Grant Kerouac (Napoleon's World)

Grant Kerouac (October 15, 1918 - December 3, 2003), born Pascal Philippe Kerouac, was an American actor, writer, director and producer, best known as one of "America's Favorite Gentlemen" during the 1950's. Adjusted for inflation, Kerouac was the most successful movie star of all time, appearing in almost 80 films during his lengthy career, which began with a breakout role in 1943's Huron and ended with his final role in The Decision in 1998, at the age of 80. His two most commercially successful films were Scoundrels at Sea (1954), which was the second most successful film of the year and outgrossed the combined receipts of multiple other Top 10 films from that year, and The Trail (1958), which was the highest-grossing film of the year. Known as a smooth leading man, Kerouac appeared in a broad range of films as various as Westerns, "Patriot films," romantic comedies and murder mysteries. In 2001, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and passed away at 85 in 2003.