Best Actor of the modern era?

valoren

I would go for J.T. Walsh. A consummate character actor who, over a career of 50 movies, carved out a niche to become Hollywoods go-to actor for playing a villain. You can plunk for egotistical head melts like Brando or a reserved, film shy Day-Lewis but while they would deliver celebrated performances, if you were a director you'd happily work with the likes of Walsh who carried no baggage, who were utterly professional, who didn't spend their time on set "in character" and who simply delivered excellent work role after role.

ckerryman

Sean Connery not so much a great Actor.
But because.
He played a Russian captain in The Hunt for Red October with a Scottish accent.
And
He played a Egyptian in Highlander, with a Scottish accent.
What a Bad Ass, bigger than Clint Eastwood.

Riddle101

J.K Simmons. He was absolutely despicable as Vernon Schillinger in Oz, played a great J. Jonah Jameson in Spider-Man and I personally enjoyed his performance in Whiplash which won him an Academy Award.

Dravokivich

ckerryman wrote: »

Sean Connery not so much a great Actor.
But because.
He played a Russian captain in The Hunt for Red October with a Scottish accent.
And
He played a Egyptian in Highlander, with a Scottish accent.
What a Bad Ass, bigger than Clint Eastwood.

Are you sure it wasn't some sort of Iberian nationality? I wouldn't associate a name like Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez with Egyptian.

CBear1993

Robert Downey Jr, although I'd have liked to see him do more than Marvel of recent.

Matthew McConaughey can take on any role.

Tom Hardy - the man is crazy good at taking on the life of the character he portrays!

The Nal

Paul Dano

branie2

Liam Neeson

RandomViewer

Dravokivich wrote: »

Are you sure it wasn't some sort of Iberian nationality? I wouldn't associate a name like Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez with Egyptian.

He took the name Ramiraz while working for the king of Spain

https://highlander.fandom.com/wiki/Juan_S%C3%A1nchez_Villa-Lobos_Ram%C3%ADrez

RandomViewer

CBear1993 wrote: »

Robert Downey Jr, although I'd have liked to see him do more than Marvel of recent.

Matthew McConaughey can take on any role.

Tom Hardy - the man is crazy good at taking on the life of the character he portrays!

Robert Downey Jr plays Robert Downey Jr

McConaghey bland

Hardy with the exception of Fury Road is a mumbler

RandomViewer

branie2 wrote: »

Liam Neeson

Early work but now just does any muck for the cash.

sunshinew

Olivia Coleman is amazing too. I'm throwing actresses into the mix here - not sure if that's what OP intended.

razorblunt

The Nal wrote: »

Paul Dano

He’s got an incredibly distinctive face which I think works against him a she always has a stupid o look going on.
I’m always very aware I’m watching Paul Dano.

JasonStatham

Me.

Haha

faffingaround

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It would be hard for me to pick one, but for my viewing I'd go with Bale, Pitt, Pheonix or Dafoe.

I like DiCaprio, but more often than not I can see him in the role rather than the character he's playing.

I’m glad someone said it. He can’t always sell the part very well. I have had a few heated discussions about this before!

DiCaprio is good and has been given some great roles but he is not at the same level as the likes of Bale, Norton, Cruise, Mathew Mc, Rickman, Fiennes, Pesci, Pacino, Jack N and a few more!

Heckler

valoren wrote: »

I would go for J.T. Walsh. A consummate character actor who, over a career of 50 movies, carved out a niche to become Hollywoods go-to actor for playing a villain. You can plunk for egotistical head melts like Brando or a reserved, film shy Day-Lewis but while they would deliver celebrated performances, if you were a director you'd happily work with the likes of Walsh who carried no baggage, who were utterly professional, who didn't spend their time on set "in character" and who simply delivered excellent work role after role.

Can't disagree with that. Always watchable. If I was 50/50 on watching a film and he was in it i'd give it a go. Only recently watched Breakdown again not having seen it in donkeys years. Great.

Heckler

Just after looking up IMDB. Jack Nicholson hasn't been in a film in 10 years !!!

irishguitarlad

Probably would go with Daniel Day Lewis.

Parsnips

For me it is Leo DeCap, Tom Hanks. Joaquin Phoenix or Giovanni Ribisi.

Very hard to single someone out.

DoozerT6

I have been impressed with Sean Harris in anything I've seen him in. Pity he doesn't have 'leading man' looks, because I'm pretty sure he'd nail any major leading role that doesn't involve him being a psychopathic antagonist, which he also does very well. He's a method actor, which I think stands to him. Plays crazy characters, but comes across as very shy in real life.

Also Fassbender. He was excellent in Macbeth (which also starred Sean Harris as Macduff. Their final fight scene was beautifully shot).

Effects

CBear1993 wrote: »

Robert Downey Jr, although I'd have liked to see him do more than Marvel of recent.

I take it you haven't seen Dr. Doolittle yet?

Tom Hardy - the man is crazy good at taking on the life of the character he portrays!

He's kind of overrated and a bit of a one trick pony for a lot of his stuff.

Eduard Khil

Jack Nicholson did a documentary in 2017 over the last 30 years he's had more hits than misses the bucket list is one of my favourite films.

Ipso

DoozerT6 wrote: »

I have been impressed with Sean Harris in anything I've seen him in. Pity he doesn't have 'leading man' looks, because I'm pretty sure he'd nail any major leading role that doesn't involve him being a psychopathic antagonist, which he also does very well. He's a method actor, which I think stands to him. Plays crazy characters, but comes across as very shy in real life.

Also Fassbender. He was excellent in Macbeth (which also starred Sean Harris as Macduff. Their final fight scene was beautifully shot).

He was good in 24 Hour Party People.

saabsaab

Brendan Gleeson. Very adaptable.

YFlyer

frag420 wrote: »

In that case...

Jack Nicholson

Or one that never been on the Graham Norton Show.

poisonated

kingtiger wrote: »

Has to be Leo from Fair City

Does he do the literary pub crawl. I met a guy doing that who was in fair city

trashcan

Dravokivich wrote: »

Are you sure it wasn't some sort of Iberian nationality? I wouldn't associate a name like Juan Sanchez Villa-Lobos Ramirez with Egyptian.

Makes no difference to Sean, he's still doing him Scottish

After watching Darkest hour for the first time last night, I'm keen to see Brendan Gleeson doing Churchill. I suspect from the clips I've seen he might just be better than Gary Oldman. He certainly did a better Michael Collins than Liam Neeson.

Errashareesh

I love your Pacinos, De Niros, Freemans, Hoffmans, Streeps of course but besides those:

Ben Kingsley
Geoffrey Rush
Both of the above had very limited screen experience (although stage is more difficult but still), then landed Gandhi and David Helfgott respectively, relatively late in their careers, for which they won Oscars.

Stephen Dillane (amazing actor who would wipe the floor with some of the Hollywood darlings - his versatility is second to none; I sometimes don't recognise him - I always recognise Bradley Cooper).

Christoph Waltz

Melissa Leo - one of those Oscar winners you'd never hear of. Superb talent.

Sarah Lancashire - two words: Happy Valley. Amazing.

Badly Drunk Boy

Michael Sheen. He seems to end up playing a lot of real-life people but he does it well; David Frost, Brian Clough, Tony Blair, Chris Tarrant, Wesley Snipes (okay that was his character's name in 30 Rock ). He worked well with David Tennant in Good Omens, and I'm currently watching him in Prodigal Son, another great performance.

Hamsterchops

Ben Kingsley
George Clooney
Robert de Nero
Anthony Hopkins
Patrick Stewart.

begbysback

Ewan McGregor - vastly underrated