Who do you think is the greatest Actor(s) of all time?

Question

..and Why? What, in your opinion, makes an actor stand apart from others?

Side note: I asked about 2 weeks ago what you think is the greatest movie of all time and the question was resolved by voters...which pissed me off because I meant to vote that Mike, who wrote very nicely about the films Macbeth, Malcolm X and Mullholland Drive, had the best answer!!

Answer 1

Jack Nicholson, Russell Crowe, Cary Grant, Paul Giamatti, or Peter O'Toole. I clearly have a bias with the guys that are still making movies. Oh well. I'm young.

Jack is a great actor because he can make any role he gets be innovative. He convinces you that this larger than life character is real.

Russell is awesome because of his subtlety. He can tell you everything about the character with a look and a line of dialogue. Better yet, he can make a crappy line of dialogue sound great. See Gladiator.

Cary Grant was just amazing because of how damn cool he was.

Paul Giamatti can make you feel sorry for a character even when they are doing something horrible. They can be a character that has clearly made mistakes, but you still like them. He conveys vulnerability extremely well.

Peter O'Toole is much like Cary Grant.

And Pacino, I forget him. Al is a great actor because he can speak any line of dialogue, and make it sound great. He could read the freakin' phonebook and win an Oscar for it. It would have to be a really good city though... like Juneau... or Wapokaneta (spelling.)

Forgot to answer the last part. What makes an actor stand out is how far he can push a character into being extraordinary before you start to not believe in the character. How unreal can the actor make the character be before you start to notice? All of the above actors are able to do it.

Answer 2

Clint Eastwood, he proved you can work with animals very well. John Travolta is also an excellent actor, look at the different images between Grease and Face Off, he played both characters brilliantly.

Answer 3

I think Johnny Depp is the greatest actor of all time. He really gets himself into the role he is playing and he gives 110% all the time. He's also very fun to watch.

Answer 4

In my opinion, the greatest actor in our generation is Sean Penn. His intensity and always convincing portrayal of characters is like no others.

Answer 5

Ron Jeremy is the greatest actor of our time. Nicknamed "the Hedgehog" because of his rotundity and looks, he proves you don't need them to get chicks.