Best Actors/Actresses

[Riotbeard]

Ok so I was curious about other peoples favorites, but I also wanted to divide this into three catagories. 1. Up and comer/the future all time great, 2. current greatest actor (These people are at the height of their skill), 3. All time greats.

Part of the impetus for this thread is I am watching this british movie Fish Tank, and wondering why Michael Fassbender isn't better known? Ok so here is my list:

Future Greats: Michael Fassbender (Watch Hunger and Shame), Carey Mulligan (Shame)

Current Greatestaniel Day Lewis, Meryll Streep

All Time Greats (a little bit boring but whatever): Robert De Niro, Maggie Smith

Honorable Mentions: David Thewlis in Naked, Tony Lueng (too many movies)

 

[shawnbm]

An impossible topic--great in drama? comedy? action films? "method acting"?

I love some actors and actresses in all of those. Some of the best comedic actors and actresses I ever saw were folks like Peter Sellers, Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Jack Lemmon, Gene Wilder, Eric Idle, and a host of others. In dramas, there have been greats: Richard Burton (when on and not bogged down by the drink); Lord Laurence Olivier, Robert Mitchum (one of the best bad guys ever); Marlon Brando (up until Apocalypse Now); Robert De Niro of the 1970s and 1980s; Paul Newman, Meryl Streep; Catherine Deneuve; Kate Winslet (good LORD is she something--in every way); and many others as well.

For action, I will always be partial to Sean Connery and Clint Eastwood.

At the end of the day, there have been so many fabulous actors and actresses. Although I personally dislike her, Jane Fonda has acted in some memorable roles. I think Pacino can be too type-casted (like Bobby de Niro) but he has been exemplary in many a role over the years. Another goodie is Denzel Washington and character actors like Strother Martin, Lee Marvin, the Duke and a host of others.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

i think shawn's right here - this is an impossible topic/question some great men and women named in here. made me recall of one dear memory/funny story: couple of years ago, i was driving home from Germany and gave a young Afghan, who was Worshipping Sharukh Khan. to him, he was the best actor to ever set foot on this planet, so to speak. seven hour ride, he'd give me the whole ethnic/family background story of Khan, and told us that apparently, there was to be a "Best Actor Ever"-special Oscar to be given to him at the next Academy Awards. and i'm not kidding, he actually said "special Oscar for Best Actor Ever".

it was really charming. and a good reminder that what qualities we look for in an actor sure is influenced by cultural preference. (also gets me thinking of Jackie Chan explaining on a german TV show how good acting is making REALLY sure that the audience knows what's going on - grimaces and all. anyone who's ever seen a Jackie Chan flick and his way of showing emotions - surprise, pain, ... - knows what i'm talking about )

 

[tented]

Ok so I was curious about other peoples favorites, but I also wanted to divide this into three catagories. 1. Up and comer/the future all time great, 2. current greatest actor (These people are at the height of their skill), 3. All time greats.

Part of the impetus for this thread is I am watching this british movie Fish Tank, and wondering why Michael Fassbender isn't better known? Ok so here is my list:

Future Greats: Michael Fassbender (Watch Hunger and Shame), Carey Mulligan (Shame)

Current Greatestaniel Day Lewis, Meryll Streep

All Time Greats (a little bit boring but whatever): Robert De Niro, Maggie Smith

Future greats: Agree about Fassbender. Great talent. Jamie Bell. Also: Jessica Chastain, Noomi Rapace. (Does it have to be just 2, with one man and one woman? I'm going to say no, as you'll see ...)

Current greats: Streep (of course), Daniel Day-Lewis (of course), Denzel Washington, Ciaran Hinds, Juliette Binoche, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Sean Penn, Javier Bardem

All-time greats: Judi Dench, Vanessa Redgrave, Jack Lemmon, Liv Ullman

 

[Riotbeard]

I am open to rule changes to the question. I will admit like the goat question this is a subjective one. So read best as favorite instead. I would also probably put up Gary Oldman.

 

[shawnbm]

If we are talking favorite actor, then there are many a Paul Newman film I have liked, as well as Peter Sellers. Always a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

In terms of actresses, I really like Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Ingrid Bergman and Julie Delpy. I have also been a fan of Diane Keaton and Kelly MacDonald.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I'll start with my favorite actor:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV4xo_rF-oo

 

[Riotbeard]

If we are talking favorite actor, then there are many a Paul Newman film I have liked, as well as Peter Sellers. Always a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

In terms of actresses, I really like Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Ingrid Bergman and Julie Delpy. I have also been a fan of Diane Keaton and Kelly MacDonald.

I love Clint Eastwood and Peter Sellers also. As far current comedic actors, Ricky Gervais and even in his worst movies, I think Will Ferrel is hilarious.

 

[tented]

If we are talking favorite actor, then there are many a Paul Newman film I have liked, as well as Peter Sellers. Always a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

In terms of actresses, I really like Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Ingrid Bergman and Julie Delpy. I have also been a fan of Diane Keaton and Kelly MacDonald.

I came this close to adding Gene Hackman. I should have. He's great at comedy, drama, action, mystery -- everything.

Winslet, Cruz, Bergman, and MacDonald are also terrific picks.

I'll start with my favorite actor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV4xo_rF-oo

Nicholson is in the same group as De Niro and Pacino: truly great actors in the '70s, but have since become typecast and repetitive to the point of caricature. It's a shame, too. Nicholson in Cuckoo's Nest is one of the greatest performances of all time, IMO. Pacino in The Godfather movies, and Dog Day Afternoon. De Niro in The Godfather II and Raging Bull.

I love Clint Eastwood and Peter Sellers also. As far current comedic actors, Ricky Gervais and even in his worst movies, I think Will Ferrel is hilarious.

I can't resist Gervais or Ferrel either, no matter how bad the movie really is.

 

[shawnbm]

I forgot about ol' Jack--certainly some of the best roles I have seen an actor play. He was stellar in Cuckoo's Nest, Crossing Guard, The Promise (I think that was what it was called), and A Few Good Men. I also agree about Will Ferrell--that is one helluva funny guy on screen.

 

[Kieran]

Brando is the default setting for me: his performances in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront are not only groundbreaking, but also hit the pinnacle for that modern style of acting. I read somewhere that on stage he was immense. Sure, he lost it a bit in the sixties and regained some in the seventies, but at the high end of these things, he was an actual genius.

Modern actors? Daniel Day Lewis is a great actor, so is Mickey Rourke, Joaquin Phoenix.

Actresses? Hilary Swank was setting some pace a few years back, but she's made some bad choices. I think Nicole Kidman is sexy, but mannered. Kind of like Maryl, you see the actor-moves happening there. False nose, dodgy accent, "uh but off corss I vill ber-ding my chiltren into ze showers."

I love old Hollywood actors too, icons and archetypes: Gable, Bogart, Cagney, James Stewart, Robert Mitchum, Bette Davis, Olivia de Haviland, Peter Lorre. Old school film-making cut to the core.

Okay, one more name: John Cassavetes. Loved the guy as an actor. He was quite experimental as a director too...

 

[shawnbm]

Watched one of my old favorites with my family yesterday afternoon--Gaslight (Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotton and an 18 year old Angela Lansbury). I just love well made black and whities.

 

[britbox]

Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo de Caprio of the actors I would regard as still in their primes. Of all time, always loved De Niro, Pacino and Nicholson. Meryl Streep is great actress - love a lot of her work.

 

[kskate2]

If we are talking favorite actor, then there are many a Paul Newman film I have liked, as well as Peter Sellers. Always a huge fan of Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

In terms of actresses, I really like Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Ingrid Bergman and Julie Delpy. I have also been a fan of Diane Keaton and Kelly MacDonald.

I love Clint Eastwood and Peter Sellers also. As far current comedic actors, Ricky Gervais and even in his worst movies, I think Will Ferrel is hilarious.

Don't like Will at all. Much prefer the comedic skills of Vince Vaughn.

 

[Alex]

Brando is the default setting for me: his performances in A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront are not only groundbreaking, but also hit the pinnacle for that modern style of acting. I read somewhere that on stage he was immense. Sure, he lost it a bit in the sixties and regained some in the seventies, but at the high end of these things, he was an actual genius.

Yes, this. I understand citing Brando is a little cliche, but the cliche holds true, for me. It's so unfortunate that he tarnished his legacy later on with such bad choices. I wish I could have seen him opposite Jessica Tandy on stage in Streetcar; people always talk about how the plot in that show not only functioned on a literal level but it also represented, with Tandy and Brando in the roles, a collision of two styles of acting, the old school vs. the new school.

If I had to choose my favorite actor and actress, I'd say Al Pacino and Jodie Foster. (I always think these types of threads primarily just reveal the posters' own preferences, though.) Another cliche alert: Pacino's performance in Godfather I and especially II is my favorite film performance. I wish Hollywood had more meaty roles for people "of a certain age." I know he's been doing a lot more stage work recently.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

^ since you mentioned "the collision of two styles of acting" random story involving two of my favorite actors of all time:

before the shooting of "Marathon Man"s climactic scene, Dustin Hoffman arrives on set, completely tired out and weary. Laurence Olivier asks him why he looks so distressed, to which Hoffman replies that (in what was then the big fashion of "method acting")he had fully immerged into his character by not having slept for three days straight. to which Olivier replied (something along the lines of) "Have you tried 'acting', my boy? it's much easier!"

truth be told, Hoffman has since rebuked this is a part myth. the dialogue apparently happened like that, but Hoffman's response was more of a joke, as was Olivier's; the real reason for Hoffman's shabby look was, depending on when he told the story, either personal stress as he was going through a rough divorce, or partying all night at Studio 54. still, it's a fun story. and Hoffman sure nails it in the movie. love the guy, really. "Rain Man", even despite Tom Cruise, might still be one of my all time favorites. loved that film as a kid as well. oh, since we're at 'loved it as a Kid' - i actually think "Hook" is great entertainment, and a wonderful performance by Hoffman. of course, his true classics came much earlier. Graduate, Kramer vs Kramer, All the President's Men, Straw Dogs, Tootsie. great stuff. of course, he's been taking it quite easy lately, but it still brought some very enjoyable movies - Last Chance Harvey, a great little role in "Barney's Version" - where the lead is a guy who imo is highly underrated: Paul Giamatti. he never quite broke into the mainstream like Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he can be just wonderful. "Win Win" was another great little movie with him.


as for something completely different: how about some recognition for Tom Hardy. weird, weird guy. some horrible movie choices aside (after all, acting is still a job and you need to make some money) - the guy is seriously dedicated to his craft. "Bronson" was a truly stunning performance if you ask me. my only problem with him might be that half of the time, you have no idea what he's saying.

 

[britbox]

^ since you mentioned "the collision of two styles of acting" random story involving two of my favorite actors of all time:

before the shooting of "Marathon Man"s climactic scene, Dustin Hoffman arrives on set, completely tired out and weary. Laurence Olivier asks him why he looks so distressed, to which Hoffman replies that (in what was then the big fashion of "method acting")he had fully immerged into his character by not having slept for three days straight. to which Olivier replied (something along the lines of) "Have you tried 'acting', my boy? it's much easier!"

truth be told, Hoffman has since rebuked this is a part myth. the dialogue apparently happened like that, but Hoffman's response was more of a joke, as was Olivier's; the real reason for Hoffman's shabby look was, depending on when he told the story, either personal stress as he was going through a rough divorce, or partying all night at Studio 54. still, it's a fun story. and Hoffman sure nails it in the movie. love the guy, really. "Rain Man", even despite Tom Cruise, might still be one of my all time favorites. loved that film as a kid as well. oh, since we're at 'loved it as a Kid' - i actually think "Hook" is great entertainment, and a wonderful performance by Hoffman. of course, his true classics came much earlier. Graduate, Kramer vs Kramer, All the President's Men, Straw Dogs, Tootsie. great stuff. of course, he's been taking it quite easy lately, but it still brought some very enjoyable movies - Last Chance Harvey, a great little role in "Barney's Version" - where the lead is a guy who imo is highly underrated: Paul Giamatti. he never quite broke into the mainstream like Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he can be just wonderful. "Win Win" was another great little movie with him.


as for something completely different: how about some recognition for Tom Hardy. weird, weird guy. some horrible movie choices aside (after all, acting is still a job and you need to make some money) - the guy is seriously dedicated to his craft. "Bronson" was a truly stunning performance if you ask me. my only problem with him might be that half of the time, you have no idea what he's saying.

Yeah, I like Hoffman too and dare I say it, I think Tom Cruise gets a bad rap too often. Personally, I quite like Cruise as an actor - I think he's underrated.

 

[Johnsteinbeck]

^ well, i think his craziness moved him from over- to underrated very quickly. i'm not a big fan of his, but think in the right roles, he can be great. just that i can barely stand watching him knowing how unbelievably deranged he must be. feel similar about Mel Gibson (maybe not as versatile/good, but i used to like him), Charlie Sheen (i mean, Hot Shots!), or Gerard Depardieu. i can distinguish the craft and professional from the person and character in a lot of things, be it music, sports.. but with actors, you see their faces too much to get over that

 

[Kieran]

I like Depardieu, I must say, when he isn't cocking a leg on airplanes or making de Niro-esque rubbish comedies. And Mel Gibson directed two of the best films I ever seen (The Passion and Apocalypto), which I never thought he could do. I don't like him as an actor, though, and as a person he seems 'troubled', to say the least.

Tom Cruise? Not my cuppa. And put him in a Spielberg movie and I don't even have to think, it's not one I'll bother with...

 

[shawnbm]

^ since you mentioned "the collision of two styles of acting" random story involving two of my favorite actors of all time:

before the shooting of "Marathon Man"s climactic scene, Dustin Hoffman arrives on set, completely tired out and weary. Laurence Olivier asks him why he looks so distressed, to which Hoffman replies that (in what was then the big fashion of "method acting")he had fully immerged into his character by not having slept for three days straight. to which Olivier replied (something along the lines of) "Have you tried 'acting', my boy? it's much easier!"

truth be told, Hoffman has since rebuked this is a part myth. the dialogue apparently happened like that, but Hoffman's response was more of a joke, as was Olivier's; the real reason for Hoffman's shabby look was, depending on when he told the story, either personal stress as he was going through a rough divorce, or partying all night at Studio 54. still, it's a fun story. and Hoffman sure nails it in the movie. love the guy, really. "Rain Man", even despite Tom Cruise, might still be one of my all time favorites. loved that film as a kid as well. oh, since we're at 'loved it as a Kid' - i actually think "Hook" is great entertainment, and a wonderful performance by Hoffman. of course, his true classics came much earlier. Graduate, Kramer vs Kramer, All the President's Men, Straw Dogs, Tootsie. great stuff. of course, he's been taking it quite easy lately, but it still brought some very enjoyable movies - Last Chance Harvey, a great little role in "Barney's Version" - where the lead is a guy who imo is highly underrated: Paul Giamatti. he never quite broke into the mainstream like Philip Seymour Hoffman, but he can be just wonderful. "Win Win" was another great little movie with him.


as for something completely different: how about some recognition for Tom Hardy. weird, weird guy. some horrible movie choices aside (after all, acting is still a job and you need to make some money) - the guy is seriously dedicated to his craft. "Bronson" was a truly stunning performance if you ask me. my only problem with him might be that half of the time, you have no idea what he's saying.

"IS IT SAFE?"

Is that not one of the most memorable lines in cinematic history!