The “Water Cooler” is a feature on Claycord.com where we ask you a question or provide a topic, and you talk about it.
The “Water Cooler” will be up Monday-Friday in the noon hour.
QUESTION: In your opinion, who do you think is the best actor and actress of all time?
Talk about it….
All time? I’ll provide my top three in no particular order:
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Male: Jack Nicholson, Richard Burton, and Gregory Peck
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Female: Elizabeth Taylor, Susan Hayward, and Helen Mirren
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Its hard to remove the subjective as often my fav actor is not the best actor etc…
Consideration for best actor ( not favorite actor):
Daniel Day Lewis
Sidney Poitier
Tie between Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin
(and I struggled with Henry Fonda, DeNiro and Anthony Hopkins not being in the top three)
Same as above for actresses:
Kat Hepburn
Merryl Streep
and although her career is not nearly over Im saying Cate Blanchett and I’m sticking to that dammit!
I don’t know about the best, but one of my all-time faves is Dean Martin. His talent was versatile, as a singer, actor, and comedian. He could do comedy, drama, and mystery. He could be a nice guy in one movie, and a real jerk in another movie. He had an exceptional sense of humor, with the ability to take jabs, and to laugh at himself. Kurt Russel, and Jeff Bridges also have versatile acting skills. I liked George Kennedy too, he was good at playing a villain.
For actress, I always thought Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, Angelina Jolie, and Kathy Bates, have good talent.
Dawg, You are right about Dean Martin, very versatile, do not really think of him as a great actor, more like a great entertainer. However he was in the move “The Young Lions”, and held his own against these two heavyweights, Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it, it is available on UTube, it also have another great actor in it, german actor Maximillian Schell, Brando plays a german soldier. I have the book written by Irwin Shaw, also a great book.
Richard Widmark, best villain ever in Kiss of Death, Rosalind Russell in A Majority of One and Auntie Mame.
Love Rosalind Russell….The Women, she was great
That is a tough one. There are actors that are or were great, then there are actors that are favorites of mine, either because of the movie they were in, or how they look.
Some great actors Laurence Olivier, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins, Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, Richard Burton Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman. Peter Sellers. However I won’t necessarily watch a movie just because Anthony Hopkins, Peter Sellers or Olivier is in it. I wll watch almost any movie with Montgomery Clift, and Anthony Perkins, have seen many of Paul Newman’s movies, Poitier and Steiger “In the heat of the night” were both great. Other favorites definitely Gregory Peck, he had the kind of presence that was very reassuring, like if you were in the same room with him, you would feel very reassured. Steve McQueen the king of cool, not sure a great actor, but I like him in several of his movie.
Female great actresses definitely Katherine Hepburn, Meryl Streep, Ingrid Bergman and Elizabeth Taylor, Vivian Leigh. Katherine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole was great in “The Lion in the Winter”. Bergman, of course “Casablanca”. The french actess Jeanne Moreau. Audrey Hepburn. As with male actors perhaps not all of them the greatest of all time, but my favorites never the less, because of their personality and the movies there were in, Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. Others Ava Gardner, Julie Christie
Have seen many of Meryl Streep and Elizabeth Taylor’s movies. Other favorites Donna Reed, Deborah Kerr, both were in “From here to Eternity” and one of my all time favorite movies. Ava Gardner, Julie Christie. I
I’m sure I have overlooked some.
Jimmy Stewart & Lauren Bacall
Favorite.. Clint Eastwood & Julia Roberts
Jack.
I think I would have to pick either Jeff Bridges or Tom Hanks as best, though Hanks is definitely not favorite, actors (I do not watch many older movies, enough to evaluate actors from a past era).
For actress, I am leaning toward Siganoy (right Al?) Weaver.
Scene stealers are a completely different, and long, list.
Pamela Anderson
Tom Cruise
I gave a thumbs up for the humor…. made me laugh!
Dr. J Are laughing at MatinezMike’s choices? Pamela Anderson is not a great actress, but I can see why men like her, but then why not write in Marilyn Monroe, she was a good actress if not a great one, actually I think she was great in “Some like it hot” I think she got a lot of praise for her role in the Misfit’s, I saw so long ago, can’t really remember. Tom Cruise got nominated for an Oscar in “Born on the 4th of July”, and I think he should have won.
More favorites than best, Olivia de Havilland and Laurence Olivier
Humphrey Bogart, James Stewart, Clark Gable, Henry Fonda.
Lauren Bacall, Grace Kelly, Katherine Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman.
Austin Butler
I know, he’s new to the big screen. But he is so humble in every interview.
I loved him in Elvis. Glad he got the opportunity.
And of course….Lillian Gish
William Powell
The Duke!
Best actor/actress consistently acting together in movies were Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn.
As stand alone actors, I’d say Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro and Paul Newman.
Actresses Katherine Hepburn, Angela Lansbury and Meryl Streep.
Old Time
Female – Anna May Wong, Lauren Becall
Male – Laurence Olivier, Errol Flynn
Contemporary(ish)
Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges
Sandy Dennis, Meryl Streep, Sally Field