Your Favorite Actor of All Time and Why... (script, history, watch)

[Jason_Els]

Originally Posted by Visvaldis

James Cagney - he played hoodlums, sea captains, and danced in a musical.

Peter Lorre - a genuine talent who appeared so natural as a weirdo.

Jimmy Cagney was a remarkable performer and a true gentleman. He lived behind my boarding school in Millbrook, NY and frequently had the students come to his farm for picnics and loved that the students enjoyed hiking on his land. My uncle, who attended the same school, used to help him on the farm since my uncle also grew-up on a farm. Cagney was a class act from A to Z. How many people could do song and dance, play George M. Cohan and become an iconic American figure in Yankee Doodle Dandy and be one of the greatest gangsters in film history? "Top of the world Ma!"

Lorre had unbelievable talent. He was typecast in Hollywood, but in his early career in Germany before he fled the Nazis, he was one of the top actors in the country. His portrayal as a pedophile and child murderer in M is challenging and brilliant. Lorre also had a remarkable talent for humor. You can see flashes of it in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca. His Mr. Moto films, while rarely aired these days, were one of the great detective film series so popular in the 30s. His radio career was very bright as well, appearing in a number of classic radio theater companies.

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by square peg

Spencer Tracy AND Katharine Hepburn!

6 Oscars and over 30 nominations between the two. Not too shabby!

Yes! My favorite movie of theirs is the quirky "Desk Set".

Hepburn: "If you were married you would have someone to tell you that you have on one brown sock and one blue sock"

Tracy: "That's one of the advantages of not being married."

[Lakewooder]

Originally Posted by Jason_Els

Talkies

Katharine Hepburn - Even begged my parents to take me to see her on Broadway in The West Side Waltz when I was 11 or 12. I am glad they did. I was a precocious and obnoxious child but I found her performances in The African Queen, The Desk Set, and The Lion in Winter (where she portrayed my 25x removed grandmother) so exceptionally compelling that I had to see her in person.

At her entrance the audience stood and applauded for 6 or 7 minutes yet such were her acting skills that 10 minutes later you completely forgot you were watching Katharine Hepburn performing just a few feet away. THAT is talent.

Audrey Hepburn - Not quite the caliber of Kate the Great, but she had a screen presence that no other actress has ever been able to duplicate. I've not met anyone who doesn't completely fall in love with her no matter the film. What she and the film camera had together should be rated NC-17. She reaches the soft parts of your heart the way few actors ever could just by being on the screen. The definition of charm.

Marlon Brando - "I coulda been somebody. I coulda been a contender." Phenomenal ability. Yes he looks like Marlon Brando, but just who is it who stole his body and took over his brain? Brando had electric charisma but also a subtle talent that never ceased to amaze. I thought I had seen it all until I saw him in Julius Caesar. Playing against Gielgud AND James Mason AND Edmond O'Brien?? How could he survive against such enormous Shakespearean-trained actors on their home turf?? And then I saw him and he was the best Mark Antony I have ever seen. The Elizabethan words left his lips as naturally as water from a spring.

Archibald Leach as Cary Grant portraying other people - Like Audrey Hepburn is for women, he had the greatest screen charisma of any male actor. His comedy was magical and he managed extremely difficult screwball farce better than any other male lead. No matter how ridiculous his characters, he was always Cary Grant. Nobody really remembers WHO he portrayed, it doesn't matter. He was Cary Grant and all his films run together like a giant autobiography: The Adventures of Cary Grant. You knew who he would be, how he would act, what his mannerisms would be. It was OK, we just liked seeing Cary Grant because he was likable even when he was slightly villainous. Who the hell Archibald Leach was, the world may never know. He remained as privately mysterious as Garbo.

Silents

Greta Garbo - One of the first un-stagey, naturalistic actors, she transitioned to sound without problem if not without some anxiety. Garbo was alluring, highly sexual, and able to convey more without words than censors would allow many other actors with words.

Gloria Swanson - Her greatest role wouldn't come until the landmark Sunset Boulevard when she brilliantly melded silent acting with sound acting. In quite a few scenes, she let's down her guard and acts as a sound actress would but when she tries to seduce Joe she goes back to the alluring screen siren she was in the 20s using an acting style that became wonderfully grotesque. That took exceptional skill and I think it's the best acting by an actress in the sound era; Rene Falconetti, the greatest of the silent era.

Lon Cheney - Likely the greatest character actor who has ever lived. He could portray anyone. From Quasimodo to Mr. Hyde to The Phantom of the Opera (no makeup!), Cheney's films live on as classics from the silent era because he starred in them. Character actors are the unsung heroes of Hollywood. They give us the characters we love again and again, rarely appreciating the unique talent that it takes to create them. Cheney is one of the rare exceptions who carried major films all on his own and gave them a human resonance we appreciate even today.

I am glad to see we have some old movie fans - if they are not shown on Turner Classic Movies then they are not movie stars, IMO.

I agree with those and of course many more - having just watched "Queen Christina" for the third time I have to agree with Garbo - you just can't take your eyes off her.

I would say another like that was Bette Davis - if she was on the screen you just really couldn't look at anyone else. She demanded your full attention. And what classic lines she left us! My current favorite: in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" (to Olivia DeHavilland):

"What is it you call your job? Oh, yes - public relations. Sounds like somethin' pretty dirty to me!"

Speaking of Olivia DeHavilland, isn't she the only old-time star from the 1930s and 40s still alive? And her sister?

[Jason_Els]

Queen Christina is one of my favorite films. The scene where she moves about the bedchamber burning it into her memory is highly erotic and and just plain beautiful. It's not her broadest performance, but I think it makes her more accessible. Then, of course, there's the famous final shot at the end where she's just radiant.

I agree completely with Bette Davis. All About Eve is as fresh and sharp as when it was made and that's largely because of her performance. I love that she wasn't afraid to play against type or play characters far older than she was. Nor was she afraid to be ugly or a villain. Davis just dove into her work and left of us with a string of brilliant performances over a very long career.

Olivia De Havilland (2 Oscars), and her estranged sister Joan Fontaine (1 Oscar), are still alive but so are a few others, including Shirley Temple, arguably the biggest star of the 1930s, who is a relatively spry 79. Though the performers of the Golden Era are in their twilight, a few true stars continue to hold vigil.

Louise Rainer, who won two back-to-back Oscars for her performances in The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and The Good Earth (1937), is 97.

Gloria Stuart who starred in The Invisible Man (1933), The Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935), and of course Titanic (1997) plus a host of other Golden Era films is 96.

Anita Page, who starred in the landmark Broadway Melody of 1929 (1929), and was once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at 10,000 fan letters a week, is 95 and still accepting roles.

The brilliant Karl Malden (1 Oscar) is 95 though he began his career in 1940 and is now retired.

Prolific Charles Lane is one of those character actors whose name you don't know but whose face you automatically register. He started his career in film in 1931 and has played in 386 films and television shows.

He is the grand age of 102.

[Visvaldis]

Jason sure seems to be quite knowledgeable about the movies and actors. I had no idea that some of the people from the golden age were still alive. Much appreciated is the info about James Cagney. As old as it is, one of my favorite movies is still "Angels With Dirty Faces" from 1938.

Although he has been hyped and elevated to a mythical status, James Dean was also a very good actor, especially in "East Of Eden". He was excellent in dramatic portrayals, adding depth and enhancing the characters with his unique style.

I wonder if anyone remembers Burt Lancaster, who won an Oscar for "Elmer Gantry". He was also an accomplished acrobat, doing his own stunts instead of using a stuntman.

I think that dramtic roles put an actor to the test and demand more talent than any other kind of roles. That's probably why Marlon Brando will always be a fond memory.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by Roaddog

John Wayne is mine, I miss him. Theres plenty of others that I like but he was my favorite

If I had to pick just one favorite, John Wayne would likely top my list, too. I like a lot of his co-stars, too. I would have to say that westerns are my favorite type of movie, which is one of the reasons I like John Wayne so much. There are also a lot of other actors whose westerns I like a lot, too, though...

Randolph Scott
Tom Selleck
Sam Elliott
Clint Eastwood
Gene Autry
Roy Rogers
Ben Johnson (mostly a supporting actor, but still one of my favorites)

And the list goes on.

[Jason_Els]

Originally Posted by Visvaldis

Jason sure seems to be quite knowledgeable about the movies and actors. I had no idea that some of the people from the golden age were still alive. Much appreciated is the info about James Cagney. As old as it is, one of my favorite movies is still "Angels With Dirty Faces" from 1938.

Thank you. Angels With Dirty Faces is a classic morality play and charming for its look on life during the Depression. The Dead End Kids went on to star in their own B-series films in the 40s as The Bowery Boys. The execution scene is really well done, Cagney stands out among the great performances by Pat O'Brien, Ann Sheridan, the Dead End Kids, and Humphrey Bogart. Michael Curtiz was a great director, especially able to keep the overly melodramatic from becoming maudlin. He was perfect for this film which could have very easily slipped into sentimentality.

Although he has been hyped and elevated to a mythical status, James Dean was also a very good actor, especially in "East Of Eden". He was excellent in dramatic portrayals, adding depth and enhancing the characters with his unique style.

The River Phoenix of his day. Dean had done so much so quickly. My favorite of his is Rebel Without A Cause (1955) (where he costarred with Gilligan's Island and Mr. Magoo's Jim Backus!). Talk about a film that just defied so many conventions of its time period! Beautiful performances from the three lead stars who would all die too young. Nothing about this film is one dimensional. Hollywood has, very wisely, not remade Rebel Without A Cause.

I wonder if anyone remembers Burt Lancaster, who won an Oscar for "Elmer Gantry". He was also an accomplished acrobat, doing his own stunts instead of using a stuntman.

Of course! I have issues with Lancaster because I never find him believable when he plays someone older than himself. I did like him in From Here to Eternity (1953), Run Silent Run Deep (1958), and Trapeze (1956), but usually find him too earnest.

I think that dramtic roles put an actor to the test and demand more talent than any other kind of roles. That's probably why Marlon Brando will always be a fond memory.

Brando's a benchmark for any actor.

[DreamWeavin]

I'm a huge Charles Durning fan! He is under-rated yet a fabulous actor. Not the typical hollywood hunk-but heck who needs that?!
Actress would be Susan Sarandon for all the right reasons. She's great-in every role.

[DreamWeavin]

absolutely!! "Good Will HUnting" and "Dead Poet's Society" as well as many others are simply brilliant due to Mr. Williams.

Originally Posted by Oryliss & Mariranne

Robin Williams the most versatile actor ever.

[Think (Freedom)]

I'm a little picky so I dont have many.

Actors:

*Shia LaBeouf - I think he's incredible. Before his blockbusters over the summer, I thought he was amazing. Theres this one movie, which is a Disney Chanel original called 'Tru Confessions' which is about a mentally challenged boy and his relationship with his family.. oh my God. He's unbelievable. Thats one of my favorite movies because he's just so believable, its amazing. He's got so much talent, and now Hollywood has finally realized this, thank goodness. He will win an Academy Award one day. He's awesome.

*Edward Norton - He had me since I saw American History X. What a performance, wow! He's amazing. I love that movie and think its definitely one of his best. Love him.

*Adam Sandler - I dont like a whole lot of comedians, but I think he's genuinely funny. I love love love 'Big Daddy'. I dont find most of these so called comedians funny, but Adam's films make me laugh, so hey if that makes me his fan, then ok.

*Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca. Need I say more? LOVE him in this movie. I've only seen a handful of his work, but he truly was the man back in the day.

Actresses:

I dont really have a favorite. I used to like a whole bunch back in my teeny bopper days, but I think the men today are really incredible. No female has really blown me away with their performances, unlike the men I listed who have completely exceeded my expectations in one way or another. However I do like Audrey Hepburn. Milla Jovovich I think is incredible, especially in 'The Messenger'. As well as Toni Collette, love her in Muriel's Wedding.