Can You Please List Your 25 Favorite Actors?

[mrsl]

Miss G:

It's such a pain getting old!!!!! I would never ignore Jim Garner and I cannot believe I left him entirely off my list. I'll have to say a couple of mea culpa's for that.

Very quickly, you would have to be a sci-fi fan to know who they are. Michael starred for 10 years in the TV show Stargate, sg-1, and is a little better known than Joel. But I have seen him in a couple of small movies, and two or three TV shows, so maybe he's starting to get noticed.

Joel is your typical blond hunk (kind of like a young Robert Redford, but better build). His smile is a zinger - listen to me, like a 15 year old with a crush! He starred in the SCi Fi channel 20 episode series Taken, and recently starred in The 4400 on USA network. I've also seen them both on other small movies and TV shows, and hope someone notices them soon, because they are good actors and I've seen them do all phases of emotions.

To be honest, they seem to be well grounded and I would much rather see them get the notice and accolades than these screwups who go in and out of re-hab like a grocery store, every couple of months.

Anne

[charliechaplinfan]

I love reading everyones lists, they're all so different yet there are a few names that crop up again and again, I'm thinking of Cary Grant and Charlie Chaplin, OK, no surprise that those two names stand out for me

Even when I revisit my list there are loads of names missed off who I do like watching like James Stewart and Humphrey Bogart. For me modern films and film actors don't really register, there are some good films out there, of this I'm of no doubt but I'm beginning to realise that I like to be transported back to an earlier age of film making and no CGI or advances of technology is going to change that.

[jdb1]

I really is hard to make definitive listings in these categories, because that list could go on forever. I started to write a post yesterday, but abandoned it because after my No. 1 choice, I kept editing everything else I put down.

Now, however, after having seen The Jungle Book again last night on TCM, I can say with certainty that my absolute favorite screen actor (not the one I consider the best actor) must be

Sabu

I just love the guy - he's magentic, he sweet, he's beautiful, and as we see in Black Narcissus, he can be pretty hot, too. What a waste of a unique talent, and what a tragically short life. I've said before that if he were working today I'm sure he'd be an even bigger star than he was in his youth; and he'd very likely make the Sexiest Man Alive list, too.

[stuart.uk]

James Stewart

Versatilty. Jimmy played romantic comedies, dramas, musicals, thrillers and not forgetting his major contribution to the western.

Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Cary Grant, Spencer Tracy, Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, James Cagney, Fred Astaire, Clark Gable, Ronald Colman, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Gregory Peck, John Mills.

There may have been better Brit actors than Mills, but I can't think of any other actor in the world who made as many classic non-hollywood films as he did.

Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Glenn Ford, Paul Newman, Elvis Presley, Sean Connery, David Niven, Roger Moore

[MichiganJ]

As with everyone else, the list is subject to change (and stopped being in any order after the first five or so) (sorry)

Spencer Tracy--the male equivalent to Kate Hepurn. He could do it all. (The two should have made a film together. Who can resist the lunch scene in Desk Set?)

Humphrey Bogart--how many actual classics can one guy be in?

Jeff Bridges--C’mon? The Dude! From Last Picture Show to The Amateurs, Bridges is always brilliant. Fisher King? The Contender? Baker Boys? Do I have to mention Lebowski? Check out the under appreciated Tucker. Even the abysmal De Laurentis King Kong is worth seeing for Bridges (if not for Jessica Lange’s immortal line “Put me down, you chauvinist-pig ape!”)

Jimmy Stewart--”Oh, C.K. Dextor Hav-an”...

Johnny Depp--may well be this generations’ best actor. Brilliant choices, and interesting charactors. I’m partial to Fear and Loathing, Ed Wood and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Oh yea, Finding Neverland, Sleepy Hollow, Benny and Joon...

Cary Grant-- a far better actor than is generally credited, but you all know that, and don’t need me to tell ya. So many great films, but Talk of the Town rates high.

Paul Newman--Two words: The Verdict. Newman was brilliant as a star, but I loved him as much in the character roles. Does anybody else love The Hudsucker Proxy like I do?

Gunnar Björnstrand--the squire in The Seventh Seal, he is great in all of the Bergman films he’s in, but Winter Light seals the deal

Alan Rickman--one of the best bad guys ever, in Die Hard, Rickman is equally great in Dogma, Love Actually and Galaxy Quest. The perfect Professor Snipe, he’ll bring tears to your eyes in Truly Madly Deeply.

Doug Fairbanks, Sr. (I’m with Lzcutter, here. Maybe he’s not the greatest actor, but nobody had more fun. Plus, he created a genre!)

Brando--On the Waterfront alone warrants inclusion. Toss in Streetcar, The Wild One and, of course, the Godfather. My favorite scene, though is in Last Tango (no, not that one), where he confronts his dead wife.

William Powell--I started backwards with Powell, coming from Monroe’s How to Marry a Millionaire. His acting is almost too effortless. All that rapid fire dialogue in The Thin Man seems absolutely real. Love him best in Libeled Lady

Toshiro Mifune--Sure, all of the Kurosawa’s are brilliant (especially Throne of Blood and High and Low), but don’t forget his turn in Spielberg’s under appreciated (masterpiece?) 1941

Gérard Depardieu--what a presence. Love him in Camille Claudel, Jean de Florette and Truffaut’s Last Metro. He’s a great Cyrano, too. Heck, even Green Card is good!

Emil Jannings--There’s no wonder why the greatest directors wanted Jannings in their cast. Even when he chews the scenery, Jannings is in complete control of his performances. Last Laugh, Faust, Anna Boleyn, and of course The Blue Angel

Robert DeNiro--one of the first dates I had was to Raging Bull (on her suggestion--she was quite a girl!) Mean Streets, Deer Hunter, Godfather 2, and Taxi Driver. What about Heat and Jackie Brown? Check out Ronin, too.

Lon Chaney--With the right director, Chaney’s penchant for overacting was kept in check and he turned in stellar performances. None better than in Tell it to the Marines, but check out Laugh, Clown, Laugh and The Unknown

Charles Laughton--he stole Quasimodo from Chaney and made him his own. Brilliant in The Old Dark House, Witness for the Prosecution and some movie where he plays a king.

Al Pacino--Grew up watching And Justice For All, Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon (they were on HBO endlessly) Scarface? Over the top, perhaps, but memorably so. He’s still good in Insomnia and The Insider

Peter Cushing--I think Cushing is by far the better actor over Chris Lee. I love his turns as Dr. Frankenstein (he’s so evil) and the various Van Helsings, etc. He gives Rathbone a run for his money as Sherlock Homes, and let us not forget his turn in Star Wars

Steve Buscemi--Great actor, especially in the Coen brother films (Fargo), but he’s equally great in the goofy, but fun Con Air. Check him out in Ghost World.

Steve Martin--been in a few clunkers, true. But should have won an academy award for All of Me. Roxanne is a brilliant update of the old tale. LA Story is just plain fun, and Pennies From Heaven may well be one of the best musicals ever. Love Novocain, too.

Sean Penn--Maybe a bit too intense (Spicolli? intense?) but Mystic River and 21 Grams are great. Could only watch Dead Man Walking once (too intense), but Sweet and Lowdown is great,too. Don’t forget he directed Into the Wild, too. Brilliant.

Hugh Grant--thought he was pretty great as Chopin in Impromptu and have followed him ever since. Four Weddings, Notting Hill and Love Actually are still fun. Check out the Englishman Who Went up the Hill and Sirens

Kevin Kline--He’s great in Dave and my wife loves him in French Kiss, but it’s his turn in Fish Called Wanda, that seals the deal. Silverado, too (I love that film). Oh yea, The Ice Storm, and of course, Big Chill

Oliver Reed--reinvents the tortured “wolfman” in Curse of the Werewolf. Love him in the Lester Musketeer films. And who can forget Tommy? (Even if you'd want to.) But he’s great, too, in The Brood and Gilliam’s Munchausen, as well as, sadly, Gladiator

[charliechaplinfan]

Great list Michagin J and good explanations. I could go with all those.

Stuart, I can't believe I left John Mills off my list

[MichiganJ]

(With apologies to MissGoddess) Since I added a few names to the female side, I thought I’d toss in a few more here (being an equal opportunity offender and all).

Claude Rains--How brilliant was James Whale to cast Rains as The Invisible Man? An amazing performance, with only his voice. The Wolfman’s father, Prince John was never so effete, and who can forget Captain Renault?

Paul Giamati--I first noticed him in Howard Stern’s Private Parts (a good movie, really!), Giamati continues to take interesting roles. American Splendor is a must, as is Sideways, of course (even if you like, as I do, a full-bodied dry Merlot!), and let us not forget HBO’s John Adams.

Philip Seymour Hoffman--Talk about an actor who can do anything. From Boogie Nights to Almost Famous (in a brief, but wonderfully funny performance) Hoffman is always great. Check him out in State and Main (a fabulous movie about making movies), Capote (it only takes a minute to get used to the “voice”), Before the Devil Knows Your Dead and Charlie Wilson’s War. He’s deliciously evil, too, in Mission Impossible III.

[MissGoddess]

MichiganJ!! No need to apologize to me, this is the kind of response I love---I am always interested in learning WHY people favor one person or movie over another, just as much as I enjoy reading the lists themselves. You have wide ranging tastes, that's excellent. I'm the opposite, but I am continually interested in being interested, if you know what I mean.

And I know how hard it is to keep a list trimmed. Mine is constantly needing "weeding" but I haven't the heart.

Stuart,

John Mills - yes, he is another performer who continues to grow in my estimation. I just like how "quietly" and modestly he goes about his business. He actually reminds me more of certain American actors of that generation (or earlier) who just did their job---and did it so darn well that we sometimes overlook the astonishing talent. But that low key modesty wins me over. And he presented us with another kind of British individual, not just the aristocrat, but the working man. Oh, and he produced a couple of lovely and talented daughters, too.

[stuart.uk]

Miss G

On the clips I sent under this People Of Film, there's a trailor for This Happy Breed, a classic Mills film written by Noel Coward and directed by David Lean.

I've just gone digitel. On ITV 4 we have repeats of The Saint, The Professionals, Minder and The Sweeney among others. It's interesting to see young and up and coming actors guesting. Stuart Wilson, who played the villain in The Mask Of Zorro played a South African hit man in The Professionals, killed by Lewis Collin's Bodie after a failed assassination attempt. He was also an Inspector, investigating the kidnapping of John Thaw's daughter in The Sweeney, not realising Regan and Carter were secretly trying to find her and bring her captors to book.

Minder is also interesting, because along with stars Dennis Waterman and George Cole, Cold Mountain actor Ray Vincent plays a machanic in a regular supporting role.

One thing annoying though the episodes are repeated sometimes on the same day

Spoiler Alert

I also saw on this new item Far From A Madding Crowd. I thought it an odd film with Julie Christie turning down poor shepard Alan Bates proposal of marriage. Then she comes into money, becoming an owner of land. She looks like she's going to marry fellow land owner Peter Finch, but falls for the not very nice Terrance Stamp. To cut a long story short, Finch kills Stamp and is himself hanged. Shortly after Christie remarries, this time to Bates

[MissGoddess]

Hi Stuart,

Was that your first time seeing that version of Far From the Madding Crowd? It's based on the Thomas Hardy novel, as I'm sure you know. I like the movie and I dislike it at the same time. I like Julie but i'm not sure she was the best choice for Bathsheba. I would love to have seen Catherine Zeta Jones in the part when she was younger, or going back further, I think Vivien Leigh would have made an ideal Bathsheba.

I've never liked Alan Bates but I definitely prefer him to Terrence Stamp, though I don't know but that Peter Finch would have been the best choice, lol!

[stuart.uk]

You mentioned Catherine Zeta Jones. Here she is in the Debbie Reynolds role (The Mating Game) in Darling Buds Of May, playing the great Sir David Jasons daughter. This was her big break in the UK

[youtube][/youtube]

[MissGoddess]

Thanks, Stuart. Yes, I've seen "Darling Buds of May" and thought she was adorable. See her, if you can, in The Return of the Native, a made-for-TV movie in which I believe she gives her best performance.

[stuart.uk]

Miss G

What do you think of David Jason, who played Pop. I'm sure you remember me saying that he and John Thaw were in the 90s the two top male actors on UK tv. Jason also did Fools And Horses, A Touch Of Frost and Open All Hours

[MissGoddess]

Miss G

What do you think of David Jason, who played Pop. I'm sure you remember me saying that he and John Thaw were in the 90s the two top male actors on UK tv. Jason also did Fools And Horses, A Touch Of Frost and Open All Hours

I'm afraid I really don't remember him. I only remember Catherine in the show.

[stuart.uk]

I'd love to see Catherine play Beth Morgan in an adaptation of How Green Is My Valley. I don't think it's written in stone that an old character actress should play the role, Sain Phillips played the role in her mid 40s on tv with Stanley Baker playing the Donald Crisp role.

Opera diva Lesley Garrett at 52 is playing what's is traditionally an elderly part of Nettie Fowler in a stage version of Carousel. She says she's going to play it like Dolly Parton