Current Biggest Celebrity in the World?

[TheArsenal]

An idle exercise in speculation.

At one point, and arguably up until right now, Michael Jackson was the biggest celebrity in the world. He had the out-sized monstrous celebrity where they have to close entire shopping malls for him to go in without being mobbed.

He's gone.

Is there anyone like that now? If not, who is close?
Bono? Madonna? Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie. The Beckhams?

Who currently is the biggest celebrity in the world?

 

[barnaclelapse]

Me?

 

[LitmusDragon]

Oprah maybe?

 

[Deckerd]

Madonna

 

[TheArsenal]

Oprah maybe?

Living in the States, I'm not sure how big she is worldwide.

 

[BRG]

Current celeb? It would have to be Bono. with Pitt, Jolie & Depp all not far behind.

However, living celeb, Macca in his prime would knock them all for six.
BRG

 

[NileQT87]

Of all time: Elvis Presley
Of the living: Madonna, Cher, Paul McCartney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Oprah, Bono, Britney Spears

Of that bunch... I'd probably say Madonna was the most famous right after Michael Jackson with Cher and Paul right after her. Though I think Elvis is an even bigger icon than Michael. It usually comes down to Elvis and the Beatles (as a whole unit), but Elvis probably has the more famous and widespread image. You can say his first name in any corner of the world and have recognition. Michael has always come in third behind them. Madonna and the Rat Pack probably follow after that.

 

[Aragorn]

Don't know about overall when it comes to every medium, but Will Smith is currently the biggest box office draw in the world.

 

[Bisz]

Barack Obama.

Unless by 'celebrity' you only mean in the entertainment business.

 

[Ethros]

Tom Cruise

 

[Teelie]

MJ is only biggest right now for the untimely and shocking death. It's hard to quantify someone's popularity. It's constantly shifting who is most popular. Today it's MJ, next week? Who knows. If another celebrity of his scale were to die or be seriously injured, they'd take the spotlight.

 

[Spot's Meow]

Of all time: Elvis Presley
Of the living: Madonna, Cher, Paul McCartney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Oprah, Bono, Britney Spears

Of that bunch... I'd probably say Madonna was the most famous right after Michael Jackson with Cher and Paul right after her. Though I think Elvis is an even bigger icon than Michael. It usually comes down to Elvis and the Beatles (as a whole unit), but Elvis probably has the more famous and widespread image. You can say his first name in any corner of the world and have recognition. Michael has always come in third behind them. Madonna and the Rat Pack probably follow after that.

I completely agree with all of your assessments in this post.

 

[mvkemp]

The new current #1, another MJ, Michael Jordan. And frankly, he's the only person that even came close to Michael Jackson.

 

[Teelie]

Maybe for basketball fans but Michael Jordan is not nearly as popular as some of the other celebrities listed.

 

[NileQT87]

The list probably goes something like this:

1) Elvis Presley
2) The Beatles
3) Michael Jackson
4) Madonna
5) Marilyn Monroe
6) The Rat Pack
7) James Dean
8) Judy Garland
9) Cher
10) Lucille Ball?

Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Lucille Ball and Marlon Brando are fairly high contenders.

Freddie Mercury, Buddy Holly and Gene Simmons certainly have considerable iconography status.

Lucas and Spielberg are up there even.

If you want to get super historical with it: Mozart, Beethoven, Einstein, Poe, Shakespeare and Elizabeth I are probably in there as iconography in their own rights.

Something like that.

 

[Venardhi]

Sinatra would be far above the rest of the Rat Pack in iconic status, I wouldn't put James Dean or Judy Garland on there, probably not Cher either.

Icons:
Elvis, Marilyn, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Sinatra. . . there really aren't that many iconic performers. Only time will tell if Madonna holds on, or if another none of us are considering ends up even bigger in the eyes of history.

 

[Trubinator]

Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger should be high on that list.

 

[Venardhi]

Schwarzenegger maybe, but Ford is only famous through the characters he played, not unto himself. Han Solo is an icon, Indiana Jones is an icon, but Ford himself is just an actor.

 

[NileQT87]

I would say of music, the icon is Elvis. Of Hollywood and the silver screen, it's Marilyn. They are practically the personifications of music and film in the 20th century. The personification of television is probably Lucy.

The ones to which every celebrity tragedy will be compared to are Elvis, Marilyn, Dean, Judy, Buddy/Ritchie/the Big Bopper, Lennon, Tate (though mostly because of who her murderer was), et al.

I always loved these (heavily Elvis, Marilyn, Dean and Bogart-centric):

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Like it or not, Obama counts as a celebrity. I'd give him the nod.