Who Is The Best AND Worst Actor/Actress Of All-Time?

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Has this been done? I couldn't find a thread. I'm guessing the big three would be Olivier, De Niro, & Brando, right? Male or female or both. Let's hear it. Someone who has astonished mightily and horrified just as mightily. Mickey Roarke? Or is it really just as simple as Sean Penn? I might have to go with Pacino. (i know there was a big pacino thread. i'll have to read that one again.) I might have to go with Jennifer Jason Leigh for the gals (and i love her dearly.)

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:36 (twenty years ago)

Brando by such a ridiculous margin on best that it's not even funny. Worst? Miles O'Keefe maybe?

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)

Actress? Glenda Jackson maybe? Helen Mirren? It's probably someone british.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:40 (twenty years ago)

Oh wait I misunderstood the question!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:41 (twenty years ago)

Laurence Harvey might get votes.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

OOPs, did i make the question to confusing? yeah, i meant one person who has the highest highs and lowest lows. it wouldn't be brando for me, cuz at his worst he was just sleeping.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Anthony Hopkins? Robin Williams? Gary Oldman? Jeremy Irons?

― kingfish (Kingfish), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:48 (twenty years ago)

what was robin williams "great" in? Popeye?

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:50 (twenty years ago)

actually, the one thing i liked that robin williams did was in some movie based on a conrad short story. he played a mad bomber. he was good in that.

― scott seward (scott seward), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)

i vote deniro

― oops (Oops), Monday, 11 July 2005 23:51 (twenty years ago)

it seems a bit weird to group movie and stage actors together - olivier was fantastic onstage but often a bit underwhelming on the screen (his shylock = best shakespeare performance i've ever seen, all the most remarkable in that it was only captured in an otherwise dreary '70s made-for-tv production).

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 00:21 (twenty years ago)

yeah, sure he was a great stage actor, but he did enough screen-work to be judged on his merits there as well. some of it was really good, and the bad stuff was memorably bad. same with richard burton. they are both good examples of peaks and valleys. when they were good they were very good, and when they were bad...they were highly entertaining!

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 01:15 (twenty years ago)

Norm Macdonald.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 01:17 (twenty years ago)

Pacino

― Marco Salvetti - world moustache champion (moustache), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 01:18 (twenty years ago)

Paxton

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 01:20 (twenty years ago)

olivier and burton were too smart to be great. you have to be a little empty to be a great film actor. a little dumb, maybe. or slightly autistic. not always, of course. but i think it helps.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 01:25 (twenty years ago)

Director Martin Ritt's instructions to Robert DeNiro on the set of Stanley and Iris: "Just be yourself."

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 01:27 (twenty years ago)

Wait wait wait what has Gary Oldman been BAD in?!?!

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 02:52 (twenty years ago)

Pacino is a good choice. I don't think of DeNiro as being bad (although he is often uninspired) but he sure does pick some bad movies to be in. Hoffman maybe. Sinatra maybe (although best might be stretching it.) Jane Fonda has to be the best/worst actress ever.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 02:54 (twenty years ago)

I'll take the opposite of Alex on Pacino/DeNiro.

Vince Vaughn is my choice for best/worst. Often at the same time.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 02:57 (twenty years ago)

Wait wait wait what has Gary Oldman been BAD in?!?!

He's been really dull in a number of movies, starting with the one that just got released last month.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 03:31 (twenty years ago)

Oh come on. WORST means WORST. If you can't even be bothered to remember the name of a "number of movies", he hasn't been that bad.

― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 03:36 (twenty years ago)

Seems like Oldman had a bad habit of overacting himself to death for a long time, but I may be confusing him with John Malkovich.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 03:40 (twenty years ago)

i do not care much about actors. no one has ever really made stellar performances throughout their careers.

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 03:43 (twenty years ago)

not even cary grant?

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 03:59 (twenty years ago)

Norm Macdonald.

-- Huk-L

Hey, it's the Canadian faction again.

― Leeeeeee (Leee), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:12 (twenty years ago)

Otherwise, t0dd otm.

― Leeeeeee (Leee), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

how can you "not care much about actors" and still claim to like movies?

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:20 (twenty years ago)

without an acceptable screenplay, skilled directing and cinematograpy, acting, no matter how good, cannot make a movie. i guess what i meant to say is that certain actors never really mean much to me. They may make great performances, but the combination of the facets is so much more important.

the meaning a film conveys is a thousand times more important than the acting.

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:28 (twenty years ago)

those who care about actors are the same as those who fetishize guitar solos: fanboy wankers

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:30 (twenty years ago)

how is meaning not conveyed by acting? and why is that facet of a movie any less important to a film's success than its screenplay, cinematography, et al?

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:32 (twenty years ago)

and anyways, how can anyone say pacino is the greatest actor? surely he made some amazing performances, but look at his recent "paycheck" films. his performance in that colin farrell cia film was laughable at best.

same for brando with many of his later films... deniro with his terrible "comedy" roles.

i guess that if i had to pick an actor who was consistantly good, i would have to choose cary grant or possibly eastwood. mifune was great for what he was. buster keaton too, but all of these actors would have failed without the screenplays and directors (themselves in eastwood's and keaton's case)

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:37 (twenty years ago)

i'd better quit with all those questions, i'm starting to sound like amateurist! anyway, i'm pretty bored with the usual canon of "great" actors (pacino, de niro and mostly everyone mentioned on this thread) because most of them are direly overpraised, but i think todd goes too far in the other direction: "notorious" would be a much lesser movie if alfred hitchcock had not directed it, but it's not "fanboy wankery" to say that grant and bergman are awesome in it.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:40 (twenty years ago)

meaning is conveyed by acting, but i do not really feel connected to any actor. in many of my favorite films, the actors have been amateurs that fit the role perfectly. realism is important to me, and when i see some famous actor playing his same old character, it truly ruins a film for me.

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:40 (twenty years ago)

actually i think one of the best-acted films I've seen in recent years was perhaps The Good Thief, in which other than Nolte, the biggest "name" star had a brief cameo and the other roles were filled with a multicultural cast that seemed to embody nu-Europe, almost playing like a slap in the face to the hollywood-isms of Oceans' 12.

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:44 (twenty years ago)

so the best actor is Marc Levoine

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:45 (twenty years ago)

actresses that i enjoy for one reason or another include katharine hepburn, liv ullman, anna karina, and every actress in dreyer's films.

― t0dd swiss (immobilisme), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)

^^ T0dd that is a very good list.

as for worst, julia roberts comes to mind as someone highly overrated in the acting abilities department. One who i just cannot fathom the reason why she continues to make movies in general is our beloved and dear J.Lo.

― she's lost control (Jools), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 06:28 (twenty years ago)

todd i think you may have missed the point (as i did initially) that this is about a single person who has been very very good and very very bad.

― oops (Oops), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 06:52 (twenty years ago)

there was a best actor ever thing on channel 5 last night.

the vote was won by anthony hopkins.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 06:54 (twenty years ago)

Best - James Woods (for the necro thing...)
Worst - Mick Jagger

― The Velvet Overlord (The Velvet Overlord), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 08:40 (twenty years ago)

okay, i did make the thread-title too confusing. sorry!

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 09:10 (twenty years ago)

and yes, enjoying a good acting performance is fanboy wankery!! ??????????????

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 09:12 (twenty years ago)

"without an acceptable screenplay"

the very LAST thing i look for in terms of what makes a movie work. as maybe 4 out of a 100 are any good. screenplays are overrated. i only really need sight and sound. and sometimes not even sound.

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 09:17 (twenty years ago)

a lot of howard hawks' best films were more or less made up on the spot, i.e. hawks would come to the set screenplay in hand and then tell bogey and bacall "ok this scene is kinda boring, what can we do to jazz it up?"

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 09:51 (twenty years ago)

The couple from the "Well I'm not your dad, alright" UK TV ads.

― On one hand I've got myself to blame (Lynskey), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 09:54 (twenty years ago)

Scott on the money. Great "acting" often antithetical to a great movie.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Tuesday, 12 July 2005 09:56 (twenty years ago)

I think your choices are right on, Scott. Halle Barry in Monsters Ball and De Niro in Cape Fear are other good examples, to me, of when talent goes terribly wrong...

― Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 04:46 (twenty years ago)

OK this thread TITLE is confusing but the question being explained in the OPENING POST is not, wtf is wrong with some of you?

Anyway, I'm blanking, all this Pacino/DeNiro fighting, I mean I'd like to go with the Pacino side of things because, I mean, jesus, the man can be great but wtf, Scent of a Woman. But OTOH, DeNiro, arguably having higher HIGHS, was in Rocky and Bullwinkle, which is mind-boggling.

In terms of women, I'd like to throw in some votes for Jodie Foster and Susan Sarandon, both of which have done some pretty excellent, awesome work...and some barely-qualifies-for-Lifetime nonsense.

Though maybe I'm being unfair, I mean maybe NONE of these actors were terrible in these movies, they just pick awful movies. It's sometimes hard to tell the difference. Well, DeNiro was actually bona fide terrible as Fearless Leader.

― Allyzay knows a little German (allyzay), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 05:27 (twenty years ago)

Also, no one's mentioned Jack Nicholson or Gene Hackman yet.

― Allyzay knows a little German (allyzay), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 05:33 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 44 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

treat williams

― pbnmyj, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:17 (twenty years ago)

93 answers and no Michael Caine? What the fucking fuck?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

Michael Caine is always good, it's just that sometimes he's good in really shitty movies.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:22 (twenty years ago)

He was good in Jaws 4?

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:29 (twenty years ago)

(I'm seriously asking!)

― David R. (popshots75`), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:30 (twenty years ago)

Terence Stamp and Michael Caine used to be ROOMMATES

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels?
On Deadly Ground?
Get Carter remake?
Cider House Rules?

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)

what about 'em?

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:34 (twenty years ago)

Along the lines of misunderstanding the question, simple bests must include Welles and Alec Guinness.

― Zed Szetlian (Finn MacCool), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:37 (twenty years ago)

The IMDB listing of just the names of characters Michael Caine has played is fucking priceless

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:41 (twenty years ago)

Ugh the Cider House Rules

― Allyzay knows a little German (allyzay), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:46 (twenty years ago)

It got him an Oscar! You can't argue with science!

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 16:48 (twenty years ago)

Allyzay nailed it all the way up there. Jack Freaking Nicholson. Dudes, c'mon. (Hackman's great in everything, even shit.)

multi x-postery: Yeah giboyeux, that "if anywhere" was unnecessarily snarky. I can only blame my contempt for the acting profession on having met too many drama students (i.e. at least one).

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 17:10 (twenty years ago)

best: michael rennie
worst: keanu reeves

best: rachael leigh-cook
worst: angelina jolie

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 17:13 (twenty years ago)

My list of favorite film actors would probably be completely made up of character actors and bit players and the like: Jean Hill, Andréas Voutsinas, Andrea Feldman, William Finley, Cleo King...

Of course, there's always Bea Arthur and Carol Channing, too.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 17:27 (twenty years ago)

And of course Derek Cameron.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 17:38 (twenty years ago)

everyone's missing the point

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:10 (twenty years ago)

it's all my fault.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

We need one name here, not two. Now if I have to tell you again, it's time out for the lot of you.

― Paunchy Stratego (kenan), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:13 (twenty years ago)

it should have been:

Who Is The ONE Person Who Is Both The Best AND Worst Actor Of All Time!

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:14 (twenty years ago)

Not to be confused with: who is the one person who is the best and worst actor at the SAME time. cuz that would be brad pitt. or johnny depp. or leo.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:15 (twenty years ago)

LEONARD DICAPRIO

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

Donald Sutherland
Kevin Spacey

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:16 (twenty years ago)

All of my choices could be said to be terrible as well.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:18 (twenty years ago)

i can never tell whether i think johnny depp is great or horrible. but i enjoy watching him. i think he wants to be great, but it may not always come across. kinda like how he wants to be a stylish dresser, but...

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:19 (twenty years ago)

I loved Johnny without reserve until Pirates of the Caribbean. Who'd've thought a movie based on a theme park ride could be so bad?

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:20 (twenty years ago)

I think Faye Dunaway works about as good as anyone for this thread.

― Eric H. (Eric H.), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:23 (twenty years ago)

people loved that movie. and him in it. i still haven't seen it.

x-post

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:23 (twenty years ago)

I know people love that movie. It's horrible. Not actually bad, you understand, just totally soulless Disney committee no surprises no thrills half an hour too long tedium. And Depp is terrible in it. Hamming it up /= hilarious tongue-in-cheek japery.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:25 (twenty years ago)

faye dunaway is a good one. and judy davis is hot on her heels. especially after playing judy garland and nancy reagan.

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:27 (twenty years ago)

Charles Bronson?
Whoopi Goldberg?

― Tigerstyle Shamanic Vision Quester (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:30 (twenty years ago)

How can you tell the difference between a good Charles Bronson performance and a bad one?

(Likewise Whoopi except hers are all emetic.)

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:31 (twenty years ago)

Charles Bronson's best work is either in westerns or war films.

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:33 (twenty years ago)

exhibit a: Once Upon A Time In the West

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:33 (twenty years ago)

My favourite Charlie is prob'ly Once Upon A Time in The West or Magnificent Seven, but I can't think of anything where he's been awful.

― Taste the Blood of Scrovula (noodle vague), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:34 (twenty years ago)

Another classic Bronson: The Great Escape

― Marxism Goes Better With Coke (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

And on that note, what about good ol' James Coburn?

― Marxism Goes Better With Coke (Charles McCain), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Kris Kristofferson!

― Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith) (Gear!), Wednesday, 13 July 2005 18:41 (twenty years ago)

Dakota Fanning

― I Should Coco Schwab (Arthur), Thursday, 14 July 2005 01:09 (twenty years ago)

actually i think one of the best-acted films I've seen in recent years was perhaps The Good Thief, in which other than Nolte, the biggest "name" star had a brief cameo and the other roles were filled with a multicultural cast that seemed to embody nu-Europe, almost playing like a slap in the face to the hollywood-isms of Oceans' 12.
-- Gear! (Ill Cajun Gunsmith), July 12th, 2005 12:44 AM. (Gear!) (link)

both so, so OTM

I think I can only identify bad acting (Mallrats-bad, though that may have been a direction/editing thing), what constitutes 'good' usually reads like accomplished direction or writing to me.
My favorite performances fall into two categories: no-name or amateur (the lead in Dirty Pretty Things whose name I always forget, the Russian girl in The Good Thief, neo-realism, etc.) or absurdly OTT performances (The Sheriff of Nottingham and his henchman in Robin Hood, Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday which is hands down my favorite film performance ever).

'Serious' acting usually kind of sucks.

― milozauckerman (miloaukerman), Thursday, 14 July 2005 01:35 (twenty years ago)

so, for you guys, if you can remember an actor's name, they probably aren't very good. i gotcha. always loved little whatshisface in angelo, my love. i am a big fan of nameless european street urchins as well.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 14 July 2005 02:21 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

Leslie Nielsen

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 12 January 2007 18:40 (nineteen years ago)

He's tied for best and worst.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Friday, 12 January 2007 18:46 (nineteen years ago)

'Serious' acting usually kind of sucks.

http://www.nndb.com/people/589/000033490/gielgud-color.jpg

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Friday, 12 January 2007 19:07 (nineteen years ago)

Robin Williams in The Fisher King vs Robin Williams in Robots

― baron kickass von awesomehausen (nickalicious), Friday, 12 January 2007 19:32 (nineteen years ago)

George C. Scott in Exorcist III

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 12 January 2007 19:37 (nineteen years ago)

thirteen years pass...

In honor of Olivia de Havilland, who deserved to be here.

― TikTok to the (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, 27 July 2020 02:07 (five years ago)

three months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7fiV8cK2zk

― onlyfans.com/hunterb (milo z), Thursday, 12 November 2020 08:31 (five years ago)

As suspected, there's a Downfall meme of The Bunker, with a little bit of additional scene chewing.

― Advanced Doomscroller (Sanpaku), Thursday, 12 November 2020 09:32 (five years ago)

“Russian Girl” Nutsa Kukhianidze in “The Good Thief” - which I rewatched about a week ago and still love despite some now dated editing nonsense - isa good example of an amateur almost stealing the film from her seasoned pro colleagues.

― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 12 November 2020 11:05 (five years ago)

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