How
do you begin to determine who the greatest actor of all time is? It’s a
challenge that sounds easy enough upon first thought, but as you
contemplate, you come to realize it’s a question that’s pretty much
impossible to answer. After all, performances come in a variety of
different types based on the project, genre, and era by which they took
place. How do you judge a great comedic performance next to a great
dramatic one? An actor could be phenomenal doing Shakespeare but fall
flat on his or her face when asked to make an audience laugh.
Yet, acting doesn’t just differ based on drama vs. comedy. Acting styles have changed over the course of history. Just look at film history itself. There’s the story of stars who rose to popularity in the silent era, due to their immaculate ability to convey emotion through body language, but found trouble transitioning into more dialogue heavy pictures after the incorporation of sound. You see another seismic change occur with the introduction of more realistic method acting. Does that make performances from the golden age of Hollywood less than something from the 1970s? I would argue, no. I would also argue that there are different kinds of actors you hire to deliver different kinds of performances. A character actor, meant to be a great team player, has a different set of skills from a great “movie-star” actor; whose job is to be charismatic and fun to watch.
So there you have it, this is an impossible task, one that essentially comes down to personal opinion, but there still might be a systematic way of reaching a reliable answer. In order to determine our ten greatest actors of all time, we have to lay down some rules - a set of criteria by which to judge them as a performer. Obviously, many fine actors will unfortunately not make the list and, as hinted early, this should not be looked at as an end all be all. Don't come at me Twitter!
1st: What kind of range does this person have as an actor? Can they play both comedy and drama? What about being a key supporting player as well as leading star?
2nd: How many iconic performances does this person have under their belt? We’re looking at volume here. It’s not good enough just to have one memorable role that defines this person’s career.
3rd: How many awards or nominations has this person accumulated over their career?
Yet, acting doesn’t just differ based on drama vs. comedy. Acting styles have changed over the course of history. Just look at film history itself. There’s the story of stars who rose to popularity in the silent era, due to their immaculate ability to convey emotion through body language, but found trouble transitioning into more dialogue heavy pictures after the incorporation of sound. You see another seismic change occur with the introduction of more realistic method acting. Does that make performances from the golden age of Hollywood less than something from the 1970s? I would argue, no. I would also argue that there are different kinds of actors you hire to deliver different kinds of performances. A character actor, meant to be a great team player, has a different set of skills from a great “movie-star” actor; whose job is to be charismatic and fun to watch.
So there you have it, this is an impossible task, one that essentially comes down to personal opinion, but there still might be a systematic way of reaching a reliable answer. In order to determine our ten greatest actors of all time, we have to lay down some rules - a set of criteria by which to judge them as a performer. Obviously, many fine actors will unfortunately not make the list and, as hinted early, this should not be looked at as an end all be all. Don't come at me Twitter!
1st: What kind of range does this person have as an actor? Can they play both comedy and drama? What about being a key supporting player as well as leading star?
2nd: How many iconic performances does this person have under their belt? We’re looking at volume here. It’s not good enough just to have one memorable role that defines this person’s career.
3rd: How many awards or nominations has this person accumulated over their career?
1. Denzel Washington
There was a moment at the Oscars this year where the camera cuts over to Denzel Washington as Casey Affleck takes home the award for Best Actor over him. Washington's look, one of contempt and disappointment, interestingly enough says a lot about him as an actor. The man is incredibly competitive. In every movie he's in, Washington is striving to be the most dominant person on screen, even when it is a supporting role. Whether you're watching him in an action picture like 'Man on Fire' or a domestic drama like 'Fences', Washington manages to command the screen. He seems larger than life in both his charisma and razor focus.
Key Performances: 'Glory', 'Malcolm X', 'Training Day', 'Flight', 'Fences'
Number of Oscars: 2
Recent Projects: 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.'
There was a moment at the Oscars this year where the camera cuts over to Denzel Washington as Casey Affleck takes home the award for Best Actor over him. Washington's look, one of contempt and disappointment, interestingly enough says a lot about him as an actor. The man is incredibly competitive. In every movie he's in, Washington is striving to be the most dominant person on screen, even when it is a supporting role. Whether you're watching him in an action picture like 'Man on Fire' or a domestic drama like 'Fences', Washington manages to command the screen. He seems larger than life in both his charisma and razor focus.
Key Performances: 'Glory', 'Malcolm X', 'Training Day', 'Flight', 'Fences'
Number of Oscars: 2
Recent Projects: 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.'
2 Dustin Hoffman
When taking a look at Dustin Hoffman's best performances you are immediately struck by two things. One is his ability to bring a sense of naturalism to all his roles, rarely performing in a way that screams acting. His two legendary performances from the 1980s, 'Tootsie' and 'Rain Man' are perhaps the best demonstration of this gift. Ether one of those rolls could have been played over-the-top by most actors but Hoffman manages to make his characters in both movies feel real. I'm embarrassed to say I often forget about him in 'Rain Man' because that performance feels like an actual person with a disability. The second, is a natural gift for both comedy and drama. Hoffman has managed to deliver iconic performances on either side of the acting spectrum. You can see this in his two best performances of the 60s, playing a shy young man having an affair with a much older woman in 'The Graduate' or a spastic drug addict in 'Midnight Cowboy'.
Key Performances: 'The Graduate', 'Midnight Cowboy', 'Tootsie', 'Rain Man'.
Number of Oscars: 2
Recent Project: 'The Meyerowitz Stories'
When taking a look at Dustin Hoffman's best performances you are immediately struck by two things. One is his ability to bring a sense of naturalism to all his roles, rarely performing in a way that screams acting. His two legendary performances from the 1980s, 'Tootsie' and 'Rain Man' are perhaps the best demonstration of this gift. Ether one of those rolls could have been played over-the-top by most actors but Hoffman manages to make his characters in both movies feel real. I'm embarrassed to say I often forget about him in 'Rain Man' because that performance feels like an actual person with a disability. The second, is a natural gift for both comedy and drama. Hoffman has managed to deliver iconic performances on either side of the acting spectrum. You can see this in his two best performances of the 60s, playing a shy young man having an affair with a much older woman in 'The Graduate' or a spastic drug addict in 'Midnight Cowboy'.
Key Performances: 'The Graduate', 'Midnight Cowboy', 'Tootsie', 'Rain Man'.
Number of Oscars: 2
Recent Project: 'The Meyerowitz Stories'
3 Tom Hanks
When one thinks of a quintessential movie star; someone whose charisma can carry an entire film, Tom Hanks is likely top of the list. His every-man charm has led to one of the greatest runs of any actor, with nearly every film during this period becoming a classic and demonstrating a range of comedy, drama, and romance. How many others could pull off a romantic comedy like 'Sleepless in Seattle' and a gritty war film like 'Saving Private Ryan'? Yet, Hanks has also managed to pull back and act as supporting player if need be. It doesn’t happen often but the two best examples are arguably Spielberg’s 'Catch Me If You Can' and 'That Thing You Do', which Hanks directed himself. In a recent interview, Hanks admitted he felt beyond his peak as an actor; and yes, it’s been over two decades since the back-to-back Best Actor punch that was 'Philadelphia' and 'Forrest Gump', but the man can still surprise, as this scene in 'Captain Phillips' clearly demonstrates. If you ask me, he’s underrated by today’s standards. After all, it’s hard to understate just how much life he can bring out of a movie, even when doing very little.
Key Performances: 'Philadelphia', 'Forrest Gump', 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Cast Away'
Number of Oscars: 2
Recent Projects: 'The Post'
When one thinks of a quintessential movie star; someone whose charisma can carry an entire film, Tom Hanks is likely top of the list. His every-man charm has led to one of the greatest runs of any actor, with nearly every film during this period becoming a classic and demonstrating a range of comedy, drama, and romance. How many others could pull off a romantic comedy like 'Sleepless in Seattle' and a gritty war film like 'Saving Private Ryan'? Yet, Hanks has also managed to pull back and act as supporting player if need be. It doesn’t happen often but the two best examples are arguably Spielberg’s 'Catch Me If You Can' and 'That Thing You Do', which Hanks directed himself. In a recent interview, Hanks admitted he felt beyond his peak as an actor; and yes, it’s been over two decades since the back-to-back Best Actor punch that was 'Philadelphia' and 'Forrest Gump', but the man can still surprise, as this scene in 'Captain Phillips' clearly demonstrates. If you ask me, he’s underrated by today’s standards. After all, it’s hard to understate just how much life he can bring out of a movie, even when doing very little.
Key Performances: 'Philadelphia', 'Forrest Gump', 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'Saving Private Ryan', 'Cast Away'
Number of Oscars: 2
Recent Projects: 'The Post'
4 James Stewart
Similar to Hanks, there’s a kind of every-man charm to Stewart that made him one of the top actors of Hollywood’s golden age. You see an innocence in these early defining roles such as 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'The Philadelphia Story', and most notably 'It’s a Wonderful Life'. It’s that innocence that allowed him to create the image of an average American, one who faced challenges and had aspirations not to similar from the typical moviegoer of the time. Other stars could sell a picture on dashing sex appeal or heroic machismo but with Stewart you always felt you were seeing someone more down to earth and noble in his intentions.
That being said, Stewart was also able to subvert this wholesome persona and toy with shades of darkness in his work with Alfred Hitchcock, bringing a voyeuristic aspect to characters in both 'Rear Window' and 'Vertigo'. The latter is particularly fascinating because it allows Stewart to transform from his typical every-man into someone consumed by lustful fantasy. By the movie’s last fourth, his character has taken a dark turn; becoming someone who is so obsessive and out of line with reality, that they are now unstable.
Key Performances: 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'The Philadelphia Story', 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'Vertigo', 'Rear Window'
Number of Oscars: 1
Similar to Hanks, there’s a kind of every-man charm to Stewart that made him one of the top actors of Hollywood’s golden age. You see an innocence in these early defining roles such as 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'The Philadelphia Story', and most notably 'It’s a Wonderful Life'. It’s that innocence that allowed him to create the image of an average American, one who faced challenges and had aspirations not to similar from the typical moviegoer of the time. Other stars could sell a picture on dashing sex appeal or heroic machismo but with Stewart you always felt you were seeing someone more down to earth and noble in his intentions.
That being said, Stewart was also able to subvert this wholesome persona and toy with shades of darkness in his work with Alfred Hitchcock, bringing a voyeuristic aspect to characters in both 'Rear Window' and 'Vertigo'. The latter is particularly fascinating because it allows Stewart to transform from his typical every-man into someone consumed by lustful fantasy. By the movie’s last fourth, his character has taken a dark turn; becoming someone who is so obsessive and out of line with reality, that they are now unstable.
Key Performances: 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington', 'The Philadelphia Story', 'It's a Wonderful Life', 'Vertigo', 'Rear Window'
Number of Oscars: 1
5 Lawrence Olivier
A
thespian of the stage, Lawrence Olivier was the king of Shakespeare at
the movies. In fact, nearly all his adaptation's from the playwright's
work, many of which he directed as well as starred in, are considered
among the very best ever put to screen. During Hollywood's golden age,
there was arguably no one finer; capable of being a commanding leading
man or simply a great supporting player to have in your tool box. it's
almost unimaginable to think that he never won any kind of Best Actor
Oscar, though he later received an honorary award in 1979.
Sometimes it takes years to realize greatness.
Key Performances: 'Rebecca', 'Spartacus', 'Richard III', 'Hamlet'
Sometimes it takes years to realize greatness.
Key Performances: 'Rebecca', 'Spartacus', 'Richard III', 'Hamlet'
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