I think Maradonna has this in the bag. There are little kids in remote villages in the Middle East and Africa who still scream his name when scoring a goal. Ronaldo is up there as well. Michael Jordan - not quite as much. Probabl in the top 10, but not in the top 5.
yeah i think david beckham and obama would beat out michael jordan... nelson mandela would be a premier icon
Out of those, maybe Paul McCartney would be high on the list, but I don't think Berry, Nicholson, and definitely Les Paul would be considered anywhere near the top in celebrity appeal/notoriety if they died.
That's pretty much most of the main ones. I guess (except I don't think anyone mentioned) Tom Cruise Smaller Global Icons Aiswarya Rai Former Spice Girls members The Rock (Based on box-office numbers, the Rock is most profitable wrestler/actor ever). Hulk Hogan The Rolling Stones Mickey Mouse (I guess in the sense of anthropomorphic characters, and he doesn't have an expiration date)
The reason I mention Tom Cruise, since 1996, I don't think any other US actor has had the longest streak of movies that have done significantly better (or much better) overseas than in America. Why is 1996 mentioned, because that is the last time a Tom Cruise movie had a higher gross numbers in American Box Office than they did worldwide. For a lifetime, Cruise moves have done significantly better overseas than America by alot. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Actor&id=tomcruise.htm He may not have an MJ or Elvis size following, but as far as actors go. I think he might be the biggest icon in this generation as years past.
Prince. MJ was trying to duplicate and surpass what Prince did in 2007. Prince played 21 Sold out shows at the O2 arena in London (The same arena MJ was to perform at) in August and September in 2007. MJ, Madonna, and Prince will always be linked because of being born in the same year and being the Music that dominated the 80s. Now Prince was never consumed by the Tabloid fame the other 2 had. He the intensely Private one. He is the best musican..by far.
By far? What about this gentleman? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houdini Or this one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum Or maybe this one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill Or maybe her? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Oakley But especially Houdini. Yes, especially him.
i don't think aishwarya rai would be up there...and im saying this b/c i'm indian... if anyone, it would be amitabh bachchan or shahrukh khan... i think an addition to the list would be pope john paul II...
LeBron, Kobe are definitely there. Christiano Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and a few other soccer players I' am sure. Actors, guys like Al Pacino, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc.
If Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa are eligible as entertainment icons then I propose Jesus and Muhammad (the prophet, not the boxer).
To be a global entertainment icon, one has to be immensely popular around the WORLD, and has tremendous achievement and lasting legacy. Guys like Tom Cruise, Britney Spears, Beckham, etc. are/were global superstars, but far from iconic. Presley, Beatles, and Diana are anglo-icons, but not truly global. Also, Diana may fade away quickly. Tiger Woods is an icon, but Golf is not as popular like soccer and basketball. The criteria may be stringent but a lot of superstars can be considered global icons, for example, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Michael Jordan (and maybe Kobe), Audrey Hepburn, Diego Maradona.
