Clint Eastwood voted favourite movie star in US

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Movie fans just made Clint Eastwood's day. The star of "Dirty Harry" and 2008's "Gran Torino" was voted America's favourite movie star of 2009, ousting Denzel Washington from his three-year hold on the top spot in an annual Harris Poll, released on Tuesday.

Sandra Bullock, the Golden Globe and People's Choice winner for her starring role in the movie "The Blind Side", was the most popular female movie actress, reentering the Top 10 and coming in 4th place, overall.

Bullock, 45, seen as a favourite for her first Oscar in March, did well with 33- to 44-year-old US moviegoers, particularly those in the southern United States.

But Eastwood, 79, who has managed to combine acting with Oscar-winning directing stints in the last 10 years, reigned supreme with men, Republican and Independent voters and those over 45-years-old.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" actor Johnny Depp jumped up to the No.2 spot from 8th in 2008, and was the favourite choice of US women.

Screen cowboy John Wayne -- a fixture on the list since it began in 1994, despite his death in 1979 -- slipped to 7th, but Will Smith, Harrison Ford and Angelina Jolie all dropped off the Top 10 completely in 2009.

The Harris Poll was conducted online in the United States between Dec.7-14 among 2,276 adults.

The Top 10 list for 2009 was.

1. Clint Eastwood

2. Johnny Depp

3. Denzel Washington

4. Sandra Bullock

5. Tom Hanks

6. George Clooney

7. John Wayne

8. Meryl Streep

9. Morgan Freeman

10. Julia Roberts