Your Favorite Actors - Who and Why?

Clint Eastwood - ok he's made a few turkeys like The Eiger sanction and that Dirty Harry one with Tyne Daley, but he's made five of the best westerns ever, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, High Plains drifter, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Pale rider.
The original Dirty Harry movie with the scorpio killer is a great movie as well IMO.

Bill Murray - he's fantastic as big Ern McCracken in Kingpin, he's excellent in Scrooged, Groundhog day and the Ghostbusters movies.

Henry Fonda - Brilliant Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, excellent in Twelve Angry Men and in a rare role as a villain in Once upon a time in the west he's a stand out

Kathleen Turner - Body Heat, and The Man with two brains

 

Sir Anthony Hopkins Need I really say more: They guy worked with Sir Laurence Olivier, and Olivier told him he was good...

Dame Judi Dench ~~~ she's one of the most talented actresses alive, she becomes her characters...

Stanly Tucci ~~ he was William Shakespeare's Puck.

Gary Oldman ~~ he's the ultimate chameleon. He's played Beethoven, a twisted cop, an Doctor Smith from Lost in Space.

Cate Blanchett ~~ she has to be mentioned, brilliant... the next Judi Dench.

Ralph and Joseph Fines ~~ there has got to be something in their genes, they're just awesome on screen.

Owen and Luke Wilson ~~ Again, somethine in the Genes.

Russel Crowe ~~ amazing intensity in the eyes, the aussies breed 'em well

Heath Ledger ~~ Speaking of Aussies... yum...

I could go on and on.... but I wont.

~~~Aanix

 

Jude Law, Ewan McGregor, Elijah Wood, and Ed Harris-- but not for the reasons you might think.

Each has his own individual style. Jude's intensity draws me into films that I would otherwise never enjoy. He took a weak character (from a writing standpoint) in Enemy at the Gates and transformed him into a protagonist that the audience actually cared about. And what further amazes me is that he can seamlessly switch to edgy, unsympathetic, and practically villainous characters (Bosie in Wilde, Eugene in Gattaca) and play them with the same vigor and power as he does with the "nice" characters. I'm looking forward to seeing him as a hitman in Road to Perdition.

Ewan is like a slightly more boyish, slightly less intense Jude, with easily as much talent. I admire him mostly for choosing films that appeal to him personally, and refusing to cave into Hollywood expectations even after making his big break with Trainspotting. He seems to be one of the few actors who aren't actually in it for the money, and is therefore a refreshing new face in an increasingly materialistic medium.

There isn't much to say about Elijah that hasn't already been said. The boy is only 21, yet fairly oozing with talent. He's another chameleon, but the way his career has gone so far, he might as well have a tattoo that says, "I look like I'm 12! Cast me in another kiddie film!" Luckily, he seems to be breaking out of that typecasting nightmare and into more "adult" roles, like his most recent indie film, Ash Wednesday. Hopefully he'll begin to truly make a name for himself and show everyone what a great actor he really is.

Something deep inside of me has always liked Ed Harris. He is a true master of his art, and shows it every time he appears onscreen. For me, he was the only other highlight in Enemy At the Gates, a masterpiece in Pollock, and a welcome distraction in A Beautiful Mind. Like Jude, he brings an intensity to every role that steals the scenes and usually does more to sell a film than any big-name actors in the credits.

Anyway, those are my picks. Thanks for letting me get all descriptive here.

 

Jude Law's going to be a hit man in Road to Perdition? Now I'm excited about that movie! I bet that's going to be fantastic.

 

Crusie Rules and I rally like Renee Zelwegger. I don't know why, but she always makes a movie better.

 

Actors


Anthony Hopkins - (Meet Joe Black/The Silence of the Lambs/Hannibal) - His performances are breathtaking in every film and just capture you into the story.

Jack Nicholson - (The Shinning/Witches of EastWick) - He plays very powerful roles that suit such a powerful actor. He's fantastic to the core.


Actress

Jodi Foster - (Panic Room/The Silence of the Lambs) - She takes the story to all new levels and can scare the hell out of you by being the hero. That's talent!

 

Sidney Poitier

If you've never seen his movies I suggest you rent them and watch. The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field, To Sir With Love, In the Heat of the Night, They Call Me Mr Tibbs, Guess Who's coming to Dinner. All of them are great movies.

I have to say that I'm not a fan of George Clooney. No matter what movie he's in he's Dr. Ross from ER. I don't think that he's versatile at all.

 

William H. Macy. he is an extremely under-rated actor. the only other actor that even compared to him in Fargo was steve buscemi.

Steve Buscemi. he is amazing as a comedian, psycho, whatever he needs to be. he was even a believable peacekeeper in resivoir dogs.

 

Dominique Swain. She's smeggin brilliant in Lolita, especially considering it was her first major role.

 

I've got several but I'll just concentrate on one at the moment:

Colin Farrell

Recently seen in Minority Report , the man's a rising talent. His abilities to hide his Irish accent are incredible, considering how thick it is in real life. His performance in Minority Report was spot on. But he absolutely shined in Tigerland which also gave him his first big break. Coincidentally, he has yet to keep his accent in a film here in the states.

 

my favourite contemporary actor is edward norton. he's just brilliant. his performance in 'american history x' was extraordinary. his character in that film goes through many transformations, and he had me sold on every single minute of his performance. from a geeky, innocent, impressionable child, to a crazed white supremacist, and a few other transformations, he managed to make that character memorable and believable. his work in 'fight club' and 'the score' are also very, very good. i read that norton looks up to dustin hoffman, and it shows. both get so into their characters that the actors virtually disappear and all that's left are the thoughts, emotions, and actions of their characters.

of the classic hollywood actors, marlon brando is my favourite. his work in the godfather is remarkable, as it is in 'streetcar' and 'on the waterfront' as well.

 

I think Clooney is a lot more versatile than most people give him credit for. Granted I never watched ER really, but I think he's moved away from his original buff hero type stuff, like The Peacekeeper and Batman and Robin.

He's lately been in some impressive stuff and every movie I see him in impresses me more. Out of Sight was a brilliantly edgy performance with shades of real darkness that only really come out in the ending. O Brother, Where Art Thou? gave him the opportunity to really shine as well in a purely comedic role that was genius.

Clooney's set to really do something if he can keep it up.

 

I've seen every episode of ER, and I think George Clooney is good. I mean, he's like Matthew Perry- he's good in one roll. I don't think he really plays much variation on characters, but he plays that one very well

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Vincent Gallo - The most under rated actor of his time.He's been in Goodfellas but that is about the only Hollywood film he's graced his presence in.He was also in a CK BE ad.

Pruitt Taylor Vince - A fave of mine for awhile.He's been in a few Hollywood films but shines better in independant features.He's fat and his eyes twitch.Best known for an episode of the X-Files

Steve Buscemi - He's a great.Awesome performances in ever film.

 

My favorite actors? Hmmm....

I would have to say....

Samuel L. Jackson.

Why Sam?

The first 20 minutes of "Pulp Fiction", thats why.

And...

Lucy Lawless

Why Lucy?

Because I am very much in love with the lady.

 

Ewan McGregor - Fabulous in TPM and AOTC, of course. But I adore him in Moulin Rouge and A Life Less Ordinary too. He can play a wide variety of roles. Drama, Comedy, Romance, Action...

Hayden Christensen - After I saw Life as a House, I knew he would be great in AOTC. He was outstanding. Very talented. Can't wait to see more of him.

George Clooney - Good on ER, but I love his movies. The Peacemaker, Out of Sight, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and Ocean's 11. Always charming and humorous.

Julia Roberts - Always liked her work. Favorites from her are Erin Brockovich, Stepmom, Conspiracy Theory, and My Best Friend's Wedding. A very well-deserved Oscar.

Natalie Portman - Not alot of versatile roles, but she knows how to portray just the right emotions. The Professional is one of my favorite movies, mostly because of her. She was amazing in Anywhere But Here also. And of course, TPM and AOTC also.

Nicole Kidman - Very versatile. From To Die For to Batman Forever, The Peacemaker to Moulin Rouge. A very talented actress. Great in Billy Bathgate and Eyes Wide Shut too.

 

Anthony Hopkins: The man is brilliant in everything he does. Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Amistad, The Mask of Zorro, you name it! He's brilliant.

Ewan McGregor: He's the perfect actor to succeed Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan. Plus, he's got an excellent singing voice.

Kevin Spacey: He can play ANY character imaginable, and ALWAYS do a superb job. American Beauty wouldn't have been half as good without him.

Harrison Ford: Han Solo. Indiana Jones. Nothing more to be said. Awesome actor.

Johnny Depp: A truly excellent actor, especially when he teams up with Tim Burton. Best movie by far is Sleepy Hollow. There's no role he can't play.

Nicole Kidman: Wonderful in The Others, gorgeous as hell, and also blessed with a beautiful singing voice. Much more talented than a certain ex-husband. *cough*TomCruise*cough*

Natalie Portman: What can I say? Best actress alive. Most beautiful woman alive. Simply perfect.

Sarah Michelle Gellar: Kicks ass as Buffy. She just needs to get some better movie roles (Scooby Doo? What the hell was she thinking?).

Christina Ricci: She was born to play Wednesday Adams. Definitely the best thing about those movies. Plus, she's hot!

Julia Roberts: Excellent in every movie she's in, even when the movie itself isn't all that great (Hook, anyone?). Kicked major ass in Erin Brokovich.

Jodie Foster: The only good thing about Contact, and one of the best things about Silence of the Lambs. Simply breathtaking actress.

 

Obscure Actor Time!

Damian Lewis : His breakout role in America was playing real life WWII veteran, Major Richard Winters in the HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers. Damian Lewis is British but he did a FANTASTIC job doing an American accent and portraying a very difficult role that could otherwise have fallen into a cookie-cutter hero character.

Ron Livingston : Or perhaps better known as "That Guy From Office Space". He's a great comedian but more so than that, he's also a good dramatic actor. He was also in the HBO "Band of Brothers", which I'll say on a side note had A LOT of good actors. He's still floundering in the world of "almost famous, not quite" but hopefully he'll soon make a film that will allow him to shine.

Billy Crudup : Best known for playing Russell Hammond in "Almost Famous". A great, somewhat underrated, amazingly chameleonic actor. I was so sad I missed him when he was in NY for a run of "The Elephant Man" on stage.

 

Great choices Jedi15! Especially HF and *sigh* Kevin Spacey


-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Okee dokee - add another to my list.

William H. Macy - He is constantly working but many people don't recognize his name. He's best known for his brilliant turn in "Fargo". Recently he's starred in "Mystery Men", "Happy Texas", "Magnolia" and "Jurassic Park 3" (among many others).

I saw him the other night in TNT's production of "Door to Door". The true story of a man with Cerebral Palsy who becomes a door to door salesman with the Watkins company. It was one of the most beautiful, understated and moving performances I've ever seen.

I truly have a new appreciation for this man and his acting skill. If you get the opportunity, please check it out.

 

GENE HACKMAN - This rather ordinary looking man you wouldn't look twice at has this chameleon like quality to become the person he is portraying in such a convincing manner. One of my favorite Gene Hackman roles oddly is in The Firm. He manages to portray a shady, evil lawyer who has a change of heart who you actually feel sorry for in the end. His body of work is long, varied and extensive. I couldn't let this list go on without mentioning his name.

 

You know, Macy is also excellent in Down Periscope, as the opposing captain, and especially in that movie (name of which I can't remember) where he accidentally kills his second girlfriend, and then tries to cover up what happened, thinking he'll be blamed. Things go downhill from there for him. He kills a private detective who tries to blackmail him, and he sleeps with the police detective's wife, and gets caught.

Cary Grant- Really cool, gets shot at by an airplane in North by Northwest and rolls in a field and his suit still looks fine.

Harrison Ford- Good as an ordinary guy, also a good action hero. Jack Ryan, Indiana Jones, Han Solo, the Fugitive. He was the best Jack Ryan. Alec Baldwin was good but he wasn't Harrison.

Ian McDiarmid- Masterful performance as Palpatine. He seems so evil, and so cunning and diabolical, as Sidious and in Episode VI, yet at the same time acts like an honest and noble leader as Senator/Chancellor Palpatine.

James Earl Jones- A very skilled and versatile actor, and who could leave out the voice of Darth Vader?

Hugh Grant- Excellent in romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Notting Hill.

Sandra Bullock- She's got soul, and comic talent. While You Were Sleeping- very funny. Good in Speed as well. And she's cute.

More tomorrow.

 

Jim Carrey has to come top of my list.The guy is just unique.His perfromances in Ace Ventura,The Mask and Lair Liar are just brillant.In Me,myself and irene he shines.He has also shown he is not all "in your face" type chacaters because he has done The Truman Show and The Majestic.
Then Sam L what a actor he is!
And Hayden Christensen did a great job in AOTC i think he has got a big future a head of him because he handled the difficult Anakin role really well and shone in the Tusken confeesion scene.

 

Y'know, I've actually seen McDiarmid (at least, I'm pretty sure it was him) in something other than Star Wars... There was a BBC miniseries on PBS a few years back that starred him as a rather evil man who forced a woman to sleep with him to save her husband's job, and then he fired the husband anyway. He seems to be unable to break out of the villain mold, much like Christopher Lee... But then, I doubt Christopher Lee wants to break out of the villain mold. He's been in it for oh, about 50 years now...

Oh, and I almost forgot to add Tom Hanks to my list-- he has an amazing ability to play every roll in a way no one else could... I loved him in Apollo 13, CastAway, and Road to Perdition.

Speaking of Road, Jude was brilliant. Of course.

 

Patrick Stewart

He's Captain Picard, Gurney Halleck AND Professor X! what other reason do i need to like him?