What makes someone a good actor?

Answer 1

Talent.

By that I mean that an actor is able to assume the persona of the character so well that it seems totally natural to the audience (not the actor) that they really are that particular person. (Speech and speech cadence, the way the character would carry himself/herself, body language, etc.)

You should really go to an acting school or research the types of acting schools. Lee Strasberg had a terrific school in New York City, I am sure that you could find out much information on the style of acting that was taught there.

Stage acting is much different than film. What I have noticed is that on the stage, the voice has to be projected, with the use of the diaphragm (much like a singer's voice) and reactions and cadence of the actor's dialogue are exaggerated.

In film, the actor CANNOT use stage technique, it will appear as "overacting." So, many times, an emotion is displayed by the eyes, or say, a parting of the lips, or clenching of the jaw (see Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Omar Sharif in Dr. Zhivago, or any of Sean Connery's or Michael Caine's movies). Nearly indetectable facial movements are the way that actors communicate emotion with the audience.

To me, if an actor makes me forget that he/she is actually the character (thus becoming the character) they have succeeded. I give examples: Meryl Streep, Matt Dillon, Jeff Bridges, Jessica Lange, William H. Macy, just to name a few.

To me those that don't make the cut are actors who are "personalities" , those that basically play the same person from movie to movie: Charlie Sheen, Kevin Costner, Meg Ryan, Jennifer Aniston, Sly Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger,

Answer 2

A good actor is far different from a great actor. A good actor can make you enjoy what your watching but a great actor is someone who makes you forget where you are and who you are with, they pull you into the story itself. When it's all over you never even realized you went through the whole box of Kleenex or your sides hurt from laughing so hard. Examples:
The Pianist
Schindler's List
Beaches
Sling Blade
Girl Interrupted
Dazed and Confused
Sabrina
Any Bogart Movie
Watch these movies and you will know what a great actor is and it never hurts to be well educated and know what is going on in the world not just your world. That's what makes a great actor or actress. Your only as good as the choices you make. The actors in the movies I listed are not just great simply because of their talent alone, part of what makes them great is what they choose to be apart of that makes them truly great at what they do.

Answer 3

First and foremost, an actor must satisfy the essential TECHNICAL requirements of the job: they must have the physical and vocal abilities that the roles require.

But, that's only the first step. Beyond the mechanical skills, an actor must have a strong commitment to TRUTH and HONESTY in playing. The performances that stir audiences are performances that persuade us that the actor is revealing some essential quality of himself.

It's a widespread misconception among young actors that the acting process is one by which someone "becomes" another person. Nothing could be further from the truth. Acting is never about HIDING...it's all about REVEALING. A good actor is an actor who embraces that challenge and comes at it fearlessly, regardless of where the character takes him.

Answer 4

The ability to make the character they're portraying seem real to everyone watching. To make you feel something for the character... hatred, sympathy, whatever. To involve you in the story. Make you care about what's going to happen. If at the end of a movie or a sitcome or whatever, you laughed, you cried, or you cared whether or not a character found what they were looking for... the actor did a good job.

Answer 5

Rent a James Dean movie and you will see the difference between a brilliant actor and a mediocre one.

Answer 6

to me, a good actor is someone who can relate to their role and be able to feel what their character is feeling. This makes their performance more convincing.

Answer 7

Someone who interprets the line well. Have you ever watched a performance where someone has absolutely no expression, and they look like they're just reading lines, or have you ever seen someone over do it, and they just look funny? Acting is all about capturing the emotion, and making it look real, and the best way to do that, is making if feel real.

Answer 8

Acting is the art of believing oneself to be in an imagined situation. Feel it, believe it, portray it. Get over yourself. It's a must.