Top 30 Greatest actors of alltime - In my opinion...

Ability, Presence, charisma, versatility.........The whole damn thing.....

1. Marlon Brando
2. Jack Nicholson
3. Al Pacino
4. Gene Hackman
5. Robert Deniro
6. Richard Burton
7. Sean Penn
8. Kevin spacey
9. Daniel Day Lewis
10.Spencer Tracy
11.Jason Robards
12.Peter Sellers
13.Tom Hanks
14.Michael Caine
15.Humphrey Bogart
16.Henry Fonda
17.George C Scott
18.Walter Matthau
19.Anthony Hopkins
20.Clint Eastwood
21.Kirk Douglas
22.Ben Kingsley
23.Lee Marvin
24.Tom Cruise
25.Morgan Freeman
26.Steve McQueen
27.Clark Gable
28.Montgomery Clift
29.Russell Crowe
30.Robert Mitchum/ Chris Plummer........................

Harrison Ford and Paul Newman close.....

Notable omissions...............

Cage, Carrey, Depp, Williams..........over act..

DiCaprio......Most overrated actor I've ever seen..

Olivier, Guinness, Seymour Hoffman, Washington, Bridges, Stewart, Poitier, Lancaster...............Lack charisma on screen..

Anyway there you have it..

brando was before my time so i may have missed something but never really rated him that highly. i only really saw the old mumbling version though (godfather, acopalypse now etc). half the time i could barely understand what he was saying.

personal favorite of mine is spacey, his roles in usual suspects and seven are two of my favourites (films and characters). add to that in other cracking films like la confidential and the negotiator. his recent films have been a shame really hasn't really been in a good film since american beauty

cant go wrong with de niro and pacino. and tom hanks is another ive always liked.

i'll throw one out there you havent mentioned but i like brad pitt. ignore his crap films that he does for the women he's been in some cracking films. seven, true romance, sleepers, fight club, legends of the fall, inglorious bastards are a fairly good list. he has his stinkers but then so does de niro in a boat load.

He's good but he doesn't belong on the list for me..

im not saying he's the greatest actor of all time but he certainly would get in my top 20 easily enough, and would certainly have him over the likes of Russel crowe

Don't think that much of Nicholson, Pacino and De Niro  - the first overacts and the last two are interchangeable and have only ever been capable of one character (which has changed as they've aged).  They are rarely convincing in their roles, I'm always aware that it's a Nicholson/Pacino/De Niro character when I'm watching one of their films - unlike someone like Brando or Spacey.

Gary Oldman, apart from embarrassing himself in Leon, is a top 5 candidate.

Personal favourites of mine who have the ability to become the character they're playing are Tim Roth, John Turturro, Billy Bob Thornton & John Goodman.

I think Di Caprio is avery good actor.

Yul Brynner i thought was a good actor from back in the day.

Denzel Washington is class.

Im a big fan of Kevin Bacon and think he is a top actor.

Galted wrote:Don't think that much of Nicholson, Pacino and De Niro  - the first overacts and the last two are interchangeable and have only ever been capable of one character (which has changed as they've aged).  They are rarely convincing in their roles, I'm always aware that it's a Nicholson/Pacino/De Niro character when I'm watching one of their films - unlike someone like Brando or Spacey.

Gary Oldman, apart from embarrassing himself in Leon, is a top 5 candidate.

Personal favourites of mine who have the ability to become the character they're playing are Tim Roth, John Turturro, Billy Bob Thornton & John Goodman.

You're moaning about some over acting and then saying Oldman should be top 5..

Leon....What about The fifth element

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

Galted wrote:Don't think that much of Nicholson, Pacino and De Niro  - the first overacts and the last two are interchangeable and have only ever been capable of one character (which has changed as they've aged).  They are rarely convincing in their roles, I'm always aware that it's a Nicholson/Pacino/De Niro character when I'm watching one of their films - unlike someone like Brando or Spacey.

Gary Oldman, apart from embarrassing himself in Leon, is a top 5 candidate.

Personal favourites of mine who have the ability to become the character they're playing are Tim Roth, John Turturro, Billy Bob Thornton & John Goodman.

You're moaning about some over acting and then saying Oldman should be top 5..

Leon....What about The fifth element

Can't recall Fifth Element, saw it a long time ago and it never made much of an impression on me.  Oldman was good early career - Meantime, Sid & Nancy, State of Grace.  He may have overestimated his abilities, especially the ability to adlib, later on but he is very talented actor.

Another one to add to the list of top actors is Adrien Brody.

Brando
Pacino
Hanks
De Niro
Nicholson
Washington
Spacey
Day Lewis
Guinness
Freeman

Would make up my top ten, beyond that I wouldn't be bothered too much.

Bill Paxton has to be be top 10. Aliens, Twister, Titanic, Apollo 13, Trespass, Navy Seals. Terrific résumé.

I'd personally have Seymour-Hoffman at the top of the list and Alec Guinness would be in my top 10 (deserves a place for Kind Hearts and Coronets alone).

Can't think of another actor who would have been able to play Scotty the way that Seymour-Hoffman did in Boogie Nights. He was also magnificent in Magnolia and Doubt and never once made a false step in any parts he played.

seanmichaels wrote:Bill Paxton has to be be top 10. Aliens, Twister, Titanic, Apollo 13, Trespass, Navy Seals. Terrific résumé.

He has also forgotten Jason Statham and Danny Dyer.

This list is horsesh*t, Truss.

seanmichaels wrote:Bill Paxton has to be be top 10. Aliens, Twister, Titanic, Apollo 13, Trespass, Navy Seals. Terrific résumé.

I'll chuck Adam Sandler on there too..

No, Paxton will suffice.

He hasn't been the star of any of them films apart from the ones that flopped..

So it's bollox..I might as well stick Ned Beatty in there..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:He hasn't been the star of any of them films apart from the ones that flopped..

So it's bollox..I might as well stick Ned Beatty in there..

He was the Star in Twister.

The Twister was the star.....Just like the bees were the stars in The Swarm...and the shark was the star in Jaws...

In line with the title of Truss' article, it's a game of opinions. However, in mine, some fine and exceedingly fine actors have been missed out.

Furthermore, if the list is meant to be an ''alltime'' one, then greater consideration needs to be given to some from much earlier days (1920s and '30s) - again, just my opinion.

In no particular order, some of those I would be looking to include (who haven't had a mention so far) are:
Paul Muni
Peter Lorre
Anton Walbrook
James Cagney
Rod Steiger
Richard Attenborough
Jack Lemmon
John Cazale.

I also can't agree with Truss' dismissals of Guinness and Lancaster. Both excellent actors who delivered top notch performances over several decades in a wide variety of roles.

Interesting call by Westi for Brynner. I wouldn't have readily thought of him and, for me, he probably didn't do enough quality films. However, he did have massive big screen presence.

Current British actors who might be worth a shout are Firth and Spall.

Guinness had as much presence and charisma as a dead fish.....He'd be top 10 on the stage probably......Lee J Cobb would be too.......Wonderful stage actor...

Truss - did you ever see Guinness in Kind Hearts (per Superfly's post) or The Ladykillers, not to mention his television portrayal of George Smiley? Plenty of life there for a dead fish!

I am glad to see Sean Penn in your top 10. For me, he is the greatest actor of his generation (and bloody good director too).

His performances in Carlitos Way and Casualties of War are incredible.

I also have time for George Clooney. Not the greatest actor but brilliant at playing those everyman roles that Jimmy Stewart excelled at.

I have never seen a bad Clooner performance although he has been in some stinkers.

guildfordbat wrote:Truss - did you ever see Guinness in Kind Hearts (per Superfly's post) or The Ladykillers, not to mention his television portrayal of George Smiley? Plenty of life there for a dead fish!

I saw a bit of the Ladykillers and it bored the butt off me (Nothing is worse than the "PC" Hanks travesty though!! )......Haven't seen kind hearts If i'm honest............But have seen him in plenty..

He's a fine actor......But he doesn't own the screen..

Adam D wrote:I am glad to see Sean Penn in your top 10. For me, he is the greatest actor of his generation (and bloody good director too).

His performances in Carlitos Way and Casualties of War are incredible.

Have you seen I Am Sam? Just wondering if it was worth watching.

Penn's brother was alright as well.

Chris Penn was ok, nothing more, in "Liar" with Tim Roth and in "The Funeral" with Vincent Gallo. From memory I think he sang a half decent song which surprised me as I didn't have him down as a singer. Then again, I didn't have him down as a martial artist but I think he was in a film called "Best of the Best"

Apart from the brilliant John Cazale who Guildford has already mentioned one guy who always gets overlooked for stuff like this is Jon Voight. He is always good in everything he is in (still is, he is brilliant in Ray Donovan) and is frequently outstanding, as he was in Midnight Cowboy and Heat.

If he is unlucky to miss out Dustin Hoffman could almost sue. Brilliant in the likes of Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man and the Graduate. Deserves to be in there and nearer the top than the bottom in my humble opinion.

Hoffman has no presence, charisma and is p**s boring...

Cazale wasn't around long enough.....Though I enjoyed Dog day..

He speaks very highly of you as well Truss!

As long as I don't have to watch any of his films..

Crap in ..All the presidents men...ruined The Graduate....Irritating in Marathon Man.....Sphere was bollox...and I wanted to punch him in Rain man...

Though I did consider him for the list..

Cazale i'd have in a seperate category of best supporting actor, he's brilliant in each and every film he's in but I always feels his the perfect foil to the bigger stars in the films. The films he's in are all of the highest order; The Conversation is grossly under-rated, Hackman at his finest.

Cazale died just as his film career was getting started......

But people had huge respect for him....Which is a pointer to the fact he was something special....

Haven't got James Dean in the list......He wasn't too bad either..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:As long as I don't have to watch any of his films..

Crap in ..All the presidents men...ruined The Graduate....Irritating in Marathon Man.....Sphere was bollox...and I wanted to punch him in Rain man...

Though I did consider him for the list..

Truss Beats up Disableds Shock!

Tim Robbins. Excellent in Topgun.