Mitch's Top 25 Actors.

With my favorite performance of theirs:

01. James Dean (East of Eden)
02. Kevin Spacey (American Beauty)
03. Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda)
04. Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass)
05. Christian Bale (American Psycho)
06. Denzel Washington (Training Day)
07. Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count on Me)
08. Al Pacino (Dog Day Afternoon)
09. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote)
10. Jude Law (Cold Mountain)
11. Robert Downey Jr. (A Scanner Darkly)
12. Russell Crowe (Romper Stomper)
13. Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson)
14. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Dirty Pretty Things)
15. Paul Rudd (The 40-Year Old Virgin)
16. Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire)
17. Gary Oldman (Sid and Nancy)
18. David Thewlis (Naked)
19. Giovanni Ribisi (The Gift)
20. Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain)
21. Seth Rogen (Knocked Up)
22. Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet)
23. Sean Penn (Dead Man Walking)
24. Johnny Depp (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
25. Daniel Day-Lewis (Gangs of New York)

Honorable Mentions:
Willem Dafoe (Wild at Heart)
Alfred Molina (Boogie Nights)
Clive Owen (Closer)
Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom)
Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting)
Bruce Willis (Unbreakable)



Alright, I just constructed this so some of it may be a bit off but this is what I think the list should be. It was insanely difficult to leave some people out, so please comment on what is on the list and not what is absent unless there is something that really surprised you to the point where you think I forgot it. I know some of you might be surprised to see Seth Rogen that far back, but he hasn't done enough work and his range isn't very high to say the least. I love him for what he is, but (much like David Lynch's directing talents) I want to see him branch out a bit.

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

Some big hits and some big misses. Oldman, Cheadle, Dafoe and Penn are close to my own list. Its a good list, lots of range.

It's a great list that contains more hits than misses. There are just some that I wouldn't put in my Top 25. Though, there's no denying that they've given some good performances. Also, I haven't seen enough of a few of the actors filmographies.

The Top 10 is perfect. I love it.

I appreciate it from all three of you. Jack, exactly what are the 'big misses' you speak of?

Ultimately Russell Crowe. Possibly my least favourite actor. I don't enjoy his presence at all.

Otherwise its just a few actors that haven't impressed me and don't really want on my list, though this may be a lack of films I've seen from them. Sarsgaard, Ruffalo, Law, Brando () and Gyllenhaal. Few others I'm not interesting in at all really.

I'll take recommendations that might change my mind on them though.


I must add that I'm delighted for the inclusions of Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp.

Great list. Seth Rogen is one of the funniest actors ever. Dennis Hopper is always fun to watch. I'm very pleased to see Denzel Washington in your list as well. Didn't know you'd seen Training Day. I extremely dislike Russel Crowe, though, but the rest of your list makes up for him.

A hell of a list, man. A stunning lack of Bill Murray blares out at me, but otherwise it's damn fine.

Jack and David - I consider Russell Crowe to be the most commanding actor of his generation. He seamlessly goes from performances that are unbeatable in their emotional strength (Gladiator) to a brute force of sheer commandment (L.A. Confidential) to a subtle, inner pain and desperation (The Insider) and then combines all three (A Beautiful Mind). Not to mention the fact that he is possibly the greatest method actor of this day, completely transforming himself for every single performance he delivers. His diversity is unmatched. I understand that people have different tastes so I don't judge either of you for disliking him at all, but Jack, least favorite actor of all time? Come on.

Jack - Recommendations, though I doubt you'll watch them:
Sarsgaard - Shattered Glass, Kinsey, The Dying Gaul.
Ruffalo - You Can Count on Me, We Don't Live Here Anymore, Just Like Heaven (after the first two, this one really shows his strong versatility).
Law - Cold Mountain, Breaking and Entering, The Talented Mr. Ripley (haha, coincidentally those are his three Minghella teamups.)
Brando - A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Last Tango in Paris (judging him, especially with a vomit emoticon, without seeing these should be a crime. That's like judging De Niro when all you've seen is Meet the Fockers).
Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain, The Good Girl, Moonlight Mile.

I'm pretty sure you've already seen it, but re-watch Jarhead for Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal's sensational work.

David - Thank you very much man. I saw Training Day back in theaters, but I could barely remember the story at all. Just the ending and the fact that Washington was corrupt while Hawke was a do-gooder. I did remember that Denzel was phenomenal, though.

Salmon - I'm assuming that you're Tom, haha. Thank you very much man. Yeah Murray was very close to the list, but none of his performances really rocked my balls off. All of the other actors have done so at least once.

Jeebus wrote:

but Jack, least favorite actor of all time? Come on.

There's not really an actor I can name that I have a strong dislike for. It's not as if I loathe him to death.

Quote :

Jack - Recommendations, though I doubt you'll watch them:
Sarsgaard - Shattered Glass, Kinsey, The Dying Gaul.
Ruffalo - You Can Count on Me, We Don't Live Here Anymore, Just Like Heaven (after the first two, this one really shows his strong versatility).
Law - Cold Mountain, Breaking and Entering, The Talented Mr. Ripley (haha, coincidentally those are his three Minghella teamups.)
Brando - A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, Last Tango in Paris (judging him, especially with a vomit emoticon, without seeing these should be a crime. That's like judging De Niro when all you've seen is Meet the Fockers).
Gyllenhaal - Brokeback Mountain, The Good Girl, Moonlight Mile.

I'm pretty sure you've already seen it, but re-watch Jarhead for Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal's sensational work.

I'll be sure to check them out sometime, don't doubt me so much. Some of them I already have a stern interest for.

By the way, I've seen Brando in Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Not really a little crappy film he's just been in.

I wasn't sure if I liked Jarhead so much upon first viewing (I felt as if it was a ripoff of Full Metal Jacket when actually it deals with different issues). But I'm glad I bought it. I hardly noticed Sarsgaard at all in it. Hell you put me in the mood for it for tomorrow's viewing.

Oh trust me, I wasn't a big fan of Brando either when I had seen The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. I was baffled that people called him one of the greatest of all time until I saw the three that I mentioned. A lot of people say that they didn't notice Sarsgaard in Jarhead, but he stood out immensely for me before I even knew who he was. His breakdown near the end is one of the greatest and most emotional scenes I've ever watched. I couldn't believe how brilliant he was in it, now that I think about it.

It's been a year since I saw the film.