well-known or famous

[AirbusA321]

Which are the better options in these sentences?

In the 80s, French cars were well-known/famous for corroding fast.
Ryanair is a very well-known/famous low cost carrier.
My mother is well-known/famous for being a good cook.
Tom Hanks has been a well-known/famous actor for many years.

 

[emsr2d2]

Which one would you choose for each sentence? What differences, if any, have you found by looking up the definitions of "well-known" and "famous" in good dictionaries?

 

[AirbusA321]

I could imagine that "famous" has a slightly more positive touch than "well-known", that's why I would tend to use "well-known" in the first sentence. Maybe both work in the other three?

 

[GoesStation]

Well known is, I think, usually used for a positive attribute. Famous works well for positive and negative ones.

There should not be a hyphen in your first sentence.