Favorite Actors/Actresses

[slyc_willie]

There's a guy I work with, with whom I banter about numerous movies. Our current favorite to quote is Big Trouble in Little China. It is a quintessential 'guy' film, an action-parody on the contrived kung fu movies of the seventies with every cliche John Carpenter could think of thrown in. I could watch that back-to-back and never get tired of it.

"You know what Jack Burton says at a time like this?"

"Who?"

"Jack Burton. Me. Jack Burton always says, 'what the hell.'"

Anyway, this isn't a thread about cliche-ridden action flicks. It's about actors and actresses you admire for whatever reason, whose presence in a film is enough to make you pay exorbitant prices at the theater just to see them.

Kurt Russel is one such actor for me. Here's a guy who made the almost insurmountable transition between Disney child actor to modern pop culture icon. And on top of that, he's not a bad actor. From The World's Strongest Man to Escape From New York, Soldier to Miracle, Tequila Sunrise to Sky High, here's an actor who's not afraid to take some chances and take the roles he wants. He can do action, comedy and drama equally well, and make it all seem natural.

Another favorite is Gary Oldman. I first saw him in a little-known crime drama called Criminal Law, opposite Kevin Bacon. That was a damn good film. In every role he takes, he becomes the person he portrays. It's hard to believe the same guy who filled the colorful and pain-filled boots of Bram Stoker's Dracula was also the quirky, evil business tycoon in The Fifth Element. From a psychotic cop in The Professional to the affable Commissioner Gordon in the latest Batman movies, you never see the same Gary Oldman twice.

Jamie Lee Curtis. Beautiful, funny, and not the least bit afraid to grow old gracefully. Hermaphrodite rumors yet abound about her, but I really could not care less if they were true. From a tough streetwalker in Trading Places to an awkward homemaker-cum-secret agent in True Lies, the woman has presence and range. As far as I'm concerned, her best role ever was as a neophyte cop in Blue Steel hunting a disturbed sociopath toward a realistic and painful ending.

Salma Hayek. Good God, what a gorgeous woman. And I mean that inside and out. She's as well known for her acting roles as she is for her numerous charities. She earns respect for being beautiful but not willing to bare all for the American film audience as many 'outsider' actresses do. Her roles are almost always of strong women in one form or another, and Frida definitely shows her true talent.

John Travolta. Okay, snerk if you want, but the man has charisma. He plays a damn good villain (Face/Off, Broken Arrow) but also shows a more sympathetic side with roles in movies such as Phenomena and Michael. Okay, I admit that his Scientology bent makes me roll my eyes, and Battlefield Earth has to be one of the worst movies ever made . . . but, hey, I admire him as an actor, first.

I'll skip over the obvious faves of Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep. They already enjoy numerous accolades.

Instead, I'll end with what some may see as an unlikely inductee into my personal Hall of Fame: Mark Wahlberg. "What?" Yes, that's right, Markie-Mark. I was impressed with his acting skills in Boogie Nights, and loved the comical tough guy he played in The Big Hit. He was a little awkward in The Happening, but I attribute that more to M. Night Shayamalan's directing ( in the same way that George Lucas brings out the lowest common denominators from his actors and actresses).

So, who are your favorites? Who do you recognize as having 'star power?'

 

[Handley_Page]

Ray Winstone.
He manages to project his character almost without effort.

 

[TheeGoatPig]

Kurt Russel is one such actor for me. Here's a guy who made the almost insurmountable transition between Disney child actor to modern pop culture icon. And on top of that, he's not a bad actor. From The World's Strongest Man to Escape From New York, Soldier to Miracle, Tequila Sunrise to Sky High, here's an actor who's not afraid to take some chances and take the roles he wants. He can do action, comedy and drama equally well, and make it all seem natural.

Some people mock him for his role in Soldier, but really, how many actors could convey so much emotion and intent with just their eyes and so little dialogue? I think he pulled it off masterfully. You don't question his character, you know what is going on just by watching him. There is no need for explaining, or exposition.

 

[buxxxom]

So, who are your favorites? Who do you recognize as having 'star power?'

I'll watch anything with either Alan Rickman or Sam Eliot in it, just for their voices alone.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Alec Guinness was my favorite.

Wilford Brimley, because we could be twins and I'm as crotchety as his characters.

Bette Davis, of course. I eat up her observations about gays. She told a gay interviewer, "The problem with you queers is you know how to dress a woman, but know nothing about how to undress one."

About Joan Crawford, she said "She introduced Hollywood to syphillis."

Lee Van Cleef.

Clint Eastwood pre-1990.

 

[jomar]

Gary Oldman is unsurpassed. Love his stuff, especially in Fifth Element and his rasta gangsta in True Romance (very small part).

Cate Blanchette is doing it for me these days, but it just may be a celebrity crush.

Laugh if you want, but Bruce Willis always delivers. Comedy, drama, action, big, small. He's got range and presence.

Maybe more later.

 

[michchick98]

I have a few favorites, and most of them are "the usual suspects"

I'll start with the men:

Hugh Jackman: For obvious reasons. Most women love him for his enormous sex appeal. I think on top of that he's a fairly decent actor. My favorite movie with him just changed from Someone Like You to Australia.

Brendan Fraser: I've always liked him, even as far back as Encino Man (yeah, it was a relatively crappy movie, but I liked him in it). I absolutely loved him in The Mummy movies, although I haven't seen the latest installment on that one.

Dennis Quaid: I've had a crush on him since I was a teenager. I think my favorite movie with him was Inner Space. Some people may disagree with me, but I think he's a hell of an actor.

Matthew McConaughey: Again for obvious reasons. He makes a good leading man in all the romantic comedies he does. Very easy on the eyes, too. My favorite movie with him is A Time To Kill.

Okay, on to the women:

Sandra Bullock: I remember a few years ago I was having breakfast with some friends after our New Year's Eve party and we got on the subject of same sex crushes. I have to say Sandra Bullock is definitely my girl crush. My favorite movie with her, hands down, is Miss Congeniality. I think she does well with comedy or drama, though. Sure she hasn't won any Oscars or even been nominated, but I think she's a great actress.

Julia Roberts: Yeah, okay, lots of people like her. She's proven she can do comedy and drama equally well also. My second girl-crush too. My favorite movie with her is Sleeping With the Enemy.

Reese Witherspoon: Another actress who's proven she can do comedy and drama well. I've seen her on several late night talk shows and she seems like a very down-to-earth kind of person. My favorite movie with her is Legally Blond (and the sequel). Yeah, laugh if you want to, but I don't think anyone could've done the roll of Elle Woods better.

 

[SweetWitch]

I'll watch anything with either Alan Rickman or Sam Eliot in it, just for their voices alone.

I'll see your Sam Elliot and raise you one Sean Connery. I'd be happy to listen to Sam read the phone book, but Sean has it all. The voice, the charm, the incomparable star power--and he carries it all off with a sharp wit and a no-nonsense kind of intelligence.

 

[buxxxom]

Brendan Fraser: I've always liked him, even as far back as Encino Man (yeah, it was a relatively crappy movie, but I liked him in it). I absolutely loved him in The Mummy movies, although I haven't seen the latest installment on that one.

Dennis Quaid: I've had a crush on him since I was a teenager. I think my favorite movie with him was Inner Space. Some people may disagree with me, but I think he's a hell of an actor.


Reese Witherspoon: Another actress who's proven she can do comedy and drama well. I've seen her on several late night talk shows and she seems like a very down-to-earth kind of person. My favorite movie with her is Legally Blond (and the sequel). Yeah, laugh if you want to, but I don't think anyone could've done the roll of Elle Woods better.

Laugh if you want, but Bruce Willis always delivers. Comedy, drama, action, big, small. He's got range and presence.

Agreed.

I adored Brendan Fraser in School Ties, when his career was just starting. He had that sort of "I'm happy in my own skin" kind of confidence that's rarely seen among that age.

A guilty pleasure is Sweet Home Alabama, with Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas. It's a movie I can't turn off.

Another favorite is John Cusack. Again with the voice, plus his ability to deliver lines quickly, very quickly.

Tom Cruise has ruined himself for me. I can't even watch the earlier, teen stuff like Risky Business and Top Gun without cringing at what a laughingstock he's become.

 

[Verdad]

I'm so out of it with movies I probably shouldn't say a word. But just the same:

Laugh if you want, but Bruce Willis always delivers. Comedy, drama, action, big, small. He's got range and presence.

Not laughing at all. He's an all-time fave of mine as well.

Tim Roth knocked me out when he was at the height of popularity.

Of the old school, I simply loved Michael Caine. I would watch anything with him just to listen to his voice.

And women… Penelope Cruz was fabulous in Spanish movies, and so were a number of other actresses. In Hollywood she's just, bleah.

 

[slyc_willie]

Lee Van Cleef.

There's an oldie but goody. In a time when movie villains were more about implication of evil as opposed to in-your-face depictions of behavior, Van Cleef's Angel Eyes was as spooky and creepy as they come.

Laugh if you want, but Bruce Willis always delivers. Comedy, drama, action, big, small. He's got range and presence.

Yeah, Bruce has been high on my list since his Moonlighting days. He's one of the few leading men who doesn't play on being sexy (in my opinion). He's just . . . Bruce.

Dennis Quaid: I've had a crush on him since I was a teenager. I think my favorite movie with him was Inner Space. Some people may disagree with me, but I think he's a hell of an actor.

He definitely is. I have to admire the man for banking on his sex appeal in the eighties (The Big Easy remains one of my favorite movies), and then, when that faded, on his intelligence. In the last decade, he's had some pretty interesting roles -- many of them apparently driven by political views, but oh well -- and without him, The Day After Tomorrow would have been just a special effects whirlpool.

 

[Belegon]

Liam Neeson is my throw in to the Big Presence pool. I love him in just about everything he does.

Ian McKellen wows me constantly. And has ever since I saw him do On Shakespeare at the Old Globe in 1987 (maybe 88...been a while.) When he ended up cast as a couple of my favorite geek characters, it just sealed the deal.

Most surprisingly underrated to me is Leonardo Di Caprio. People seem to want to blame him for the fact that they want to hate Titantic so much ( a theme that will repeat as I name actresses.) But what about The Departed? The Aviator? Blood Diamond? Gilbert Grape even? So he has the pretty boy thing. So what. He is a fantastic actor.

Next actor I'll throw out there is Ewan McGregor. Range? Oh yeah. Trainspotting to Moulin Rouge to Star Wars.


Actresses, my hands down favorite working actress is Kate Winslet. I love her work, from Spotless Mind to the Reader. And I love that she isn't a stick figure. I've wanted to sleep with her since the drawing scene in Titantic.

Natalie Portman confuses me. Sometimes I love her, sometimes I hate her.

Amy Adams is growing in affections. She has done some really great stuff.

Linda Hunt is just a fantastic actress, although her roles are somewhat limited by her physical characteristics.

Finally, in the area of "I love her and am not quite sure why" comes Shannen Doherty. Great actress? Nah. But I do have a thing for her. Alyssa Milano and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Must be my having-the-hots-for-a-chick-in-a-melodrama side or something.

 

[cloudy]

Another favorite is Gary Oldman. I first saw him in a little-known crime drama called Criminal Law, opposite Kevin Bacon. That was a damn good film. In every role he takes, he becomes the person he portrays. It's hard to believe the same guy who filled the colorful and pain-filled boots of Bram Stoker's Dracula was also the quirky, evil business tycoon in The Fifth Element. From a psychotic cop in The Professional to the affable Commissioner Gordon in the latest Batman movies, you never see the same Gary Oldman twice.

I love Gary Oldman. You're right - he's never the same from picture to picture, and I gotta admit, I loved him as Dracula and as Sirius Black. He's very underrated.

Johnny Depp has the same chameleon quality, and I love that he's as likely to star in a kid's film as he is something serious. Lately he was the voice of a character in a Spongebob episode.

I've loved Cate Blanchett in just about everything. A particular favorite is her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

 

[Liar]

Emma Thompson. Every time I've seen her on the screen, she's owned it.

Matt Damon. Dunno why really. He has the range of a putter, but characters just seem to come naturally for him, from comedy to action to drama. Guy doesn't seem to act. He just shows up, and it somehow magically works.

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

The Ladies I Admire:

Naomi Watts: Ever since she played the dual roles of Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn in David Lynch's mobius strip of a film Mulholland Dr. , I've been a fan. She delivered a realism and pathos that I have rarely seen in contemporary films. (Her best work since has been in Funny Games and 21 Grams.)

Judy Davis: She has always been a favorite because she is able to shift from character to character with an almost chameleon-like quality. She is not your typical beauty, but she has amazing presence in films like Barton Fink , Naked Lunch and My Brilliant Career.

The Gents I Admire:
Marlon Brando: He was and will always remain in my opinion the world's greatest actor for his subtlety, his intellect, his physical presence and his raw sexuality. It doesn't hurt that he was gorgeous too.

Anthony Hopkins: For his wit, intelligence and insanity in his portrayals of everyone from Hannibal Lecter to the stuffy butler in Remains of the Day, I love him. He is understated but passionate. He is mature yet fresh.

 

[kendo1]

Morgan Freeman. I can't miss The Shawshank Redemption anytime it is on telly, even though I have the DVD.

Matt Damon. Maybe it's to do with the Bourne story. He carries it well though, he's just right for the part.

Kiera Knightley. She's just cute.

What about producers/directors?

I'd go with Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, Ridley Scott.

 

[harrlequin]

Jimmy Stewart. All-time #1 favorite guy.

His passion was breathtaking. I could watch Mr. Smith Goes To Washington over and over again for the filibuster scene.

I was starting to despair that there would ever be actors/esses of that calibre, but some show promise.

I'm surprised no-one's said Johnny Depp yet.

 

[cloudy]

I'm surprised no-one's said Johnny Depp yet.

I did.

 

[glynndah]

William H. Macy and William Hurt

 

[slyc_willie]

Most surprisingly underrated to me is Leonardo Di Caprio. People seem to want to blame him for the fact that they want to hate Titantic so much ( a theme that will repeat as I name actresses.) But what about The Departed? The Aviator? Blood Diamond? Gilbert Grape even? So he has the pretty boy thing. So what. He is a fantastic actor.

I admit I didn't really like the guy until, first, Romeo and Juliet. A lot of people have blasted that movie, but I thought it was artfully done. Mercutio stole the show. But DiCaprio's role was well-suited to him, primarily because of the pretty-boy look and demeanor. I still wasn't that impressed with him, however, until . . . .

Gangs of New York. Holy Hell, what a flick. I hadn't heard much about the movie when I first saw it, so I didn't know who the stars were. Good thing, too; I might have balked if I had known ahead of time that Cameron Diaz was in it. I just remember the scene in which we are introduced to a grown-up Amsterdam, and I was thinking, "Leonardo DiCaprio? WTF?"

The film did two things for me. It impressed upon me the fact that DiCaprio is an actor, and it reaffirmed by appreciation for perhaps one of the finest actors in the world, whom I neglected to mention earlier: Daniel Day-Lewis. Like Gary Oldman, he's never the same character from film to film. His portrayal of William Cutting was crass, rude, and incredibly chilling.

Alyssa Milano and Courtney Thorne-Smith. Must be my having-the-hots-for-a-chick-in-a-melodrama side or something.

Either that, or a chicks-who-wore-short-shorts-on-TV thing.

 

[oggbashan]

Buster Keaton (in The General) and a cameo appearance in Stuff a Wild Bikini.

James Cagney in the gangster movies and Yankee Doodle Dandy.

Ginger Rogers (everything Fred can do but backwards in heels!) and also Jessie Matthews for the same reason.

Julie Walters from Educating Rita to Mamma Mia.

Barbara Windsor, Hattie Jacques, Bill Pertwee, Charles Hawtrey, Sheila Sims etc for all the Carry On films.

Og

 

[slyc_willie]

I've loved Cate Blanchett in just about everything. A particular favorite is her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Blanchett is one of the few actors and actresses out there who, for me, always evokes the image of thespian. She's a professional actor the way a four-star chef is a professional cook.

William H. Macy and William Hurt

William Hurt's always been a good actor, but he's always seemed to be under the radar. I loved Broadcast News (although as much for Holly Hunter's quirkiness as for Hurt's role). But I had to do a double-take when I saw the recent Hulk movie.

 

[slyc_willie]

I'd go with Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter, Ridley Scott.

Ditto on all three, and I'll add Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and Peter Jackson.

 

[oggbashan]

Peter O'Toole, often miscast but still impressive.

Og

 

[cloudy]

Peter O'Toole, often miscast but still impressive.

Og

He was wonderful as Pope Paul III in the series The Tudors.