Best Actor?

[Guest ncm2169]

In the wake of Paul Newman's death, I wonder who else we view in the top tier of gifted actors and exceptional human beings.

 

My list starts with Newman, Jack Lemmon, and Jackie Gleason.

 

Anyone else care to share their favorites? }(

[Kevin Slater]

Am I allowed to cross genders? My first thoughts are Meryl Streep and Kate Hepburn. It's funny that I can't seem to come up with men whom I respect as much. I mean I could say Sidney Potier, but in reality that's probably just white man's guilt talking.

 

Kevin Slater

[Guest rohale]

Sir Lawrence Olivier, Sir Peter O'Toole, Sir John Gielgud, Marlon Brando, James Cagney, Richard Harris, Richard Burton, Sir Alec Guiness, Jack Hawkins, James Stewart, Spencer Tracy, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Vincent Price.

 

Maybe to a lesser degree from more recent times, Jack Nicholson, Sir Anthony Hopkins, David Warner, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Johnny Depp and John Malkovich. Just my opinion.

 

Ro

[Guest ncm2169]

< Am I allowed to cross genders?

 

No. This is for actors.

 

We can argue about Liz later. }(

[Epigonos]

Daniel Day Lewis

Glenn Close

Johnny Deep

Meryl Streep

[jackhammer91406]

The men you listed certainly stand out as top rated men in their field.

If I look at your title for this thread however, it changes my opinion as to who were or are best actors. Having performed for 35 years in the industry, my definition of great acting was always when the actor disappeared into the role. In other words he or she was unrecognizable. Not that you didn't know who they were of course, but each performance stood as a separate character unlike the actor him/herself or anything he or she had done before.

Some examples of this kind of actor to me would be Dustin Hoffman, Johnny Depp, Gary Oldman and more recently Heath Ledger.

 

Jack Nicholson is fun to watch but he is Jack. It is the exception to find an actor who can do a role and make me forget who they are.