Who are your top five favorite actors?

[jdb1]

Judith:

I watched "Come and Get It" last night with your beloved Walter. At first I was very suprised at his Sweedish accent. (He's no John Qualen but he was ok.) After I got past that I enjoyed him as we always do. It reminded me again how varied his career was. Look at this one and then throw in everything from "Red River" to "To Have and Have Not" to "Support Your Local Sheriff" and all those in between shows what a vital part of Hollywood he was.

I'm glad you got to see that one. Brennan is so sweet and touching -- it's the closest he ever really got to being a romantic lead. I've been looking for postable photos of him as Swan Bostrom, but haven't yet been able to unearth any (there are a few on eBay, but they won't post for me - maybe I'll have to actually buy one).

[pktrekgirl]

^ You know, Come and Get It is one of my favorite Walter Brennan roles. He was great in that film, I thought....whereas Edward Arnold's character was kinda...well...sleezy.

I like Brennan alot in The Westerner as well. Very different characters...but that only serves to illustrate the incredible range of the actor.

[jdb1]

Judith:

I watched "Come and Get It" last night with your beloved Walter. At first I was very suprised at his Swedish accent. (He's no John Qualen but he was ok.) After I got past that I enjoyed him as we always do. It reminded me again how varied his career was. Look at this one and then throw in everything from "Red River" to "To Have and Have Not" to "Support Your Local Sheriff" and all those in between shows what a vital part of Hollywood he was.

Chris,

Here's a photo of Walter as the noble and sad Swan Bostrom. I hope it sticks.

[metsfan]

It's difficult only to choose five having seen many talented actors but here goes my usual list.

Cesar Romero-Charming, funny, and a great dancer.

Jose Ferrer-Loved his eloquent speech and demeanor on film.

Conrad Veidt-He spoke with his eyes often transmitting the rage and heartfelt agony in his distraught characters.

Jerry Lewis-Physical comedian with musical talent. I was always drawn to the silliness of his overly naive characters.

Boris Karloff/Lon Chaney-It's hard to choose between these two brilliant actors because they had the ability to switch from sympathetic to horrifying.

[mrsl]

It's so hard to choose just 5, but these are the ones who, if one of their movies is playing, I will watch, no matter what it is or about.

Robert Mitchum
Gregory Peck
Jimmy Stewart
James Garner
Robert Redford.

Anne

[Dewey1960]

1. Humphrey BOGART. Cosistently displayed an enormous emotional range in his performances (no easy trick for a Capricorn). Never afraid to be the heel when not the hero. (Personal Faves:THE BIG SLEEP, MALTESE FALCON, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, HIGH SIERRA, THE BLACK LEGION, IN A LONELY PLACE)
2. Robert MITCHUM. No one has better expressed post-war doom and gloom as well as ol' Mitch. An icon for a generation. And then some. (Personal Faves: OUT OF THE PAST, NIGHT OF THE HUNTER, CAPE FEAR, ANGEL FACE, THE LOCKET, CROSSFIRE)
3. Burt LANCASTER. From the moment he stepped in front of the camera, the world was his for the taking. (Personal Faves: SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, TRAPEZE, CRISS CROSS, ATLANTIC CITY, THE CRIMSON PIRATE)
4. Richard CONTE. Brimming with the type of emotional fever that separates the men from the boys. He wasn't in that many great films, but he was great in everything he was in. (Personal Faves: THIEVES HIGHWAY, THE BIG COMBO, THE BLUE GARDENIA, FULL OF LIFE, THE SLEEPING CITY and his role as "Detective Butter" in the incredible 5-part TV "mini-series" final season opener (1963-64) of 77 SUNSET STRIP, simply titled "FIVE")
5. James DEAN. Even though he only appeared in three feature films (not including his bit work in a few others) his impact was indelible and his influence on so many aspects of our popular culture undeniable. (Personal Faves: REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and EAST OF EDEN)

[Mr. Arkadin]

John Garfield

Force Of Evil (1948)
Saturday's Children (1940)
He Ran All The Way (1951)
Four Daughters (1938)

Boris Karloff

The Mummy (1932)
The Walking Dead (1936)
Isle of the Dead (1945)
Black Sabbath (1963)

Peter O'Toole

The Lion in Winter (1968)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Murphy's War (1971)
The Stunt Man (1980)

Robert Ryan

Act of Violence (1948)
On Dangerous Ground (1952)
The Setup (1949)
The Wild Bunch (1969)

George Sanders

Voyage to Italy (1953)
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
All About Eve (1950)
Summer Storm (1944)

[Dewey1960]

Sanders is a major icon! Have you seen him (with Hedy Lamarr!!) in Edgar G. Ulmer's oddly erotic melodrama THE STRANGE WOMAN? It airs on TCM on Tuesday, May 1.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Sanders is a major icon! Have you seen him (with Hedy Lamarr!!) in Edgar G. Ulmer's oddly erotic melodrama THE STRANGE WOMAN? It airs on TCM on Tuesday, May 1.

No, I don't think I have seen that one. Thanks for the heads up.

Generally, anything with Sanders that crosses my TV screen gets recorded on principal. Sometimes the films aren't so great , but he always is!

[pktrekgirl]

My wife finds George Sanders "the most boring actor who's ever lived!" She never stays awake through any film that he's in. I really like him, and he stars in one of my favorite films of all-time, Village of the Damned.

Really? Boring?

Well, have her watch Witness to Murder. In that one he is one chillingly SCARY dude.

I can think of only a few performances where a truly evil character was portrayed so well - maybe only Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs and Robert Mitchum in Cape Fear.

[Dewey1960]

pktrekgirl: WITNESS TO MURDER: Almost forgot that one; Sanders is truly sardonic in it. He does such a thorough job of terrorizing Barbara Stanwyck, very disturbing! TCM runs it from time to time. Beautifully shot by the legendary John Alton, one of film noir's premiere cinematographers. Thanks for bringing it up! - Dewey

[pktrekgirl]

pktrekgirl: WITNESS TO MURDER: Almost forgot that one; Sanders is truly sardonic in it. He does such a thorough job of terrorizing Barbara Stanwyck, very disturbing! TCM runs it from time to time. Beautifully shot by the legendary John Alton, one of film noir's premiere cinematographers. Thanks for bringing it up! - Dewey

I think this is the first film of his that REALLY caught my eye. I'd seen him in others - mainly supporting roles in major films. But in this one, of course, he really had a chance to shine. And he took that chance and ran with it.

Thanks for the intel on THE STRANGE WOMAN. I will make a note of it and be sure to record it. I've really gotten hooked on him since watching WITNESS TO MURDER...and last month, the FALCON films.

[MissGoddess]

I love George Sanders, I think he was devilishly attractive, too! I recently finished reading A Dreadful Man, Brian Aherne's memoirs about his friendship with the "professional cad", which was very amusing. PK, I think you were the one who recommended it, weren't you? Smashing book. Now, if I can just find a decently priced copy of George's own book.

I would like to include George in my own "Top 5" which I have yet to post. I'll have to see. Maybe he will muscle his way through.

Death of a Scoundrel is another of Georgie's you won't want to miss. But my all time favorite, after All About Eve, is Douglas Sirk's A Scandal in Paris. He is still a scoundrel in it, but a loveable (and witty) one.

As for boring, that's the last thing I would ever think about George! In fact, he had practically an allergy to boredom, Lol! I think Benita (Ronald Colman's widow) married him because he kept her laughing.

Miss G

[MissGoddess]

My Top 5 (sans Gary Cooper)

Clark Gable - He was my first. He introduced me to the world of classic films when I was a child in the most impressive way, as Rhett Butler, and also stimulated some ideas that little boys were very different to little girls. He still has that same effect on me. And besides that, I think he was a ruddy good actor.

Favorite films: GWTW, The Misfits, Test Pilot, Honky Tonk, Mogambo, The Hucksters

Spencer Tracy - Fountains of words have been said about his peerless acting but I can only add I think he was very attractive as a leading man, and so my favorites with him tend to be the dramas he did with some of MGM's most beautiful glamour girls.

Favorite films: Cass Timberlane, Mannequin, I Take This Woman, Edison The Man, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Test Pilot, Woman of the Year

Robert Montgomery - I get very fan-girlish about him, almost as much as for Gary---almost, but not quite. Gary is a terminal case but there is hope for reaching a stable condition with Bob. He really was very much more than a dependable leading man and light comedy staple, he was an actor with range, as he proved in Night Must Fall, Here Comes Mr. Jordan and Ride the Pink Horse, and in the latter film, also demonstrated his skills behind the camera. He was a writer (he wrote speeches for Pres. Eisenhower), a producer of the highly successful "Robert Montgomery Presents" television show and businessman. He may have been born with a silver spoon but after the family fortune was gone, he worked hard and never looked back or acted like life owed him a thing. I respect that.

Favorite films: Hide-Out, Fugitive Lovers, Ride the Pink Horse, The Earl of Chicago, The Man in Possession, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, When Ladies Meet

I have to run now, so I'll post my other two later.