Movies What's your top 10 greatest male actors?

[Takes Two To Tango]

Here's mine:

1. Daniel Day-Lewis
2. Gary Oldman
3. Marlon Brando
4. Robert De Niro
5. Anthony Hopkins
6. Philip Seymour Hoffman
7. Tom Hanks
8. Laurence Olivier
9. Al Pacino
10. Peter O'Toole

 

[Bacco]

Oldman
DDL and Pacino follow up

 

[revoltub]

Hanks

 

[SuperHoss]

I voted Pacino #1. The rest of my top 10... De Niro, Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Gary Oldman, Jack Nicholson, Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Hanks.

Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier may be more important than many or all of these guys historically, but for me, their performances don't age well. I thought Brando was great in 'On the Waterfront" and excellent in "The Godfather", but I can't get his performance in " A Streetcar Named Desire" out of my head. Awful.

Olivier almost always looks and speaks like he is acting on stage. Never saw him on stage, so not part of my criteria.

Daniel-Day Lewis is too often too Over-The Top for me. It almost seems like he is hamming it up.

I am definitely biased towards natural, seamless acting and not screen presence or star power. That is a different attribute.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

I voted Pacino #1. The rest of my top 10... De Niro, Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Gary Oldman, Jack Nicholson, Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Hanks.

Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier may be more important than many or all of these guys historically, but for me, their performances don't age well. I thought Brando was great in 'On the Waterfront" and excellent in "The Godfather", but I can't get his performance in " A Streetcar Named Desire" out of my head. Awful.

Olivier almost always looks and speaks like he is acting on stage. Never saw him on stage, so not part of my criteria.

Daniel-Day Lewis is too often too Over-The Top for me. It almost seems like he is hamming it up.

I am definitely biased towards natural, seamless acting and not screen presence or star power. That is a different attribute.

Thanks for sharing your top 10 and giving an explanation. That was awesome.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

I voted Pacino #1. The rest of my top 10... De Niro, Hopkins, Gene Hackman, Gary Oldman, Jack Nicholson, Robert Duvall, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Hanks.

Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier may be more important than many or all of these guys historically, but for me, their performances don't age well. I thought Brando was great in 'On the Waterfront" and excellent in "The Godfather", but I can't get his performance in " A Streetcar Named Desire" out of my head. Awful.

Olivier almost always looks and speaks like he is acting on stage. Never saw him on stage, so not part of my criteria.

Daniel-Day Lewis is too often too Over-The Top for me. It almost seems like he is hamming it up.

I am definitely biased towards natural, seamless acting and not screen presence or star power. That is a different attribute.

Btw why do you think "A Streetcar Named Desire" was awful? I think that's Brando best performance in his career. That particular performance actually changed acting altogether. The dinner scene in particular was natural and seamless as it gets when he gets angry.



As for DDL have you seen him in Age of Innocence, Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Boxer or Phantom Thread? He doesn't do that so called over the top acting you say about him. He's more subtle and nuanced. But that's just me. I understand why you'd say he is hammy. Which is fine.

I always thought Olivier is hammy, but he's a phenomenal actor. Othello in particular is his best performance.

 

[Holic]

"See I ax if you want some dinna? An' you grabbed a eggroll started chowin down I say to myself this mothafucka campin out like he ain't got a care in da world and who knooows....maybe he don't." - 90% of hollywood cannot believably deliver this line

 

[Parmenides]

Oldman for having the best range

He hasnt earned the accolades and the awards of others simply cause he hasnt been given enough lead roles in the big blockbusters

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

"See I ax if you want some dinna? An' you grabbed a eggroll started chowin down I say to myself this mothafucka campin out like he ain't got a care in da world and who knooows....maybe he don't." - 90% of hollywood cannot believably deliver this line

Especially with that accent. Have you seen behind the seen interview of him for that movie? He's definitely not a method actor. But he's extraordinary regardless.

 

[John Mabrey]

voted pacino just cuz i like most of his movies

 

[Parmenides]

TS you should sub the zero votes guys in your poll with some black actors lest Antifa locks down the thread in protest

Samuel Jackson
Denzel Washington

Also gotta throw in Jack and Christian lest you get hit with a Shining axe or torn with an American chainsaw

Tbh they all lucky Ledger departed early..greatest potential of all imo and Joker the greatest supporting role performance ever, effectively becoming lead

 

[Zer]

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

TS you should sub the zero votes guys in your poll with some black actors lest Antifa locks down the thread in protest

Samuel Jackson
Denzel Washington

Also gotta throw in Jack and Christian lest you get hit with a Shining axe or torn with an American chainsaw

Tbh they all lucky Ledger departed early..greatest potential of all imo and Joker the greatest supporting role performance ever, effectively becoming lead

lol yeah just like the Oscars, I should have implemented a race quota.

Denzel Washington is good at what he does, but he's not that versatile as those guys I mentioned in my top 10 imo.

 

[Parmenides]

lol yeah just like the Oscars, I should have implemented a race quota.

Denzel Washington is good at what he does, but he's not that versatile as those guys I mentioned in my top 10 imo.

He can only work with what he is given..and he did prove he can be as soft as a sponge and as tough as nails

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

One of the greatest lines delivered by one of the greatest actors perfectly.

 

[Takes Two To Tango]

He can only work with what he is given..and he did prove he can be as soft as a sponge and as tough as nails

He's a very good actor, I'm not denying that. I love him in Glory and in Crimson Tide. Excellent acting in those roles.

 

[Simple Southerner]

 

[Holic]

Jim Gordon: There's a point, far out there when the structures fail you, and the rules aren't weapons anymore, they're... shackles letting the bad guy get ahead. One day... you may face such a moment of crisis. And in that moment, I hope you have a friend like I did, to plunge their hands into the filth so that you can keep yours clean!

John Blake: Your hands look plenty filthy to me, Commissioner.

People With Brains: You didn't rebut his statement even slightly.

 

[John Mabrey]

Jim Gordon: There's a point, far out there when the structures fail you, and the rules aren't weapons anymore, they're... shackles letting the bad guy get ahead. One day... you may face such a moment of crisis. And in that moment, I hope you have a friend like I did, to plunge their hands into the filth so that you can keep yours clean!

John Blake: Your hands look plenty filthy to me, Commissioner.

People With Brains: You didn't rebut his statement even slightly.

Is that shit from dkr lol, I didn't really like that movie

 

[cheesus]

Daniel Dey-Lewis is in another league compared to the rest, out of the rest I'd say Oldman is probably the most versatile. De Niro & Hanks have the strongest resumes, I'd also say De Niro had the most powerful performances.