Great actor thread
 

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?

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Tom Hanks

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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

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

Man with no name, FTW.

Bugger me, Richard Burton of course...
 

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

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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.

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.

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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.

I would say that Letters From Iwo Jima puts him in the ranks of the truly great directors.

Steve McQueen
 

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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.

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"

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.

Gregory Peck
 

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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.

I'll add Cary Grant to the list of great actors.
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Here is a link to his site on IMDB.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000026/?ref_=tt_cl_t1

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

Robert DeNiro

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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

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

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.

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

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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.
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