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A funny thing happened in the 20th century... Actually many funny, dramatic, moving and tuneful things happened.

Legendary composers, singers and actors had enjoyed great, though largely word-of-mouth reputations before. But it was during the 20th century - with the birth of cinema, television, recorded music and home entertainment - that the entire planet could truly enjoy its most creative people and their work.

These new, mass-market mediums and technological innovations inspired and nurtured a new breed of pioneering entertainers. Attracting enormous audiences the world over, it is no exaggeration to say the four icons we are shining a spotlight on each touched countless lives.

Who do you think is the greatest?

Lived: 1947-2016
Born: London, UK
Known for: An innovator constantly at music’s cutting edge

David Bowie’s cutting-edge music gave the world the sound of the future, today.

1. He was always at the cutting edge

Often adopting a series of personas, and never afraid to reinvent his sound, David Bowie was a constant musical innovator – keeping him ahead of the pack. The characters he created, from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke, allowed him to inhabit new sonic landscapes. And Bowie astutely picked the best collaborators to help him achieve his goals. Unlike many other musicians, he remained current for his entire career.

2. He was an early adopter

Bowie sang of the future, but he was also keen to embrace it off-record. An early champion of internet technology, his 1999 album Hours was the first by a major artist to be made available as a download (pub fact: Spotify founder Daniel Ek was just 16 at the time.) He also briefly ran an internet dial-up service called BowieNet.

3. He will be missed, but he left something special behind him

The announcement of David Bowie’s death on 10 January 2016 shocked the world. It wasn’t just that one of music’s greatest icons had passed, but he had just released a brand-new album the week before. Bowie had turned his own impending death from cancer into the inspiration for this final work: Black Star. On its release, fans and critics had speculated about the songs’ meaning for a week, before their true depth was revealed. Few of us are truly prepared to confront death but David Bowie turned his into art.

Lived: 1889-1977
Born: London, UK
Known for: The world’s first global movie star

Charlie Chaplin was the silent film star who commanded the world’s attention.

1. He was a survivor

Born into poverty in London, Chaplin’s early forays into showbiz were not a bid for stardom, just survival. It was a tough start in life – his father had abandoned the family and though Charlie’s mother was a singer she suffered from mental health issues. The future superstar was left to scratch out a living working on London’s Music Hall circuit. It was either that or the brutal workhouse – which young Charlie did end up in at one point.

2. He was an originator

Chaplin appeared as The Little Tramp in his films between 1914 to 1936. The character would become the most famous clown of the silent cinema era. Not bad for a creation he quickly rustled up in the Keystone studio wardrobe department for a short he was cast in. It was no fluke – such was Chaplin’s genius, he increasingly took control of his films and eventually ran his own studio.

3. The silent star had a lot to say

Having resisted the ‘talkies’ for as long as he could, Charlie Chaplin’s first film with speech was The Great Dictator in 1940. With the whole world watching, and now listening, Chaplin’s satire devastatingly sent up dictators. One of the first Hollywood pictures to address anti-Semitism, The Great Dictator lampooned Hitler, while the film’s final speech proved to be a brilliant, forward-thinking championing of democracy. Hitler, along with Italian dictator Mussolini and Spain’s military leader General Franco all banned the film, so it certainly hit its mark.

Lived: 1915-1959
Born: Philadelphia, USA
Known for: Jazz singer whose sultry style stirred the world’s soul

Dripping with raw emotion, Billie Holiday’s sultry vocals stirred the soul… and society.

1. She wasn’t guessing when it came to emotion

Billie had a troubled childhood. Abandoned by her father and often separated from her mother, she was looked after by a succession of carers. She experienced neglect, physical abuse and sexual assault. By 1929 Billie had moved to New York and found herself working in a brothel until she eventually started singing for tips in the 1930s. This harsh introduction to the world informed the emotional depths Holiday could reach – though there was much more than misery to Billie’s beautiful, stirring performances.

2. She got lucky

Billie’s first big break came when she was spotted by Columbia Records’ John Hammond who would go on to sign Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen amongst others. He’d actually seen Holiday by chance when she was filling in for a then better-known performer. Astonished by her sensual singing, he quickly had her working with white band leaders Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. This was ground-breaking in strictly segregated 1930s American society.

3. She stuck her neck out during a dangerous time

If Holiday’s successful work with white orchestras forced some parts of America to question its segregated society, her decision to record Strange Fruit brought the country’s race relations into sharp focus. Based on a poem written by Jewish school teacher Abel Meeropol, the song is about the lynching of African Americans. Holiday initially feared retribution when she first performed Strange Fruit live in 1939 and her label was reluctant to release it. However, the haunting song proved popular amongst audiences and was welcomed by those trying to reform America.

Lived: 1926-1962
Born: Los Angeles, USA
Known for: The actress who defined her times

The camera loved Marilyn Monroe, and so did everyone else.

1. The blonde bombshell

Monroe was discovered when employed in an aircraft factory during World War Two – she was spotted by an army photographer while working on the assembly of target practice drones. She’d had a difficult and probably abusive childhood, having been raised in a series of orphanages and foster homes. It was this challenging start in life that gave her the strength and determination to reinvent herself, master her art and succeed.

2. There was nothing ‘dumb’ about the way she smashed the studio system

Monroe honed the ‘dumb blonde’ character and proved herself to be a skilled comic actress. By 1955 Monroe decided she no longer wanted to play ‘dumb’ or ‘ditzy’ roles but studio bosses objected. Marilyn decided to set up her own production company – a move that is now seen as pivotal in ending the restrictive contracts issued by the ‘studio system’. A series of acclaimed films like Bus Stop and Some Like It Hot followed.

3. She owned her image

Marilyn knew how to work the camera and get the best images from her medium – collaborating with world-famous masters like Richard Avedon and Cecil Beaton and defining the careers of others like Sam Shaw and Douglas Kirkland. She once said: “When the photographers come, it’s like looking in a mirror. They think they arrange me to suit themselves, but I use them to put over myself.” Even when early nude images of her surfaced at the start of her career, instead of fuelling a scandal, Marilyn owned the decision and never apologised for it. She took control of photoshoots, knew what worked and what didn’t, and ruthlessly edited the results. Her relationship with the camera created some of the most iconic images of the 20th century, many of which are still instantly recognisable today.

Four entertainers. Four extraordinary achievements. But only one can be the most iconic entertainer of the 20th century. The decision is yours.