IMDB: Top 100 Greatest Actors -- Your Picks
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Acemace,
Posted on: 2011-08-28 08:20 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
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I would put Buster Keaton in the top 70 personally, he was in my favorite movie as a kid 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum', though he was quite old in that role (shot in 1966). |
Originally Posted by Rodoan
The list seems focused on post-WWII actors. You would have to see the performances in context of the times they were done, but I'd suggest the masters of non-verbal communication: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
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And you make a good point of course, the golden age of cinema with Errol Flynn Clark Gable James Cagney and the like built the mystique of the Hollywood superstar.
Here's my Top 20 in no particular order:
- Ian McKellan
- Viggo Mortensen
- Leonardo Dicaprio
- Christian Bale
- Anthony Hopkins
- Edward Norton
- Johnny Depp
- Gary Oldman
- Matt Damon
- Morgan Freeman
- Tom Hanks
- Denzel Washington
- Robert De Niro
- Will Smith
- Billy Bob Thorton
- Kevin Spacey
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Tom Cruise
- Paul Giamatti
There's other iconic and notable actors out there, of course, but many of them I just haven't seen enough of or just find are flat out overrated (looking at you, Benicio del Toro).
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I'll have to agree with this.|
Originally Posted by Durakken
Will Smith and Keanu Reeves and Christopher Reeve should all be on that list before a number of the people on that list...
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Keanu has actually shown he can play the ranges, but he either chooses roles where he doesn't have to, or people are calling him for roles he can play himself.
This isn't bad per se, as that's hwo a lot of actors are.
Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, they've been playing themselves for quite some time.
Harrison Ford has been as well.
Sean Connery before he retired, I'd say the same thing.
WIll Smith should be on that list as well.
Steve McQueen seems more like a favorite than anything else imo, but maybe I just wasn't all that impressed with all his movies? I do think The Great Escape is a classic, but it was much more an assemble cast as well.
Kinda suprised by Charles Bronsan on the list, but he's another that's always felt like he was playing Charles Bronsan, so for people to say Keanu plays Keanu, I'd disagree with that being something to keep from being on the top 100 list.
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Woody Harrleson has played some varied roles, but he could likely do with some more varied roles to show if he has the full range.|
Originally Posted by Encharger
Woody Harrelson is rated higher than Tim Curry. What the crap.
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Tim Curry I enjoy, but often times he seems to be about the same character in different roles (a complain from some people in this thread). I mean, Clue, Monk, McHale's Navy, Oscar...felt about the same to be, even if I enjoyed him in all of those.
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I'll give you Will Smith for sure. If just for Ali even. And as somebody who LOVES Tim Curry (but hates Rocky Horror Picture Show with every fiber of my being), I am kinda surprised to see Woody Harelson higher. That one seems really off to me. But the rest of the list is not that bad. Sure a few glaring omissions, but not too horrible.
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Now see, personally, I can't stand Nicholas Cage. It is partially due to the fact that I don't think he is all that great of an actor. Partially, I think it is due to the fact that they have made it a habit of casting in the roles that don't seem to fit him well and he just doesn't seem believable in.
I will say, that he was tolerable in "Kick ***", but that is partially because he wasn't all that prominent so couldn't do much damage. Besides, he was usually opposite Chloe Moretz, who stole the scenes so much that you didn't really notice him there. Additionally, the sort of dry humor and wit that his character was used for in that movie was something that he was able to pull off.
Someone who really deserves a spot on that list is Idris Elba, an actor who I personally feel is greatly under appreciated and under utilized.
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Originally Posted by Frosty_Femme
I said "ur" which is not a word. It's a sound dumb people make when you ask them to spell out "you are".
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I think the correct title of this list is list of actors that are the most memorable to a modern mind and look (or have looked) fairly attractive.
Because we all know the best singers and actors and such are not the ones that are thought of as "great" more often than not they are the ones who never get a shot because they don't look a certain way...
I mean wouldn't Andy Serkis be on that list if it were just the best actors.
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Always found it interesting how Paramount execs did not want Pacino for the role of Michael Corleone at the time. Thankfully, they listened to the director and we got Al Pacino instead of (barf) Martin Sheen.
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Originally Posted by Acemace
1. Al Pacino Actor, The Godfather One of the greatest actors in all of film history, Al Pacino established himself during one of film's greatest decades, the 1970s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies. Born on April 25, 1940, in the Bronx, New York, Pacino's parents (Salvatore and Rose) divorced when he was young... |
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Not sure if Serkis has been around and in people's minds enough to make it on to this list. Certainly his range can be seen by him playing Gollum and the muderer/criminal Rigaud in the BBC's Little Dorritt (you all should watch that, even if you aren't a fan of Charles Dickens. It's paced well, and Serkis as Rigaud is positively creepy and one of the better villains I have ever seen). Still, he tends to be buried in CGI, so many people are going leave him out of a best actors list.|
Originally Posted by Durakken
I think the correct title of this list is list of actors that are the most memorable to a modern mind and look (or have looked) fairly attractive.
Because we all know the best singers and actors and such are not the ones that are thought of as "great" more often than not they are the ones who never get a shot because they don't look a certain way... I mean wouldn't Andy Serkis be on that list if it were just the best actors. |
I would say he's probably one of the better character actors out there. I wouldn't have known he was Rigaud or Gollum unless the credits were telling me, heh.
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I don't see how that is valid or accurate description of Serkis...|
Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
Not sure if Serkis has been around and in people's minds enough to make it on to this list. Certainly his range can be seen by him playing Gollum and the muderer/criminal Rigaud in the BBC's Little Dorritt (you all should watch that, even if you aren't a fan of Charles Dickens. It's paced well, and Serkis as Rigaud is positively creepy and one of the better villains I have ever seen). Still, he tends to be buried in CGI, so many people are going leave him out of a best actors list.
I would say he's probably one of the better character actors out there. I wouldn't have known he was Rigaud or Gollum unless the credits were telling me, heh. |
According to wiki's definition of character actor it's someone who doesn't act in accordance with how the author wrote the character... but he as far as i can tell does nothing but do the upmost to get the most accurate representation of a character... As far as him having CGI layered onto his performance so he's not really acting as quite insulting. It's like saying "you're not a true actor because you have a script where as I improv!"
However it goes to show what I'm saying...It's not the acting skill that is important in this lsit or just about any when people think about "Great" actors.
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I've not been impressed with much of Cage's work that I've seen, but I'm willing to cut him some slack just for Vampire's Kiss.
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Originally Posted by Garielle
Now see, personally, I can't stand Nicholas Cage. It is partially due to the fact that I don't think he is all that great of an actor. Partially, I think it is due to the fact that they have made it a habit of casting in the roles that don't seem to fit him well and he just doesn't seem believable in.
I will say, that he was tolerable in "Kick ***", but that is partially because he wasn't all that prominent so couldn't do much damage. Besides, he was usually opposite Chloe Moretz, who stole the scenes so much that you didn't really notice him there. Additionally, the sort of dry humor and wit that his character was used for in that movie was something that he was able to pull off. |
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Serkis is a flat-out brilliant character actor, one of those rare talents whose individual performances are memorable yet whose identification is always under the radar. He was great in 24 Hour Party People as an eccentric genius of a Mancunian record producer in the 90s and Topsy Turvey as a natty Victorian dancing instructor, but you'd still have to be reminded it was him in those roles. He doesn't need CGI to immerse himself utterly in his characters. (Alfred Molina has a similar quality, but he's a little more physically identifiable.)|
Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
Not sure if Serkis has been around and in people's minds enough to make it on to this list. Certainly his range can be seen by him playing Gollum and the muderer/criminal Rigaud in the BBC's Little Dorritt (you all should watch that, even if you aren't a fan of Charles Dickens. It's paced well, and Serkis as Rigaud is positively creepy and one of the better villains I have ever seen). Still, he tends to be buried in CGI, so many people are going leave him out of a best actors list.
I would say he's probably one of the better character actors out there. I wouldn't have known he was Rigaud or Gollum unless the credits were telling me, heh. |
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Originally Posted by Durakken
I don't see how that is valid or accurate description of Serkis...
According to wiki's definition of character actor it's someone who doesn't act in accordance with how the author wrote the character... |
IMDB's list is as reasonable a mix of these types of actors as one could hope for a popularity contest, I suppose. The "wisdom of the crowd" idea hasn't exactly been wholly supported by the Internet.
A top 100 list and no Leonardo Dicaprio...? Really!?
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Considering you think Keanu is a good actor, your idea of Great Actors doesn't hold much weight.|
Originally Posted by Durakken
I don't see how that is valid or accurate description of Serkis...
According to wiki's definition of character actor it's someone who doesn't act in accordance with how the author wrote the character... but he as far as i can tell does nothing but do the upmost to get the most accurate representation of a character... As far as him having CGI layered onto his performance so he's not really acting as quite insulting. It's like saying "you're not a true actor because you have a script where as I improv!" However it goes to show what I'm saying...It's not the acting skill that is important in this lsit or just about any when people think about "Great" actors. |
Keanu's best, emotive role was Ted "Theodore" Logan. That's all you need to know. He picks the same roles in all his movies because he's got the range of a 2X4, with less depth.
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I'd say that to qualify as a "Great Actor", you have to have shown some range. At least one role that made you go, "That was him in that? Really?"
A list of Most Enjoyable Actors is a whole different beast, and that's what I think we are seeing here. I like seeing Keanu Reeves on screen from time to time, but I would never accuse him of being able to actually act.
Woody Harrelson can make me beleive him both as a vapid bartender and a cunning serial killer. That is acting.
On the other hand, as much as I love Jack Nicholson, his everyman Jack Torrance was just as scary as his Satan, and his Joker, even before the Overlook Hotel got it's hooks into the character. Even at his most lovable, Jack still seems like evil incarnate. Enjoyable, but not an indicator of range and depth.
Then you have Christian Slater, who despite seeming to be constantly attempting to impersonate Nicholson, manages to pull off a deep, conflicted but ultimately heroic teen in Pump up the Volume, and a mustache-twirling Magnificent ******* in Heathers.
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I'd have trouble putting anyone on a list like that unless I've seen them convincingly cry, which is just one aspect of the range requirement.
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Not to familiar with Chaplin but hell yes for Keaton. I feel many of these people don't belong on the list.
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Originally Posted by Rodoan
The list seems focused on post-WWII actors. You would have to see the performances in context of the times they were done, but I'd suggest the masters of non-verbal communication: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
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Gregory Peck, Cary Grant, and Charlton Heston are notably absent from that list. I would also add John Wayne over a number on there, as well as Orson Welles. The list could have been relabeled 'current actors' for the most part, but even at that...
*Edit:* Holy heck, they left Jimmy Stewart and Paul Giamatti off as well?
I'm not sure why people regard Samuel Jackson, Al Pacino and Robert Dinero as top actors, IMO they play pretty much the same character in every film (heck the three of them are interchangeable really), but then again I guess that's a problem I have with most actors.
As far as making a personal list, I'd be hard pressed to find 10, let alone 20 that don't fall into the above category. But I will say this much, I can't wait for the day Jeffery Wright finally gets some credit for being a top notch talent.
And there is no Paul Giamati either...
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Patrick Swayze at 51 (or even being on the list for that matter)? Carl Weathers? Really? Also clearly it only includes English speaking (or even only English performing actors. I can think of a half dozen Asians deserving of a spot. Hell I would put Tony Leung in the top 10.
100 actors and no listing of Kevin Costner anywhere. I approve.
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Let's see...
37. Liam Neeson
47. James Earl Jones
48. Peter Cushing
55. Samuel L. Jackson
57. Christopher Lee
66. Ian McDiarmid (seriously? Ian McDiarmid makes it, but Alec Guinness doesn't?)
Looks like the Sith/Empire win this one, both by number of entrants as well as average ranking (54.5 to 64.5)
And yeah, Gregory Peck, Jimmy Stewart, and even Gary Cooper missing from this list makes it invalid in my eyes.
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In the case of Samuel L. 'the hardest working man in hollywood' hasn't played a different character in...... thinking......|
Originally Posted by EnigmaBlack
I'm not sure why people regard Samuel Jackson, Al Pacino and Robert Dinero as top actors, IMO they play pretty much the same character in every film (heck the three of them are interchangeable really), but then again I guess that's a problem I have with most actors.
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Pacino, Nicholson, Hopkins, Hackman and a few other aging 'a-listers' have each settled into playing variations of their personas for quite a few years, while to me anyway Dinero almost seems to have lost interest, taking one crummy movie (Killer Elite..) after another just to work, does he need the money?
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Originally Posted by Kinrad
100 actors and no listing of Kevin Costner anywhere. I approve.
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The list seems focused on post-WWII actors. You would have to see the performances in context of the times they were done, but I'd suggest the masters of non-verbal communication: Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.