Well it's been a little over a week since I blogged and I figured that it was about time that I wrote again. And I was thinking, what's a list that I haven't done yet? And the first that came to mind was of course, actors and actresses. Originally I was going to make it a Top 10 list, but there were so many actors thatI wanted to mention, so I had to stretch it to a Top 15. Today I'm sticking to male actors, and I'll some point I'll get to the female list. But for now, here are my Top 15 Favorite Male Actors Of All Time.
#15:
Samuel L. Jackson
Favorite Role: Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction)
Honestly, what can you say about Samuel L. Jackson? He's the most hilarious actor and yet he's rarely acting in a comedic role. He's just so entertaining to watch that it's impossible to leave him off of this list. What else can be said about him?
#14:
Gene Hackman
Favorite Role: Popeye Doyle (The French Connection)
I honestly don't know what it is about Gene Hackman that makes me like him so much. It's not that there isn't anything likable about him, it's just that I'm not sure why I find his likable qualities so appealing. He always seems so slimy in his roles, and it just seems like he has so much fun doing it. And an actor is way more enjoyable when they're having a good time doing what they're doing.
#13:
Humphrey Bogart
Favorite Role: Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon)
How can anyone ignore Bogey? He's been in so many great films and he really has become the face of cinema over the years. People seem to see him as always playing the same characters, the slick, misunderstood guy. And while he did that (and did it very well) in The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca, he really has played a wide array of characters. He was a boat captain in The African Queen, a villainous gangster in The Roaring Twenties, and an insane treasure hunter in The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre. But no matter who he plays, he'll always be Bogey.
#12:
John Wayne
Favorite Role: Ethan Edwards (The Searchers)
John Wayne really is the All-American actor. All of his roles were as cowboys or soldiers for crying out loud! John Wayneis that actor that everyone watches as a kid with their dad or their granddad and they stare at him awe and think "I wanna be just like him". And while he never reallyhad any variety with his performances, he was still a tremendous actor and will always be an American icon.
#11:
James Franco
Favorite Role: Saul Silver (Pineapple Express)
A lot of you probably pretty surprised that I have a young modern actor over John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart. But this is a list of my favorites, not who I think are necessarily the greatest. And James Franco is hands down one of my favorite actors ever. I've never seen one guy who can pull off so many different characters. He's been The Green Goblin's son, a stoner, a gay politician's lover, a rock climber, Allen Ginsberg, and many other different kinds of people. He's also really smart, seeing as he's studying English at Yale. And while I'm a straight teenage boy, I have to admit, he's pretty damn attractive. That's just my opinion, please don't get mad at me :oops:
#10:
Gene Wilder
Favorite Role: The Waco Kid (Blazing Saddles)
I think that Gene Wilder has to be one of the most underrated comedians ever. He's been in plenty of cla$$ic movies, but he still doesn't get as much recognition as he deserves. Most people know him for the original Charlie & The Chocolate Factory as Willy Wonka, but he's also been in movies like Young Frankenstein and of course, one of my all time favorites, Blazing Saddles. But a lot of people forget that he was actually in Bonnie & Clyde, but that's a story for another time. Anyways, Gene Wilder is the perfect guy to go to if you're looking for some smug but quirky fun.
#9:
Jeff Bridges
Favorite Role: The Dude (The Big Lebowski)
Jeff Bridges is another one of those actors that's impossible to dislike. Especially if you've seen The Big Lebowski. The way that Jeff Bridges delivers his lines in every movie is just priceless. His slurring of every word and constant use of "man" is just so much fun to watch. It doesn't matter if he's playing an enemy of Iron Man or a country singer, Jeff Bridges is just irresistably fun.
#8:
Jimmy Stewart
Favorite Role: Scottie Ferguson (Vertigo)
Jimmy Stewart is probably the most charming man who ever lived. He literally was the most pleasant man ever born. Or at least that's what his acting shows. But not all of his roles were the friendly, happy-go-lucky characters that he played in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington and It's A Wonderful Life. You also have to consider Vertigo, Rope, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. But no matter what, Jimmy knew to make folks smile.
#7:
Christian Bale
Favorite Role: Jack Rollins (I'm Not There)
I like Christian Bale for the same reasons that I like James Franco, the huge scale of roles that he can play and how much he devotes to each role. He's been a psycho, a folk singer, a Civil War veteran, Batman, a newsie, an FBI agent, the crackhead brother of a boxer, and many other colorful characters. And I've never seen him hand in a weak performance to be honest. I really appreciate actors who can consistantly turn in great performances while playing a completely different character in each film.
#6:
Charlie Chaplin
Favorite Role: The Tramp (almost every Chaplin movie)
Even in times like these when verbal comedy is king, Charlie Chaplin's slapstick silent humor remains hilarious. Just the sight of Chaplin's "tramp" character with his derby hat, cane, and enormous shoes is enough to make anyone chuckle. If you've never seen a Charlie Chaplin movie, then shame on you. You'll never find a greater comedian no matter how long and far you search.
#5:
Harrison Ford
Favorite Role: Indiana Jones (Indiana Jones Series)
Ever since I was eight years old I've wanted to grow up to be Harrison Ford. And what eight year old in their right mind wouldn't? The guy is both Indiana Jones and Han Solo! He's the core of 1980's awesomeness! Fordhas stuck with me for really my entire life, and he was the first actor that I really started to follow (and I don't mean that in a stalkerish manner), and who I still think is a terrific actor.
#4:
Robert Downey Jr.
Favorite Role: Kirk Lazarus (Tropic Thunder)
I have a tendency to like celebrities who are really "out there", and Robert Downey Jr. is the prime example of that. Not only do I love the characters that he portrays, but the way that he brings them to life is always entertaining, and his ability to bring humor into everything he does is just brilliant. He may not be the most professional actor of out generation, but he's hands down the most entertaining.
#3:
Jack Nicholson
Favorite Role: J.J. Gittes (Chinatown)
No matter who he's playing, Jack Nicholson is always creepy. Even when he's playing J.J. Gittes, a normal Los Angeles detective, he's still kinda spooky. But that's what I love about him. No matter who the character is, Nicholson is always just Nicholson, while still portraying the character the way that they were meant to be played. However he is most famous for playing crazy people (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, The Shining, and Batman). But Jack always manages to leave you thinking and he always leaves a mark.
#2:
Clint Eastwood
Favorite Role: The Man With No Name (The Dollars Trilogy)
Some of you are probably surprised that Clint isn't #1. Well, while I do deeply admire Clint Eastwood and he is one of my favorite actors of all time, I had to put him at #2 because, well, let's face it, while he is a tremendous actor, he doesn't do many things differently in terms of acting between his movies. I admire him more as a directorthan an actor.Every performance that he gives is great, but there's not much difference between The Man With No Name and Dirty Harry or Josey Wales andWill Munny.For me to call an actor my favorite of all time, they have to had some variety in their career, and Clint's characters are all just bada**es and not much else. But that doesn't mean that he isn't my second favorite actor of all time.
#1:
Marlon Brando
Favorite Role: Terry Malloy (On The Waterfront)
Surprised? Well I've never really brought up Marlon Brando in any of my other movie countdowns, so that's kind of stopped me from sharing my appreciation of him with all of you. But yes, Marlon Brando is my favorite actor of all time. What I love about Brando is how one second he can be thisquiet toughguy and then he'll snap and spew out all of his anger while still making it both believable and affective. When your supposed to feel bad for him, youfeel really friggin' bad for him. When your supposedto despise him, you really friggin' hate him.It's as simple as that. When your watching a Brando movie, you see a different person every time just in thesame way that he plays a different character in every movie. You don't seean actor, you see a character, and that's the sign of a great actor, when youforget that that's what he's doing. And that's what makes Marlon Brando my favorite actor of all time.
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