I'm not sure how one goes thru film school, and doesn't know who actors are from past, and present. If you're interested in a particular field of study I'd think you'd immerse yourself in all aspects of it, not just the technical aspects, or from one side of the camera.
To say you go to film school, and don't know who actors are, as you look at films, and study directors, and how a film was shot, and why, and WHO was in it seems odd. History by it's definition is a study of the past, and how does one study film without discussing the very objects of the camera lens.
For that matter I didn't go to film school, or watch silent films, but I know who the stars of that era were, and they were all dead and buried before I was even born. Any successful or intelligent student of the history of film is going to know who most if not who all actors, and directors were, and why they were important in their era (Flynn is about as iconic an actor as there's ever been).