Favorite Modern Male Actor

[Schmidty]

I just watched Solaris again, and realized my favorite is George Clooney.

I'm so ashamed. :(

(My other favorites are John Malkovich, Christopher Walken, Bill Murray, and Jason Schwartzman.)

[albionmoonlight]

Tom Hanks.

A boring choice, but true.

All time, it would be between Hanks and Jimmy Stewart.

(Note--this is favorite, not who I think is the best ever. Though I do consider both of them very, very good actors.)

[kingfc22]

I would have to say Tom Hanks as well.

[Joe]

Edward Norton

[cartman]

Kevin Spacey

[FBPro]

Matt Damon

[Franklinnoble]

Mr. T

[Marmel]

Ron Jeremy

[Kodos]

Brett Favre.

[VPI97]

John Cusack

[Schmidty]

Hillary Clinton.

[sabotai]

It's a tie between John Malcovich and John Turturro.

[duckman]

John Travolta

[CAsterling]

Samuel L Jackson, and then Lawrence Fishbourne

[BreizhManu]

Jean-Pierre Daroussin (I know you never heard of him)

runner-ups : Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey, Steve Buscemi

[Schmidty]

I loved "Qui plume la lune? and "Marie-Jo et ses 2 amours" was a masterpiece...........

[BreizhManu]

I loved "Qui plume la lune? and "Marie-Jo et ses 2 amours" was a masterpiece...........
http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[duckman]

Kevin Spacey is pretty good too.

[Desnudo]

Billy Zabka

[SplitPersonality1]

Ed Norton, Gary Sinise & Morgan Freeman

[Franklinnoble]

OJ Simpson

[MacroGuru]

Ed Norton then Samuel Jackson.

[Scholes]

John Cusack, Bill Murray and the guy that plays Napoleon Dynamite.

[Rich1033]

Johnny Depp

[thealmighty]

Denzel (it's all about Glory)

[Franklinnoble]

Paul Reubens

[GrantDawg]

Denzel, with Clooney a close second.

[korme]

Honestly.. heh.. Brad Pitt. Talk about feeling ashamed.

[Axxon]

Robert DeNiro

[Leonidas]

Brando is my favorite all time. Anthony Hopkins is my favorite living actor, despite turning Hannibal Lector into a charicature. He's on my short list of guys I'll go see in anything he does just because he's in it.

[Buddy Grant]

John Cusack, Bill Murray, Johnny Depp, and George Clooney in no particular order.

[cthomer5000]

favorite: Owen Wilson
best: Philip Seymour Hoffman

[korme]

owen wilson is great

[TroyF]

Robert DeNiro

At least there is some sanity in this thread.

DeNiro in a walk.

[Archer219]

John Cusack, Jason Lee, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges.

Damn thats a lot of Js

[cthomer5000]

owen wilson is great
And then add in the fact that he's co-written two of my Top 5 favorite movies (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums) and he's an easy favorite for me.

[MrBug708]

Cary Elwes

[JonInMiddleGA]

Andre Braugher

[Kodos]

best: Philip Seymour Hoffman

He graduated in the same class as my brother at our high school in New York. Just for trivia's sake. :D

The problem with DeNiro is he always plays a variation of himself.

I like Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. They rarely are involved in bad movies.

[MikeVic]

I like a lot, and don't know if I really have a favourite. Some that I like and will give a movie a chance if they're in it, and it even looks really bad: The Rock, Christopher Walken, John Cusack, Brad Pitt, Jason Lee, Johnny Depp, and I'm probably forgetting a couple.

[Schmidty]

Yeah, I should have said Owen Wilson, although I saw "The Big Bounce" last week and it was awful.

[yabanci]

....The Rock.....

yikes.

[scc27]

Johnny Depp

[Draft Dodger]

I'm not gay, but I think I have to say Tom Cruise. please don't ban me because of it.

I also like Kevin Spacey, and just to throw in a straight guy in there, Harrison Ford

[MrBug708]

Johnny Depp is a good actor who picks wierd movies to star in. I think Val Kilmer made an excellent Doc Holliday, but killed Batman and Willow

[Yossarian]

Johnny Depp; Kevin Spacey; Robert Dinero

by FAR the best on the list so far.

Dinero's proven his worth over the years and Depp and Spacey are fantastic at playing a HUGE range of different characters believably (guess thats why they call it acting).

Bill Murray showed very little really over the years but Lost in Translation was an eye opener for his talend.

Edward Norton's had his moments, but needs to be more consistant for me I think. He was great in American History X.

A lot of the guys so far posted do 'one thing' really well. eg.. I dont see a LOT of range in Cusak / Cruise (always looks like "tom cruise acting" rather than his character).

Dunno where I put Sam Jackson. He's fantastic at a kind of 'hard' character. Haven't seen him play much else.

[ntndeacon]

Danny Devito.

[Brillig]

Dunno about favorite, but here's a few I like who haven't been mentioned yet:

Nicholas Cage
Robin Williams

[Daimyo]

Johnny Depp and John Cusack are probably my favorite two with Bill Murray in third. After that I think Clooney and Pitt are both very good and I like that they're willing to take on a variety of interesting roles.

[MikeVic]

yikes.

Based on 1 movie, The Rundown, which I loved. Haven't seen Walking Tall or The Scorpion King yet, so he's 1/1, 100% in my books so far.. :)

Jean-Pierre Daroussin (I know you never heard of him)

Is that the guy from Green Card?

[cthomer5000]

The Rock was surprisingly solid in The Rundown.

If he could just eliminate Vin Diesal from movies, we'd all be in much better shape.

[larrymcg421]

I would have to say Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but I also like George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Sam Rockwell, Charles Dutton, and John Cusack.

[pennywisesb]

For comedy I'm gonna have to say Vince Vaughen and Ben Stiller.
For non-comedy I'd have to go with Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, and Robert DeNero (sp?)

[Yossarian]

Brad Pitt

You kidding?

he's almost in the 'Kiano Reeves' league of wooden acting...

[Johnny93g]

1. Robert DeNiro- "Once apon a Time in America" is DeNiro at his best
1a. Al Pacino- "Serpico" I love it when he yells.
1b. Daniel Day-Lewis- "My Left Foot" I thought he really did have CP

[Eaglesfan27]

1. Robert DeNiro- "Once apon a Time in America" is DeNiro at his best
1a. Al Pacino- "Serpico" I love it when he yells.
1b. Daniel Day-Lewis- "My Left Foot" I thought he really did have CP

Daniel Day-Lewis was brilliant in that movie.

I can't decide who my favorite is, but my 5 favorite in alphabetical order are:

Johnny Depp, Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Al Pacino, and Denzel Washington.

[korme]

anyone who can pull off a piki is niuce

[judicial clerk]

Favorites: Cruise, Ford, Hanks, Washington, and Clooney (what's my problem, am i a chick or something?)

Best: Duvall (better than DeNiro, Spacey, Hopkins, Pacino)

underrated: Day-Lewis, Pitt (What the hell? maybe I am a chick... or gay, NOT THAT THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT)

[duckman]

Honestly.. heh.. Brad Pitt. Talk about feeling ashamed.
You should be ashamed. ;)

[cthomer5000]

I'm gathering info on Shorty...

likes cats
watches "Queer Eye for the straight guy"
favorite actor: Brad Pitt

If his favorite politician is Jim McGreevey...



;)

[korme]

good friends with marmel? now you know im gay

[Scholes]

I'll defend Brad Pitt as a good actor. Certainly better than Keanu.

Almost every movie he's been in has been good. And I've never seen The Mexican, so that doesn't count.

[MikeVic]

I'll defend Brad Pitt as a good actor. Certainly better than Keanu.

Almost every movie he's been in has been good. And I've never seen The Mexican, so that doesn't count.

I liked Pitt in Snatch, and also in Fight Club. I thought he wasn't bad in Troy either. "That's why no one will remember you." :D

[TLK]

no question here....

John Cusack

[Yossarian]

oh yeah.. he was GOOD in fight club.

still think he sucks though :-p

[duckman]

good friends with marmel? now you know im gay
You sexy man, you. ;)

[SuburbanPimp]

steve buscemi - turns in a great performance every time.
william h. macy - see above.
matt damon - very underrated, focuses more on the craft of acting, rather than basking in the spotlight (affleck).
john cusack - plays the "everyman" better than anyone.

[Johnny93g]

steve buscemi - turns in a great performance every time.
william h. macy - see above.
matt damon - very underrated, focuses more on the craft of acting, rather than basking in the spotlight (affleck).
john cusack - plays the "everyman" better than anyone.

I agree with all of those, and Id like to add Andy Garcia....I have enjoyed just about everything i have seen him in....I saw him in this little film with Andie MacDowwell, called Just the Ticket, where he plays a ticket scalper.....Ive been a fan of his ever since

[MikeVic]

steve buscemi - turns in a great performance every time.
matt damon - very underrated, focuses more on the craft of acting, rather than basking in the spotlight (affleck).
john cusack - plays the "everyman" better than anyone.

I agree with these statements.

[KeyserSoze]

Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey and Brad Pitt. Also the Geek that plays Kiriyama in Battle Royale.

[Raiders Army]

I agree with Steve Buscemi...Resevoir Dogs is a classic.

While flipping through the channels the other night, Mike Meyers won an uberaward on the Teen Choice Awards...I have to say that I agree he is great. So I Married an Axe Murderer is highly underrated.

[Aylmar]

Kind of suprising that the thread is this long without anyone mentioning my favorite:

Jack Nicholson

[Warhammer]

My faves, with their best movies:

John Cusack - Better Off Dead - "I want my two dollars!"
Harrison Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark

Just as a note, Val Kilmer was awesome in Willow! He was the best part of that flick!

[Fonzie]

I agree with many of the above selections, especially Kevin Spacey, John Cusack and Robert DeNiro. But let us not forget Gene Hackman, who always manages to turn in an excellent performance regardless of the quality of the film (and he's been in a more than a few clunkers).

[HornedFrog Purple]

I am a closet George Clooney fan too. He has that Hollywood of yesteryear mystique to him (ala Clark Gable)... hard to explain.

I like Denzel, DeNiro, Hanks... most of the names here.

Will Smith for comedies.

[ntndeacon]

Will Smith for comedies.
Has Will Smith been in a good movie?

[3ric]

Is that the guy from Green Card?
No, that's Gerard Depardieu.

I like Jean Reno, Yun-Fat Chow, Samuel L Jackson, Johnny Depp and Kevin Spacey.

[rkmsuf]

I don't like the term "Modern Male Actor" for some reason.

[SplitPersonality1]

"I want my two dollars!"


I absolutely love that movie.

Another good line is: "That's a waste of a perfectly good white boy."

[Aardvark]

Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Peter O'Toole
Toshiro Mifune
Nicholas Cage

[GoldenEagle]

Nicholas Cage is a great actor, but so is Sean Penn and Matt Damon. I'm a stickler for the Bourne movies.

Oh and Haley Joel Osment is the best child actor, ever.

[Glengoyne]

So many of these guys I like.

I'll start with someone I don't like.
I can't stand Al Pacino. He is WAY over the top. He has been great in some roles. Glen Gary Glen Ross for example, but the guy with bulging eyes, who yells his lines shows up way too often.

Hanks always a treat.
Hoffman rarely disappoints.
I think those two are pretty well legends

I am addicted to John Cusack flicks.
I am emabarrased that I forgot (edit)Denzel Washington.
I really like William H Macy and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
I am also oddly drawn to Tim Roth, Eric Stolz, and Steve Buscemi.

There are some other guys mentioned here that I think are good, not great, but I love to watch them on screen.
Tom Cruise
Will Smith
Harrison Ford
Brad Pitt why not?

[Schmidty]

Oh and Haley Joel Osment is the best child actor, ever.

Jodie Foster and Tatum O'Neal were pretty amazing, so I'm not sure about that.

[rkmsuf]

when did they become male?

[Schmidty]

when did they become male?

Read the quote I was responding to.

[Calis]

Agree with most of the choices made here, pretty solid.

I'd add Chris Cooper to the list, he's always playing supporting spots but does a fantastic job of it.

I think the deal with Brad Pitt is, say what you will about his acting skills, he has excellent taste in picking roles. I've enjoyed every film I've seen him in. (I haven't seen The Mexican either)

Ed Norton also makes the list, and has done a good job with his movie selection for the most part.

DeNiro is a guy who has made some horrible horrible movies, but he tends to make at least his parts bearable to watch.

I'm also a sucker for Billy Bob Thornton, what can I say?

John Malkovich is another guy I love to watch. I could keep going on and on.

[rkmsuf]

Read the quote I was responding to.

read the thread title. maybe the word "male" was inferred in the post because nobody in there right mind would not classify the Olsens as numero uno :)

[Chief Rum]

This sort of thing is so tough for me to answer because I don't know if I am really voting for an actor or for the characters he plays or for a favorite movie such and such actor may have been in.

Here's a list with thoughts:

Tim Robbins-- surprised no one has mentioned TR yet, who for me was absolutely perfect in The Shawshenk Redemption. Also great as a jaded Hollywood screenwriter in The Player, as the arrogant star-on-the-rise in Bull Durham, the twisted mastermind in Arlington Road, and the delusional Vietnam soldier in Jacob's Ladder. Also pulls off wacky pretty well in flicks like Hudsucker Proxy and Nothing To Lose.

Denzel Washington-- Just saw him again in The Manchurian Candidate (creepy, but thrilling twisted pic, BTW). I always like Denzel in whatever he is in. He is always competent, he picks good flicks and he's a guy I like to root for.

Tom Cruise-- I disagree that Tom Cruise is always "Tom Cruise playing a role" as opposed to becoming a character. I do agree he plays cocky and arrogant very well, starting with Top Gun. But I think he shows he has some pretty good emotional depth as an actor in films like Jerry Maguire and A Few Good Men (when he is doubting himself). He also picks some pretty good pics, and I am still trying to find time to go check out Collateral.

Tom Hanks-- Gotta piggyback on everyone else. Tremendous depth with this guy. Feels like he can literally play "every man" (except for evil, psycho killer; haven't seen him do that yet). All I need to do is imagine the differences between Forrest Gump, the AIDS-infected lawyer in Philadelphia, the detective in Catch Me If You Can and the hardened WW2 platoon leader in Saving Private Ryan to know how well he pulls off all his roles.

That's just for starters. I could go on for a long time about some of my other favorites, like Spacey (who has fallen off a bit), Jackson (don't mind if he keeps playing kickass mean bastards--he does them well), Patrick Stewart (always classy), Freeman (classy and picks good pics), Kevin Pollak (wisecracker deluxe), Harrison Ford (the white Denzel, measured and smooth, or is the other way around?), Pitt (not afraid to do wacky), Duvall (never a letdown), Norton (whe he isn't doing Oscar-style movies), Bruce Willis (when he isn't too actiony), Mel Gibson (when he isn't too preachy), Russell Crowe (when he plays commanding figures), Depp (perfect "wacky" actor), Gene Hackman (when he plays mean, or when he plays a smarmy politician-type), and David Morse (plays gruff tough guys well). I'm sure there are a ton more.

While I certainly respect guys like Nicholson, DeNiro and Pacino, I must admit they are not my favorites. I enjoy their films, and they are in some true classics, but they don't make me want to run out and see a movie like some of the guys above do, not anymore anyway.

CR

[Logan]

No, that's Gerard Depardieu.

Damn it. I was about to write the same joke, but then I realized there was a second page to this thread and knew someone would beat me to it. :)

I'd have a tough time naming my favorite, but it would be someone among:

DeNiro, Spacey, Ed Norton, Morgan Freeman, SamueL, Buscemi, Chazz Palminteri, Benicio Del Toro, LL Cool J, Jason Lee, Joey Pants, and Mike Madsen.

[Sun Tzu]

Sean Penn

Benicio Del Toro

Gary Sinise

[Sharpieman]

Almost all Denzel movies are sweet, Man on Fire is my favorite movie of the year by far. And I forgot his name, but that guy who played Gandi.

[Sharpieman]

dola, and Jim Carrey, I remember him for his good movies, not his bad ones.

[Suicane75]

Kevin Spacey and Steve Buscemi, I could watch them do dishes and be fascinated.