FOR more than 40 years the same newspaper has been popping up in hundreds of different movies and TV shows.

It’s been held by Tommy Lee Jones in No Country For Old Men and was read by Ed O’Neill in both Modern Family and Married With Children.

So what’s the story behind this famous paper that has racked up more acting credits than Leonardo DiCaprio?

It’s actually a prop made by The Earl Hays Press, a Californian company that makes fake products including food and booze labels and mock tabloid covers.

It’s much easier for film and TV production companies to buy prop newspapers rather than using real ones.

If they wanted to use a copy of a real newspaper they’d have to get approval from the publisher, plus they’d also have to be careful about what stories can be seen on the pages to make sure they fit within the context of the film.

Not that the stories inside the famous prop paper make much sense though.

One headline reads, “She’s 3rd Brightest But Hard Gal To See” ... whatever that means.

Here are some screenshots from some of the paper’s many on-screen appearances: