I think we ought to make Esh's "GW's Top 50 Directors" post look like a joke. Let's humiliate Esh with our favourite actors/actresses! We'll compile this amazing list that nobody can argue with and then we will point at Esh and laugh at him! We will laugh at that poor Englishman! Har har har, Esh!

This has nothing (everything) to do with trying to "out do" Esh's directors post, I just think, hey.. We have a general idea as to who GW's favourite directors are, but what about the people who star in their movies, eh? What about those poor saps who entertain millions of people and get paid the big bucks? What about those poor suckers, huh? Well, let's pay tribute to the people who make us smile, laugh, cry, curse, and shout at the TV, monitor, or movie screen!

This is how it's going to go down....

List your five favourite actors or actresses. Why five? Because it's a pretty fair number. Three is good, but man! It's so over-used! I chose five when I did this same thing back in 2003 as well, and it worked out pretty well. Five is cool.. Five is good.. Let's go with five.

Now, you don't have to list your choices in any specific order, I suppose that will be optional. I will order mine from most to least favourite just because I want to, so yeah.. I will tally things this up when the topic starts to die or well, when it just seems like every single conceivable member of GW has contributed to this post. Get crackin' you squares!!


1. Jack Nicholson

If you don't know who this guy is, you've probably been hiding under a rock. Jack Nicholson is, for the most part, most famous for his role in The Shining. Guess what? I haven't seen it. The guy is still my numero uno, and rightfully so. Each and every time he takes on a role, he just nails it. Most of his roles seem to be the angry/sarcastic asshole, and these are roles that he absolutely excels at. If you want to watch a sarcastic prick, this is your man! Ever so often, I've found myself HATING his characters because they are such dicks, but I absolutely love his acting. These days, Jack seems to play the lonely old fart kind of role, and that works for him too. Good on him. Definitely deserves to be at the top of my list.

2. Morgan Freeman

Very awesome actor who has totally refined the art of portraying the "wise old man." Maybe it's because he's had a lot of practice, because it feels like this guy has been in virtually every movie ever made. I wouldn't be surprised if somehow he started appearing in Asian flicks. Anyway, Morgan Freeman just has this.. Something. It's really fascinating to watch him, I think, because he always portrays this soft spoken, wise "elder" sort of figure, and it draws me in. Hell, it captivates me. When he talks, I can't help but listen. He just has such a powerful presence that it's hard not to be sucked in whenever he appears on screen, especially in films like, I don't know, The Shawshank Redemption. Really neat that my top two recently starred in a movie together, The Bucket List. I still have to see that movie.. Morgan Freeman. Awesome.

3. Johnny Depp

This sort of selection would be really hit or miss with people. I'm sure a lot of people would go "UGH JOHNNY DEPP" but really, is there any denying that he's bloody fantastic? The amazing thing about this man is that whatever he is cast as.. Pirate, psychotic factory manager, disturbed writer, or a fucking kitchen toaster (the last has not happened... yet), this guy makes the role HIS. He slips into it and just makes it fit him perfectly. He becomes the character, and it's just.. Amazing. How he does it, I don't know. Take Jack Sparrow for example. I'm sure there are a lot of actors out there who could play the role and still win over a lot of fans, but Johnny Depp made that role his. He did so well at making Jack Sparrow his own character that it felt like he was born to play that role. Destiny. Yes, I'm serious. Sure, Jack Sparrow may not be the best example, but it was an amazing role. Johnny Depp.. Master of bringing characters to life and making them his own.

4. Robin Williams

How can you not like Robin Williams? You can't. What's that, you say don't? Fuck you, yes you do! Robin Williams, aside from his random descents into incoherent rambling, is pretty darn likeable. A lot of people like Robin Williams for his funny roles. He's definitely great at those, for sure. No matter how old you are, whether it be 5, 15, or 50, you can chuckle at this guy's performances. Likewise, his dramatic roles are just as good. No, they're better. Ever see Awakenings? You haven't? Go see it. Now. Robin Williams is so sensational at dramatic roles that he can probably tug at your heart a little. He's amazing at evoking emotions in you, even if his character, on the outside, is not trying to. I think it's mainly in his somber expression and his eyes which just.. Connect with you. Really heavy stuff when he takes on a drama role. He's also pretty good at playing creepy roles. From what I hear, some people were actually BOTHERED by him playing creepy roles. When I say bothered, I do not mean "Robin Williams again? Fuck, no! Get rid of him!" What I mean is.. "Robin Williams was creepy as hell in that movie. I think my girlfriend even peed herself watching him."

5. Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks is just an all around great actor. I don't think I've ever seen him turn in a bad performance. From being stranded on an island, to being a prison warden, and to being mentally challenged or whatever he was as Forrest Gump, he never fails to deliver a fun, believable performance that sucks you in. Like Robin Williams, Tom Hanks is amazing at dramatic roles and can really move you on a level that I don't think other actors of his calibre can. From crying over the loss of his volleyball companion to not knowing how to deal with the execution of a gifted prison inmate, he never fails to make you just stop and go, well, wow. He's turned in some great performances.. Oh yeah, Terminal was an awesome movie too. I forgot to include a reference to it, so there it is.

Honorable Mention: Gregory Peck. Man, I wish I had been born 30 or 40 years earlier so that I could have really appreciated this guy's acting abilities. I've only ever seen him in one movie before, and he was simply amazing to watch.



Your turn, now go. (You do not have to type out wonderful paragraphs like me.. It's just that it's my topic, so I feel that I have a responsibility to do so.)

Walter Matthau
Orson Welles
Alec Guiness
Buster Keaton
Humphrey Bogart

Walter Matthau
Orson Welles
Alec Guiness
Buster Keaton
Humphrey Bogart

correct

I'm throwing Clint Eastwood into the mix, because I really don't think I've seen a bad film with him in.

Hmm, I'm not sure about this, I don't think he's exactly an actor's actor by any stretch, but I'm gonna say Harrison Ford too.

5. Edward Norton



Ed Norton has had some questionable movie choices over the years (Italian Job, Kingdom of Heaven), but when he performs I think he's absolutely brilliant. His performances in American History X and Fight Club stand out for me as his best. These films are two of my favourites and I think the personal change that his character in American History X goes through is portrayed superbly by Ed. And I'm pretty sure Fight Club can speak for itself. He's fantastic.

4. Brad Pitt



Again, Pitt has made some very bad movies over the years (Ocean's Eleven sequels, Troy) but I think he's a brilliant actor. I think his best performances are in Se7en, Fight Club and Twelve Monkeys. I think those 3 films show the range he has as well as the natural acting ability. I think he comes across as a likeable guy which helps me to believe him in films I guess, and I'm really looking forward to see him in the new Coen Brothers' effort.

3. Bill Murray



The new incarnation of Bill Murray is the one I prefer, but it's really just based on two movies: Lost in Translation and Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. I love these two movies dearly, although I was really disappointed with Broken Flowers, and I think he's excellent in both of them. Lost in Translation is my favourite movie and this obviously contributes towards my affection for him.

2. Johnny Depp



This choice isn't purely based on 1 or 2 movies, but instead on my overall respect for him as an actor. I think he is probably the greatest actor, he can portray pretty much any role (Willy Wonka to George Jung to Hunter S. Thompson) and he's excellent in every movie I've seen him in.

1. Scarlett Johansson



Lost in Translation is also pretty much the sole reason I rate her as an actress. I haven't seen her in much else, but I think her performance and character in Lost in Translation is just perfect. I basically fall in love with her every time I watch that movie, which is a lot. It's my favourite movie by far, and for this reason I have chosen Scarlett as my favourite actor/actress because I can't see anyone else playing that role so perfectly.

Brad Pitt - One of the more talented actors around, imo.
Shia La Beouf - I'll probably get a lot of flack for this, but he is one of the most talented up-and-coming actors. He was phenomenal in Even Stevens, The Greatest Game Ever Played, Disturbia (what a fun movie), and gave a wonderful performance in Tru Confessions.
Don Cheadle - If only for Hotel Rwanda.
Bill Murray - I love him. He was so wonderful in The Life Aquatic, Rushmore, and Lost In Translation, even though he played roughly the same character.
Humphrey Bogart - I mean, c'mon.

Al Pacino
Denzel Washington
Edward Norton
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Robert De Niro

Honourable mentions: Bill Murray, Ian McKellen, Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, Kevin Spacey, Ron Livingston, Jack Nicholson, Ken Watanabe, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks

Laura Linney
Jodie Foster
Julianne Moore
Frances McDormand
Annette Bening



Directors was easier =/. I don't have a lot of older actors I noticed, I spose that's because most of my favourite films were made after the 70's.

Jean Claude Van Damme and the Wayans mud? I mean, each to their own, and Marlon was great in Requiem (and I do like the Wayans most of the time), but still quite different choices to what I'd expect.


EDIT: I had to put Phillip Seymour Hoffman in my list as he's an incredible actor and I totally forgot about him.

Robert De Niro

Man, I wanted to choose him so bad, but.. There were a whole bunch outside the top five who I really wanted to pick.  Tough decision, eh?

5 is so hard, there are tons of great actors out there. just gonna list personal favs and a couple things I've seen them in

naomi watts - mulholland drive, I heart huckabees, king kong
bill murray - lost in translation, groundhog day, 4/5 wes anderson's movies
dennis hopper - blue velvet, out of the blue, apocalypse now
dustin hoffman - Death of a Salesman tv, rain man, tootsie
jack nicholson - chinatown, the shining, the departed

edit: runner up steve buscemi, I just like the guy. he could've taken the place of nicholson and maybe he will if it seems like too many people like him heh heh

Clint Motherfucking Eastwood
fuckin
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV
Michael Madsen
Saïd Taghmaoui
dunno

I remember there was a topic like this wayback but I can't remember who I put in that list. I just remember that finding top 5 actresses was a lot harder than actors.

Ron Perlman

I guess Ron Perlman usually only plays Ron Perlman, but despite this he is actually not that one-sided. Sure he can spit out oneliners like no other and sure he has the voice and attitude to do it. But he's still a good actor. And he most certainly has the distinctive "look".

Bruce Campbell

Alright if Ron Perlman was a one-trick pony Bruce Campbell is even more so. He doesn't even belong in this list of "great actors" because he clearly isn't one.
But you know. He's still awesome.

Peter Lorre

To be honest I've only... I only remember seeing two movies with him in it. But in both he would have been the brightest star if it wasn't for the fact that other bright stars also was in the same movies. His delivery and eyes and everything is just top notch and I love him to death.

Zooey Deschanel

This is my token female choice. There's probably better out there but I feel she is pretty recent and pretty good in anything she does (that I've seen. It's possible she's shite in something I haven't seen).

Johnny Depp

Everything about him that needs saying probably has been said considering he's been on a few lists here already. He's just really, really good. It's almost scary just how good he is. Not to mention the variation he churns out.

other than johnny depp holy shit that is a horrible list

RON PERLMAN? jesus christ

Ron Perlman is the king of kings comrade. Everything he touches becomes instant gold and glory. Everything from The Ice Pirates via Police Academy: Mission to Moscow to The Mutant Chronicles.

How can you not love this man?

ron perlman did the voice acting for slade of Teen Titans.....

I actually like him and I like seeing him in stuff, but since he isn't really an amazing actor I personally wouldn't put him on my list. still not the worst choice in the world (zooey is off that list imo). OH and don't forget In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale!!