newman were everywhere in Hollywood for a decade.

Steve McQueen
and Marlon Brando had "The Godfather", "Last Tango In Paris", and "Apocalypse Now"

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I don't think it's until the 80s (maybe 90s) is when women started getting as many prominent roles as the men do, but just focusing on the most popular 70s actresses, I'd say they're:

Faye Dunaway
Karen Black
Caroline Munro
Diane Keaton
Jane Fonda
Madeline Kahn
Barbra Streisand
Candice Bergen
Cloris Leachman
Jill Clayburgh
Margot Kidder
Raquel Welch
Sally Field
Sissy Spacek
Susannah York

Thanks for posting that, it appears to be spot on. Good job.

I somehow get the feeling that Clint Eastwood had more star power, though I can't deny Redford’s box office success: The Sting, All The President's Men, The Electric Horseman, etc.

Clint Eastwood was successful, but was he popular? Pictures-on-the-wall-popular?

Just contextually, I'm wondering why you (the OP) are thinking/wondering about this?

Not only built up a reputation with Sergio Leone westerns and Dirty Harry, but was even high-profile enough to be approached about playing James Bond.

Because it’s interesting to think about what stars revived a lot of fanfare back then vs. today.

Oh, I think that's fair, I'm just curious, why the interest; for creating a conversation beyond just listing people. So, I'm bad at popularity (I could attempt the 90s and the 80s and was younger then and was consuming more popular culture), but now that you've got a list, what are some of the initial thoughts in comparison and contrast with... well, now, I guess - or other general thoughts or trends you're seeing in your list?

I always see the 70s as the rise of Pacino, Nicholson, De Niro and Hoffman. The older actors like George C Scott, Heston, Mictchum. Peck and others were being replaced by more edgy actors and movies.

There’s def a preference growing for edgier, or even action-packed, actors. Clint Eastwood had received fanfare for his 60s Leone westerns and Dirty Harry, Jack Nicholson playing rebellious characters who get into mischief, Sean Connery’s popularity as James Bond, etc.

Ah, you mean the in demand by the industry kind of popular.

Chinatown, Network, Three Days of the Condor, Faye Dunaway def had a lot going for her.

Actually, on the inside fold of my school-book jacket back in about '78 or '79 there was a little list of things to fill out and one was "Favorite Actor" and I wrote "Clint Eastwood".