The star system was the method of creating, promoting and exploiting movie stars in Classical Hollywood cinema. Studios would select promising young actors and glamorise and create personas for them, often inventing new names and even new backgrounds. Examples of stars who went through the star system include Cary Grant (born Archie Leach), Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur), and Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr.)
The star system put an emphasis on the image rather than the acting, although discreet acting, voice, and dancing lessons were a common part of the regimen. Women were expected to behave like ladies, and were never to leave the house without makeup and stylish clothes. Men were expected to be seen in public as gentlemen. Morality clauses were a common part of actors' studio contracts.
This however, is no longer the case with the star system being exploiting or hiring an actor to ensure commercial success. Some actors will become specifically tied down to a role as Robert Downey jr is to Iron Man and Ian Mckeller is to Gandalf. The Hobbit employed a number of well known british actors in order to appeal to the british audience. The main 4 were Ian Mckeller (X-MEN), Stephen Fry (QI), Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz) and Benedict Cumberpatch (Sherlock) who are notoriously known for a variety of British films and television series.
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