Outstanding Actors and Actresses

[BrandonS]

A few actors are so talented, that they're virtually unrecognizable from role to role. They change everything - the whole persona. If you look at Malcolm McDowell in "A Clockwork Orange," "Time After Time," and "Blue Thunder," you'd barely know it was the same actor.

Gary Oldman is pretty good. He plays a lot of really different characters.

I was watching "What Lies Beneath" the other day and I realized that Michelle Pfeiffer was delivering her lines extremely close to the way real people speak. She was hesitating, as though figuring out the words as she went along, and once I even noticed her changing the subject in mid-sentence.

Some actors really seem to be listening when the other actors are speaking, as though they are hearing the lines for the first time.

Who do you consider to be an outstanding actor, or to have been outstanding in some particular role?

[AnaheimPMWitch]

hmmm well My Favorites (other then Erik)
are NICOLE KIDMAN
SANDRA BULLOCK
MEG RYAN
JULIA ROBERTS
EWAN MCGREGOR

[*ShortCake*]

Katharine Hepburn, in any role she has ever done . Also Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man. Marilyn Monroe in The 7 year itch. Jean Simmons in Guys and Dolls, hmm.. what else.. Elizabeth Taylor- National Velvet & Cleopatra.. I could go on for hours!!

[Penny Lane]

Outstanding Actors;

Christopher Walken


Robert Duvall

Paul Newman

Gene Hackman

Glenn Close

Holly Hunter

Kathy Bates

Jessica Tandy

[dlemond]

Here are a few particular performances that I thought were outstanding:

Robert DeNiro - Raging Bull
Paul Newman - The Verdict
Gene Hackman - Mississippi Burning
Ralph Fiennes - Schindler's List
Nicholas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas
Edward Norton - American History X
Kevin Spacey - American Beauty

[webuster]

Dos it neccessarily have to be well known actors doing parts in different films? If so then:

Christopher Lloyd is hardly ever recogniseable, apart from his voice in any of his roles. Just watch in this order; Any Episode of TAXI with Jim in it, followed by CLUE:THE MOVIE, and finally BACK TO THE FUTURE- and notice the changes.

Dick Van Dyke- he played the old guy and bert in mary poppins- I've watched that film form I was like 2, and didn't realise it was him till a while back- I always wondered why the credits rearranged as an anagram to spell Dick Van Dyke.

Cliff DeYoung plays two people in Shock treatment- Brad Majors and Farley Flavours. He is completely unrecogniseable as Farley Flavours, looking the opposite of Brad- one has Curley hair, glasses, looks very different, even the shape of the face and skin and all- while Farley had greased back, suave hair, cool looking with no glasses and looked completely different.

[Janice]

Billy Bob Thornton comes to my mind as someone who looks virtually like a different person in every role. That man is a chameleon.

Tracey Ullman and Martin Short are comics that can fool people and really make you think that they're someone else.

[Penny Lane]

Originally posted by webuster
Dos it neccessarily have to be well known actors doing parts in different films? If so then:

Christopher Lloyd is hardly ever recogniseable, apart from his voice in any of his roles. Just watch in this order; Any Episode of TAXI with Jim in it, followed by CLUE:THE MOVIE, and finally BACK TO THE FUTURE- and notice the changes.

Dick Van Dyke- he played the old guy and bert in mary poppins- I've watched that film form I was like 2, and didn't realise it was him till a while back- I always wondered why the credits rearranged as an anagram to spell Dick Van Dyke.

Cliff DeYoung plays two people in Shock treatment- Brad Majors and Farley Flavours. He is completely unrecogniseable as Farley Flavours, looking the opposite of Brad- one has Curley hair, glasses, looks very different, even the shape of the face and skin and all- while Farley had greased back, suave hair, cool looking with no glasses and looked completely different.

There are so many excellent actors . Cliff De Young was very good in the miniseries "Centennial"(1978) Robert Conrad and Richard Chamberlain were fabulous in that too!

I forgot to mention Chamberlain in my earlier post but in my opinion he is one of the best there is! Centennial, Shogun, The Bourne Identity and The Thorn Birds to name a few. He has been called "King of the Miniseries". That would be an insult to SOME movie actors but I cannot see any other actor playing his roles!
He's great!

[Penny Lane]

Originally posted by Janice
Billy Bob Thornton comes to my mind as someone who looks virtually like a different person in every role. That man is a chameleon.

You guys keep mentioning all these actors that I didn't think of! Billy Bob Thornton! Yes!

[BrandonS]

Penny Lane wrote:
Cliff De Young was very good in the miniseries "Centennial"(1978) Robert Conrad and Richard Chamberlain were fabulous in that too!

I LOVED "Centennial!" I saw it a long, long time ago, but have never forgotten it.

<OFF TOPIC>
I always go home to see my mother in Scarsdale, NY for Christmas, but stop off in Albany to stay with a friend for a few days first. I then take the train from Albany to Manhattan, and a lot of the trip is along the Hudson River. I remember a lot of scenes in "Centennial" of Conrad's character Pasquinel rowing canoes down rivers. When I watch the Hudson go by in the winter, still almost untouched by human hands, I always think of "Centennial," and think that this is probably similar to what the early American trappers like Pasquinel saw.
</OFF TOPIC>

[*ShortCake*]

Cary Grant.. He was amazing... same as Richard Burton, James Garner, Rock Hudson, John Wayne ( how can anyone forget The Duke!!) ill shut up now... lol

[Penny Lane]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BrandonS


I LOVED "Centennial!" I saw it a long, long time ago, but have never forgotten it.

<OFF TOPIC>
I always go home to see my mother in Scarsdale, NY for Christmas, but stop off in Albany to stay with a friend for a few days first. I then take the train from Albany to Manhattan, and a lot of the trip is along the Hudson River. I remember a lot of scenes in "Centennial" of Conrad's character Pasquinel rowing canoes down rivers. When I watch the Hudson go by in the winter, still almost untouched by human hands, I always think of "Centennial," and think that this is probably similar to what the early American trappers like Pasquinel saw.
</OFF TOPIC> [/QUOTE


I have the boxed set! I watch it every winter. It's AWESOME!

[°Bubbly Blonde°]

Marilyn Monroe, Jennifer Lopez, Renee Zellwiger, Natalie Wood, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, & more I cant think of right now!

[Penny Lane]

Originally posted by BrandonS


I LOVED "Centennial!" I saw it a long, long time ago, but have never forgotten it.

<OFF TOPIC>
I always go home to see my mother in Scarsdale, NY for Christmas, but stop off in Albany to stay with a friend for a few days first. I then take the train from Albany to Manhattan, and a lot of the trip is along the Hudson River. I remember a lot of scenes in "Centennial" of Conrad's character Pasquinel rowing canoes down rivers. When I watch the Hudson go by in the winter, still almost untouched by human hands, I always think of "Centennial," and think that this is probably similar to what the early American trappers like Pasquinel saw.
</OFF TOPIC>

Centennial Collage

[BrandonS]

Originally posted by *ShortCake*:
Cary Grant.. He was amazing... same as Richard Burton, James Garner, Rock Hudson, John Wayne ( how can anyone forget The Duke!!) ill shut up now... lol

I certainly agree about Cary Grant, John Wayne, and James Garner (and have nothing against the others). What star quality they have!

-------

Marlene,

Thanks for the beautiful "Centennial" picture. It brings back memories. If you liked "Centennial," read Michener's other book "Chesapeake."