Movies Who's the 3 most influential male actors of all-time?

[Ezekiel 25:17]

Chaplin- cause well, he influenced virtually everyone as he was one of the first true film stars ever. Everyone around the world from virtually any generation recognizes Chaplin.

Brando - everyone from Al to Bob idolized Marlon, he was the blueprint. I know Bogart, Grant etc are all great, but Brando always gets mentioned by the guys we grew up idolizing.

Poitier- He was the first real prominent person of color to truly kill it over and over on the bring screen. Every black or ethnic actor should praise this guy for breaking open some sturdy doors back in the day.

 

[Fedorgasm]

James dean and marlon brando are the 2 that inspire young actors to this day.

And I picked Peter sellers for the 3rd since he was a pioneer of cinematic comedy. So was Chaplin but i think sellers is more comparable to what comedic actors do today.

 

[minute bull]

No Sean Connery?

Not since Halloween.

 

[Sirwastealot]

I came in thinking daniel day lewis and ended up not even picking him.

1. Brando
2. Chaplin
3. De niro

I think lewis is top of the list in our generation though.

 

[Ichibanner]

Paul Newman isn't on the list but Peter Sellers is? Cool Hand Luke, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butch Cassidy, The Verdict, and Hustler are incredible and largely iconic films / roles.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Paul Newman isn't on the list but Peter Sellers is? Cool Hand Luke, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Butch Cassidy, The Verdict, and Hustler are incredible and largely iconic films / roles.

He's a very good actor. But I don't think he was as influential as his generational counterparts like Clift, Dean and of course Brando.

 

[Cyrano200]

Olivier - Greatest of his generation, idolized and emulated by many.
Eastwood - Besides being the paragon of masculinity, as has been mentioned, his influence on film continued as a director.
Dean - He is still held up as the epitome of cool.
I looked at it as influence rather than greatest, but really all the names on the list are great actors.

 

[Ichibanner]

He's a very good actor. But I don't think he was as influential as his generational counterparts like Clift, Dean and of course Brando.

I personally wouldn't include Newman in my three picks. That's not the point as few on here will agree as to who the top 3 are. Poitier just barely missed the cut for my 3. My point is that Newman belongs there. Newman is no less influential than many others on the list. Hell Woody Allen and Dustin Hoffman could be on there.

Newman won THREE Academy Awards. He was nominated 12 times. He lost once to Poitier who is a GOAT actor. He won four Golden Globes, nominated for 13. He lost to Gregory Peck, Poitier, and Omar Shariff all great actors. He even won an Emmy, having been nominated four times.

By any metric he stands as tall as many on that list. If he didn't have influence his philanthropic and political endeavors wouldn't have bore the fruit that they did. I respect your opinion, but I stand firm that he should be on the list and would be okay with Woody Allen and Dustin Hoffman being there too.

 

[burningspear]

The 'you talkin to me' routine was a stage school staple, you guys go crazy for this bullshit.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

I personally wouldn't include Newman in my three picks. That's not the point as few on here will agree as to who the top 3 are. Poitier just barely missed the cut for my 3. My point is that Newman belongs there. Newman is no less influential than many others on the list. Hell Woody Allen and Dustin Hoffman could be on there.

Newman won THREE Academy Awards. He was nominated 12 times. He lost once to Poitier who is a GOAT actor. He won four Golden Globes, nominated for 13. He lost to Gregory Peck, Poitier, and Omar Shariff all great actors. He even won an Emmy, having been nominated four times.

By any metric he stands as tall as many on that list. If he didn't have influence his philanthropic and political endeavors wouldn't have bore the fruit that they did. I respect your opinion, but I stand firm that he should be on the list and would be okay with Woody Allen and Dustin Hoffman being there too.

You have a valid point. But he only won one Oscar for acting. The other two was an honorary award and and humanitarian award. I'll put him up there no problem. But do you want him or either Hoffman or Allen. Which one of the three?

 

[Patrick Jane]

James Cagney, Lon Chaney and Robert Mitchum

 

[Skarr]

chaplin
poirier
Errol fucking Flynn

 

[Aegon Spengler]

“Influential” is a loaded term and because of that I think you have to make some picks based in at least a small part on genre representation. Eastwood as crown prince of The Western can’t really be ignored on that account

Brando because everyone calls him an influence and is the soul behind the gangster genre. Also ...you just can’t leave him out

And then I went with Nicholson because I feel like Hollywood misses his influence in a painful way, it’s one that’s perhaps more apparent in its absence. He represented that sort of charisma of old Hollywood but could hold modern movies together with it

 

[Ichibanner]

You have a valid point. But he only won one Oscar for acting. The other two was an honorary award and and humanitarian award. I'll put him up there no problem. But do you want him or either Hoffman or Allen. Which one of the three?

I'm okay with any of them honestly. I'd personally remove Robin Williams in favor of someone else but I can understand if you think he belongs. Dustin Hoffman is no less influential than DeNiro IMO so he's a decent choice to add.

The problem might be that we need a poll broken down by genre. Most influential serious actor, method actor, comedic actor, physical actor. By that I mean that Robin Williams was a comedian and a pretty decent actor. However, I don't think he's influential as an actor and I don't think he's as influential a comedic actor as, say; Jackie Gleason.

Chevy Chase was good at pratfalls and physical comedy. He's not up there in overall influence. Buster Keaton was more influential as it pertains to acting in physical comedy and more influential overall.

 

[djacobox372]

Brando and Dean revolutionized acting.

 

[armbarforhire]

Chaplin, Dean, Brando

 

[Highway99]

Dean didn't really revolutionize anything. He arrived on the heels of those that did.

 

[burningspear]

John Wayne is enjoying a resurgence of relevance.

 

[Takes_Two_To_Tango]

Dean didn't really revolutionize anything. He arrived on the heels of those that did.

He may have not revolutionize acting as his predecessors. But he was very influential to a lot of actors at that time and even after. Dennis Hopper was one of them.

 

[HaulParris]

De Niro
Pacino
Day-Lewis