Favourite Actors

I'll probably list Cliff Robertson as my favorite.

James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Bogie, are all on the list, too.

My Top 5...

Atttempting an on-the-spot top 5...

James Dean
James Stewart
Peter Finch
Burt Lancaster
Arthur Kennedy

I'm going to have to say Colin Firth as one of mine. I haven't seen him in a lot of things but everything I have seen him in, I've enjoyed ... he in some cases plays the same role over and over again but there are some real stand out performances such as A Single Man and The King's Speech.

Love that running thread on the pictures, Tux ;) And it's baaad for you. :)

1. Michael Caine
2. Marlon Brando
3. Paul Newman
4. Sean Connery
5. Richard Burton

In no particular order

1. Kenneth More
2. John Mills
3. Geoffrey Rush
4. Bill Murray
5. Christopher Plummer

Burton
Schofield
Welles
Brando
Olivier

Larry Olivier.

Then everyone else.

Them being, in no particular order, Hackman, Pacino, Holden, Richardson, Guinness, Burton, O'Toole, Poitier, Rains, Bogart, Widmark, Marty Balsam, Ustinov, Brando, Rex Harrison, Trevor Howard, Anthony Quinn, William Powell, Tracy, Nicholson, Dean, Newman, Cary Grant, Gielgud, Jimmy Stewart, George C. Scott, Mitchum, Finch, Laughton...

And Eric Roberts, of course.

That just about narrows it down.

Alive:
Pacino, De Niro, Nicholson, Connery, Schwarzenegger (what??), Bruce Willis, Kurt Russell.

Dead:
Bogart, Cagney, Olivier, Peck, Brando, Newman, Lemmon,

Worships: Clint Eastwood.

Off the cuff list actually.

Dalton, only as Bond though I've enjoyed his performance in Hawk, King and His Whore, haven't seen the early films.

Current list of mine:

1. Clint Eastwood
2. Humphrey Bogart
3. Marlon Brando
4. Harrison Ford
5. Sean Connery
6. Jack Nicholson
7. James Stewart
8. Cary Grant
9. Al Pacino
10. Robert De Niro

No mention of Charles Bronson yet?

The man was exceptional. I'll even watch the bad movies he starred in because he was so good.

The days when actors also doubled as badasses.

Now they just fight poverty in Africa.

I'll also put Harry Dean Stanton's name in here.

George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Harrison Ford (circa the early 80s), Anthony Hopkins, Paul Newman, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Berenger, Gary Oldman, Kevin Spacey, Ed Norton, Joe Pesci, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise

And many others.

Jack Lemmon, circa CHINA SYNDROME/MISSING

Lee Marvin, circa THE PROFESSIONALS/ POINT BLANK

Sean Connery's hat trick of WIND&LION, MAN WHO and ROBIN & MARIAN (can probably also do the FRWL-TB era as well, since that'd include THE HILL.)

Meryl Streep between SOPHIE and POSTCARDS

Gene Hackman, MISSISSIPPI BURNING through CRIMSON TIDE or so, as long as we leave the lawyer movies out of it.

I know I'm missing huge ones here from my best-of and faves, but that was off the top of my head.

EDIT-ADDON: Tracy Walter, just for his brief moments in REPO MAN.

- Humphrey Bogart (US)
- Richard Burton (UK)
- Timothy Dalton (UK)
- Christopher Lee (UK)
- Alain Delon (F)
- Edward Fox (UK)
- Robert De Niro (US)
- Sean Connery (UK)
- Al Pacino (US)
- Stellan Skarsgard (S)
- Brendan Gleeson (IRL)
- Marcello Mastroianni (I)
- Peter Lorre (H)
- Max von Sydow (S)
- Sean Bean (UK)
- David Niven (UK)
- Geoffrey Rush (AUS)
- Charles Gray (UK)
- Ciaran Hinds (UK)
- Jean-Paul Belmondo (F)

Got home from work this evening and was too tired to watch a movie, looking for something to do I decided to settle on a top 10 actors list, with some though put into it. A fair few of my traditional faves fell by the wayside and some of my eventual choices werent what I was expecting...



10. Van Heflin

My newest addition to the my real top group of actors, I've long loved Heflin's work in SHANE but had never really explored any of his other stuff. This year so far I've gotten into a lot of his work, and he really emerges as one of the more interesting actors around. Like a few of the actors on this list, he's one of my "common man" actors - his characters arent glorious, superhuman or openly heroic, they're the normal guys often up against these more heroic men and theyve got to prove their mettle. Look at him in SHANE, in 3:10 TO YUMA - he's got a core set of values and he stands up for them. And in the process, he wins the admiration of his children away from the more charismatic gunfighters in Alan Ladd and Glenn Ford. I respect that.

Films Seen: 16
Upper Echelon: ACT OF VIOLENCE, SHANE, PATTERNS, 3:10 TO YUMA
Top Pick: SHANE

Greatest moment: This is going to get very tough as we go on, but for Heflin I'll nominate the ending of 3:10 TO YUMA. Facing incredible odds, he overcomes all in a moment of supreme triumph for the common man. He waves to his wife off the train and it starts raining, and his future is secured. Magic.



9. James Cagney

I could write a heap about Cagney, but instead I'll just say this: You dont watch 37 films with the same guy in it because you dont enjoy him on screen.

Films Seen: 37
Upper Echelon: THE PUBLIC ENEMY, PICTURE SNATCHER, FOOTLIGHT PARADE, CITY FOR CONQUEST, THE BRIDE CAME C.O.D., WHITE HEAT
Top Pick: FOOTLIGHT PARADE

Greatest moment: Again casting aside my favourite film of his, I'm going to nominate an explosive moment from THE PUBLIC ENEMY - his brother punches him and he falls againt a table. The table collapses under him. He actually smashes a table. Gold.



8. John Wayne

Ditto - except I've seen the Duke in more films.

Films Seen: 40
Upper Echelon: STAGECOACH, WITHOUT RESERVATIONS, TROUBLE ALONG THE WAY, RIO BRAVO, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, IN HARM'S WAY, THE SHOOTIST
Top pick: THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE

Greatest moment: Here's a real real toughie.... though I'd have to say its his reaction to Lee Marvin knocking his dinner onto the floor in THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE. Only one man could stare down Lee Marvin and actually look like he was actually doing it. And thats The Duke. Powerful. 8)



7. Jack Lemmon

Another one of my "common man" entries, Jack Lemmon was still much more than that. Put simply, he was a genius, and its probably only the fact that I've seen less Lemmon films than most fellas on this list that keeps him so low. He could nail hilarious comedy, teary drama and everything in between, even hitting romance correctly. In a golden period from the beginning of his career to 1965, seemed he could do no wrong. He probably couldnt after that too, but we'll always have that trove.

Films Seen: 13
Upper Echelon: MISTER ROBERTS, SOME LIKE IT HOT, THE APARTMENT, DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, IRMA LA DOUCE, GOOD NEIGHBOR SAM
Top Pick: THE APARTMENT

Greatest moment: I'm going to nominate his greatest moment of crushing despair - from DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES. Stricken with alcoholism and dying for another drink, Lemmon forgets where he's hidden a bottle of booze in his father-in-laws greenhouse. In desperation, his tears the place apart, killing the dream of his marriage, his sobriety and self-respect in one tragic evening.



6. Kirk Douglas

Just a man who could do just about anything, his first 20 years as an actor presenting a phenomenal output by anyone's standards. After nailing early roles in comdies, drama and noir, the 50s saw Kirk rule with his rascally son-of-a-bitch persona that served him so well in films like CHAMPION, ACE IN THE HOLE, YOUNG MAN WITH A HORN and THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, whilst cleverly see-sawing between films of immense power (PATHS OF GLORY) and immense thrills (GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL) to preserve both his legend and box-office status. And lets not forget many other wonderful performances.

Films Seen: 21
Upper Echelon: A LETTER TO THREE WIVES, ACE IN THE HOLE, LUST FOR LIFE, PATHS OF GLORY, STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET, SEVEN DAYS IN MAY
Top Pick: A LETTER TO THREE WIVES

Greatest moment: yeah, my favourite Kirk character (and film) is his wonderful schoolteacher Goerge Phipps in A LETTER TO THREE WIVES, so I'll try to give you something different for his greatest moment... I'll nominate he and Burt Lancaster's closing exchange in SEVEN DAYS IN MAY. Kirk's character is Burt's leading subordinate (which is kind of a career metaphor for them), having betrayed him (somewhat), Burt accuses him of being Judas. Keeping his cool, Kirk delievers a telling blow that makes Burt realize the shame of his actions. Powerful.



5. Peter Finch

Last year's bullet like Heflin is this year, Peter Finch doesnt have as many iconic roles as a lot of the other guys on this list. But theres something overly winning (and Australian) about him, and he interests me like very few actors. And it all really started with A TOWN LIKE ALICE, which I'll tell anyone who'll listen is the real Finch performance out there.

Films Seen: 18
Upper echelon: A TOWN LIKE ALICE, NO LOVE FOR JOHNNIE, NETWORK
Top Pick: A TOWN LIKE ALICE

Greatest moment: Has to be A TOWN LIKE ALICE, where amongst the horrors of war, Finchie and Virginia McKenna share a midnight cigarette. Finchie talks about his home in Alice Springs. You're not in the war anymore, your in the Alice. Its a wondrous moment.



4. Arthur Kennedy

Another "common man" and in someways my favourite actor on this list, Arthur Kennedy is all kinds of awesome. He's probably the guy on this list I'm most likely to grow up as - he plays men who are like real men, they're conflicted, complex, never boring, never glorious but almost always, whether for good guy-ness or villainy, effective. Right from his first role in the wonderful CITY FOR CONQUEST he had the right stuff, and although he had rather a bumper career with 5 Oscar noms and plenty of terrific films, I wish he'd had more. Some of his greatest acting was on the stage and he didnt get to replicate it on film (oh I wish he;d been in ALL MY SONS!), but the one role I wish he'd had is Jett Rink in GIANT. Yep, its immortally played by Dean, but Kennedy wouldve been so awesome - the festering hate towards Rock, the malevolent joy at striking oil, the drunken downfall of his later years, that wouldve been staple Kennedy. He wouldve rocked.

Films Seen: 23
Upper Echelon: CITY FOR CONQUEST, BRIGHT VICTORY, TRIAL, PEYTON PLACE, SOME CAME RUNNING, ELMER GANTRY
Top Pick: ELMER GANTRY

Greatest moment: While I'm tempted to pick the concert from CITY FOR CONQUEST or his hook-up with his hot secretary in SOME CAME RUNNING, I have to nominate his showdown with Burt in ELMER GANTRY. Two titans at the very top of their game having a film-defining argument about religion in 1920s Bible Belt America. And Kennedy, for the most part, wins. Its a wonderful scene with some real dramatci tension, and its a masterclass from all involved.



3. James Stewart

It was a toss-up between Himmy and my eventual number 2, so its odd to have him so low, but no matter. Jimmy Stewart, unsurprisingly, is my ultimate "common man" actor. He wasnt overly handsome or graceful, and he had a massive "aw shucks" demeanor about him, but in spite (and because of it too) of it, he created possibly the greatest catalogue of films an actors ever had. Comedies, dramas, westerns and other hybrids and combinations were all mastered by Jimmy, who amazingly couldve been lost to the film world after WW2. Yep he had his doubts. But thankfully he returned and we got some of the greatest films known to man.

Films Seen: 27
Upper Echelon: MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, THE NAKED SPUR, THE GLENN MILLER STORY, REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO, ANATOMY OF A MURDER, THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE
Top Pick: ANATOMY OF A MURDER

Greatest moment: I'm tempted to nominate any number of awesome exchanges from ANATOMY OF A MURDER (especially the girdle one), but I'm going to have to go for the filibuster scene in MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. Its enough that he wins Jean Arthur's love. But then he wins back the love of the American people. Glorious.



2. Burt Lancaster

He's been mentioned a few times already in this list for his awesome combos with other actors (like Kirk and Kennedy), but on his own Burt carved out an even greater legend. And to think after my first few films of him I didnt like him. That said, i havent given stuff like APACHE, THE KILLERS and VERA CRUZ much of a rewatch. Maybe I should. After 7 or so years in which Hollywood didnt know what to do with him, the Burt legend was truly born in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, and a string of classics followed until the mid 60s, in which he also could do no wrong. A bloke so masculine he makes the rest of us look like pussies (except perhaps the Duke), the canny Lancaster could do both unbridled enthusiasm and subtle restraint, nailing his Oscar for the former but his greatest role in the latter, yeah, its nor real secret my favourite film charcter of all time in JJ Hunsecker. Just look at my avatar. ;)

Films Seen: 29
Upper Echelon: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL, SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, ELMER GANTRY, A CHILD IS WAITING, THE TRAIN
Top Pick: SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS

Greatest moment: One line - "looks like a wedding!" If you've seen SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS. You'll know. 8)



1. James Dean

The odd one out of a mix of common men and he-men, Dean is simply unique. He creates a sense of wonder that no actors comes close to matching, everything's just magical about his presence. Combining with Elia Kazan and then Nicholas Ray, he only needed two films to create a legend that still beats what all these other actors on this list have in (some cases) more than 10-15 times that amount. Its an indecribable quality.

Films Seen: 3
Top Pick: REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE

Greatest moment: my ultimate moment.... when he stretches out to Natalie Wood following Buzz's death plunge off the bluff. And then the way he says goodbye to her. I dont know. Thats my attempt.

So there we go. Hope you enjoy the read, the insight, the recs, whatever. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

Mr. Brown wrote:

The days when actors also doubled as badasses.

Now they just fight poverty in Africa.

Rather, they attach themselves to the trendy "cause" du jour. A few years ago it was Darfur. I wonder how many of them could point out Sudan on a world map before their publicist told them about the conflict.

I read a terrific account written by a man who accompanied Ashley Judd on one of her trips to South Africa and he quoted some of her ludicrous statements about SA in his piece. It was baffling just how little knowledge these people have of the areas they supposedly are trying to support or help.

I don't think I can do a top-10 list, but here are some of my favourites:

Sean Connery (Dr. No, From Russia with Love, The Untouchables)
Jean Reno (Le grand bleu, Léon, 22 Bullets)
Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Once Upon a Time in America)
Oleg Menshikov (Burnt by the Sun, Prisoner of the Mountains, East/West)
Evgeni Leonov (countless Soviet comedies)
Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, All the President's Men, Rain Man)
Oleg Yankovsky (The Mirror, Nostalghia, Tsar)
Jack Nicholson (Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining)
Jim Carrey (The Mask, The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, Inception)
Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, The Fugitive)
Michael Douglas (Wall Street, The Game, Wonder Boys)
Clint Eastwood (The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven)
Marlon Brando (The Last Tango in Paris, The Godfather, Apocalypse Now)
Toshiro Mifune (Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Le soleil rouge)
Al Pacino (The Godfather Part II, Serpico, Scarface)
Jean-Paul Belmondo (Breathless, Le professionel, Un homme et son chien)
Michael Caine (The Ipcress File, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Prestige)
John Malkovich (Dangerous Liaisons, Being John Malkovich, Burn After Reading)
Liam Neeson (Schindler's List, Les misérables, Taken)
Russell Crowe (L.A. Confidential, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind)
Bruce Willis (Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, 12 Monkeys)
Viggo Mortensen (LOTR, A History of Violence, Eastern Promises)
Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Casino Royale, Flashbacks of a Fool)
Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!, The Naked Gun, Spy Hard)

Meryl Streep (The Deer Hunter, Out of Africa, Julie & Julia)
Claudia Cardinale (8 1/2, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Red Tent)
Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3)
Monica Bellucci (Malèna, Irréversible, The Passion of the Christ)
Julianne Moore (The Big Lebowski, Magnolia, Chloe)
Ingeborga Dapkunaite (Burnt By the Sun, War, Morphine)
Penelope Cruz (Open Your Eyes, Volver, Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Mask of Zorro, Traffic, Ocean's Twelve)
Natalie Portman (Léon, Garden State, Black Swan)

Salomé wrote:

Mr. Brown wrote:

The days when actors also doubled as badasses.

Now they just fight poverty in Africa.

Rather, they attach themselves to the trendy "cause" du jour. A few years ago it was Darfur. I wonder how many of them could point out Sudan on a world map before their publicist told them about the conflict.

I read a terrific account written by a man who accompanied Ashley Judd on one of her trips to South Africa and he quoted some of her ludicrous statements about SA in his piece. It was baffling just how little knowledge these people have of the areas they supposedly are trying to support or help.

And remember the Haiti relief fad, which was hosted by Hanks, Pitt, Spielberg, and a slew of other Hollywood "good guys"? You don't hear anything about that anymore.

Mr. Brown wrote:

Salomé wrote:

Mr. Brown wrote:

The days when actors also doubled as badasses.

Now they just fight poverty in Africa.

Rather, they attach themselves to the trendy "cause" du jour. A few years ago it was Darfur. I wonder how many of them could point out Sudan on a world map before their publicist told them about the conflict.

I read a terrific account written by a man who accompanied Ashley Judd on one of her trips to South Africa and he quoted some of her ludicrous statements about SA in his piece. It was baffling just how little knowledge these people have of the areas they supposedly are trying to support or help.

And remember the Haiti relief fad, which was hosted by Hanks, Pitt, Spielberg, and a slew of other Hollywood "good guys"? You don't hear anything about that anymore.

Well, those Africa/Haiti relief things are one-time events. The actors did their job for the concerts and that's the end of it. Should we be expecting anything else from them?