Forgive me for stretching the time frame a little…
The best of all time… well, my answer should be obvious.
Duke.
Willem Defoe
Daniel Day-Lewis
Tom Hanks
John Candy
strange mix i know
No-one has mentioned Arnold yet, I think. While he may not have had the skills… he made a massive impact in movies. At one stage he commanded a higher salary than anyone else in Hollywood. So I think he deserves an honorable mention.
But, the top 4 are:
Robert De Niro
Morgan Freeman. Shawshank Redemption, nuff said.
Al Pacino. Scarface. Yeah!
Samuel L. Jackson.
[quote]E-man wrote:
Viggo Mortenson
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Arnold
Michael Douglas
I’m utterly amazed no one menioned Good ole ass kickin Chuck Norris.[/quote]
Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep. He passes out after two wine coolers.
The chief import of Chuck Norris is cock.
As a child, Chuck Norris used to spoon with other ginger kids during naptime.
Sorry… couldn’t resist.
Greatest actor ever is GARY OLDMAN because I didn’t even realize he was playing certain characters in movies until I saw the credits.
Brad Pitt is good in everything he plays except cool world!
Morgan Freeman is awsome. Glory comes to mind.
Johnny Depp especially in Blow.
William H Macy should be on the list, Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp are good calls.
More Honorable Mentions:
Kevin Spacey
Bill Murray
River Phoenix (Died before his prime too!)
Tim Robbins
Billy Bob Thornton
More Underrated Mentions:
Marlon Waynes (Watch, Requiem for a Dream)
Will Smith (Showed his diversity in Ali)
I think Paul Bettany’s one of those rare chameleon types that makes a fantastic screen actor. Russel Crowe as well. Hugo Weaving warrants a mention…
I try not to count the old Brits (McKellen, Stewart, Stephen Rea, et al) as they’ve been brillaint since they dropped from the womb and have been working across genres for the last 20-30 years.
[quote]Race Fan wrote:
Harrison Ford.[/quote]
Harrison Ford only plays Harrison Ford.
[quote]Limo Driver wrote:
I don’t believe I saw anyone mention Tom Hanks. Shame on all of you. Tom Hanks, Sean Penn, Daniel Day Lewis, Denzel, Nic Cage, Ed Norton, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Russell Crowe, Duvall, Kingsley, and more are my list toppers for the past 20 years.[/quote]
Also, Tom Hanks just plays Tom Hanks. I’ll give a slight nod to his performance in Forrest Gump, but other than that? He plays Tom Hanks.
I define great actors as those who can really stretch, and not just play the “same person” over and over again, even if they play that same person well. Hence my ruling out people like Hanks and Ford.
In no particular order:
Russell Crowe (might be an asshole, but what an actor! Probably the best of the newer generation of actors.)
Robert Duvall (See the Apostle. ‘Nuff said).
Robert DeNiro (See Cape Fear. Talk about “stretching” – Fuckin’ A!)
Jack Nicholson (Has anyone ever owned a part like he did in A Few Good Men?)
Morgan Freeman (always, always stellar)
Anthony Hopkins
Al Pacino
[quote]E-man wrote:
Viggo Mortenson
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Arnold
Michael Douglas
I’m utterly amazed no one menioned Good ole ass kickin Chuck Norris.[/quote]
That’s because Chuck Norris can’t act.
[quote]Damici wrote:
Russell Crowe (might be an asshole, but
[/quote]
He’s terribly overrated. He’s as monotone as it gets almost Keanu monotone. Let me know when he has a facial expression other than “constapated.”
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Tom Hanks - Best Actor two years in a row, his performance in Forrest Gump puts him among the all-time greats.
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Phillip Seymour Hoffman - really surprised he hasn’t been mentioned as he is a trendy actor to cite with all the recent laud from critics. He can play so many different characters and his performance in Boogie Nights, like so many of his othres, is nuts.
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Jack Nicholson
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Don Cheadle - does not really deserve this spot but I didn’t want to mention Nicholson, Pacino, or DeNiro again and would rather bring up an actor not mentioned. He has been great in Crash, Hotel Rwanda, Boogie Nights, and Ocean’s Eleven among others.
OK…I am going to push the time limit ever so slightly.
Marlon Brando: possibly the greatest actor (if one can define the greatest in such a subjective market).
Gary Oldman: and I can’t belive it took so long for him to get a mention. Certianly the best charector actor out there, with Paul Giamatti snipping at his heals.
Ed Norton: Given 10 more years I think he will prove himself to be the best of our generation.
SIDE NOTE: Greatest Movie scene ever??
True Romance → Chritopher Walken & Dennis Hopper Trailer scene.
[quote]PGA200X wrote:
Damici wrote:
Russell Crowe (might be an asshole, but
He’s terribly overrated. He’s as monotone as it gets almost Keanu monotone. Let me know when he has a facial expression other than “constapated.”[/quote]
Um . . . perhaps you haven’t seen Gladiator. Watch the scene where he’s psyching his men up to go into battle and talking about ending up in the fields of Elysium. Oh, and perhaps you should take a glance at A Beautiful Mind. There’s nothing monotone about his performance there, and it’s an amazing stretch from anything else he’s done. As a matter of fact, I think it won him Best Actor.
[quote]tblifter wrote:
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Tom Hanks - Best Actor two years in a row, his performance in Forrest Gump puts him among the all-time greats.
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Phillip Seymour Hoffman - really surprised he hasn’t been mentioned as he is a trendy actor to cite with all the recent laud from critics. He can play so many different characters and his performance in Boogie Nights, like so many of his othres, is nuts.
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Jack Nicholson
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Don Cheadle - does not really deserve this spot but I didn’t want to mention Nicholson, Pacino, or DeNiro again and would rather bring up an actor not mentioned. He has been great in Crash, Hotel Rwanda, Boogie Nights, and Ocean’s Eleven among others. [/quote]
Although I’ll grant him Forrest Gump, awards or not, Tom Hanks just ALWAYS strikes me as Tom Hanks onscreen. Unfortunately, they put him in a lot of good movies (where someone else would’ve been prefereable). Take his role in Saving Private Ryan. He played it just fine, but he played Tom Hanks, nothing else. Granted, it wasn’t a role that required that much of a stretch, but I’d much rather have seen someone like Edward Norton in that role. Or better yet, imagine a much younger Duvall in that role! He could’ve been riveting in that role!
[quote]KneeBar wrote:
SIDE NOTE: Greatest Movie scene ever??
True Romance → Chritopher Walken & Dennis Hopper Trailer scene.
[/quote]
I LOVE that scene! I also think they’re both great actors.
Really glad that someone mentioned Philip Seymour Hoffman. I’d say that he has to be in my opinion the greatest actor that I’ve seen in a movie. His range of characters is amazing: in every film he is a different person. That’s what actings about!
Try watching ‘Happiness’ (darkest film you’ll ever see; ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ (only a small role), or ‘Magnolia’. Haven’t seen ‘Capote’ yet.
Ewan McGregor