Who's the best actor on the planet?

Because I'm curious.

Who, to you, is the best actor on the planet? Or the best five? No distinctions, either: American, foreign, male, female, young, old. Not when you were a kid. Not ten years ago. Right now. Just the best five. Why? And what is their signature performance?

Considering the following: Range, Roles, Clunkers, Streak of Good Perfs, etc.

Think about it and post it here.

Thanks.

 

Johnny Depp
Russell Crowe
Meryl Streep

I have these actors in a top category. Everyone else occupies a different tier. And I think it is because they don't have signature performances that they are here.

 

Depp and Streep, absolutely. But as much as I enjoyed "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind," I don't think Crowe is up there yet. However, "A Good Year" may be skewing my perception.

I re-watched "Castaway" over the weekend, and was further impressed by Tom Hanks' performance.

Anthony Hopkins is a great one, too.

 

All kinds of acceptable answers here, I think.
Denzel, Hanks, DeNiro, Depp, Streep, Norton, Nicholson, Sarandon...I'm sure I'm leaving off some great ones.

 

Based on the available information?
Really hard to say.
Anyone can throw a random big name out there.
Don't know of anyone that jumps out at me.

Regardless, I suppose I should answer the question
Even though I disagree with its effectiveness.
Never mind how many people will get up in arms if you make an odd choice.
For that's just an inevitability when it comes to Internet debates.
Ridiculous though it may be, I hereby submit as my choice:
Omar Epps.

 

Paul Pierce.

 

Having just finished the entire Sopranos run, I debated including Gandalfini and Falco, but I'd like to see a little more versatility first (they were versatile in the show, but I want to see them in more non-Sopranos roles; in fact, I've never seen Falco anywhere else).
I should add Martin Sheen as well.

 

Of the people who are doing their best work now, as opposed to 20 years ago...

Edward Norton
Sean Penn
Russell Crowe
Cate Blanchett
Kate Winslet

 

I haven't seen Iron Man yet (which I hear is good but I doubt is his masterpiece), but what about Robert Downey Jr.?

 

He's a great actor. Hopefully the success he's had in Iron Man, combined with Tropical Thunder, which looks tremendous, will mean he starts showing up regularly on screen again.

Hopefully, he stays clean as well.

 

To be fair, I think he's in the planet now. Not on it.

And I'm not talking about Epps.

 

I thought "Team America: World Police" had established Alec Baldwin's supremacy in the field of acting?

That is, of course, until Kim Jong-Il blew his head off: "You are worthress, Arec Baldwin!"