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Greatest movie actor ever

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Versatile, Jan 16, 2013.

  1. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Bill Clinton?
     
  2. kingcreole

    kingcreole Active Member

    My personal favorite is Jack Nicholson. His role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" was nothing short of brilliant. And I know people went crazy for Heath Ledger as the Joker, but I thought Nicholson was better.
     
  3. godshammgod

    godshammgod Member

    It was My Left Foot...1989 I believe.
     
  4. casty33

    casty33 Active Member

    As an oldtimer, my choice is Spencer Tracy. But Jack Nicholson can't be far behind.
     
  5. godshammgod

    godshammgod Member

    Very true, and fair.

    Peter Sellers comes to mind, outside of the "big" names.

    Also, confession: I loved Richard Pryor in Big.
     
  6. The problem with a lot of those guys is IMO they are either now playing themselves or are one-trick ponies.
    I think Nicholson - once really good - is a now a caricature. The same with Pacino and even DeNiro.
    Once great, but no longer and because they are still acting, having watered down the idea they could be the best ever.
    I'm inclined to pick DDL, but I'd go with Newman, with Redford, a close second.
     
  7. Azrael

    Azrael Well-Known Member

    Overlooked True Grit Division: John Wayne? Jeff Bridges?
     
  8. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    The actors in the digital era of movies have a distinct advantage over the actors of the pre digital era in this poll. It's not really fair to compare.
     
  9. HC

    HC Well-Known Member

    I think Meryl Streep and Charlize Theron need to be on this list. The mark of a good actor - a complete lack of vanity in service to the character.

    Part of the problem is that we view many earlier actors with a contemporary eye which is unfair. Acting styles have changed and the technology has changed in ways that altered the style of acting required. Early films were treated like stage performances and the performances reflect that.
     
  10. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I love some of the points being made on this thread. Yes, Nicholson's Joker was better. I also agree with HC that old movie performances reflect stage sensibilities. The acting in, for example, "Sunset Boulevard" essentially takes me out of the film at times. Same with the Susan Alexander character in "Citizen Kane."

    I think Marlon Brando tops the list. I think that Robert DeNiro is second - "Raging Bull" is my favorite performance of all time. I think Nicholson is third.

    Also, for everyone's consideration:

    Dennis Hopper
    Denzel Washington
    Leonardo DiCaprio
    Brad Pitt
    Johnny Depp (yes, Johnny Depp)
    Don Cheadle
    Paul Giamatti

    Liam Neeson and Nic Cage could have been on this list if they didn't act in anything that provided a paycheck. (Samuel L. Jackson, too.)

    Most unfairly maligned: Mark Wahlberg

    Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix will be on this list five years from now.

    Michael Shannon and Michael Fassbender will be on this list 10 years from now. So might Ryan Gosling.
     
  11. Songbird

    Songbird Well-Known Member

    Fassbender definitely. Waltz, too.
     
  12. Liut

    Liut Well-Known Member

    +1
     
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