the beatles have beaten jazz star louis armstrong and tv actress lucille ball to be named icons of the century by readers of us magazine variety.

it named the liverpool band "the sole group who has most shaped the face of modern-day show business".

the magazine ranked 100 iconic entertainment figures from the last 100 years, with industry figures drawing up a shortlist that readers voted on.

what a wonderful world singer armstrong came second, with ball in third place.

among the criteria for choosing "icons" were their commercial and creative impact, number of imitators , enduring appeal and whether they appeared on t-shirts.

the list aimed to represent every side of show business, including actors, directors, screenwriters, musicians, tv presenters, animals, comedians and even cartoon characters.

however, its top 10 was dominated by hollywood and music stars.

despite the constant popularity of the late singer's work, elvis presley appeared in 10th place, below marilyn monroe and mickey mouse.

among other names on the list were us tv host johnny carson, singer johnny cash and canine star lassie.

variety conducted the poll to mark its 100th anniversary. it did not reveal how many votes were cast.

icons of the century:

1. the beatles
2. louis armstrong
3. lucille ball
4. humphrey bogart
5. marlon brando
6. charlie chaplin
7. james dean
8. marilyn monroe
9. mickey mouse
10. elvis presley

(agencies)