Best Actors on the Screen today

[Bluemoon_Rising]

These are the folks who you think are the very best at their craft. Forget about their politics, their personalities. Forget about which actors you most enjoy watching on the screen, as they are not necessarily the same as the best.

Who are the best actors out there right now, the actors that are just damn fine at what they do?

Paul Giamatti
Johnny Depp
Meryl Streep (still the best actress on the screen)
Renee Zellweger
Leonardo DiCaprio
Cate Blanchett
Hilary Swank
Tom Hanks
Ed Norton
Russell Crowe
Ben Kingsley
Robin Williams

[Lubbock]

Half of those people, I don't even know who they are. At least I've never seen anything they've played in.

Politics aside, Meryl Streep is without a doubt the best in the business --male or female. Postcards From The Edge displayed more pure talent than anything I've ever seen her in.

Robert Duvall ranks right up there with her. How could you leave him off the list. Just tonight, TCM ran Tender Mercies. 1983. I stopped everything I was doing to sit down and actually watch it. That's rare. I'm usually working a crosswrod puzzle, or on the internet, or readng a book, or in the kitchen cooking, listening with one ear to whatever's on.

Jane Fonda is also a hell of an actress --at least I've always thought so. Politics aside.

[MSGT]

Dude, a thousands shames on you ............. Johnny Depp?

Mel Gibson
Morgan Freeman





will add more later

[Wyatt_Junker]

I can't stand Johnny Depp or Leonardo DiCaprio because I can't take either of them seriously. They don't look like men. They both have the soft features of a 1st trimester fetus. Not to mention, Depp will always be the 21 Jump Street loser who happened to get a gig on the first Nightmare On Elm Street set. His jouvenalia will always precede him. At least in my mind.

DiCaprio looks perpetually boyish. Naw, strike that. Toddler-ish. Naw, strike that. He looks so physically infantile, the director probably has to smack his ass to get him breathing, then get him over for a quick breastfeed, and later, a little nappytime before the next shot.

How can a fetal-faced freakshow like this pestering little shit make it with a leading lady in the virtual 'real' world of film? I just can't buy it. And the flattened out forehead makes him look far too extraterrestrial for his own good.

Leading male actos should look like men and that means they should be kind of ugly. Or at least have beard stubble. This same principle does not apply to the ladies. Which makes it imperative that men LOOK LIKE MEN and women LOOK HOT. That's how mother nature wrote the script and movies should follow suit.

I like Jeremy Irons, William Dafoe, Gary Oldman, Malkovich, Robert Duvall, M. Emmet Walsh, Ed Norton, Tom Hanks, Steve Buscemi, Morgan Freeman, William H. Macy, Kevin Spacey, Lawrence Fishburne, Tom Waits, Mel Gibson, Forest Whitaker, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, James Spader, Robert Downey Jr., Holly Hunter, Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson(who wouldn't?), Naomi Watts, Dominique Swain, Cate Blanchett, Rachel McAdams.

Actors I can't watch: Tom Cruise, Mickey Rourke, the Olson Twins, Lindsey Lohan, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck and his butt buddy Matt Damon, Christian Slater, Gary Busey, Matthew McConaughey, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore(or Ashton Kucher for that matter) and Dani Glover.

[CzechPrince]

Wyatt's list about summed it up for me, but I would add Benecio Del Toro
and Johnny Depp

[MSGT]

Gary Oldman, Malkovich, Robert Duvall, Tom Hanks, William H. Macy, Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Robert Downey Jr., Holly Hunter, Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johannson(who wouldn't?), Let me, Mickey Rourke, Matt Damon, Matthew McConaughey:thumb:add Del Toro from Czech

[Lubbock]

Harrison Ford?

I thought he would be high on someone's list.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Bruce Willis<O:p</O:p
Ed Harris<O:p</O:p
Gary Oldman
Gary Sinese
Gene Hackman
Helen Hunt<O:p</O:p
Holly Hunter
James Spader
Kevin Spacey<O:p</O:p
Morgan Freeman<O:p</O:p
Robert Duvall<O:p</O:p
Steve Buscemi<O:p</O:p
William H. Macy<O:p</O:p
Willem Dafoe<O:p</O:p

(I don't care for too many actresses, they tend to overact imho.)

[Lubbock]

William Devane.

Keith Carridine.

Chris Cooper.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Wyatt's list about summed it up for me, but I would add Benecio Del Toro
and Johnny Depp

Benecio Del Toro! Yes!


LOL, Wyatt!:rotflmbo: Great picks, by the way. You, along with Homeschool, thought of some others who definitely qualify.

I definitely like the idea of Macy, Sinese, Oldman, Cooper, Harris and Hackman. Freeman too.

[Lubbock]

Hadn't thought about Hackman, but Lord, yes. He's one of the greats.

I notice that the Guvernator's not on anyone's list. I've never seen a movie of his, but I never thought of him as an "actor" --just some sort of wierd personality.

[Peachdiane]

Ah thank you! I've met Chris Cooper. :)

Wyatt, I always thought DeCaprio was all wrong for Titanic... oh and you summed it up for me nicely.

I would add Denzel Washington, Sean Astin, Joaquin Phoenix, James Woods, David Strathairn, Matt Dillon, and like Homes, I don't care for too many actresses. Reese Witherspoon is ok, as is Julianne Moore.

[Suzie]

I don't mind Johnny Depp. He does creepy and weird very well. :lol: Charlie and the chocolate factory was interesting with him.

He has an appeal to those who find teenage boys attractive, I am not one of them. But I don't mind watching him play a character other than Johnny Depp. :D

I look at this a little different than some of you guys, I don't care what any of these people are like in "real life" because I don't pay to see that. If they can convince me they are the character that's all I need from them if I want entertainment. And that standard is reset with each character they play, they have a new chance to "convince" me.

[Conserv_Atticus]

Philip Seymor Hoffman
Tom Hanks
Charlize Theron
Christian Bale
Steve Carell (proved he's well rounded in an acting sense after Little Miss Sunshine)
Lindsay Lohan(she is actually very talented, she just hasn't been given a roll that can prove it)
Morgan Freeman
Hugh Jackman (He is also great in theatre! an amazing man)
Denzel Washington
Rachael McAdams
Ryan Gosling
Edward Norton


thats only to name a few

[BarryC]

Well I've never heard of Paul Giamatti, I don't think, nor Hilary Swank.
Several of the others I've heard of, but I have not seen them in movies, or if I did, I didn't know it.
But I'll agree with Johnny Depp. He was very believable in The Ninth Gate and in Sleepy Hollow.
When you say "on the screen today", do you mean actors who still act today, and are making new movies? If so, then I really don't know, because I rarely, if ever, go to movies. The last time I went to the movies was to see The Village and The Manchurian Candidate, both in the same night.
Before that it was Sleepy Hollow, and before that it was the X-Files movie.
I can't stand Adam Sandler, Robin Williams, Billie Chrystal, Steve Martin, Woody Allen or Reese Witherspoon.
The problem is, most actors I only know from one movie, or maybe two, so it's hard to judge whether they are good actors or not. For example, Cher. I've only seen her in one movie, Mask. But I think she did a great job in that movie, as did Eric Stoltz.
I think David Calder was excellent in the British TV series, Star Cops, which came out in 1987 and lasted only 9 episodes. But I suppose TV doesn't count in this discussion.
I also think Sidney Poitier, Cary Grant and Clint Eastwood were excellent actors, but maybe they don't count in this discussion either. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a good actor, but not necessarily great. But he pulled off action movies extremely well. I love all of his movies since The Terminator. I never paid much attention to his movies he made before that one.
I think Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman are quite good, although I only know most of them from one or two movies each.
John Cusack, James Brolin, William Devane, Bruce Dern, Stacy Keach, Michael Keaton I only know from one or two movies each, but I thought they were very good.
Sorry this wasn't a very good answer.
Who are the best actors out there right now, the actors that are just damn fine at what they do?

Paul Giamatti
Johnny Depp
Meryl Streep (still the best actress on the screen)
Renee Zellweger
Leonardo DiCaprio
Cate Blanchett
Hilary Swank
Tom Hanks
Ed Norton
Russell Crowe
Ben Kingsley

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Well I've never heard of Paul Giamatti, I don't think, nor Hilary Swank.

My original list is not comprehensive. Others have listed actors whom I would readily include on my list. The folks I listed were those who immediately came to mind at the time. Of those listed by others I would happily include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Chris Cooper, Matt Dillon, William Macy, Benecio Del Toro, Gary Sinese, Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Gene Hackman, Robert Duvall. I'd also include Sean Penn, Daniel Day-Lewis and John C. Riley.

Paul Giamatti is in my opinion the very best actor on the screen today. He's amazing, and I believe his latest performance in the The Illusionist is his best yet. He was nominated for best supporting actor in Cinderella Man, and was the lead star in Sideways and American Splendor. In my opinion he was wrongfully passed over by the Academy for his performances in those two films. He played George Gattling in The Hawk Is Dying. While that film has some serious flaws, his performance makes it bearable and almost redeems it. He's the lead in Lady in the Water, which I haven't seen. His contributions to these films constitute his most significant body of work so far.

Giamatti's been around for a while as a reliably solid character actor, playing bit parts, howbeit important transitional characters. Transitional characters are not attached to the central cast or the central story being told. They appear at significant junctures of the narrative to move the story along, serve their purpose and disappear. Hollywood finally took notice of him as a major talent with his knock-out performance in American Splendor in 2003. Since then his star has risen quickly, backed by solid performances in one successful film after another. I first noticed him in a bit role in Saving Private Ryan, his most significant transitional role. From that role I knew he was destined to become one of America's most important character actors. Right now he's in big demand. So if you haven't heard of him yet, you will soon. See link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0316079/

After Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank is the best actress on the screen today. She's already got to well-deserved Oscars to her credit in what is a relatively young career. See link: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005476/

Several of the others I've heard of, but I have not seen them in movies, or if I did, I didn't know it. But I'll agree with Johnny Depp. He was very believable in The Ninth Gate and in Sleepy Hollow.

Yes. And make no mistake about it, while Dicaprio was too young -- or too "cute" really -- for the role he played in Titanic, he too is one of the best. His performances in Gangs of New York and The Aviator prove that. Age will improve his screen presence. Wait and see.


When you say "on the screen today", do you mean actors who still act today, and are making new movies?

Yes.

[Ant]

Steve Buscemi. Not only is he a good actor, but he's a former NY fireman. On the day after the WTC was hit, he reported to his former firehouse and worked 12 hour shifts for a week while refusing publicity (http://www.indieking.com/E55.html).

[Rhino]

Best Actors on the Screen todayJohn Wayne was on my screen today.

[Rhino]

Harrison Ford?

I thought he would be high on someone's list.Han Solo is always on my list.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Steve Buscemi. Not only is he a good actor, but he's a former NY fireman. On the day after the WTC was hit, he reported to his former firehouse and worked 12 hour shifts for a week while refusing publicity (http://www.indieking.com/E55.html).

Hey, I don't mean any disrespect. Buscemi's a good actor, but he's a one dimensional sort of character actor. He's essentially the same guy in every role. Buscemi has a unique look and voice. That's what he brings to a film -- that look, that voice. He's not the sort of actor who is going to be somebody in one role and then another in this role or that role over there. He only works in a film when the character he's playing fits his screen persona; otherwise, you got to get somebody like Giamatti who can transform himself into virtually any character needed in a supporting or even a leading role.

BTW, I knew he was a former fire fighter. I didn't know he volunteered his time in the rescue effort following 9/11. He’s always struck me as a pretty cool guy, a solid, down-to-earth dude.

[Trevelyan]

Al Pacino
Robert De Niro
Philip Seymour Hoffman
William H. Macey
Paul Giamatti
Steve Buscemi
Kevin Spacey
Bill Murray
John C. Reilly
Chris Cooper
Christopher Walken
Ed Harris
Russell Crowe
Denzel Washington
Tom Hanks
Morgan Freeman
Johnny Depp
Edward Norton

Meryl Streep
Hillary Swank
Frances McDormand
Kathy Bates
Scarlett Johansson

[Trevelyan]

I forgot to mention Peter Sarsgaard in my list.

[Longhorn_Platinum]

Wyatt_Junker:
I can't stand Johnny Depp or Leonardo DiCaprio because I can't take either of them seriously. They don't look like men. They both have the soft features of a 1st trimester fetus. ... DiCaprio looks perpetually boyish. Naw, strike that. Toddler-ish. Naw, strike that. He looks so physically infantile, the director probably has to smack his ass to get him breathing, then get him over for a quick breastfeed, and later, a little nappytime before the next shot. ... Leading male actos should look like men and that means they should be kind of ugly.

:unsmile: In other words, Esau was a man, Jacob was a wuss. Sorry, Wyatt, but nobody is under any obligation to accept your concept of what a man should look like. I know I don't.

[Timberwolf]

Partial list and in no particular order...

Morgan Freeman
Sean Connery
Nicolas Cage
Denzel Washington
Russell Crowe
Gary Sinese
Bruce Willis
Gene Hackman
Antonio Bandaras
Pierce Bronsnan

Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Michele Pfeiffer
Kathy Bates
Catherine Zeta-Jones

[Wyatt_Junker]

:unsmile: In other words, Esau was a man, Jacob was a wuss. Sorry, Wyatt, but nobody is under any obligation to accept your concept of what a man should look like. I know I don't.

Hmmm. We went from harmless chit chat about movies to the hushed tones of a very unhappy Bible study. How unnecessarily ambidextrous of you.

Pssst... C'mere... Here's a clue. You really shouldn't shift gears like that. You'll ruin the transmission.

What's the matter, peachface? Not enough pimpjuice in the nutsack? Inverted adam's apple? Ah, I know. Do you drive a Jetta?

Hey, if you want Hollywood to be a theologian's gig, that's very AlQaeda of you, really, but I'm gonna stick to the big three; sploshuns and car chases and hot chicks when I throw down the popcorn. Unfortunately for you, only a man can pull that shit off.

[Longhorn_Platinum]

:unsmile: Okay, whatever. I just don't understand judging a man's talents; whether it's acting, or what have you; by the amount of hair on his body. So, what do you want DiCaprio to do? Go out & have a lot of plastic surgery, like Michael Jackson, so he can be something other than what nature intended? That's what I was gettin' at. But, hey, if that's your standard, have at it. Just remember before you go impugning guys with softer features that Jesus descended from Jacob, not Esau. Can't handle that? Too bad.

Do you drive a Jetta?

:D Don't laugh. It'll beat your Plymouth Volaré, anyday.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Damn, Longhorn, take it easy. I happen to think Dicapiro is an immensely talented actor as well. As I have stated, his performances in Gangs of New York and The Aviator prove that. He's not just an actor, but an actor's actor. The kid's good, one of the best. Why the hell you getting' all bent out of shape over Wyatt's comments?

C'mon, dude, they're hilarious. Dicaprio has in fact been miscast in some of his roles; it’s hard to take him seriously in some of them. In that sense, Wyatt's dead on. But what the hell, age will help his screen presence. That’s all. Jeez. LMAO!

[Beowulf]

Beo's Movie shortlist:

Morgan Freeman
Mel Gibson
Denzel Washington
R. Lee Ermey
Jodie Foster
Forrest Whittaker
Gary Senice

T.V. Shortlist:

David Caruso (I watch CSI: Miami religiously)
Debra Messing

[maxparrish]

Huh??? only H.S. amd TWolf has a nearly 100% solid lists. And how COULD y'all leave out the greats:

Jack Nicholson
Robert Di Nero
Dustin Hoffman
Sissy Spacek
Samuel L. Jackson
Ben Kingsley

And Very Goods:
Sigorney Weaver
Travolta
Clint Eastwood

BTW I HATE Denzel Washington - his "attitude" seeps into every part, a pretty boy overrated pugnacious jerk. I can't think of a role he has had that I would not have thought Snipes, Jackson, etc. would have been better in.

[Wyatt_Junker]

Jack Nicholson, IMO, doesn't act. He has a trademarked persona that writers and producers construct around him. He can occassionally slip his archetypal leash, but only when it concerns an anger part(The Shining & A Few Good Men). Besides that, he's just Jack.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Mostly agree, Wyatt.

[HomeschoolrsRUs]

Giovanni Ribisi ( The Other Sister )
Peter Onorati (several movies, I saw him first in Civil Wars on TV)
Dennis Franz (Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, City of Angels)

[routerider]

Wyatt forgot Ben Stiller [actor who sucks].

I like Mickey Rourick though. Ron Pearlman is good, Billy Bob Thornton....Bill Paxton, Ian McKellen, Eric Bana etc.

[TSawyer2112]

Damn, Longhorn, take it easy. I happen to think Dicapiro is an immensely talented actor as well. As I have stated, his performances in Gangs of New York and The Aviator prove that. He's not just an actor, but an actor's actor. The kid's good, one of the best. Why the hell you getting' all bent out of shape over Wyatt's comments?

C'mon, dude, they're hilarious. Dicaprio has in fact been miscast in some of his roles; it’s hard to take him seriously in some of them. In that sense, Wyatt's dead on. But what the hell, age will help his screen presence. That’s all. Jeez. LMAO!

While I liked "Titanic" I wasn't that impressed with DiCaprio. He seemed to be just another 'pretty boy' N-Sync type who was in the movie more for his ability to draw women (who would also drag their significant others) to the movie than for acting. DiCaprio could have rested on his laurels after the success of "Titanic" and never went on to become a serious actor. That's obviously not what he did. I must say, I was thouroughly impressed with him in Aviator. I have also noticed that he is in another movie called "Blood Diamond". From the previews it looks like it has the potential to be very good.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

Yep, with age, Dicaprio will impress. He was too young and pretty for Titanic, a definite misscast.