# Good Actors



## Zhukov (May 21, 2004)

Let's throw up some names of people who we think act well.  Not people who have been in a million movies and can't act, or people who have been in multiple blockbusters and can't act (Keanu), but people who actually have skill acting and can portray a wide variety of characters instead of just themselves over and over again.

I mentioned Billy Bob Thorton (_Slingblade, U-Turn_) and Robin Williams (_What Dreams May Come, Awakenings, Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire_), I'd also throw out:

Anthony Hopkins

Tim Robbins (radical political agendas do not disqualify)

Liam Neeson


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## DKSuddeth (May 21, 2004)

*Sam Rockwell* (Wild Bill in the Green Mile and Guy Fleegman in Galaxy Quest)

*Dough Hutchison* (percy whetmore - Green Mile and Ifty in I am Sam

*Michael Wincott* The Crow, 3 musketeers, Metro, Robin Hood


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## nycflasher (May 21, 2004)

Ian McKellen

Robert Duvall

Peter Sellers

Sean Penn

Dustin Hoffman

Susan Sarandon

John C. Reilly 

Joan Allen


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## Dan (May 22, 2004)

Tom Hanks

Jim Carrey

Kate Winslet

Johnny Depp

Al Pacino

Robert De Nero

Michael Madsen

Julianne Moore

Nicholas Cage (when he wants to be)

Brad Pitt

Edward Norton


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## nycflasher (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Dan _
> *Tom Hanks
> 
> Jim Carrey
> ...



Nice list. I might take the Nick Cage qualifier away, though, and add "when he wants to be" to Michael Madsen.

Madsen has been in some pretty bad "b" movies where he gave a "b" quality performance.

Cage is the man, IMO. Plus, he can pull off the alligator skin boots. I thought he was as excellent as his character was fucked up in Leaving Las Vegas.


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## Zhukov (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by nycflasher _
> *
> 
> Peter Sellers
> ...



_Dr. Strangelove_

He plays the President, Group Commander Mandrake, _and_ the title character, Dr. Strangelove.  *AND* he's the Pink Panther.  That's versatility.


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## nycflasher (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Zhukov _
> *Dr. Strangelove
> 
> He plays the President, Group Commander Mandrake, and the title character, Dr. Strangelove.  AND he's the Pink Panther.  That's versatility. *



 

Dang, I forgot he was the Dr. 
That's range, going from the Pink Panther to Dr. Strangelove. I haven't watched any of the Pink Panther series in a while, but if I had them on DVD I think I could watch them over and over like some people do Jim Carrey movies.


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## Zhukov (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Dan _
> *
> 
> Nicholas Cage
> ...



I don't know how I feel about Nicholas Cage.  I don't think his acting in roles like _The Rock_, _Con-Air_, or _Face Off_ was any good.  In fact I think he was awful.

He's good in some roles, but he just doesn't make a believable action hero I don't think.  Of course all those movies fucking sucked anyways, so who knows.


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## Dan (May 22, 2004)

> Nice list. I might take the Nick Cage qualifier away, though, and add "when he wants to be" to Michael Madsen.
> 
> Madsen has been in some pretty bad "b" movies where he gave a "b" quality performance.
> 
> Cage is the man, IMO. Plus, he can pull off the alligator skin boots. I thought he was as excellent as his character was fucked up in Leaving Las Vegas.



You have a good point there. I had forgotten Madsen in such classics as Species 2. Still, he is good when he wants to be, and his character in Kill Bill was probably the most complex one in the entire movie.

I love Nic Cage, but he's a lot like Ben Affleck, in that he keeps doing these horrible action movies even though he's not good in them. Like Affleck, if he stuck to more dramatic roles, he'd be a lot better, I think. That said, Leaving Las Vegas, Valley Girl, and Adaptation are great great performances. Heck, in Adaptation, he plays twins, and you never once think about the fact that it's one person playing both of them.


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## nycflasher (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Zhukov _
> *I don't know how I feel about Nicholas Cage.  I don't think his acting in roles like The Rock, Con-Air, or Face Off was any good.  In fact I think he was awful.
> 
> He's good in some roles, but he just doesn't make a believable action hero I don't think.  Of course all those movies fucking sucked anyways, so who knows. *



I gotta say, yeah, those movies all sucked...
I think he definitely shines in good movies, but can't carry a bad one.

I dunno, maybe he's not the BEST actor but I liked him in Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Fast Times, Peggy Sue Got Married, Wild at Heart and even Guarding Tess.


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## nycflasher (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Dan _
> *You have a good point there. I had forgotten Madsen in such classics as Species 2. Still, he is good when he wants to be, and his character in Kill Bill was probably the most complex one in the entire movie....
> 
> ... Heck, in Adaptation, [Cage] plays twins, and you never once think about the fact that it's one person playing both of them. *



Ah, I have yet to see the Kill Bill movies! Can't wait. And yeah, I forgot, Cage was AWESOME in Adaptation. That was such a good role for him!


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## Dan (May 22, 2004)

He's versatile, no doubt.

But, wasn't he only in Fast Times for like twenty seconds or something?


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## nycflasher (May 22, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Dan _
> *He's versatile, no doubt.
> 
> But, wasn't he only in Fast Times for like twenty seconds or something? *



Yeah I just pulled that out of nowhere, realizing it was probably the fist movie I saw him in.

That movie was all Sean Penn.
Oh, and Reinhold.


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## Dan (May 22, 2004)

> That movie was all Sean Penn.
> Oh, and Reinhold.



See, personally, I think Reinhold peaked with Vice Versa.


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## winston churchi (May 23, 2004)

Gene Hackman.


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## Dan (May 23, 2004)

John Tuturro


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## MtnBiker (May 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by winston churchi _
> *Gene Hackman. *


Yup, I was going to say his name as well. He was great in The Unforgiven.

Also Robert Duvall, great performance in Open Range.


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## Zhukov (May 23, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Dan _
> *John Tuturro *



How could I forget John Tutturo!?!?


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## insein (May 24, 2004)

Keefer Sutherland

Collin Ferrell (Young but good)

Edward Norton

Jim Carrey (We've yet to see his masterpiece)

Ewan Mcgregor (not in everything but alot of things)

Denzel Washington (very versatile)


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## Dan (May 24, 2004)

> Jim Carrey (We've yet to see his masterpiece)



Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes close to being his masterpiece. I'd definitely call it a masterpiece, but it's greatness really results from the story and direction than the performances. Still, it proved that he is a great actor, and he's good at drama.


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## Mummig (May 24, 2004)

John Travolta

Gwyneth Paltrow

Jeremy Northam

Nicole Kidman

Ewan McGregor

Emma Thompson

Alan Rickman

Juliette Binoche

Drew Barrymore (great in comedies)

Anjelica Huston (Love her as a bad guy)

Gary Oldman

Morgan Freeman

Guy Pearce

Vincent D'Onofrio

Gary Sinise

Richard Dreyfuss

Sean Connery

Jim Caviezel

Rufus Sewell

Colin Firth

Frances O'Connor

Judi Dench

Bring on the arguments!!...


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## Mummig (May 24, 2004)

Brad Pitt-not a good actor, gets good roles-not a good actor.  Reminds me of Kevin Costner-reads his scripts-no emotion...
Brad Pitt=eye candy


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## Mummig (May 24, 2004)

John Tuturro is an awesome actor!  Secret Window with Johnny Depp was okay but John T.  was great.  He can do anything!


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## lilcountriegal (May 24, 2004)

I happen to really like Nicolas Cage... John Travolta (especially in Phenomenon).   I could go on and on.  



> Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes close to being his masterpiece.



Actually, I'm gonna throw my two cents in here.  I think one of Jim Carrey's all time masterpieces has GOT to be "Man in the Moon".  He does such a realistic depiction of Andy Kaufman that you truly forget who you're watching.  Excellent, excellent acting in that movie!


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Mummig _
> John Travolta
> 
> Gwyneth Paltrow
> ...



I think Travolta is just awful.  He did a mediocre job in _Pulp Fiction_ and thankfully that was all that was asked of him.  That stupid movie with nuclear bombs and Christian Slater? awful,  the L Ron Hubbard movie? awful, _Faceoff_? awful.  Just my opinion.


I'm not saying she's bad, but I can't remember seeing anything out of Gwyneth that really impressed me.

I think Drew stinks, she should have stopped after _E.T._, though in _the Wedding Singer_ she wasn't _that_ bad.


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

Ewan McGregor

*I do like Ewan, Moulin Rouge, Trainspotting, he even manages to do an adequate job in Star Wars, despite the awful writing.*

Emma Thompson

*Hermione Granger from Harry Potter?  She's alright, but it's a bit early to say she's great*

Alan Rickman

*"Shoot the glass!", I do like him, though his characters are very similar.  We'll see how he does in whatever that movie is called with Mos Def.*

Morgan Freeman

*Shawshank, what more is there to say?  Except maybe Lean on Me*

Vincent D'Onofrio

*"What is your major malfunction Private Pyle!?!?", he's good in C.S.I., but I might hold off labeling him great just yet*

Gary Sinise

*Gary did a good job in the Stand, which was awful.  Apollo 13.  He's not too bad, but not great yet.*

Sean Connery

*Don't get me wrong, he's James Bond, he's Dr. Jones Sr., but is he great?  Yeah, probably.  Nevermind.*


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## NewGuy (May 24, 2004)

Gumby

Jimmy Neutron

Jerry Springer


-Wait, .....these aren't real people.


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## insein (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Zhukov _
> *I think Travolta is just awful.  He did a mediocre job in Pulp Fiction and thankfully that was all that was asked of him.  That stupid movie with nuclear bombs and Christian Slater? awful,  the L Ron Hubbard movie? awful, Faceoff? awful.  Just my opinion.
> 
> 
> ...



Battlefield Earth comes to mind, lol.  What a BAD movie.  Travolta is NOT a good actor.  He aint bad but definitely not oscar worthy.


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by insein _
> *Battlefield Earth  *



That's the L Ron Hubbard one, dirty stinking Scientologists.


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

I just realized i called this thread 'Good Actors' not '*Great* Actors', in spite of my last couple posts.

Oh well, hind-sight, twenty-twenty


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

Saw this name in _the Rundown_ thread:


Christopher Walken, great, sure he's always a strange guy, and he's (almost?) always himself, but I don't know, he's great.


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## Dan (May 24, 2004)

> Christopher Walken, great, sure he's always a strange guy, and he's (almost?) always himself, but I don't know, he's great.



Yeah, I thought about Walken, but in the beginning you specifically noted no people who were basically playing the same character in every movie. Not that there's anything wrong with that, at least in Walken's case.



> Actually, I'm gonna throw my two cents in here. I think one of Jim Carrey's all time masterpieces has GOT to be "Man in the Moon". He does such a realistic depiction of Andy Kaufman that you truly forget who you're watching. Excellent, excellent acting in that movie!



I forgot about Man on the Moon, Lil, yes he was excellent in that, too. I was disappointed with the movie itself, so I sort of forgot how good he was in it. Still, I'd say he's better in 'Eternal Sunshine', if only because he had to build that character from scratch, rather than having the Andy Kaufman template to go on. 



> I'm not saying she's bad, but I can't remember seeing anything out of Gwyneth that really impressed me.



I don't think I've ever seen any of her movies (well, 'Seven', but she was little more than a severed head in that), but she seems so likable, I really support her. Weird, huh?



> Brad Pitt-not a good actor, gets good roles-not a good actor. Reminds me of Kevin Costner-reads his scripts-no emotion...



No way! Can you honestly say you watched Kalifornia and the whole time, the only thing you were thinking was "yep,there's brad pitt." He owned that role.


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## Mummig (May 24, 2004)

I like Travolta-I agree he is not oscar worthy and Battlefield Earth was horrible-but I liked Face Off and Broken Arrow.  But Hey I never said I had good taste in movies 

Emma Thompson-I didn't know that was Hermione's real name-I mean the one that was married to Kenneth Brannagh-She was in Sense and Sensibility(can't think of the others).

I only like Drew in comedies-everyone liked Wedding Singer!

Vincent D'Onofrio was great in The Cell-I think he is a good up and comer.

I just really like Gary Sinise and love Sean Connery...like you said you only put good actors, not great

 

Of course I like the ones that were already named-Pacino, DeNiro, etc....


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## Mummig (May 24, 2004)

Okay, I will give Brad Pitt 2 movies, but other than that he is just okay.  He was awesome in 12 Monkeys.


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## nycflasher (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Mummig _
> *Brad Pitt-not a good actor, gets good roles-not a good actor.  Reminds me of Kevin Costner-reads his scripts-no emotion...
> Brad Pitt=eye candy *



I disagree.
A River Runs Through It, True Romance, 12 Monkeys, Seven, Sleepers, Fight Club, The Mexican, Snatch... all decent movies where he played his part well.

Maybe I agree with you a little, though...

I can't stand Sigourney Weaver for some reason. She just creeps me out.


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## nycflasher (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Dan _
> *
> No way! Can you honestly say you watched Kalifornia and the whole time, the only thing you were thinking was "yep,there's brad pitt." He owned that role. *



He-he. Now that was one strange fucking movie. I forgot how good of a scumbag Brad Pitt was in that.


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## Mummig (May 24, 2004)

Maybe that's it-I just don't like him as an actor.

I can see how you think that about S.Weaver...Alien...she's certainly not normal. 

But she did look really hot in Galaxy Quest (atleast for her)  She actually looked like a woman!


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Mummig _
> *Emma Thompson-I didn't know that was Hermione's real name-I mean the one *



Bah, Emma Watson Emma Thompson, my bad.


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## nycflasher (May 24, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Mummig _
> *Maybe that's it-I just don't like him as an actor.
> 
> I can see how you think that about S.Weaver...Alien...she's certainly not normal.
> ...



Yeah, I try and tell myself that she's cute...but she really just doesn't do it for me lol. Why does she come off like a butch lesbian? Heck, I dunno, maybe she is one...


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## lilcountriegal (May 24, 2004)

> I forgot about Man on the Moon, Lil, yes he was excellent in that, too. I was disappointed with the movie itself, so I sort of forgot how good he was in it.



I actually thought the movie itself was "okay"... but the acting Carrey did showed how well he can morph into pretty much any character.  (I havent seen Eternal Sunshine yet). 

I did, however, think of another actress who I'm becomming a fan of... Kate Hudson.  Her acting in "Almost Famous" should make anyone an instant fan.


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## Zhukov (May 24, 2004)

Russell Crowe

_Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, The Insider, L.A. Confidential_


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## Mummig (May 25, 2004)

I actually think Weaver is married.  She is just good at playing the tough lesbian bitch-manwoman


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## Mummig (May 25, 2004)

Russell Crowe is too much of a jerk for me to like, but I will give him credit for his movies.


And I love Kate Hudson!  She was great in The Four Feathers also.


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## dmp (May 25, 2004)

Geesh - most over-looked actor I know:

Eddie Murphy.



Talk about able to play ANY part?  wow.


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## Aquarian (May 25, 2004)

you all took many of the good ones, but I'll jot down a few in my favorites category:

ben kingsley

michael caine

albert finney

hugo weaving

Robert Carlyle

jeff and beau bridges, lloyd as well for that matter

john cusack

michael douglas (and kirk)

paul newman

katherine hepburn

johnathan pryce

val kilmer 

kevin spacey

bob hoskins

jack nicholson (nobody said jack yet??)

glenn close

william hurt

kevin kline

peter o'toole

angelina jolie

harvey keitel

jason robards

steve buscemi

james woods

geoffrey rush

steve martin (esp if you add in his one man play "Picasso at the Lapin Agile")

and sooo many more, what can I say, I love movies


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## Zhukov (May 26, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Aquarian _
> *kevin spacey*



Kevin Spacey is really quite good.


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## rtwngAvngr (May 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Zhukov _
> *I don't know how I feel about Nicholas Cage.  I don't think his acting in roles like The Rock, Con-Air, or Face Off was any good.  In fact I think he was awful.
> 
> He's good in some roles, but he just doesn't make a believable action hero I don't think.  Of course all those movies fucking sucked anyways, so who knows. *



I've never seen a more "phoned in" performance than what he did in Gone in Sixty Seconds.


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## nycflasher (May 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Mummig _
> *Russell Crowe is too much of a jerk for me to like, but I will give him credit for his movies.
> 
> 
> And I love Kate Hudson!  She was great in The Four Feathers also. *



I was in love with Kate Hudson until she became married with child


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## Dan (May 28, 2004)

> I was in love with Kate Hudson until she became married with child



I don't even know how Chris Robinson managed to father a child at this point. The dude's seeds probably have more illegal chemicals in them than Courtney Love's medicine cabinet (ba-dum-bump).


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## insein (May 28, 2004)

> _Originally posted by Zhukov _
> *Kevin Spacey is really quite good. *



God Kevin Spacey is Brilliant.


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## George Costanza (Apr 23, 2012)

Time to revive this thread for another go around.

Meryl Streep

I did not see her mentioned anywhere on this thread.  In my opinion, she was ill-suited for her role in Mama Mia, but that does not take away from her great acting ability in most all of the other roles she has played.


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## MikeK (Apr 24, 2012)

Meryl Streep.


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## Rocko (Apr 24, 2012)

George Costanza said:


> Time to revive this thread for another go around.
> 
> Meryl Streep
> 
> I did not see her mentioned anywhere on this thread.  In my opinion, she was ill-suited for her role in Mama Mia, but that does not take away from her great acting ability in most all of the other roles she has played.



I think she's the best in the buisness.


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## Zoom-boing (Apr 24, 2012)

John Noble is fantastic.  Watch him as Walter on Fringe.  Simply amazing.

Johnny Depp.  Anything I've ever seen him I only see the character, not Depp.  That's rare.

William H. Macy.  Another actor who totally brings his characters to life.


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## Big Black Dog (Apr 24, 2012)

My ex-wife should get an Oscar for faking orgasms, telling lies, and acting sincere.


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## Dabs (Apr 24, 2012)

I like Nicolas Cage....but he isn't always great in all his movies.
I think he's sexy...most of the time.....one of my favorite movies with him is Con-Air...I love the long hair on him 
I liked him in Face-Off as well......but I thought Ghost Rider was a bit ridiculous....
Family Man was ok and one of his first flicks "Raising Arizona" was a funny one..........
And I like John Travolta and Hugh Jackman.
Morgan Freeman is also good , and Denzel Washington.........I don't really have any female favorites, except for Sandra Bullock~


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## Artevelde (Apr 25, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> .
> 
> William H. Macy.  Another actor who totally brings his characters to life.



Very true.


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## strollingbones (Apr 25, 2012)

peter lorre

bette davis

olivia dehavillan

vincent price

orson welles

john barrymore

eli wallach

karl malden

vivan leigh

marland brandon

robert duvall

robert mitchem

al pacino


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## Katzndogz (Apr 25, 2012)

Most of the best actors are long dead.  Laurence Olivier, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant.  All towering talented actors.  Today, I can't think of anyone other than Johnny Depp who is good in everything, even bad movies.

After seeing Depp in several appearances, my husband remarked that he thought Johnny Depp was extremely shy which made him such a good actor.  It's how he escapes his basic shyness.   

I found that so remarkable that I had to look it up.  Sure enough, Johnny Depp is known for being shy to the point of reclusiveness.


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## MikeK (Apr 27, 2012)

George Costanza said:


> Time to revive this thread for another go around.
> 
> Meryl Streep
> 
> I did not see her mentioned anywhere on this thread.  In my opinion, she was ill-suited for her role in Mama Mia, but that does not take away from her great acting ability in most all of the other roles she has played.


Exactly my thoughts.  

_Mama Mia_ was not a good role for Meryl Streep.  I liked her best in _Out Of Africa._ 

She also did a really good job in _Julie and Julia._  But maybe I'm biased because I liked Julia Child a lot and cooking is a hobby of mine.


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## MikeK (Apr 27, 2012)

Zoom-boing said:


> [...]
> 
> William H. Macy.  Another actor who totally brings his characters to life.


I think he is great in _Shameless._  I can't think of anyone else who could play Frank Gallagher.  He is the bedrock of the series which would have no substance without him.


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## Douger (Apr 27, 2012)

I never saw an actor as diversified as Leslie Nielsen.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcKJdmXbBBc]"Airplane!" & "The Naked Gun" Tribute - YouTube[/ame]


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## MikeK (Apr 27, 2012)

Zhukov said:


> Russell Crowe
> 
> _Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, The Insider, L.A. Confidential_


I like Russell Crowe.  He was excellent in _L.A. Confidential._


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## Amelia (Apr 27, 2012)

Ben Kingsley was the name I was looking for in this list.  Should I be surprised it took until the 45th post?





Tony Shalhoub is someone I'm enjoying at the moment.


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