# Favorite Actors



## scott (Dec 11, 2006)

who are some of your favorite actors? not best looking or most famous but on terms of no matter what role they play, the movie is awesome.

some of mine (no special order):
sean connery
gene hackman
robert deniro
robert duvall
ed norton
and stiffler!!!! (sean williams scott)


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## Sonnie (Apr 11, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

Those are all good ones and many are my favorites, but probably my most favorite has been Sean Connery. I also like Jack Nicholson and Tommy Lee Jones. John Travolta is another one of my most favorites.

How about actresses? I've been a big fan of Jennifer Garner since she started Alias, but my liking for her has somewhat fizzled of late. I would say Kate Beckinsale or Reese Witherspoon lead the way for me right now.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

Hmm,... tough question, off the top of my head; Gary Oldman, half the time you don't even know its him, David Morse, Adam Baldwin, Jodie Foster, Emma Thompson, Cate Blanchett,.... and Milla....or is that just a guilty pleasure :demon: .

Then of course there is always John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Ward Bond, Audrey Hepburn, Mareen O'Hara, and a whole bunch of others.


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## scott (Dec 11, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

WHO!?..........i know of brando,foster and milla.i heard my dad talk about john wayne.


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

Gary Oldman; The Contender, The Fifth Element, Batman Begins, Air Force One, Immortal Beloved, The Professional, JFK, Lost in Space, the Harry Potter movies.

David Morse; The Rock, Proof of Life, The Green Mile, The Negotiator, Contact, Twelve Monkeys, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Hack.

Adam Baldwin (no, not one of those Baldwins); Serenity/Firefly, X-Files, Full Metal Jacket, My Bodyguard, The Patriot, Wyatt Earp, Independence Day, Ordinary People.

Cate Blanchett; The Missing, Bandits, Veronica Guerin, Elizabeth, The Shipping News, Babel, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Aviator, the Lord of the Rings movies.

Emma Thompson; Sense and Sensibility, Much Ado About Nothing, The Winter Guest, Dead Again, Howards End, The Remains of the Day, the Harry Potter movies.

Audrey Hepburn; Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, War and Peace, My Fair Lady, How to Steal a Million, Funny Face.

Maureen O'Hara; The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sinbad the Sailor, Rio Grande, Big Jake, The Parent Trap, The Long Gray Line, Miracle on 34th Street, How Green Was My Valley, McLintock, Spencer's Mountain.

Ward Bond; probably one of the 5 greatest character actors ever,... would not even know where to begin,....Rio Bravo, The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, The Quiet Man, The Long Gray Line, Hondo, Drums Along the Mohawk, Sergeant York, The Maltese Falcon, A Guy Named Joe, The Sullivans, It's a Wonderful Life, and on, and on, and on .

Ring any bells :huh: :dunno: onder:


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## Eddie Horton (Nov 8, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

I'd have to say one of the most versatile actors out there is Jeff Bridges. Just the performance in The Big Lebowski is enough for me, but he's done just about everything, and done it well.


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## mikeb (Oct 22, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

Ward Bond :yikes: Mark you wouldn't be old enough to remember "Wagon Train" with Ward Bond and Robert Horton would you?:R 

A few of my favorite:

Jack (enough said)
Johnny Depp
Deniro
Don Knotts :nerd: 
Chevy Chase (Clark Griswald)
Joe Pesci
Dan Ackroyd
Robert Englund (everybody loves Freddy)


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## Otto (May 18, 2006)

*Re: favorite actors*

Christopher Walken
Bruce Greenwood
Tina Fey


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Old enough to remember,... not quite old enough to watch first run. Was born just after Wagon Train last aired,... I believe it was '65 :scratch:


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## brandonnash (Sep 11, 2006)

Just now saw this thread...wonder why no one has said Tom Hanks. He seems like he can play just about any role.


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## JRace (Aug 24, 2006)

Bruce Campbell - "TCB Baby" (Bubba Ho-Tep)
Steven Chow - Kung Fu Hustle is a must see!
John Goodman - Big Lebowski/ anything by the Cohen brothers!

Many more...just can't think right now...


*NOVA* - Ever see True Romance? Oldman has a great performace as a White Pimp! (who thinks he's black)


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Seems familiar,...don't remember if I've seen it. 
Looked up on IMDB and wow,... what a cast! Still don't remember watching it though.


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## Jerm357 (May 23, 2006)

Arnold Schwarzenegger :flex:


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## Richard W. Haines (Jul 9, 2007)

I have an unusual proviso for what I consider great screen acting. I like performers who can project what they are thinking or feeling in their face rather than in dialogue. In other words, I'm impressed with actors who can 'think' on screen. This is more difficult than you suppose. Any professional thespian can memorize lines and come up with bits of business to make a scene work but one who can do it all in a subtle look or just with their eyes is what screen presence is all about. Among my favorites in this category are Steve McQueen, Spencer Tracy, James Stewart, Robert De Niro and William Holden. McQueen liked to go through a script and cross out as many lines as he could and tell the director that he would create what was necessary with a look or a gesture. Much of "Rear Window" was Stewart reacting to what he sees outside his window. Holden's performance in "The Wild Bunch" was conveyed through his eyes and weather worn face. De Niro's characterizations in "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull" were contained in his facial expressions. You can see the rage building up in him until he explodes. 


This only applies to dramatic actors. Comedy is a different medium with other criteria. Buster Keaton
used his entire body for his performances while keeping his face expressionless. He was known as 'stone face' but it worked for him. Other comedians relied heavily on 'reacting'. Oliver Hardy was one of the best 'reactors' and much of his humor was derived by breaking the fourth wall and looking directly at the audience in frustration. 


Curiously, I've changed my opinions on some actors over the years. I used to consider Brando one
of the best but as I watch his pictures again on DVD, I'm always aware that he is 'acting' now. Only in the early roles like Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront" and one of his later characters like Don Corleone was he a believable character. Brando was an excellent mimic and could simulate any accent or ethnicity convincingly but it seems as if he relied too much on schtick and bits of business. I'm not suggesting that he didn't have a screen presence...he did (while he was in good physical shape anyway) but I think he tended to be indulgent in too many cases. I really enjoy watching pictures like "Mutiny on the Bounty" and he did a great fop impression but that's what it was...an impression. You never believed for a moment that this was a real character nor someone who could lead a mutiny. The same applied to his gangster in "Guys and Dolls", Japanese servant in "Teahouse of the August Moon", Nazi in "The Young Lions" and biker in "The Wild One". All entertaining 'play acting'. I never thought he 'became' those characters even though he was considered the quintessential Method actor of the time. I just saw "The Young Lions" again and while it was funny when he ate the snowball like it was a meatball, it distracted you from the tortured character he was supposed to be portraying. It was hard to take him seriously. I have the same problem with James Dean, the other notable Method player of the era. In his three films, I get the feeling that he's not only 'acting' but doing a Brando impersonation. I'm not sure they hold up as well as some contemporary Method performances like the above mentioned "Taxi Driver". You completely forget that it's De Niro playing the role and believed he actually was Travis Bickle. The same applies to Johnny Depp and Martin Landau in "Ed Wood". I thought I was watching the real people, not actors playing them. Landau WAS Lugosi, not the guy from TV's "Mission Impossible".


Anyway, that's what I look for in a dramatic actor...I think.


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## OvalNut (Jul 18, 2006)

Lately, I've been a a big fan of Robert Patrick.


Tim
:drive:


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

I like a lot of different actors for various reasons.

In no particular order:
Kurt Russell is always fun to watch. I don't think I've seen anything he's done that I didn't like him in.

Clint- What can I say? I grew up watching his westerns and Dirty Harry movies. He started the whole anti-hero thing and in my opinion was the best. He has literally been in every movie genre that there is, albeit horror was only a bit part (Return of the Creature) to a musical (Paint Your Wagon). Now he's showing his directing skills. The only thing I don't think he's done is to write a screenplay, although I'm sure as a director he's made many changes to them.

Stallone- He doesn't get near the credit I think he deserves, mostly because of his '80's sellout. By that I mean it seemed after a very promising career start, money took over and he started making any movie that came along just for the money. At one time he was actually considered in the status of De Niro and Pacino. Most of my respect goes to Stallone for being a writer as well as an actor. Age seems to have humbled him some and he is finally doing things the way he should have all along.

Arnold- John Millus said it best in his interview for Conan. He said no other actor could have played the role and if Arnold didn't exist, they would have had to build him. I can't say I think he is a great actor, but I enjoy his movies. They are a fun popcorn evening.

De Niro- I like him as him. Some people are going to blast me on this, De Niro is a fine actor, but primarily he plays the same character.

Carey Grant- The quintessential bachelor and gentleman. I have an entire stack of movies devoted to his work. 

Tom Selleck- He's one of my favorites. He always seems relaxed and it's like seeing an old friend you haven't seen in awhile. One of my all time favorite westerns along side the likes of Tomb Stone, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and the spagetti westerns is Quiggly Down Under. I love the line at the end that Selleck says to Alan Rickman about using a Colt revolver, "Said I never had much use for one... never said I didn't know how to use one."

Alan Rickman- Has there actually been another bad guy good enough to go up against Bruce Willis in any of the Die Hard movies other than Rickman? 

Jack Nicholson- He's a totally different guy now, but still amazing and always fun to watch.

Christopher Walken and Harvey Keitel- I love these two guys no matter what they are in.

Bruce Willis- I guess the primary reason I like him is he's a lot like Spidey... sarcastic yet cool. I'm actually one of the few people that love Hudson Hawk, but I also didn't take it serious and I like Mr. Bean and Montey Python too! I would rather have seen more movies like The Last Boy Scout than Die Hard 2 though.

Mel Gibson- BraveHeart is one of my all time favorites.

Sean Connery- From Bond to King Author, nobody does it better!

Morgan Freeman

Dennis Quiad


Women never seem to get a fair shake when it comes to an all time greats list.

Audrey Hepburn had class and style.

I also like Goldie Hawn and think she's just as good at drama as comedy.

Same goes for Jodie Foster...

For eye candy I especially like Angelina and Kate Beckenshaw


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## Owen Bartley (Oct 18, 2006)

I'm a sucker for Christopher Walken. He has his own brand of crazy that nobody else can match.

I like Ray Liotta a lot too, he was great in Goodfellas, and watching Smokin Aces reminded me how much I liked him.


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## Richard W. Haines (Jul 9, 2007)

Owen,

Almost worthy of a separate thread...crazy/weird actors. Walkin is certainly one. James Wood,
Eric Roberts, Rod Steiger are others that come to mind. Certainly Brando is most of his post-
"Apocalypse Now" roles would fit although as a director I would never put up with the stuff he
put filmmakers like Frank Oz through. I would've fired and sued him if he refused to take direction
from the official director but that's another story.


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## wbassett (Feb 8, 2007)

I forgot about James Woods... he's another one I like.


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## jvc (Jul 15, 2007)

Christopher Walken - one of our favorite smaller parts he played, was in Blast From The Past.
Harrison Ford
Tom Hanks
Tommy Lee Jones
Cary Grant
William Powell
Clint Eastwood
Tom Selleck - especially High Road To China (wish they'd put it on dvd)

Now, don't flame me for this last one. I've been flamed many times for it. I know he's not the best actor out there, but I like most of his movies. In fact, I own all his movies. He also plays lead guitar and sings in a fairly decent blues band.
Steven Seagal 


Let me see if this will work now.........
I'll bet that one or two of you Christopher Walken fans haven't seen this before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZwZiU0kKs


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## mazersteven (Apr 5, 2007)

Al Pacino
Morgan Freeman
Richard Gere
Sean Connery
Bruce Willis
Brad Pitt
Harisson Ford
Joe Pesci
Steve Buscemi
Gene Hackman
Robert DeNiro
Denzel Washington
Sylvester Stallone
Samuel L. Jackson
Tom Hanks
John Travolta
Danny DeVito
Russell Crowe
Johnny Depp
Sean Penn
Will Smith
Leonardo DiCaprio
Nicolas Cage
Tom Cruise
Eddie Murphy
Jack Nickelson
Mel Gibson
Bill Murray
Steven Seagal
Clint Eastwood
Tommy Lee Jones
Donald Sutterland
Alec Baldwin
Jim Belushi
Cuba Gooding Jr
Dustin Hoffman
Mark Whalberg
Kevin Costner
Robin Williams
Danny Glover


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## JCD (Apr 20, 2006)

*Those NOT mentioned already*
Kevin Spacey 
Guy Pearce
Philip Seymour Hoffman

*Others already mentioned*
Gary Oldman
Jack Nicholson
Alan Rickman

JCD


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