Who do you consider to be the best actor?

[MiskWisk]

Nicholas Courtney: He usually played military types, his most famous character being Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (my avatar) in the classic Doctor Who most usually associated with Jon Pertwee's version of the Doctor. He tended to be typecast, but he did military types very well, but he was mainly in theatre, and played a wide variety of characters.

Question: How in Satan's glorious name is that avatar Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart?

OT: I have a terrible time remembering names and actors are no different and only a few names stick. So I'm going to go with Morgan Freeman. Sure, he seems to mainly play narrator characters but manages to bring a certain weight to characters who would mostly be forgettable faces if most other people played them.

I'm also going to nominate Jim Carrey despite his almost entirely comedy driven career for his quite frankly brilliant performance in the Truman Show.

 

[Lt._nefarious]

Well at first I was torn between Natalie Portman, Nicolas Cage, Milla Jovovich, Steve Busemi and Noomi Rapace but then after a while I decided that the best actor ever isn't in Bollywood movies or an indie star...

No, the greatest actor ever is a virtual phychotic pirate... The best actor ever is Micheal Mando...

That's right... This guy:

 

[ShinyCharizard]

Daniel Day-Lewis, as few roles as he takes, always seems to put everything he's got into them. And that's a lot. He's gotta be the best actor currently working.

He's not my favorite, but we're talking "best" here, and I can't think of anyone better at the moment.

This. His performance in There Will Be Blood was masterful.

 

[Artina89]

Nicholas Courtney: He usually played military types, his most famous character being Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (my avatar) in the classic Doctor Who most usually associated with Jon Pertwee's version of the Doctor. He tended to be typecast, but he did military types very well, but he was mainly in theatre, and played a wide variety of characters.

Question: How in Satan's glorious name is that avatar Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart?

I recently changed my avatar. I am thinking of changing it back though.

EDIT: Changed it back and feeling infinitely better. Don't know why I changed it in the first place to be honest with you.

 

[Ieyke]

I was at work today and this subject came up and I was quite surprised at some of my friends disagreement with my answer. Personally I think Tom Cruise is the best actor, personal life aside. Every time I see a movie with him, he is always spot on. My favorite movie by him is Top Gun, and I cannot wait for Oblivion to come out.

So I ask you friends, Who do you think is the best actor?

Are you f-ing kidding me?!??!?

Tom Cruise is #1 on my list of WORST actors.

He couldn't act his way out of a paper bag.

Every single movie he's in is just
Tom Cruise in Feudal Japan
Tom Cruise does Hollywood spy stuff
Tom Cruise dressed as a cop in the future
Tom Cruise runs from aliens
Tom Cruise flies planes

The ONLY movie where he's being something other than Tom Cruise is Tropic Thunder.


Best Actor?
Hmmmm...
That's a lot harder.
I know I actually figured this out a few months ago, but right now I just don't remember.

For now I'll say Gary Oldman and Hugh Laurie.
They tend to be able to vanish into a wide variety of roles.


Most of you guys are confusing "good actors"-ones who can genuinely, convincingly play different characters, with "memorable actors"-ones where the actor's own traits overshadow the character but makes the character stick out in your mind.
A well-cast movie is simply one where the actor's quirks happen to line up with the character itself, so you can't tell that the actor isn't actually "acting" very well. You cast Russell Crowe as a badass surely guy, because no one will ever pick up on that being weird. If you cast him as a fast-talking jokester-type character you start to go "whoa...WTF?" because he almost certainly can't pull it off.
Typecasting may seem like a bad thing, but it is generally to an actor's and a movie's benefit to use the actors that fit a given role.

The GOOD actors are the ones who CAN fit into different movies and play different characters, all without ever setting off alarms in your head that they are actor X playing part Y.

Robert Downey Jr, for example - Can pull off a variety of different roles, but sometimes you're aware that it's RDJ playing a given role (like Sherlock Holmes). Other times you honestly lose track of the fact that it's him entirely (like Tropic Thunder). And then you have Tony Stark, a casting so perfect that he literally doesn't even need to act, and you begin to forget that Robert Downey Jr even exists, because he simply IS Iron Man.
Ultimately, that makes RDJ sort of a great balance between memorable in his own right and also being a genuinely good actor.

See what I'm saying?

 

[Signa]

I always like when Scarlett Johansson is in a film, but I honestly can't objectively judge her acting skill while disregarding the eye-candy factor.

That's my hypothesis at least: famous female actors are chosen for their looks and not their skills. I mean, everyone in Hollywood needs to look good on the screen, but however an up-and-coming gets the facetime they need to become famous, a female actor seems to need more looks than skills to get noticed.

 

[rodneyy]

Victoria Wood

i know she mainly does comedy and stand up but when she acts she can really get her chops round a role.

 

[God's Clown]

I am a particularly large fan of Heath Ledger, shame he passed away.

I also consider Hugh Laurie to be one of the best actors around.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Favourite actor?I honestly can?t choose. Maybe?Cillian Murphy? The man really is a chameleon.

Favourite actress would be Jodie Foster, who has maintained a prestigious career since she was a child.

 

[nexus]

Eh.. "Best" Actor is too vague. There are a lot of great actors out there, but they can't do many roles very well.

I have some favorites though.. Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, and Rachel Weisz to name only a few.

 

[Kenbo Slice]

I'd say Gary Oldman for the reasons stated already. Also Robin Williams (mostly), Tom Hanks, Keifer Sutherland, Kenneth Brannagh, and Rufus Sewell. Special mention goes to Bruce Campbell.

Worst for me would be Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Ryan Reynolds, Vince Vaughn, both Luke Wilson and Owne Wilson, Chris Tucker, and Christian Bale.

Really? Christian Bale and Ryan Reynolds are the worst actors? Sure Reynolds is typecast and predictable but watch Buried and you'll realise he's actually reasonably talented as an actor. And Bale is a phenomenal actor, just look at the work he put into films like The Machinist and American Psycho (OK psycho was a shit film but he nailed the role). I agree with Stiller being on the list though. Can't stand him.

American Psycho was not a shit film by any means.

OT: I'd have to say Daniel Day Lewis. It's a shame he doesn't do more movies.