EWB's Greatest Living Actor '08

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

So, after I ran this thread last year and the usual folk came up at the top (DeNiro, Pacino, Depp, Bale, Freeman, Jackson, Nicholson, Hanks, Spacey, Norton in that order) I feel it's time to ask us yet again, in light of the last few months WHO is the greatest LIVING actor.....

Voting for your top 10 couldn't be simpler, just list 'em here and they'll get points as follows:

1 = 4 points

2-3 = 3 points

4-6 = 2 points

7-10 = 1 point

The only rules are:

They must be living as of NOW, 12th February 2008 19:24 GMT.

They must be MALE.

You vote for the actors who you feel are the best at their craft of, erm, acting. It's not "Favourites" as such (I love Jason Statham but he isn't the tenth best actor out there in my opinion) but your favouritism will hopefully flavour your voting.

I shall start to get the show on the road.

1) Takeshi Kitano (Zatoichi, Hana-Bi, Sonatine)

2) Gary Oldman

3) Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs, 2046, Hero)

4) Cillian Murphy

5) Jack Nicholson

6) Christian Bale

7) Edward Norton

8) Choi Min-Sik (Oldboy)

9) William H Macy (especially in The Cooler)

10) Clive Owen (best in Gosford Park, Croupier and Children of Men)

If you change your mind, make a post to say so.

[Pesci]

1) Harvey Keitel

2) Christian Bale

3) Morgan Freeman

4) Jack Nicholson

5) David Carredine (or however it's spelt)

6) Kevin Spacey

7) Hugh Laurie

8) Robert DeNiro

9) Matt Damon

10) Will Smith

[Benji]

1. Patrick Stewart

All-round actor and gentleman, he is pure amazement, you can't help but pay attention.

2. Edward Norton

Somehow merges the sick and twisted with the everyman, Norton is the perfect disturbed good guy and great credit to any other role too.

3. Willem Dafoe

Just watch Platoon or Spidey 1 and you won't even question me.

4. Morgan Freeman

Blacktrick Stewart, he's got all the same qualities only on a slightly lower level, he's only below the other two because too often is outshined by others with his minor role.

5. Christian Bale

If there's one man who would be a challenge to Norton's position as the derranged everyman, it's Bale, powerful, dedicated, but almost forgettable because I too often end up seeing him as his characters rather than as the actor, he's that good.

6. Brad Pitt

May get flack for this, but Pitt has shed the pretty boy image and is the best "man's man" actor around, he's made some stinkers, but the good FAR outweighs the bad.

7. Bruce Willis

Die Hard. 'Nuff said.

8. Jack Nicholson

I do love creepy characters, and where Bale and Norton are everyman weirdos, Nicholson is the outrageous "only on film or an institution" kind of psycho. Delightfully scary, horrendously funny.

9. Terry O'Quinn

I'm allowed one "don't question it, I love his portrayal of one character" pick

10. Gary Oldman

Batman, Harry Potter, Fifth Element, Air Force One, Oldman is a riduculous chameleonic actor, would've been higher if not for.

[arwrestling]

1- Gotta go with Johnny Depp... The man can play any role and look totally different and act different in all of them! I actually just found it recently that he was Edward Scissor Hands! Shocked me! Pirates of the Carribbean is the best role he's played.

2- John Travolta is one of my all time faves, I love just about all of his movies (hell I've seen Grease I dunno how many times, Wild Hogs and Hairspray were really good and Look Who's Talking, all 3, are hillarious). Sounds wierd but I thought his best role was in hairspray, there are few few people who could pull that off.

3- Leonardo DiCaprio is not one of my favorite actors, and I don't consider myself a fan of his but he has undeniable talent. His movies are all oscar worthy and many of my favorite films have him in it. Gotta go with Catch Me If You Can on him, that was a good role.

4- Brad Pitt acted in many of my favorite films ever, Mr. & Mrs Smith, 12 Monkeys, Troy, Interview With A Vampire, Fight Club, and he goes on to play many many good roles and is easily one of the best actors out there. Mr & Mrs Smith is my favorite role I saw him in.

5- Bruce Willis is another great actor with a wide range of acting. He can do a tough man action star, or tough man comedic star, time traveller, etc. Amazing. He was one of the best parts in Sin City, but I have to go with 12 Monkeys as my favorite of his.

6- Samuel L. Jackson is maybe not the best actor out there but the guy always delivers and is in many many awesome movies, Star Wars, Snakes on a Plane, Kill Bill. Snakes on a Plane is by far my favorite movie of his.

7- Tom Cruise is a very good actor, although a little insane nowadays he is still a very good actor who has played amazing roles, my favorite of his being Lestat in Interview With A Vampire, that was intense.

8- Ewan McGregor is anotehr one who is alright as an actor and not afraid to do roles a little less conventional, and yet he is still a top notch star. The Island is my favorite movie of his.

9- Mark Whalberg is like Leo DiCaprio in the sense that I really cannot stand him that much, but he is uber talented like in Italian Job, Departed and Planet of the Apes, but my favorite role of his is Four Brothers.

10- Clive Owen is not at all a favorite of mine and probably would not have made this list had it not been for his role in Inside Man... I thought that was great.

[thuganomic]

1. Christian Bale

2. Edward Norton

3. Gary Oldman

4. Johnny Depp

5. Denzel Washington

6. Leonardo DiCaprio

7. Michael Caine

8. Kevin Spacey

9. Liam Neeson

10. Tom Hanks

[GRIFT]

1. Jack Nicholson

2. Al Pacino

3. Ed Norton

4. Micheal Cain

5. Gary Oldman

6. Christian Bale

7. Steve Buschemi

8. Val Kilmer

9. Willem Defoe

10. Paul Newman

[reyrey619]

1. Edward Norton

2. Christian Bale

3. Daniel Day Lewis

4. Don Cheadle

5. Al Pacino

6. Denzel Washington

7. Johnny Depp

8. Kevin Spacey

9. Robert Deniro

10. Brad Pitt

Edited February 13, 2008 by reyrey619

[AboveAverage]

1. Russell Crowe - A bit surprised he hasn't been mentioned yet. I love the ability of an actor to portray something completely different from one role to the next, which is the same reason Depp is on this list...Crowe from Master and Commander and Crowe from A Beautiful Mind aren't much alike, yet both are outstanding. Great performances in 3:10 To Yuma, Gladiator and Cinderella Man as well, can't wait for my video store to get the American Gangster shipment.

2. Denzel Washington - Yeah. He's Denzel Fucking Washington, and he kicked ass in Crimson Tide along with about 78426128 other movies. Still can't believe I missed out on American Gangster in the theatres.

3. Kevin Spacey - Delivered awesome performances in The Life of David Gale, K-Pax and American Beauty...I feel like he brings some unnamed unique quality to his roles that nobody can come close to duplicating. His work is just so...his.

4. Johnny Depp - I know everybody loves him, and therefore everyone else naturally calls him overrated, but consider the following performances: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (terrible film overall), Pirates of the Caribbean, Finding Neverland. These are three different characters in completely different cultures, with completely different appearances, mannerisms and voices. This guy pulls off all these roles so convincingly that I'd swear they were different people if it weren't for the credits. Anyone who can change themselves like that from one role to the next and make me forget they're an actor in front of a camera belongs on this list.

5. Christian Bale - My personal favorite actor, just couldn't bring myself to call him the greatest actor alive today. If there's a bit of crazy in the character, be forewarned, Christian Bale WILL steal your movie.

6. Leonardo DiCaprio - Just the opposite of Bale, this is not really a favorite of mine, but as another poster said there is just no denying the talent here, and his evolution from Titanic to what he is now has been something to see. The Departed was the straw that broke the camel's back, and its time for me to come out and admit it: the guy can act.

7. Ewan McGregor - I like the charming nature he brings to his roles, in other words, he seems to naturally have a way of getting you to like him. I liked him alot in Big Fish, and especially Trainspotting.

8. Robin Williams - Surely he seems trivial to some, but he can clearly do comedies (Mrs. Doubtfire is still hilarious), but he can also get serious...in his own comedic way. The Fisher King and The Birdcage were two really enjoyable performances that walked the line between the two. Although not my favorite role, he was good in Good Will Hunting as well...and I'd give him the title of 'World's Best Voiceover Performer' in a heartbeat. Lastly, Jumanji was a real fun movie in my opinion, and wouldn't have been anything notable if it weren't for Williams in the lead.

9. Edward Norton - Yeah, everybody else is right. He's fantastic.

10. Jack Nicholson - No explanation needed.

Edited February 13, 2008 by AboveAverage

[Pepsi]

1. Johnny Depp

2. Daniel Day Lewis (not a single vote? )

3. Brad Pitt

4. Sean Penn

5. Kevin Spacey

6. Al Pacino

7. Edward Norton

8. Jack Nicholson

9. Denzel Washington

10. Leonardo DiCaprio

Edited February 13, 2008 by Pepsi

[Jimmy]

1. Christian Bale

2. Johnny Depp

3. Russel Crowe

4. Denzel Washington

5. Matt Damon

6. Tom Hanks

7. Philip Seymour Hoffman

8. Jack Nicholson

9. Morgan Freeman

10. Vincent Cassell

Edited February 14, 2008 by Split Second

[Smitherman]

1. Morgan Freeman

2. Tom Hanks

3. Johnny Depp (Simply for his expert character acting)

4. Will Smith

5. Kevin Spacey

6. Liam Neeson (perhaps a wild card, but always been a fan of his)

7. Allan Rickman

8. Denzel Washington

9. Russell Crowe (Beautiful mind, nuff said)

Am I correct in assuming this is limited to Hollywood, or major production actors or can it be TV too? If we are allowed to nominate those who have predominantly stuck to TV acting also then I would name David Jason as my number 10, if this isn't the case then Nicholas Cage recieves my vote.

[reyrey619]

How the hell did I forget Daniel Day Lewis? Edited my votes due to that.

[brenchill]

1. Robert DeNiro (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, GoodFellas)

The greatest actor of all time for me, even if this was a list that could include Marlon Brando, he would still be top.

2. Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scarface, Dog Day Afternoon, Heat)

Greatly intense actor. It's always seems hard to seperate him and DeNiro for most people in being the greatest living actor, but I give DeNiro the edge.

3. Kevin Spacey (The Usual Suspects, Se7en, L.A Confidential, American Beauty)

His run of films in the 90's (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Usual Suspects, Se7en, L.A Confidential and American Beauty) is probably only second or an arguable equal to Brando's run of great films in the 50's.

4. Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, King of New York, True Romance, Man On Fire)

I don't think anybody delivers dialogue better than Walken (Well, maybe Sam Jackson). He's capable of an entire range of performances from the intense to the scary and to the hilarious.

5. Dustin Hoffman (The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man, Rain Man)

He would probably be higher on my list if I'd seen more of his films. But from what I've seen (Marathon Man, Rain Man & Straw Dogs) and what I've heard about him, he deserves 5th place for me.

6. Clint Eastwood (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby)

Although probably not as talented in terms of acting as the others on this list, he probably has the greatest screen presence. He doesn't need to say a word, he can just stare a hole right through people.

7. Jack Nicholson (Easy Rider, Chinatown, The Shining, About Schmidt)

He should probably be higher, but I'm not a huge fan in recent times. He was awesome in his earlier career but since the mid-90's all he's played is a caricature of himself, seemingly.

8. Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Blow)

One of the best character actors of all time. Extremely diverse to the point of taking on roles you never thought he would even think about.

9. Christian Bale (American Psycho, Batman Begins, The Prestige, Rescue Dawn)

He needs to be on the list just for his dedication. He literally changes his body when required for roles.

10. Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, Die Hard With A Vengance, Jackie Brown, Star Wars)

When he talks, you listen.

I left out Daniel Day-Lewis because he just hasn't made as many films as the others on the list. He picks and chooses his roles, sometimes leaving years between each film he makes. With that criteria he just doesn't seem like a film actor.

Edited February 13, 2008 by butchchill

[Liam]

I'm not a huge film person, but I'll add my own personal choices.

1. Morgan Freeman - he's been good in just about everything he has been in

2. Russel Crowe - love him in Gladiator, and he is pretty diverse

3. Jack Nicholson - plays creepy, psychotic, cool, neurotic, great diversity

4. Leonardo DiCaprio - he gets stick, but What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and The Aviator both showed how quality he can be

5. Robert DeNiro - held back by the lack of films I've seen by him, but an excellent actor

6. Johnny Depp - not as good as some make him out to be, but a really good charactor actor

7. Jim Carrey - my favourite film comedian, but also showed he can act in films such as Eternal Sunshine...

8. Ewan MacGregor - Trainspotting and Big Fish, nuff said.

9. Allan Rickman - great supporting actor, well worth seeing in most things he has been a part of

10. Samuel L Jackson - not the best actor by any means, but as mentioned above, when he is in something, he just has an excellent presence about him that is hard to beat

People like Al Pacino, who others will vote for, are really held back by my limited knowledge of thier films.

I wanted to put George Clooney in there as well, but couldn't find space for him. One of the only people in films today who has that old school classic Hollywood feel about him, which I really like. But yeah, he just misses out.

[VerbalPuke]

1. Robert Deniro

2. Daniel Day-Lewis

3. William Dafoe

4. Leonardo Dicaprio

5. Jack Nicholson

6. Al Pacino

7. Christopher Walken

8. Harvey Keitel

9. Morgan Freeman

10. Liam Neeson

[timbawolf]

Denzel Washington - Nuff Said

[Gazz]

1. Christian Bale

2. Kevin Spacey

3. Edward Norton

4. Brad Pitt

5. Johnny Depp

6. John Malkovich

7. James McAvoy

8. John Cusack

9. Denzel Washington

10. Jake Gyllenhaal

[METALMAN]

1. Christian Bale

2. Ewan McGregor

3. Will Smith

4. Johnny Depp

5. Denzel Washington

6. Gary Oldman

7. Tom Hanks

8. Michael Caine

9. Robert DeNiro

10. Edward Norton

[Skummy]

1. Takeshi Kitano

2. Christian Bale

3. Robert De Niro

4. Bill Murray

5. Ian McKellen

6. Dustin Hoffman

7. Jack Nicholson

8. Gary Oldman

9. Johnny Depp

10. Anthony Hopkins

In only a vague sembleance of order, I'm not very good at thinking of people. Shame Brando's dead.

Beat Takeshi for the win in '08.

Edited February 13, 2008 by Skummy

[Ananas]

1. Jack Nicholson

2. Matt Damon

3. Robert De Niro

4. Michael Caine

5. Tom Hanks

6. Johnny Depp

7. Kevin Spacey

8. Alan Rickman

9. Christian Bale

10. Peter Sarsgaard

All kinds of people deserve a place ahead of some of my picks, but if we didn't take favorites into account everyone would be picking varying shades of the same ten.