Paul Newman and Henry Fonda on the Oregon set of "Sometimes a Great Notion." Photo: The Oregonian/file/1970

By Kristi Turnquist | The Oregonian/OregonLive

Over the decades, Oregon has been the scenic location for hundreds of movies and TV shows. Projects ranging from "Animal House" to "Grimm" to "Portlandia" have brought a variety of performers to Oregon.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Oregon Film office – formally known as the Oregon Governor's Office of Film & Television – we're looking back at decades of Oregon film and TV.

We’ll be taking note of memorable – and notorious – moments. In this first round-up, we’re looking at 50 of the actors who came to Oregon to shoot movies and TV. Some were new faces who later became stars, others were already famous, and still more are solid performers who helped turn their Oregon-filmed projects into fan favorites.

And, to be honest, some of the biggest names made movies or TV shows in Oregon they probably would have been happy to erase from their resume (hi there, Brad Pitt in "The Favor," and Kevin Costner in "The Postman").

But we love them just the same. Whether the movies and TV series were hits or duds, Oregon rolled out the welcome mat.

Have a look at some of our favorite visitors over the years. Do you have choices we missed? By all means, use the comments section to share your thoughts about stars who shined in Oregon.

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Buster Keaton ("The General" 1926)

The great comedian/filmmaker of the silent era was never better than in this silent classic, filmed in the Cottage Grove area.

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James Stewart ("Bend of the River" 1952)

James Stewart was always comfortable in Westerns, and he was effective in this one, directed by Anthony Mann. Stewart plays a cowboy leading a group of settlers into Oregon. Watch for a young Rock Hudson, too.

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Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg ("Paint Your Wagon" 1969)

It was a bit strange that this musical featured stars not exactly known for their singing abilities. But despite their shaky pipes, Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg did the best they could, and hey, how about that gorgeous scenery in Baker?

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Jack Nicholson ("Five Easy Pieces" 1970; "Drive, He Said" 1971; "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" 1975)

The famous diner scene from “Five Easy Pieces” was shot at a Denny’s in Eugene. And Nicholson returned to Oregon to direct “Drive, He Said,” with locations in Eugene and the University of Oregon. Nicholson then came back to Oregon again for his Oscar-winning role in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” director Milos Forman’s version of the novel by Oregon’s Ken Kesey.

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Paul Newman, Henry Fonda ("Sometimes a Great Notion" 1971)

Paul Newman played logger Hank Stamper, and legendary actor Henry Fonda played his father, Henry, in the movie version of Ken Kesey's novel.

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John Belushi ("Animal House" 1978)

The anarchic college comedy "Animal House" rocked Eugene and Cottage Grove during filming, and John Belushi became a star once the movie came out, playing the outrageous John "Bluto" Blutarsky. Food fight!

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James Garner ("Promise" 1986; "Maverick" 1994)

James Garner was skilled and watchable no matter the role. In "Promise," a 1986 TV movie presented by the Hallmark Hall of Fame, Garner was exceptional as the brother who has to take care of his younger brother (James Woods), who suffers from mental illness. The big-screen version of Garner's old TV series, "Maverick," didn't amount to much, but Garner was easy to take and the Oregon scenery was again a highlight.

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River Phoenix ("Stand By Me" 1986; "My Own Private Idaho" 1991)

The late River Phoenix was memorably sensitive and affecting in both of his Oregon-filmed movies.

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Keanu Reeves ("Permanent Record" 1988; "My Own Private Idaho" 1991; "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues" 1993; "Thumbsucker" 2005

Whether starring or playing a supporting role, Keanu Reeves has been a frequent visitor to Oregon for locally filmed projects.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Kindergarten Cop" 1991)

Arnold Schwarzenegger is always impossible to miss, so it's fair to say he made an impact in the Astoria-filmed family comedy, "Kindergarten Cop." It's also fair to say that comedy probably isn't Schwarzenegger's ideal genre.

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Timothy Hutton ("The Temp" 1993; "Leverage" 2008-2012)

Timothy Hutton had two reasons for coming to Oregon. The first was the forgettable thriller, "The Temp." But the easygoing caper series "Leverage" is still fondly remembered by fans.

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Jodie Foster ("Maverick" 1994)

As we noted before, the movie inspired by the "Maverick" TV series wasn't a particularly great work of cinema, but it offered the talented Jodie Foster a chance to lighten up, and she seemed to be having a good time.

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Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon ("The River Wild" 1994)

Everybody knows Meryl Streep is amazingly versatile, and she proved it again as an action heroine in this Oregon-filmed suspense adventure. Kevin Bacon -- no slouch in the versatility department himself -- was the bad guy who was almost as fearsome as the raging river rapids.

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Brad Pitt, Elizabeth McGovern ("The Favor" 1994)

Before he became bigtime movie star Brad Pitt, the actor had a secondary role as the boyfriend of Elizabeth McGovern (long before her "Downton Abbey" days) in this romantic comedy underachiever.

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Angelina Jolie ("Foxfire" 1996)

And speaking of before-they-were-stars types, Angelina Jolie was in this dark drama adapted from a Joyce Carol Oates novel before her big-screen fame, and before Jolie and Brad Pitt got together, then split.

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Kevin Costner ("The Postman" 1997)

Kevin Costner had scored big as a star and director ("Dances With Wolves") before filming part of this apocalyptic tale in Oregon. The movie cost a lot of money, and was widely regarded as a disappointment, but Costner is still around, acting in movies ("Hidden Figures") and starring in TV series ("Yellowstone").

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Mary Tyler Moore ("Payback" 1997)

The late, great Mary Tyler Moore starred in "Payback," a Portland-filmed TV movie in which she played a restaurant owner who sees a police officer assault a suspect. When she testifies to the officer's violent conduct, bad things start happening to her and her family. Uh, oh. Moore said in an interview that she wasn't too happy with the finished product, but having her here is still a feather in Portland's cap.

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Ben Stiller, Bill Pullman ("Zero Effect" 1998)

Ben Stiller ("Meet the Parents") played the assistant to a quirky private detective in Jake Kasdan's Portland-filmed movie.

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Cuba Gooding Jr, Robert De Niro ("Men of Honor" 2000)

Before Cuba Gooding Jr. was in "The People v O.J. Simpson" and Robert De Niro was making bleeped comments at the Tony Awards, the two appeared in this military drama, based on a true story.

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Benicio Del Toro, Tommy Lee Jones ("The Hunted" 2003)

Critics didn't find many reasons to seek out "The Hunted," but the thriller, which filmed in Portland and other locations in the Willamette Valley, at least brought the talented Benicio Del Toro, as a troubled vet, and Tommy Lee Jones, as the FBI agent out to catch him, to Oregon.

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Bruce Campbell ("My Name is Bruce" 2007)

Even Bruce Campbell has written that "My Name is Bruce" isn't the greatest movie ever made, but the Southern Oregon resident is always entertaining, whether acting in the "Evil Dead" movies, "Ash vs. Evil Dead" on Starz or his cameo as Ronald Reagan in "Fargo" Season 2.

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Kristen Stewart ("Twilight" 2008)

The first movie in the "Twilight" franchise was by far the best, and Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattison had definite chemistry as Bella, and Edward, the vampire who loves her. Stewart has branched out to work with a variety of creative filmmakers, and she's making another connection with her plans to direct a movie version of "The Chronology of Water," written by Portland-based author Lidia Yuknavitch.

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Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn ("Management" 2008)

Jennifer Aniston and Steve Zahn starred in this offbeat romance/drama/comedy about a man who keeps pursuing a woman, even when she announces she's marrying someone else. The movie filmed in Central Oregon, Portland, Oregon City and West Linn.

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Christian Kane ("Leverage" 2008-2012; "The Librarians" 2014-2018)

Whether he was part of the ensemble cast of TNT's "Leverage," or a member of the group if "The Librarians," Christian Kane stood out, thanks to a devoted legion of fans who kept track of his every move and social media post.

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Diane Lane ("Untraceable" 2008)

Diane Lane is good in whatever she's in, so let's just pass over the fact that critics weren't too impressed with "Untraceable," in which Lane played an FBI agent hunting for a serial killer in this thriller filmed in and around Portland.

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Michelle Williams ("Wendy and Lucy" 2008; "Meek's Cutoff" 2010)

The talented Michelle Williams was touching in "Wendy and Lucy," a haunting story about a young woman traveling with her dog who's struggling to find work and a home. Williams reunited with "Wendy and Lucy" director Kelly Reichardt for "Meek's Cutoff," inspired by a real story about a group traveling along the Oregon Trail in the 1800s.

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Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell ("Extraordinary Measures" 2010)

The cast was more impressive than the reviews, but the talented trio of Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell came to Oregon to film this drama about a couple trying to find a cure for their gravely ill child.

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Beth Nakamura/Staff

Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein ("Portlandia" 2011-2018)

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein took a satirical but affectionate look at Portland and its denizens in the sketch comedy series "Portlandia." Armisen likes Portland so much that he's back in town in June to film Season 3 of "Documentary Now!" with costar Bill Hader.

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Steve Buscemi directing a "Portlandia" episode in 2015. Photo: The Oregonian/file

Steve Buscemi ("Portlandia"; "Lean on Pete" 2017)

The wonderfully versatile Steve Buscemi has been in Oregon for memorable appearances as a guest star and guest director of "Portlandia," and as one of the stars of the critically praised "Lean On Pete," adapted from Oregon-based writer Willy Vlautin's novel.

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David Giuntoli, Reggie Lee and Russell Hornsby in "Grimm." Photo: NBC

"Grimm" cast (2011-2017)

In its six seasons, "Grimm" built an international fan following but it always had Portland at the center, with Portland-area locations, and stories about a Portland Police detective (David Giuntoli) dealing with all those Wesen that kept popping up. Joining Giuntoli was a cast with terrific chemistry, including Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell, Bitsie Tulloch, Reggie Lee, Sasha Roiz, Bree Turner and Claire Coffee.

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Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern ("Wild" 2014)

"Wild," the movie version of Portland-based writer Cheryl Strayed's bestselling memoir, spotlighted Oregon locations, and also featured vivid performances by Reese Witherspoon, as Strayed, and Laura Dern, as her beloved late mother.

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Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore in "Bates Motel." Photo: A&E

Related: 18 TV shows you didn't know were set in Oregon

We rounded up a list of TV shows that were set in Oregon (even if they didn't film here) a few years ago. Since then, more have joined the fray, including ABC's one-season "The Crossing," which was set in a fictional Oregon town though filmed in British Columbia.

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The Oregonian/staff

Related: 25 best movies filmed in Oregon

Here are our choices of some of the best movies filmed in Oregon. What are your picks?

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David Giuntoli and Russell Hornsby in "Grimm." Photo: NBC

23 TV series set in Oregon, ranked from memorable to forgettable

Over the years, several TV series have been set in Oregon, whether they filmed on location here or not. Here's our ranking of shows to celebrate, and those we're happy to forget.

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