In recent years, the editors of Variety have posed the same question to hundreds of famous personalities: "What is the movie that changed your life?” Gathered here for the first time are the responses of movie stars and comedians, politicians and war correspondents, athletes and business magnates, and many more.

We discover Candace Bushnell's appreciation of Annie Hall, which she refashioned into Sex and the City; Sen. John McCain's quote-laden adoration of Viva Zapata!; and journalists Tom Brokaw and Lawrence Wright's disparate inspirations, His Gal Friday and All the President's Men.

From Sarah Jessica Parker to Ralph Nader, Bill Maher to Jerry Rice, Donald Trump to Jesse Jackson, Danielle Steel to Gore Vidal, this fascinating and entertaining collection reveals the films that have left their mark on the individuals shaping our world.