Favorite actor/actress? [Archive]

MacGuffin

05-20-2009, 04:52 AM

Difficult, it changes so often :/

Actor: Dana Andrews
Runner up: Marcello Mastroianni

Actress: Barbara Stanwyck
Runner up: Jeanne Moreau

Definitely. I'm actually curious what my original post will look like in a year. I still have quite a few Vincent Price movies to see, but I think I've seen most of the stuff Anna Karina has been in. Bill Murray, of course, is just Bill Murray. He and Price have quite the onscreen presence and that's really all I care about. In fact, Murray may be number one based on his performances as Herman Bloom and Bob Harris, but I still feel like I need to see more of his work, like Where the Buffalo Roam and rewatch Groundhog Day.

soitgoes...

05-20-2009, 05:20 AM

Actor: Tatsuya Nakadai
Runner Up: Paul Newman

Actress: Liv Ullmann
Runner(s) Up: Hideko Takamine/Setsuko Hara

B-side

05-20-2009, 05:27 AM

Oh God. No way I could definitely choose one, but here goes a half-assed attempt to do so:

Current AKA Under 40 and Still Alive
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
Runner-up: Gael Garcia Bernal?

Actress: Cate Blanchett
Runner-up: Naomi Watts

All-time
Actor: Marlon Brando (Conventional? Sure, but I've yet to encounter an actor with more charisma and gravitas in his performances.)
Runner-up: Daniel Day-Lewis

Actress: Liv Ullman
Runner-up: Faye Dunaway, perhaps? I'm more lacking here than in the male category. Shameful.

B-side

05-20-2009, 05:28 AM

Actress: Liv Ullmann

Rep.:pritch:

The Mike

05-20-2009, 05:32 AM

Actor: James Stewart
Runner-up: Dustin Hoffman/John Belushi

Actress: Carole Lombard
Runner-up: Naomi Watts/Charlize Theron

I was really tempted to forget the last decade and throw Nicolas Cage up there, but I resisted.

The Mike

05-20-2009, 05:34 AM

Actress: Barbara Stanwyck

I almost went with this one, too. :cool:

origami_mustache

05-20-2009, 06:07 AM

Andy Kaufman
Werner Herzog

Philosophe_rouge

05-20-2009, 06:16 AM

I almost went with this one, too. :cool:
Funny, I was just about to post that I almost put Lombard :lol:

Watashi

05-20-2009, 06:20 AM

Actor: Henry Fonda
Actress: Faye Dunaway

origami_mustache

05-20-2009, 06:53 AM

Actress: Faye Dunaway

good choice...I really love her.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 07:04 AM

The first thing that pops into my head: Isabelle Huppert, of course. The second thing that pops into my head: What is good acting? And finally: An actor is only as good as the material they're given to work with.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 07:06 AM

Current AKA Under 40 and Still Alive
Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
Runner-up: Gael Garcia Bernal?

Actress: Cate Blanchett
Runner-up: Naomi WattsWhy just under 40? Maggie Cheung and Meryl Streep are still kickin' it.

B-side

05-20-2009, 07:10 AM

Why just under 40? Maggie Cheung and Meryl Streep are still kickin' it.

Eh. I was limiting myself to the fairly younger crowd. Basically, the actors I think have a great and hopefully lengthy future ahead of them.

Stay Puft

05-20-2009, 07:41 AM

Neither of your female choices are under 40. (Blanchett is 40, Watts 41.)

baby doll

05-20-2009, 07:49 AM

Eh. I was limiting myself to the fairly younger crowd. Basically, the actors I think have a great and hopefully lengthy future ahead of them.Maybe I'm stuck in the past, but I think actors (and everyone else, for that matter) should be judged according to what they've done and not what they might do in the future.

Also, going back to what I said about actors only being as good as the material they're given, one of your picks was Naomi Watts, who was great in Mulholland Dr. and good in I Heart Hucakbees (she's no Lily Tomlin, of course), but what has she done for me lately?

trotchky

05-20-2009, 08:01 AM

Isabelle Huppert is my favorite actress. Harvey Keitel is my favorite actor.

Dead & Messed Up

05-20-2009, 08:08 AM

Actor: Jimmy Stewart
Runner-Up: Conrad Veidt
Runner-Runner-Up: Sam Rockwell

Actress: Ingrid Bergman
Runner-Up: Frances McDormand
Runner-Runner-Up: Bette Davis
Runner-Runner-Runner-Up: Kate Beckinsale's Posterior

B-side

05-20-2009, 08:45 AM

Maybe I'm stuck in the past, but I think actors (and everyone else, for that matter) should be judged according to what they've done and not what they might do in the future.

Absolutely. I chose the actors/actresses I chose because of their work done so far.

Also, going back to what I said about actors only being as good as the material they're given, one of your picks was Naomi Watts, who was great in Mulholland Dr. and good in I Heart Hucakbees (she's no Lily Tomlin, of course), but what has she done for me lately?

She's good in everything she does. She's just always quality. 21 Grams and the remake of Funny Games immediately come to mind in addition to those you listed.

Dead & Messed Up

05-20-2009, 08:52 AM

She's good in everything she does. She's just always quality. 21 Grams and the remake of Funny Games immediately come to mind in addition to those you listed.

I'd add King Kong to that list, since she had to play against effects in so many of her scenes, and she convinced every step of the way.

B-side

05-20-2009, 09:02 AM

I'd add King Kong to that list, since she had to play against effects in so many of her scenes, and she convinced every step of the way.

For sure.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 09:03 AM

She's good in everything she does. She's just always quality. 21 Grams and the remake of Funny Games immediately come to mind in addition to those you listed.I can't comment on Funny Games, having only seen the Austrian original, but 21 Grams struck me at the time as shameless Oscarbait; whether or not she gave the best performance that year, she certainly gave the most performance. Even the whole non-linear angle seemed like it was just a means of putting her hysterical, cracked out grieving alongside scenes of her being blandly happy in order to show off her range.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 09:06 AM

I'd add King Kong to that list, since she had to play against effects in so many of her scenes, and she convinced every step of the way.Well, I'm going to go back to my argument that actors are only as good as the material they're given to work with. So regardless of whether or not it's hard to play against effects, the scene where she teaches the dirty ape the word for "beautiful" by pointing to a sunset is simply vomit-inducing.

soitgoes...

05-20-2009, 09:21 AM

Ezee E

05-20-2009, 10:14 AM

Naomi Watts also did Eastern Promises and The International. Haven't seen the latter, but in EP, her character almost didn't have to be there for the movie to exist. Great movie still, and she also gets my pick because I enjoy nearly every movie she's in.

dreamdead

05-20-2009, 11:56 AM

Favorite actor: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai
Favorite Actress: Tilda Swinton

Sven

05-20-2009, 12:15 PM

An actor is only as good as the material they're given to work with.

A naive sentiment, though there are some indicators that the majority of people jerk their knees in its direction. Still, actors can pull off monumental performances with shoddy dialogue. Dustin Hoffman in the film Confidence, for example. A performance is not necessarily about the material. If the material is ho-hum, but the performer adequately represents that material, is that not, too, a good performance?

Sven

05-20-2009, 12:23 PM

Favorite actor of all time: James Cagney
Favorite actor alive: Bob Hoskins

Favorite actress of all time: Joan Fontaine
Favorite actress alive: Toni Colette, I think, though I tend to like her more than her movies

Fezzik

05-20-2009, 12:53 PM

Age be damned...

Current favorites:

Actor: Ian McKellen
Actress: Meryl Streep

All Time Favorites:

Actor: James Stewart
Actress: Katharine Hepburn

(sentimental favorites: Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn)

The Mike

05-20-2009, 01:08 PM

The Mike

05-20-2009, 01:09 PM

Favorite actress of all time: Joan FontaineBah, I thought about putting that one too.

Too many choices! :confused:

balmakboor

05-20-2009, 01:13 PM

Actor
Robert Downey Jr.
Steve Martin

Actress
Setsuko Hara
Julianne Moore

Ezee E

05-20-2009, 01:16 PM

Actresses are tough for me to like, because they always have a moment where they pick 3-4 awful movies. Kate Winslet even did The Holiday. Kate Beckinsale in Click.

Leo DiCaprio picks movies that I always want to see, and Christian Bale tends to as well, even if they aren't good in them sometimes.

Then there's the actor that always seems to bring their character to a level that wasn't intended. Sven mentioned Dustin Hoffman in Confidence, a fine choice. One actress that comes to mind is Tilda Swinton. She had a mediocre role in Burn After Reading but made it into something pretty worthy I thought. Michael Clayton worked because of her, and the best moments in Benjamin Button included her.

Some other actors that do that for me are James Cromwell, John Cazale (RIP), Bill Murray, Meryl Streep, and getting there is Angelina Jolie. There's a few others of course.

Mara

05-20-2009, 01:43 PM

Currently alive and working:

Actress: Emma Thompson, with Cate Blanchett a close second.

Actor: I was just going on recently about my love for Stephen Root, and now he's all I'm coming up with. I should probably choose a bigger name... but why?

All time:

Actor: Jimmy Stewart
Actress: Ingrid Bergman

Grouchy

05-20-2009, 03:11 PM

An actor is only as good as the material they're given to work with.
Completely untrue. I can't even begin to understand the logic behind that.

Actor: Daniel-Day Lewis
Runner-ups: Dennis Hopper, Klaus Kinski, Max Von Sydow, Al Pacino, Christian Bale, Paul Newman.

Actress: Cate Blanchett
Runner-ups: Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Claudia Cardinale.

Pop Trash

05-20-2009, 03:15 PM

Hmmm...tough.

All time actors: Marlon Brando...or Jimmy Cagney...or Cary Grant...or Jack Nicholson...I can't decide
All time actresses: Probably Liv Ullman, but maybe Ingrid Bergman. I can't think of many classic Hollywood actresses I like. I know I don't like Kathryn Hepburn much. Someone help me out here.

Currently working:
Actor: Mark Ruffalo in You Can Count on Me was outstanding, but since then he's sometimes too one note (if always solid) Daniel Day Lewis is always watchable, but sometimes not subtle enough for my taste.
Actress: Isabelle Huppert is probably the correct answer. Also like Tilda Swinton, Julianne Moore is usually pretty great (especially in Safe, however she was pretty bad in Magnolia, so maybe I'm wrong) Gretchen Mol is underrated and quite the cutie. Oh and how could I forget...Michelle Williams!

Dukefrukem

05-20-2009, 03:15 PM

Currently:

Actor: Nathan Fillion
Runner-up: Clint Eastwood

Actress: Rachel Weisz
Runner-up: Zooey Deschanel

All-time:

Actor: James Stewart
Runner-up: Bill Murray

Benny Profane

05-20-2009, 03:16 PM

Actor: Daniel Day Lewis
Actress: Samantha Morton

Mara

05-20-2009, 03:27 PM

I forgot Katherine Hepburn! She would probably unseat Ingrid Bergman for me.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 08:41 PM

So why Huppert then?Just my gut reaction.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 08:47 PM

A naive sentiment, though there are some indicators that the majority of people jerk their knees in its direction. Still, actors can pull off monumental performances with shoddy dialogue. Dustin Hoffman in the film Confidence, for example. A performance is not necessarily about the material. If the material is ho-hum, but the performer adequately represents that material, is that not, too, a good performance?Since I haven't seen the film, I'll need a clip to know what you're talking about.

baby doll

05-20-2009, 08:51 PM

One actress that comes to mind is Tilda Swinton. She had a mediocre role in Burn After Reading but made it into something pretty worthy I thought. Michael Clayton worked because of her, and the best moments in Benjamin Button included her.Yeah, as much as I liked Burn After Reading, Swinton gives a one note performance. And the scene where we learn what she does for a living is funny precisely because her character is such a "cold, stuck-up bitch" (incidentally, it also reenforces the implied parallel with Clooney's wife), but is it really a great performance? I get the feeling she's played so many cold, stuck-up bitches in the movies that she could've played this part in her sleep.

Sven

05-20-2009, 10:32 PM

Since I haven't seen the film, I'll need a clip to know what you're talking about.

Forget that example. Choose any poorly-written film you've seen that has provided a good performance. They exist, and you've certainly seen some.

I disagree with seeing actors as subservient to the script. Without actors, a play may never be performed. But without a script, actors can still act.

Winston*

05-20-2009, 10:36 PM

I disagree with seeing actors as subservient to the script. Without actors, a play may never be performed.
Puppets?

Sycophant

05-20-2009, 10:38 PM

The more I've worked with actors, the more I realize what makes a great performance and a great acotr, and how crucial actors truly are to narrative filmmaking.

Still, I have a hard time picking favorite actors the same way I do favorite directors and favorite writers and favorite films. I declare a lot of actors "favorites" in the moment, but the idea of making a list makes me kind of uneasy.

Robby P

05-20-2009, 10:48 PM

I try to catch all of Edward Norton's performances. Sadly, he's been picking some pretty iffy projects lately. Although Down in the Valley was quite good.

chrisnu

05-20-2009, 10:48 PM

Actor

All-time: Marlon Brando (runner-up: Jack Lemmon)
Current: Daniel Day-Lewis

Actress

All-time: Liv Ullmann (runner-up: Gena Rowlands)
Current: Naomi Watts

megladon8

05-20-2009, 10:56 PM

A handful of favorites from my all-time list....

Gene Hackman
Kate Winslet
Cary Grant
Marlene Dietrich
Tony Leung
Barbara Stanwyck
Christian Bale
Viola Davis
Sidney Poitier
Rachel Weisz
Bruno Ganz
Natassja Kinski

B-side

05-21-2009, 12:21 AM

Completely untrue. I can't even begin to understand the logic behind that.

Actor: Daniel-Day Lewis
Runner-ups: Dennis Hopper, Klaus Kinski, Max Von Sydow, Al Pacino, Christian Bale, Paul Newman.

Kinski was terrific in Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo and Nosferatu the Vampyre. Sadly, those are the only 3 performances of his I've seen. What are some other standout performances of his?

I also love me some Von Sydow.

MacGuffin

05-21-2009, 12:22 AM

Best Isabelle Huppert movies?

B-side

05-21-2009, 12:24 AM

Best Isabelle Huppert movies?

She was good in this (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381392/).

baby doll

05-21-2009, 12:46 AM

Best Isabelle Huppert movies?Loulou, Passion, La Cérémonie, Merci pour le chocolat, La Pianiste, 8 femmes, Le Temps du loup, I Heart Huckabees, Gabrielle.

trotchky

05-21-2009, 12:55 AM

She was good in this (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0381392/).

Shame about the movie though.

The Piano Teacher is her best performance and the best movie she's been in, Clipper Ship.

baby doll

05-21-2009, 12:59 AM

The Piano Teacher is her best performance and the best movie she's been in, Clipper Ship.I concur.

The Mike

05-21-2009, 01:00 AM

I really wanted to say Walter Matthau, but I didn't, and now no one else has said Walter Matthau, and it makes me sad, so I must say....

Walter Matthau.

B-side

05-21-2009, 01:01 AM

Shame about the movie though.

The Piano Teacher is her best performance and the best movie she's been in, Clipper Ship.

I liked it. Not great, but pretty good.

MacGuffin

05-21-2009, 01:32 AM

Loulou, Passion, La Cérémonie, Merci pour le chocolat, La Pianiste, 8 femmes, Le Temps du loup, I Heart Huckabees, Gabrielle.

I'm gonna have to rewatch the movies she did with Haneke. I'm seeing Le cérémonie again (along with Le boucher) this weekend. Thanks for the other recs. The movie Brightside posted doesn't really interest me.

Boner M

05-21-2009, 01:33 AM

I made a FB list of my top 5 of each last week...

1. Gene Hackman
2. Warren Oates
3. Henry Fonda
4. Marcello Mastroianni
5. Ian Holm

1. Gena Rowlands
2. Barbara Stanwyck
3. Isabelle Huppert
4. Faye Dunaway
5. Isabelle Adjani

The Mike

05-21-2009, 01:34 AM

Why the hell didn't I say Gene Hackman? Gah! :lol:

This is the most difficult thread ever.

B-side

05-21-2009, 01:38 AM

The movie Brightside posted doesn't really interest me.

:P

I'm a bit of a pervert, don't mind me. I'm also not exactly an expert on Huppert. That was just the first film that came to mind that I'd seen that had her in it.

Ezee E

05-21-2009, 03:07 PM

Whatever happened to Audrey Tautou anyway? Seemed to drop off.

Grouchy

05-21-2009, 03:49 PM

Kinski was terrific in Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo and Nosferatu the Vampyre. Sadly, those are the only 3 performances of his I've seen. What are some other standout performances of his?

I also love me some Von Sydow.
Well, the other Herzog movie - Woyzeck - and pretty much that's all I'm basng my fandom on. He's also quite good in For a Few Dollars More and Doctor Zhivago, but his roles are very small.

My actresses list officially sucks because I forgot Faye Dunaway, probably my all-time favorite.

B-side

05-21-2009, 11:51 PM

Well, the other Herzog movie - Woyzeck - and pretty much that's all I'm basng my fandom on. He's also quite good in For a Few Dollars More and Doctor Zhivago, but his roles are very small.

My actresses list officially sucks because I forgot Faye Dunaway, probably my all-time favorite.

Cool, thanks. I should get on Woyzeck sooner rather than later.