Oliver Reed was the finest natural talent to ever grace the screen. Do you agree?

Question

People idolise Pacino and De Niro but they don't hold a candle to the honesty of Reed's performances- no matter what the role, he was without doubt the person he was playing. And yet so under-appreciated because he did relatively few roles. People concentrate on his drinking but he was far more lucid drunk than the vast majority are sober. Nobody has been so masculine and yet so tender as well on screen, full blooded and yet considered. Clearly a very intelligent man and never dull. He was too much of a force of nature for our liily livered world to fully appreciate.

My favourite films of his are Castaway and his performance as the devil in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen by the way.

Answer 1

Well said.
O.R. is one of my favourite actors. Even with a rubbish script (i.e. Curse of the Werewolf - Hammer) he was able to bring a level of commitment and screen presence that enhanced without undermining the plot.
His presence is a refreshing change to the overbearing ponces who play at being tough (messrs Cruise, Schwarzenegger and just about anyone else)
His final preformance in Gladiator is a fitting tribute, and I am so glad he went out on a high note.
However, I would also put Richard Harris in the same mould.

Answer 2

I do not consider Oliver to be one of the finest of all time but I did love him in several movies. Two of these movies were Ken Russel's The Devils and Women in Love which were classics. He also played terrific iconic roles such as Oliver's Sykes which terrified children of my generation and Frank Hobbs from Tommy which again gave the creeps with the sleaze factor.

It was great for we fans of Oliver that his last role was in Gladiator as Proximo. This showed Oliver at his best and in the hand of a classy director, Ridley Scott. It proved that if you gave Oliver the script and the director he gave you the results.

Answer 3

My selection may be Marlon Brando, even though it rather is on the brink of Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks has graced countless of the terrific movies ever made, and is a versitile actor without limits. His movies would be undying clasics (Saving private Ryan, Da Vinci Code, and Forrest Gump). His draw lower back with the terrible movies he performed in around 1988-1992. Marlon Brando is via some distance the main respected Hollywood actor of all time, and has been voted via fact the main gifted actor of all time in 1997 via the SAG.

Answer 4

what a guy one of my all time fav's i loved him as the villain sykes in Oliver, and 3musketeers was a gem. so good looking in his day as well. I remember seeing hI'm on a chat show he was an intelligent guy, im sure some of that drinking on chat show was to make people sit up and take note. we don't seem to have the characters any more, these modern actors seem so dull . Take Harvey Smith the show jumper in the 70's he didnt give a dam stuck two fingers up at judges what a man

Answer 5

I just loved that guy. I think I've seen most of his films, the funny ones like 'The Three Muskateers" and the sensitivity of "Women In Love" He will be missed.

Answer 6

He was an original as everyone should be and performed his acts well. How does one compare such different beings? They are not comparable as they are all so different in different roles and living different lives. He was certainly not heroic!

Answer 7

old Ollie was really great in Oliver Twist as Bill Sykes he was a real bad guy and did a good death scene

Answer 8

I totally agree with you - the bloke was fantastic absolutley great - we lost a bloody great actor when he died.

How strange you should be thinking of him - I was only thinking of him yesterday. What a shame he died. A great man.

Answer 9

Oscar winning alcoholic

Answer 10

Who is Oliver Reed?