Great actor thread

[Stealhead]

Seeing as we have the beautiful woman thread I figure why not have a great actor thread.

Im using the term actor unisex so this can include any male or female actor. Of course here we are interested in the acting skills not beauty or handsomeness. How about in addition to posting the persons name and picture we also list the films or films that best display their skill.


Personally I have always been a fan of Clint Eastwood. I especially like how he tends to play a character who has flaws yet manages to overcome them. In his western films I enjoy the gritty feel of his characters unlike John Wayne he has flaws yet is still a tough hombre I find it more convincing to see a hero that sometimes makes a mistake.

Hard to say what Eastwood film I like best but I really like Gran Torino mainly because Eastwood's character is at a low point in his life and he is older and frailer but he finds a new meaning and even sacrifices himself to help someone that he cares about. What's not to admire in a character like that?

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608023264805847433&pid=15.1&P=0

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.608009151541021448&pid=15.1&P=0

[GoldenRivet]

Tom Hanks

http://assets-s3.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/celebrities/204-tom-hanks/1251126993_tom_hanks_290x402.jpg

I have a hand full of actors that could make the list, but im going to have to give the nod to Mr Hanks.

Almost any film which places him in a starring role is sure to be a hit. I would have a hard time naming a film of his that didnt touch me on an intellectual or emotional level. One of the purposes of cinema is to do just that. From Big to Saving Private Ryan... from Cast Away to Forrest Gump.

Either Hanks is a supremely skilled and talented actor, or he is supremely skilled at selecting roles which best pair with his capabilities. Either way, what he puts up on screen works.


EDIT: @ Steelhead... i have always appreciated Eastwood as an actor, but i think i have grown most fond of him as a Director

[Stealhead]

True Eastwood is a fairly good director as well. He had both roles in Gran Torino.

[nikimcbee]

Man with no name, FTW.

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/gAfT4LL.png?1


So many great roles, but "Where Eagles Dare" is the one I watch over again.

[Oberon]

http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/morgan-freeman-god.jpg

Morgan Freeman

He adds a touch of gravitas to whatever role he's in, from Driving Miss Daisy to Se7en to Deep Impact and to Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves.
And that voice, my goodness that voice, probably one of the most sort after narrators in Hollywood.

[Jimbuna]

Sean Connery

007, The Untouchables, Marnie, The Name of the Rose, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Hunt for Red October, Highlander, Murder on the Orient Express, Dragonheart, The Rock, etc. etc.

http://i.imgur.com/AdGcNye.jpg

[Sailor Steve]

I really like Gran Torino
My personal favorite would be The Outlaw Josie Wales. That said, have you ever seen The Beguiled? Not his best film by a long shot, but the only one I know of in which he is actually the bad guy. If you haven't seen it, give it a shot.

True Eastwood is a fairly good director as well.
I would say that Letters From Iwo Jima puts him in the ranks of the truly great directors.

[U-15]

http://s5.postimg.org/vddlueq6v/papillon.jpg

A film bio as long as your arm.
He will obviously be remembered for his roles in The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and Bullitt; the latter having that fantastic car chase.

He was respected for doing many of his own stunts.

For me, my most memoranle Steve McQueen role was that of Henri Charriere, in the film Papillon.
One of the few films that is as good as the book.
A totally different role for McQueen then in 1973, which coincidentally, was the year the real Henri Charriere died.

For me McQueen plays Papillon beautifully, with quiet humour, determination and patience. The film left an indelible mark on me; so much so that whenever anybody is hassling me to do something quickly, I reply "one brick at a time", with reference to Papillon scraping at the bricks of his cell.

An often overlooked true great.

[Mr Quatro]

Steve McQueen is my vote (add a poll at the end of the year)(can you do this?)

He was always so believable no matter what role he took on from cowboy with that fancy rifle to escaped prisoner on a motorcycle in "The Great Escape" (1963) to a sailor in "San Pebbles" (1966) to a cowboy in "Nevada Smith" (1966) to a thief in "The Thomas Crown Affair" (1968) to a detective on the streets of San Francisco in "Bullitt" (1968) to race car driver in the movie "Le Mans" (1971) by which time he had gone broke only to wind up dying in a clinic in Mexico in November 1980 shipped back across the border in a 1957 Ford station wagon still holding the bible that Billy Graham had given him.

They roped off everything he left behind in a hanger in Palmdale, California and auctioned it all off.

He was known as "The king of cool"

[eddie]

hard to pick just one. I agree with Eastwood,McQueen, Connery. But also have to throw in Paul Newman, Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, but for today s actors, I would have to say Matt Damen. He has made some great movies.

[U-15]

http://s5.postimg.org/swk863ztj/220px_Gregory_Peck_1948.jpg

Whatever part he played, he played it with a combination of dignity, quiet authority and humility, to the point that you forgot he was playing a part.
He was so versatile and able to play in so many genres.

Excellent in Hitchcock's Spellbound .
My favourite Peck role was that of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird.
Again dignity, authority and humility coming to the fore.
A truly great actor.

[fireftr18]

I'll add Cary Grant to the list of great actors.
http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r496/fireftr18/CaryGrant_zps5e11046a.jpg (http://s1168.photobucket.com/user/fireftr18/media/CaryGrant_zps5e11046a.jpg.html)

Here is a link to his site on IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000026/?ref_=tt_cl_t1

[Jimbuna]

A truly great actor.

You said more or less the same of Steve McQueen, how many picks you want? :hmmm:

[ReallyDedPoet]

Robert DeNiro

http://imstars.aufeminin.com/stars/fan/robert-de-niro/robert-de-niro-20040427-1141.jpg

[U-15]

You said more or less the same of Steve McQueen, how many picks you want? :hmmm:

Well to me Jimbuna, a great actor has to have been consistently good in a number of films covering a variety of genres.

Often nowadays, the term great is used liberally in so many walks of life, especially football.

As film stars go, McQueen and Peck were just that. Consistently good in a wide variety of films.

Of the modern era, Tom Hanks is the closest to them

[mapuc]

One of my favorite is Ernest Borgnine

Even Steve McQueen is a great actor

Many actors is doing great in some movie and less in some others.

Markus

[Stealhead]

You don't have to pick one single favorite if you have more than one favorite. Not really a poll to rate who is the best either. This just a place to post actors that you enjoy seeing in films. So if you have twenty favorites list them just not all at once or back to back.

I see this as kind of reference maybe someone will read another's post and decide they might want to view a few films of an actor they may not have heard of or where unaware of the complete résumé of an actor. You did don't have to be hoity toity either if you like action films or comidies and that type actor feel free to post.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Jeff Bridges, he seems to get better as he gets older.

http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/RV-AO139_WOLFE__GS_20140813133112.jpg

[Stealhead]

Another favorite of mine Peter Sellers. I enjoy his comedic style. I espically like the Pink Panther films and Dr.Strangelove where he played three roles impressive. Sorry about the mess the picture linking process which is breeze on PC is a pain with an android tablet.
.com/user/datsun260zyojimbo/media/Mobile%20Uploads/peter-sellers-photograph-c12146394_zps957aad2e.jpg.html]http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/Mobile%20Uploads/peter-sellers-photograph-c12146394_zps957aad2e.jpg[/URL]
http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/Mobile%20Uploads/6E2LYBwR7wcl_zpsffbbaabf.jpg (http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/datsun260zyojimbo/media/Mobile%20Uploads/6E2LYBwR7wcl_zpsffbbaabf.jpg.html)

[ReallyDedPoet]

Another favorite of mine Peter Sellers. I enjoy his comedic style. I espically like the Pink Panther films and Dr.Strangelove where he played three roles impressive.
http://rs1162.pbsrc.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/Mobile%20Uploads/peter-sellers-photograph-c12146394_zps957aad2e.jpg~320x480
http://rs1162.pbsrc.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/Mobile%20Uploads/6E2LYBwR7wcl_zpsffbbaabf.jpg~320x480

Great actor :yep::up:

[Stealhead]

Jeff Bridges, he seems to get better as he gets older.

The Dude abides.

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/S3z87FQ.jpg?1

"What about me? Brynner comes before Burton, after all. The ladies will perhaps remember me best from "The King And I", but you big meaty boys will have enjoyed my role in "The Magnificent Seven" much more... I hope".

[Jimbuna]

Okay....not sure many will say he was a great actor but none can deny some of the great films he starred in.

John Wayne/Marion Mitchell Morrison

http://i.imgur.com/f4IBrNW.jpg

Take yer picks:

http://www.ranker.com/list/john-wayne-movies-and-films-and-filmography/reference#pVid_2219421

[Kptlt. Neuerburg]

Speaking of John Wayne, I'm watching a film called "Operation Pacific" (1951) and it's a sub film too! Wayne plays the role of the subs XO. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pacific

[Miggy4000]

Here is two to add to the thread, the first, Charles Grey. Played all manner of characters throughout his acting career but none as menacing as shown here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSNkdNmxEc). :o

And last, but not least, an obvious choice for this forum Jürgen Prochnow (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUInWKK8ROc) :subsim:

[Armistead]

I think some of the best acting I've ever seen was by Ian McShane in the HBO series Deadwood.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l133/alisonjgross/ianmcshane.jpg (http://media.photobucket.com/user/alisonjgross/media/ianmcshane.jpg.html)

[Stealhead]

Yes you really did just want sock him in the face.

[Aktungbby]

Sir Lawrence Olivier http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Lord_Olivier_6_Allan_Warren.jpg/220px-Lord_Olivier_6_Allan_Warren.jpg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lord_Olivier_6_Allan_Warren.jpg)whether, on stage as actor or manager; or in cinema as actor or director-The best of the best: my favorite, the deliciously evil Richard III which he also directed (natch) but the equally evil Weissengel in Marathon Man ("is it Safe?") as he drills Dustin Hoffman's tooth...or in Spartacus! as he crucifies Kirk Douglas! Lord Olivier was not always the best actor-he didn't have to be. " The American actor William Redfield (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Redfield_(actor)) had a similar view: Ironically enough, Laurence Olivier is less gifted than Marlon Brando. He is even less gifted than Richard Burton, Paul Scofield, Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud. But he is still the definitive actor of the twentieth century. Why? Because he wanted to be. His achievements are due to dedication, scholarship, practice, determination and courage. He is the bravest actor of our time."
WARNING MAY CAUSE HEADACHE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP-Nlb549J8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP-Nlb549J8)

[BossMark]

Peter Sellers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXn2QVipK2o

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee374/rothwellwhite1/rothwellwhite1090/Sellers_pinkpanther7_zpsa19fa222.jpg

[Jimbuna]

Peter Sellers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXn2QVipK2o

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee374/rothwellwhite1/rothwellwhite1090/Sellers_pinkpanther7_zpsa19fa222.jpg

Already had him, top of this page #20

[nikimcbee]

http://cdn5.movieclips.com/mgm/r/run-silent-run-deep-1958/0421304_10639_MC_Tx304.jpg
I clearly intend to out post Jim!

[nikimcbee]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i2VAt3q0828/TWhhM2yImgI/AAAAAAAABSY/SdnPKK2MUHQ/s1600/The+Enemy+Below+-+inside.jpg
:/\\k:

[Stealhead]

Peter Sellers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXn2QVipK2o

http://i1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee374/rothwellwhite1/rothwellwhite1090/Sellers_pinkpanther7_zpsa19fa222.jpg

Ah the Pink Panther is very elusive. :sunny:

[Stealhead]

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i2VAt3q0828/TWhhM2yImgI/AAAAAAAABSY/SdnPKK2MUHQ/s1600/The+Enemy+Below+-+inside.jpg
:/\\k:

I forgot a rule PT boat aficionados only get one post. :arrgh!:

[em2nought]

Okay....not sure many will say he was a great actor but none can deny some of the great films he starred in.

John Wayne/Marion Mitchell Morrison

http://i.imgur.com/f4IBrNW.jpg

Take yer picks:

http://www.ranker.com/list/john-wayne-movies-and-films-and-filmography/reference#pVid_2219421

Only the USA hatin' liberal elites think he was a bad actor.

Gotta go with Jimmy Stewart, great actor and kick @ss B-24 pilot leading a 1000 plane raid on Berlin.

[Stealhead]

Only the USA hatin' liberal elites think he was a bad actor.

Gotta go with Jimmy Stewart, great actor and kick @ss B-24 pilot leading a 1000 plane raid on Berlin.


As a fellow airman I know a lot about Jimmy Stewart. Did you that he served with USAF as a reserve officer in Strategic Air Command for many years? He was qualified to fly the B-47,B-36 and B-52.

Very biased opinion but my favorite Stewart film is Strategic Air Command made in 1955.


http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/q527/datsun260zyojimbo/Mobile%20Uploads/Jimmy_Stewart_getting_medal_zpse6358718.jpg (http://s1162.photobucket.com/user/datsun260zyojimbo/media/Mobile%20Uploads/Jimmy_Stewart_getting_medal_zpse6358718.jpg.html)

[Bubblehead1980]

I hate to say it but Leonardo DeCaprio...Wolf of Wall Street showed his talent.I never cared for him prior, but what a performance.

[Admiral Halsey]

Hey you're back!

[Aktungbby]

:hmmm:HUMPHREY BOGART :up: Casablanca (Ingrid Bergman), The African Queen (Katherine Hepburn) and my personal favorite Sahara (Lulubelle-the m3 Lee tank:up:) as SGT Joe Gunn. Bogie took on the jerries in all three flicks and actually served in the Navy in WWI. http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTYzNDIzNTI5N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNDUyMzQ5._V1__ SX640_SY720_.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cDr4I99axOg/Tkiy640O1lI/AAAAAAAAASg/Liibjgvv-TU/s400/Sahara2.jpg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cDr4I99axOg/Tkiy640O1lI/AAAAAAAAASg/Liibjgvv-TU/s1600/Sahara2.jpg)as solid and gritty a WWII flick as any! WELCOME BACK BUBBLEHEAD!:salute:

[Jimbuna]

Jack Nicholson, an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director, is a three-time Academy Award winner and 12-time nominee. Nicholson is also notable for being one of two actors who have received Oscar nods in every decade from 1960s through the 2000s.

http://i.imgur.com/I4lwYn2.jpg

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/KwMXPxX.jpg?1

"Bram Stoker's Dracula" and "The Book Of Eli" come to mind for me...

[nikimcbee]

I hate to say it but Leonardo DeCaprio...Wolf of Wall Street showed his talent.I never cared for him prior, but what a performance.

Leo?

http://en.people.cn/200607/10/images/zidane.jpg

Welcome back.

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/r25030N.jpg?1

Did you see Leo play Howard Hughes in "The Aviator"? He's become the guarantee of a good film now, in my view.

[Jimbuna]

Al Pacino
The Godfather amongst many others.

http://i.imgur.com/oemhZCG.jpg

[ReallyDedPoet]

Leo?

http://en.people.cn/200607/10/images/zidane.jpg

Welcome back.


Ha, ha. When I first saw this I thought you were making fun of all
of the diving in football ( soccer to us North Americans ) :-).

Though the same could be said in most sports now :-(.

[fireftr18]

How about this guy?

http://i1168.photobucket.com/albums/r496/fireftr18/audi%20murphy_zpseynocs8g.jpg (http://s1168.photobucket.com/user/fireftr18/media/audi%20murphy_zpseynocs8g.jpg.html)

http://www.audiemurphy.com/
https://www.google.com/search?q=audie+murphy&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS598US598&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ir_BVMy-BMS1ggTK34D4Dg&ved=0CKABEIke&dpr=1

[Aktungbby]

Well if your going that route; Go with the King: CLARK GABLE http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Clark_Gable_-_publicity.JPG/220px-Clark_Gable_-_publicity.JPG (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Clark_Gable_-_publicity.JPG)Gable flew five combat missions, including one to Germany, as an observer-gunner in B-17 Flying Fortresses (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-17_Flying_Fortress) between May 4 and September 23, 1943, earning the Air Medal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Medal) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_States)) for his efforts. During one of the missions, Gable's aircraft was damaged by flak and attacked by fighters, which knocked out one of the engines and shot up the stabilizer. In the raid on Germany, one crewman was killed and two others were wounded, and flak went through Gable's boot and narrowly missed his head.
Der Fuhrer favored Gable above all other actors. During WWII, Hitler offered a sizable reward to anyone who could capture and bring Gable to him unscathed.
Gable's military awards were the Distinguished Flying Cross (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_States)), Air Medal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Medal), American Campaign Medal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Campaign_Medal), European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European-African-Middle_Eastern_Campaign_Medal) and World War II Victory Medal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_Victory_Medal). He also qualified for and received aerial gunner wings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunner_Badge). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Gable http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Plb-stewart-gable.jpgStewart and Gable-1943 two serious non-shirkers who served while at he peak of their acting careers!:salute:

[Jimbuna]

Daniel Day-Lewis

Not been around as long as most of the greats but still the only person in film history to win the Oscar award for Best Actor three times.

http://i.imgur.com/GPcxWw9.jpg

[Moonlight]

Jack Palance the ultimate bad guy.

http://i.imgur.com/HdPv1Vs.jpg

[U-15]

http://s5.postimg.org/c4w5f45xz/images_J18_MP92_L.jpg


http://s5.postimg.org/40o1adjiv/images_RYGZZNLI.jpg

The second picture is from the 1950 film Morning Departure, about a doomed RN submarine.

Ignore the bloke in the background. That's John Mills, who always spoke in the same prissy lardydar voice in every film he starred in.

Although not listed high in the credits for Morning Departure, Attenborough's performance, as in all his films, was compelling, especially in The Angry Silence
He often overshadowed more senior actors.

[Jimbuna]

Dustin Hoffman
Notable films include Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Straw Dogs, Papillon, Lenny, Marathon Man, All the President's Men, Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, Rain Man, Hook and Wag the Dog etc. etc.

He has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning two (for his performances in Kramer vs. Kramer and Rain Man), thirteen Golden Globes, winning six (including an honorary one) and has won four BAFTAs, three Drama Desk Awards, a Genie Award, and an Emmy Award. Hoffman received the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1999, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012.

http://i.imgur.com/9SgC6v1.jpg

[Aktungbby]

yipes! I'm just now watching Tale of two Cities- the classic 1935 version with the one and only Ronald Colman...he's superb!http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Ronald_Colman_-_publicity.jpg "on being mobilised (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobilised) on the outbreak of WWI, crossed to France in September 1914 to take part in the fighting on the western Front. On 31 October 1914, at Messines Colman was seriously wounded by shrapnel in the ankle, which gave him a limp that he would attempt to hide throughout the rest of his acting career. As a consequence, he was invalided out of the army in 1915. His fellow Hollywood actors: Claude Rains (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Rains), Herbert Marshall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Marshall), Cedric Hardwicke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Hardwicke), and Basil Rathbone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_Rathbone) also all saw service with the London Scottish in the war." Now that is a Band of Brothers! IMHO http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Colman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Colman)

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/FRf1bUd.jpg

Maybe contentious, but a stalwart character actor (never the lead) in a number of lesser known films, ultimately made famous by the role of Mainwaring in "Dad's Army". To see him playing the part of Mainwaring drunk, yet striving to preserve his dignity, you can see just how good he was. To see him playing Barry Mainwaring (the Captain's wayward brother) properly drunk and not caring: genius...

[Jimbuna]

Anthony Hopkins
http://i.imgur.com/QbqSRZi.jpg
Perhaps Hopkins' most famous role is as the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1991, opposite Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, who also won for Best Actress. The film won Best Picture, Best Director and Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. It is one of the shortest lead performances to win an Oscar, as Hopkins appears on screen for only a little over 16 minutes, less than 14% of the film's running time.

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/GPEqgIw.jpg

Memorable opposite John Wayne in "In Harm's Way" and "Operation Pacific"; other famous movies included: "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "The Day The Earth Stood Still", "Hud" and "The Hasty Heart".

[Jimbuna]

Spencer Tracy
http://i.imgur.com/0OVQwUj.jpg

Oscars: 2
Oscar Nominations: 9
BAFTA Awards: 1
BAFTA Nominations: 5
Golden Globes: 1
Golden Globe Nominations: 4

[Eichhörnchen]

Spencer Tracy

"Bad Day At Black Rock"... what an all time must-see film.

[Jimbuna]

"Judgement at Nuremberg" was my favourite.

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/BAzW9Si.jpg

"OMG, my dear boy, I'm not worthy..."

He would deffo have been in "Star Wars" if Alec Guinness hadn't scooped up the part of Obi-Wan...

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/zHQHEd4.jpg

"Hmmm... he'd have had to climb over me first. May the Farce be with you, dear boy".

The Four Feathers; The Great Silver Fleet; The Sound Barrier; Khartoum... he could've been in Star Wars too: maybe have played Obi-Wan's unpredictable practical-joking brother (shaving his eyebrows off while he was asleep; hiding his light-sabre, that kind of thing).

[Eichhörnchen]

http://i.imgur.com/KGVcjKH.jpg

Another GUARANTEE of a good movie; the next one I'll be watching (Friday Night is Film-night) will be "American History X"

Just watched him in "The 25th Hour", another great movie.