Was asked this the other day. I thought I couldnt answer on the spot, but the truth is I still have no idea.

McQueen was SO cool, Harrison Ford was always brilliant. Robin Williams seemed to turn his hand to anything. De Niro & Pacino are exceptional at doing what DeNiro & Pacino do, and Kevin Spacey is a brilliant actor, but not particularly iconic. I don't know the Humphrey Bogarts & Jimmy Stewarts so well, so don't know how they measure up with more recent talents. Jack Nicholson I like, Tom Hanks seems paid well for an Actor who's films I havent enjoyed much of late & the Planet Hollywood triumvariate of Schwarzenegger/Stallone/Willis has died off some. I always loved James Woods, though Im probably in the minority. No-one has a background voice like James Earl Jones, and Morgan Freeman, Denzel & Samuel L always turn in a great show. Without even trying to clarify who the greatest was, I can't even define who MY favourite was!!

Any Thoughts?

I loved Morgan Freedman's "Red" in Shawshank Redemption.


(not sure if I have a favourite actor though).

If its the first & only incidence that comes to mind, its surely no embarassment to claim Morgan Freeman on the basis of the job he did in The Shawshank Redemption.

Guy Pearce & Russell Crowe did an fantastic job in LA Confidential, as did Jean Reno in Leon - though they probably won't do well in the best/favourite actor charts...

ed norton for me.... or maybe Denzel.

Pearce did a good job as a bloke who tattoed himself, as he had no memory.

Do you mean an actor who tends to make films worth watching like Spader, Spacey etc, or is a good in whatever they are in like Burton?

Agree with most mentioned, Hard isn't it!?! Believability in a role is essential for me. Some from me....

Ewan Mcgregor - from Star Wars to Trainspotting and back to Moulin Rouge.
Russell Crowe - Beauitiful Mind IS my fave film.
Bill Murray - Groundhog Day to Lost In Translation (former is one of my fave films).
Sean Connery - Always brings gravitas.
Alan Rickman - I'll cut his heart out with a spoon.
Gene Hackman - Poseidon Adventure to Superman to The Unforgiven
Jim Broadbent - Always has me hanging on his every word.

I guess there are big differences to Favourite Actor, Best Actor & most memorable actor in a role. Think I'm going for favourite i.e. - If all of the above were on at the flix - which Actor you would choose to go and see...

I think James Spader has done well with Crash, Secretary and White Palace; Spacey is up there, with 21 being very good; to be fair to Clooney, he has made a fair few good ones (I liked Burn Reading, as a pleasant parody film - him showing his sex chair, was classic); Julianna Moore (on CH4 in a bit) unless you mean male actor, but I think they are all actors nowadays.

I'd find it hard to pin point one favorite actor. Some great actors already mentioned, and I'll add Anthony Hopkins as I always seem to like his work.

Agree. This is the problem I'm sort of highlighting - Its damn hard to pick even a personal favourite.

Hopkins hasn't done much of note recently, has he?

I get what you're saying bfm without wanting to sound obtuse - all actors do dross as well as classics (even with the best intentions e.g. Freeman, Clooney) and have their time in the Sun where everything they touch is gold. Tom Hanks is an example of this for me - up to Road to Perdition I would be first in line at the ticket booth his body of work since then would make me avoid him.

He did buy petrol at my uncle's garage in Snowdonia a few years ago and was very polite - not many do that these days.

'The Rite' was the last I think. Forgettable. But I'd still go to his flick over Tom Sizemore or whatever. And there will be those reading this thinking 'Cary Grant' hasn't done much recently but if a new Cary were in the flicks Id see that over all your De Niro's/McQueens/Nicholsons etc.

I would still pick Spader, and Spacey. I tend to pick films by who is in them, rather than reviews, tbh.

Yeah precisely. Though as much as I love Denzel, I'm not convinced by his fannying about on a train in Unstoppable. And as the female variant goes Angelina takes some beating - but 'The Tourist' was dogshit.

I've got to say the vast majority of the suggestions posted are all top notch.

I have trouble with favourites in all subjects - I put it down to having broad tastes. Is it not, therefore, preferable to not have "favourites"?

I just can never put my finger on one (but kudos to those with broad tastes who are able to single one or two out).



Who would I "pay to see" on the silver screen right now?

No, still, can't answer.

I Am Leg End, was the end for me. Absolute tosh. I do not mind toish, if it is meant to be tosh, i.e. Burn Reading, but this thought it was awesome.

Gotcha Gurn King. Is it a sex issue? I wouldn't be 100% about having Angelina as my favourite ACTRESS but I'd be content to have it do. My better half loves Will Smith, though I haven't pushed her on a favourite ACTRESS. And Blah - I am Legend was utter, utter dogshit.

Poker - The number was added kind of randomly

Sorry I don't know you anywhere near well enough for you to start introducing card game quips and expect me to know what the hell you're talking about...

I didn't introduce a card game quip

Smith\Washington

I don't go by the actor, you can have a really good actor perform their role perfectly but in a shit film......

Unlike your good self, although you are is better in Scoop.

James Spader, what?

Random suggestion.

I like DiCaprio personally along with De Niro, Pacino, Crowe and Cruise. All have shown dedication to their craft in various guises and have charisma and screen presence in spades.

Honourable mentions to Hopkins and Freeman.

Not all films can be brilliant and actors make choices for a variety of reasons, not all of them work out but the odd dodgy film doesn't a 'bad' actor make.

BFM, to say I Am Legend is utter, utter dogshit is overkill.

Most of the ones mentioned are brilliant (Di Caprio, Di Niro, Hanks, Pacino, Crowe, Spacey).
Hoffman (for Rainman alone); Reno (for Leon); I always find Gary Oldman top notch too.

What about Brad Pitt?
He plays a lot of varied roles and always does them well IMO.
Some of my favourite films have him in, so maybe thats swinging it for me.

I guess that what some of the people mentioned have over the likes of Reno… variety AND volume.
Thats possibly something against someone like Freeman or Cruise for my money - by and large they seem to play the same type of charactor (or it comes across that way).


For the record, some actors will just have me avoiding a movie without giving it a second's thought (Will Smith and Keano Reaves to name but two (with the exception of Matrix I).

Having read through this, it would appear I'm a bit of an oldie.

Step back 20 years, and it would have to be Clint Eastwood. I would definitely go see anything he was in, regardless of what the film was. Nowadays I guess it'd be more from word of mouth about the quality of the film rather than a specific actor.

Richard Dreyfuss..............Let it ride, stakeout etc.

Of the 'modern' day actors the one not listed that I'll give anything the benefit of the doubt and always watch* is Sam Rockwell, stuff like Welcome to Collingwood is brilliant & was superb in Moon. Going back throught the years def agree with Clint, could do no wrong. Of the eras before that - Cary Grant, was made for Hitchcock.

* & moving away from lead actors, theres what Empire magazine call the 27%ers. Ie a film is always 27% better because they're in it, people like William Fichtner and Nathan Fillion.