I must confess that a variable in my list was the volume of noir titles that a performer appeared in. Unfortunately, many of the actresses, even those who had standout roles, made fewer noir films than did most of the gentlemen.

As for Orson Welles, I think even his Shakespeare adaptions are quite noirish.

It was a struggle to compile the roster and make cuts. I was conflicted about choosing Dennis O'Keefe over John Payne and Dan Duryea. I discounted Duryea's stock a little because quite a few of his credits were for supporting roles rather than leads.