Who's you're favourite actor/ess?

[killer b]

I'm always pleased to see Willem Defoe on the cast list of a film I'm about to watch

 

[Knotted]

Maybe Renée Jeanne Falconetti just because of the Passion of Joan of Arc.

 

[Sue]

Maybe Renée Jeanne Falconetti just because of the Passion of Joan of Arc.

That was about the only thing she was in, no?

 

[Knotted]

That was about the only thing she was in, no?

According to IMDB she appeared in two other films La comtesse de Somerive and Le Clown both made in 1917.

 

[belboid]

Historically, it’s Bogart & Bacall and always will be because we just don’t make movie stars the same way anymore.

That said, it is now Cate Blanchett, as it has been since approximately 15.10, January 4 2008.

 

[Spandex]

Peter Lorre

Bogart

Love this picture of them...

 

[Sue]

According to IMDB she appeared in two other films La comtesse de Somerive and Le Clown both made in 1917.

What are they like? Must admit the only thing I've ever seen her in is Joan of Arc.

 

[Sue]

Historically, it’s Bogart & Bacall and always will be because we just don’t make movie stars the same way anymore.

And the chemistry.

 

[Knotted]

What are they like? Must admit the only thing I've ever seen her in is Joan of Arc.

No idea. They possibly don't even exist anymore.

 

[Orang Utan]

Also the word actress is no longer cool. They're all actors.

and then there's the superfluous apostrophe.....

 

[maomao]

and then there's the superfluous apostrophe.....

About 5% of my day job is telling people how to use apostrophes.

 

[Sweet FA]

About 5% of my day job is telling people how to use apostrophes.

 

[Tanya1982]

Me too! Even The King when they did something horrible to his gorgeous hair.

I really liked his bowl cut! He pulled off a difficult look very well.

 

[A380]

It's a personal preference thing. I generally use 'actor' for both but I certainly hear some female actors refer to themselves as 'actresses'.

(I know a lot of actors.)

No no, you are just a woman who acts so what would you know about this? You should listen to the man who isn't an actor telling you what is right...

 

[A380]

Sean Bean. One does not simply watch Sharpe re-runs on youtube

Bastard!

 

[Sue]

No no, you are just a woman who acts so what would you know about this? You should listen to the man who isn't an actor telling you what is right...

I'm not an actor, just know a lot of them. No biggie.

 

[Part 2]

Surprised we've got this far without Maxine Peake being mentioned... thereby confirming my theory that she's not actually a very good actor and people just like her as a person.

 

[bellaozzydog]

Paddy Considine
Ben Mendelsohn

 

[bimble]

Tyrone Power
(this is not a very considered answer, its just today's crush, but what eyebrows, and such a name)

 

[Sue]

Surprised we've got this far without Maxine Peake being mentioned... thereby confirming my theory that she's not actually a very good actor and people just like her as a person.

Loads of actors haven't been mentioned yet.

 

[Sasaferrato]

If I can only pick one, Dustin Hoffman, particularly in Midnight Cowboy.

I watched it again recently, a magnificent film.

 

[Sweet FA]

My favourite (DeNiro) has been mentioned but I really rate Daniel Day Lewis and Joaquin Phoenix.

 

[Orang Utan]

Rob Schneider
Steven Seagal
Owen Wilson
Mark Wahlberg
Jackie Chan
Madonna
Brigitte Nielsen
Keira Knightley
Pamela Anderson
Lyndsey Lohan

 

[Part 2]

Loads of actors haven't been mentioned yet.

Yea, I had it in mind that she was more of an urban favourite than proves to be the case. One of those national treasure types.

 

[stdP]

I don't/can't really do favourites but if I had to pick a male and a female whom I've never seen put a foot wrong and completely disappear in to their characters I'd probably go for John Hurt and Jessica Chastain at the minute. Hurt in particular had an almost magical quality to bring life to otherwise dull roles. There's lots of actors who've had exceedingly good singular roles, or transcendent roles under certain directors, but I'm trying to rate on overall career performances.

Richard Burton would have been in the running for most of his output (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? probably being one of my favourite films of all time), but I've seen a couple of films where he was blatantly phoning it in; Michael Caine similarly. Bob 'Oskins, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Sam Neill, Jake Gyllenhall and Olivia Colman are all exceedingly strong contenders. Al Pacino would be in there too if I could ignore the excessively hammy aspects of his acting that seem to have been demanded by most directors post-Scarface.

Reading it back I seem to have a strong bias for brits but I'm hoping that's just because I prefer the "classical" theatre style.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Surprised we've got this far without Maxine Peake being mentioned... thereby confirming my theory that she's not actually a very good actor and people just like her as a person.

Maxine Peake's a great actor. She's another one that always kind of plays a version of herself, or 'herself'. This is not a criticism. A modern-day classic movie star.

 

[Steel Icarus]

How can you pick? I will however mention a few I like who haven't been mentioned though - Billy Bob Thornton, Sam Rockwell, Samantha Morton, Amy Adams, etc etc- but especially Stephen Graham.

 

[Elpenor]

Was lucky to get cheap theatre tickets at school, and stage acting wise Diana Rigg as Phaedra blew the roof up around 1998/1999

 

[Indeliblelink]

Lon Chaney & Buster Keaton from the silent era. From the Golden era of Hollywood i like all the greats but I'd say Bette Davis is my favourite, Charles Laughton & John Garfield were always good too. Foreign actors I'd go for Anna Magnani, Jeanne Moreau, Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Toshiro Mifune. These days I think Casey Affleck & Adam Driver have been great in a few of their films, Daniel Day-Lewis is probably the best.

 

[felixthecat]

Robert Mitchum - my all time favourite, male or female
Bette Davis

More recent ones:
Joaquin Phoenix
Olivia Colman