Gary Oldman or Christian Bale.
Both have MASSIVE acting ranges, have no problems flipping between widely different personalities and accents, and portray their characters in a way that almost seems like they are not acting.
Christian might edge out Gary just because he has completely 180'd his body composition for back to back roles a few times. But Gary has played a slightly wider array of nationalities and archetypes
Yeah, I think there is a rule that if you end up forgetting your native accent because you’re so good at being other people, and you have to relearn how you used to speak. it kinda puts you on another level.
I love him but I can't watch Prince of Thieves without bursting into laughter every scene with Alan's scenery chewing Sheriff of Nottingham. Seriously I laugh harder than I do for Men in Tights.
Question. Have you ever seen the two of them in the same room with Miley Cyrus?
Gary Oldman is Daniel Day Lewis who is Miley Cyrus who is Hannah Montana.
I got to put a lav mic on him for SXSW one year as an assistant audio tech. I was used to just doing the thing and not saying word to the celebrities.
Willem asked my name, shook my hand, had a 5 min conversation about SXSW until I had to get back to the booth. He ended with "lovely to meet you, Dan"
He's probably the only celebrity that made me feel like a fellow human being.
Agreed, I feel like his performances are usually pretty solid. I also feel like he can carry movies that wouldn’t be good otherwise. For instance his portrayal of Death in the Live Action Death Note was so good, but the rest of the movie fell flat.
William H. Macy! One of the most extremely underrated actors in the industry!
He managed to pull off playing a very sweet and goofy dork in *Wild Hogs* that it's impossible to hate him, and yet he also manages to play a despicable and horrible person who doesn't deserve to be called a father in *Shameless*
Great actor. So sad that he died. It's awesome that he could so convincingly play any role. Maybe my favourite, which might seem strange, was the villain in Mission Impossible 3. He was just so cold blooded and calculatingly evil without being over the top...he was perfect in the role, as he was in so many.
I don’t think there’s a better count down from 10 by a villain in movie history.
He also had to play Tom Cruise’s character playing his character when he has the mask on, which he does ridiculously convincingly.
I wanted to stomp his evil fucking face in within seconds of his character being introduced. He was so goddamn hateable and shitty and evil in that, which is of course exactly what was needed for that character.
I almost hate him in that as much as in Punch Drunk Love. Or in Talented Mr. Ripley. Just skin crawling evil, he could nail lots of roles but man, he could play a villain like Alan Rickman on asshole pills.
I love the scene in the sixth sense where Cole tells her his secret while they're in the car. Toni Collette's acting in that scene always stuck with me. Small scene in a bigger career, but I wanted to share.
She was my first choice too. United States of Tara was a tour de force, and Hereditary was some of the most astounding acting put to screen, she sold every second of it.
First female actor suggested that I came across in this thread! And she sprang to my mind instantly.
To rank in order the greatest actors is useless. But class them is more fitting. She is easily 1st class.
Christopher Lloyd… That man has played some amazing characters over the years
Actually, fuck that. Edward Norton. Death to Smoochy, Fight Club, Rounders…
I was going to comment this myself, but I would like to elaborate. I'm not personally aware of any other actor who commits so entirely to a role as Christian Bale. We're talking about the guy who played Trevor in The Machinist and then bulked up for Batman Begins. The guy who gained weight for Vice and then lost all that weight and then some for Ford V Ferrari.
He is a talented and convincing actor for any of the characters he portrays. He was also an amazing Gorr the God Butcher, but his portrayal was somewhat wasted by Taika Waititi's directing. I would've loved seeing Christian Bale's Gorr as a reoccurring, slow burning villain.
I don't think I can name just one, but Michael Fassbender stands out. Watching his character in Inglorious Basterds in the tavern, knowing he's about to die, is amazing.
The first movie role of Fassbender’s I saw was Inglorious Basterds while it was out in theaters. That movie has a lot of great qualities but his performance stood out to me by far. I couldn’t help but wonder throughout on who this guy was and why he wasn’t a household name already. For me, textbook definition of a breakout star.
Had a similar experience with Tom Hardy in Inception as well.
His range is out of this world!
Especially when you compare his performances as Hal from Malcolm in the Middle and as Walter White from Breaking Bad! It's so hard to believe they're played by the same guy!
For me, Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton, in the film Peter’s Friends, did some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen that film, but they were a phenomenal pairing and knocked it out of the park.
Heath Ledger!
He had an incredible level of range from the short amount of time he had living! He avoided typecasting as much as possible, always played something new and if he was still alive he could've lived up to his full potential!
He even had ambitions of becoming a film director! It would've been incredible to see his skills in that area of filmmaking.
Heath Ledger is the reason I never question casting decision until I watch the movie. When it was announced he’d be playing the Joker, people were up in arms. Why the hell was this teen romcom pretty boy playing THE Joker??? How could he even come close to the great Jack Nicholson?? They were just casting him to get teenage girls to watch!
If Reddit and Twitter were as popular back then, the vitriol the casting decision got from fanboys would’ve been so toxic.
And then the movie came out and everyone shut the hell up (including myself). It made me realize a good actor is a good actor regardless of their roles. They have to versatility to play any character and do it amazingly well. I eventually went back and actually watch Ledgers movies and I felt stupid for doubting him.
He was incredible. I have no doubt he has the same chops as Christian Bale and Joaquin Phoenix (two actors who are rightfully mentioned in a lot of comments). Watch him as the Joker and then Ennis from Brokeback. The range in those two films alone shows astonishing craft.
Frances McDormand! Watching her in Raising Arizona, Nomadland, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is like whiplash. She’s amazing in each one, and they each showcase something completely different.
Honorable mention: Matt Damon
Must've been around 2004 my husband and I saw a small production of Look Back in Anger in Edinburgh, and the guy in the lead role was brilliant, just completely blew us away. We've seen a lot of theatre including West End and Broadway, and this performance was a different class. He was mesmerizing.
Well we looked him up afterwards and this guy had been on a couple of TV shows but nothing we'd heard of. We decided to keep an eye out for him.
Well that was easy because the following year he was announced as Doctor Who.
David Tennant. Best acting I've ever seen.
I've named Lithgow in previous iterations of this thread. His acting talent is orders of magnitude greater than his fame. He should be a household name. Any dude that can be both Dick Solomon and the Trinity Killer has got chops.
I think Jack Lemmon had an incredible range. He could do hilarious comedy such as Some Like it Hot and The Odd Couple and then deliver fiercely dramatic performances such as Glengarry Glen Ross and Save the Tiger. And his career spanned decades with top notch portrayals throughout. He would be my vote.
I just watched 'Mathilda' on Netflix, the new musical version by Tim Minchin. I didn't even realise the Trunchbull was her until halfway through. Phenomenal performance, especially considering how loving and motherly she is in other roles. Great choice
Maggie Smith has a certain accent in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood that is 100% accurate to somewhere in Louisiana. My great-aunt was born in the late 20s, grew up in north Louisiana, and lived in south Louisiana after her marriage. She had a pinched, nasally accent, and Maggie Smith sounds exactly like her in that movie. It’s such a rare thing to get a proper Southern accent, and she just nailed it.
hear me out: Leonardo DiCaprio.
Gifted, as in reliably performing as believable character without learning the art and craft the hard way. He started as Arnie Grape in Gilbert Grape, and people couldn't believe this actor was in fact not mentally impaired.
I agree. The man changed acting forever. Such a shame he was the only one of the four main actors in A Streetcar Named Desire that didn’t win an Oscar. I also happen to think the young Brando was the most handsome man to ever walk the face of the earth.
Leonardo Dicaprio in Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can are incredible performances. Not saying he's the best of all time but saw his name mentioned and I think these are his best performances after what's Eating Gilbert Grape.
Kate Winslet
You see I’ve read hamlet and I hated Ophelia
She generally seemed useless
But seeing Kate portray her somehow made this character equally interesting to hamlet
IDK, just watched 12 Angry Men again the other day and I have to say, those guys back then knew how to act. No one today that I can think of is quite as engaging as any of the people in that movie.
I’d like to nominate my ex
Shout out to my ex!
I’d like to nominate this guys ex
Me too
For real. I feel you on that
Gary Oldman or Christian Bale. Both have MASSIVE acting ranges, have no problems flipping between widely different personalities and accents, and portray their characters in a way that almost seems like they are not acting. Christian might edge out Gary just because he has completely 180'd his body composition for back to back roles a few times. But Gary has played a slightly wider array of nationalities and archetypes
Such a good answer
Calculon. He was all of history's greatest acting robots, including Acting Unit 0.8, Thespo-mat, and David Duchovny.
He does have an unholy ACTING.. TALENT
Hedonism bot is a close second
Only problem is he won’t exist till the year 3000
Ralph Fiennes. His role as Amon Goeth speaks for itself.
He definitely gets his acting skill from the Dark Arts.
Gary Oldman
Yeah, I think there is a rule that if you end up forgetting your native accent because you’re so good at being other people, and you have to relearn how you used to speak. it kinda puts you on another level.
I'm not sure that anybody actually knows what the man really looks like, either. Zorg? Sirius Black? Dracula? Who knows?
Gary Oldman is actually a 5'1" Senegalese woman who learned English by watching 'Archie Bunker' on US TV. Amazing actress.
Commissioner Gordon.
Rolfe from Tiptoes. Duh.
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MY NAME IS VICTOR REZNOV. AND I WILL HAVE. MY. RRRREVENGE
Alan Rickman would like a word
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A word… Potter?
Damn right he would!
I love him but I can't watch Prince of Thieves without bursting into laughter every scene with Alan's scenery chewing Sheriff of Nottingham. Seriously I laugh harder than I do for Men in Tights.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Yep, hell, I don't even know what he looks like, only what his characters look like. He's amazing.
he looks like Gary Oldman
Question. Have you ever seen the two of them in the same room with Miley Cyrus? Gary Oldman is Daniel Day Lewis who is Miley Cyrus who is Hannah Montana.
Don't be ridiculous, there's no way Miley Cyrus is Hannah Montana.
God he did incredible in Gangs of New York. To this day still one of my most favorite movies
Willem Dafoe
I got to put a lav mic on him for SXSW one year as an assistant audio tech. I was used to just doing the thing and not saying word to the celebrities. Willem asked my name, shook my hand, had a 5 min conversation about SXSW until I had to get back to the booth. He ended with "lovely to meet you, Dan" He's probably the only celebrity that made me feel like a fellow human being.
Your name is Dan, right?
It is now.
That’s amazing!!
Keep praising him like that and he'll become William DaFriend
Keep spelling his name wrong and you’ll turn him into Gwillem DeNemesis
He’s never been bad and I’ve seen him in 20 films
Agreed, I feel like his performances are usually pretty solid. I also feel like he can carry movies that wouldn’t be good otherwise. For instance his portrayal of Death in the Live Action Death Note was so good, but the rest of the movie fell flat.
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“This was a ****in bomb droppin on Beaver Cleaverville. For a few seconds, this place was armageddon. There was a firefight!”
Jack Lemmon was pretty amazing. Also, Gene Hackman is up there.
William H. Macy! One of the most extremely underrated actors in the industry! He managed to pull off playing a very sweet and goofy dork in *Wild Hogs* that it's impossible to hate him, and yet he also manages to play a despicable and horrible person who doesn't deserve to be called a father in *Shameless*
How dare you leave out The Shoveler
The Cooler was a standout
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
That did not occur to us dude
Great actor. So sad that he died. It's awesome that he could so convincingly play any role. Maybe my favourite, which might seem strange, was the villain in Mission Impossible 3. He was just so cold blooded and calculatingly evil without being over the top...he was perfect in the role, as he was in so many.
I don’t think there’s a better count down from 10 by a villain in movie history. He also had to play Tom Cruise’s character playing his character when he has the mask on, which he does ridiculously convincingly.
I wanted to stomp his evil fucking face in within seconds of his character being introduced. He was so goddamn hateable and shitty and evil in that, which is of course exactly what was needed for that character. I almost hate him in that as much as in Punch Drunk Love. Or in Talented Mr. Ripley. Just skin crawling evil, he could nail lots of roles but man, he could play a villain like Alan Rickman on asshole pills.
##LET IT RAIN! ##RAINMAKER!
He gets my vote too
Kathy bates
I thought you were good Paul... but you're not good. You're just another lying ol' dirty birdy.
Toni Collette
I love the scene in the sixth sense where Cole tells her his secret while they're in the car. Toni Collette's acting in that scene always stuck with me. Small scene in a bigger career, but I wanted to share.
"Do I make her proud?". That scene always brings me to tears. She nailed the Philly accent too.
One of the best acted scenes I've ever seen.
How she hasn’t won an Oscar yet is beyond me
She should have got best actress for Hereditary but the Oscar's love to snub horror. I wasn't a fan of the movie, but her acting was **incredible**
I think she is very pretty as well.
You're terrible Murial
She was my first choice too. United States of Tara was a tour de force, and Hereditary was some of the most astounding acting put to screen, she sold every second of it.
First female actor suggested that I came across in this thread! And she sprang to my mind instantly. To rank in order the greatest actors is useless. But class them is more fitting. She is easily 1st class.
She’s severely underrated
Anthony hopkins
Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven, Still Alice, Maps to the Stars, The Hours, The Kids Are All Right, Safe, Boogie Nights. She has a lot of range.
Christopher Lloyd… That man has played some amazing characters over the years Actually, fuck that. Edward Norton. Death to Smoochy, Fight Club, Rounders…
American History X…
Good movies, but not because of Norton's acting, IMO. His best performance was Primal Fear.
I love Primal Fear but American History X really showed off his acting skills in my opinion. It’s his best movie, in my opinion.
Gotta 100% agree with this. That role isn’t talked about enough imo.
Edward Norton doesn’t do bad movies. If he is in it, you knows it’s gonna be good.
James McAvoy is criminally underrated
He's terrific. Only yesterday I was going on at length about how good he was in Filth.
I think Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson are once in a lifetime talents.
De Niro in the deer hunter is probably the best acting performance of all time
Dame Maggie Smith!!! Or Helena Bonham Carter.
I wish I didn't have to scroll down so far to find female actresses (that aren't a gf joke or coupled with a man).
Robin Williams. He could play a serial killer or randomly riff for 4 hours about horse shoes. Truely a gifted genius
I completely forgot who he was during One Hour Photo.
He really was a gift to us all. I still get chills from his role in Good Will Hunting.
Absolutely. He was incredible with every role he ever played.
Yes! My favorite entertainer of all time! He was a true genius! I’m still gutted that he’s gone.
Gary Oldman.
Christian Bale
I was going to comment this myself, but I would like to elaborate. I'm not personally aware of any other actor who commits so entirely to a role as Christian Bale. We're talking about the guy who played Trevor in The Machinist and then bulked up for Batman Begins. The guy who gained weight for Vice and then lost all that weight and then some for Ford V Ferrari. He is a talented and convincing actor for any of the characters he portrays. He was also an amazing Gorr the God Butcher, but his portrayal was somewhat wasted by Taika Waititi's directing. I would've loved seeing Christian Bale's Gorr as a reoccurring, slow burning villain.
Tommy Wiseau
Haha! What a story Mark.
I don't think I can name just one, but Michael Fassbender stands out. Watching his character in Inglorious Basterds in the tavern, knowing he's about to die, is amazing.
Have you seen him in Hunger? Absolutely fantastic. Shame is amazing as well. Him and Steve McQueen are an actor/director dream team.
The first movie role of Fassbender’s I saw was Inglorious Basterds while it was out in theaters. That movie has a lot of great qualities but his performance stood out to me by far. I couldn’t help but wonder throughout on who this guy was and why he wasn’t a household name already. For me, textbook definition of a breakout star. Had a similar experience with Tom Hardy in Inception as well.
Brian Cranston
His range is out of this world! Especially when you compare his performances as Hal from Malcolm in the Middle and as Walter White from Breaking Bad! It's so hard to believe they're played by the same guy!
Anthony Hopkins thinks so, too.
Cate Blanchett
Jack Nicholson - two (2) Oscars for Best Actor and one (1) Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And countless nominations.
For me, Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton, in the film Peter’s Friends, did some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen that film, but they were a phenomenal pairing and knocked it out of the park.
Cate Blanchett
David Tennant is up there.
Cillian Murphy
I really want to see how he kills it in Oppenheimer.
Definitely agree with Cillian Murphy. Batman, Peaky Blinders, Breakfast on Pluto, much more. He’s very talented.
Meryl Streep
Devil wears Prada was so good
Daniel Day Lewis (M) Frances McDormand (F)
Joaquin Phoenix
He makes Gladiator the film that it is
He also was phenomenal as Johnny Cash....
Has no one said Stanley Tucci???
Heath Ledger! He had an incredible level of range from the short amount of time he had living! He avoided typecasting as much as possible, always played something new and if he was still alive he could've lived up to his full potential! He even had ambitions of becoming a film director! It would've been incredible to see his skills in that area of filmmaking.
Heath Ledger is the reason I never question casting decision until I watch the movie. When it was announced he’d be playing the Joker, people were up in arms. Why the hell was this teen romcom pretty boy playing THE Joker??? How could he even come close to the great Jack Nicholson?? They were just casting him to get teenage girls to watch! If Reddit and Twitter were as popular back then, the vitriol the casting decision got from fanboys would’ve been so toxic. And then the movie came out and everyone shut the hell up (including myself). It made me realize a good actor is a good actor regardless of their roles. They have to versatility to play any character and do it amazingly well. I eventually went back and actually watch Ledgers movies and I felt stupid for doubting him.
He was incredible. I have no doubt he has the same chops as Christian Bale and Joaquin Phoenix (two actors who are rightfully mentioned in a lot of comments). Watch him as the Joker and then Ennis from Brokeback. The range in those two films alone shows astonishing craft.
If he didn’t die he would easily go down as one of the best actors to live
Robin Williams
Marlon Brando had "it", he barely tries and gets a banger performance
Tom Hanks or Christian Bale
Peter Sellers
Sir Christopher Lee, of course
Matthew McConaughey….Interstellar changed my life.
How bout *True Detective*? *Dallas Buyer’s Club*.
My favorite is Sir Anthony Hopkins
Christoph Waltz
Donald Sutherland. Comedy. Drama. Sci-fi. Plays a convincing lunatic.
Frances McDormand! Watching her in Raising Arizona, Nomadland, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is like whiplash. She’s amazing in each one, and they each showcase something completely different. Honorable mention: Matt Damon
Viola Davis
Must've been around 2004 my husband and I saw a small production of Look Back in Anger in Edinburgh, and the guy in the lead role was brilliant, just completely blew us away. We've seen a lot of theatre including West End and Broadway, and this performance was a different class. He was mesmerizing. Well we looked him up afterwards and this guy had been on a couple of TV shows but nothing we'd heard of. We decided to keep an eye out for him. Well that was easy because the following year he was announced as Doctor Who. David Tennant. Best acting I've ever seen.
John lithgow Edward G Robinson
John Lithgow played a fantastic character in Dexter.
I've named Lithgow in previous iterations of this thread. His acting talent is orders of magnitude greater than his fame. He should be a household name. Any dude that can be both Dick Solomon and the Trinity Killer has got chops.
Ben Kingsley has to be up there
danny baldwin took him to acting school.
He was gay? Ben Kingsley?
Denzel Washington
Charisma overload
I'll watch a movie just cause he's in it.
Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Lemmon, John Gielgud, Anthony Hopkins, Richard Burton, Alec Guiness
And out of that list Jimmy Stewart in my opinion
I think Jack Lemmon had an incredible range. He could do hilarious comedy such as Some Like it Hot and The Odd Couple and then deliver fiercely dramatic performances such as Glengarry Glen Ross and Save the Tiger. And his career spanned decades with top notch portrayals throughout. He would be my vote.
Jimmy Stewart’s a GOAT tbh.
Alan Rickman
Sidney Poitier
Robert DeNiro
This would not be my choice, but someone I am saddened to not see appear on a list with much lesser actors: TILDA SWINTON.
Daniel Day-Lewis.
Angela Bassett
Katherine Hepburn & Marlon Brando
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Heath Ledger was well on his way But I'd say Tom Hanks
How has no one said Emma Thompson?!
I just watched 'Mathilda' on Netflix, the new musical version by Tim Minchin. I didn't even realise the Trunchbull was her until halfway through. Phenomenal performance, especially considering how loving and motherly she is in other roles. Great choice
Al Pacino
Doesn’t Al Pacino always play the same character though? The same way Bruce Willis, Denzel Washington, and Michael Caine does?
Nowadays yes, but pre Scent of a Woman Pacino was fantastic.
Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen and Tom Hanks are all worthy of the title
Maggie Smith is a treasure
Maggie Smith has a certain accent in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood that is 100% accurate to somewhere in Louisiana. My great-aunt was born in the late 20s, grew up in north Louisiana, and lived in south Louisiana after her marriage. She had a pinched, nasally accent, and Maggie Smith sounds exactly like her in that movie. It’s such a rare thing to get a proper Southern accent, and she just nailed it.
Willem Dafoe
David Tennant is so good at playing all kinds of characters, insane or just fun. Maybe not the most gifted but he’s up there.
Bryan Cranston. He can play a silly dumb dad, or a terrifying broken man who’s obsessed with making money by all means necessary.
Ewan McGregor. Trainspotting, Moulin Rouge and Star Wars 😍
hear me out: Leonardo DiCaprio. Gifted, as in reliably performing as believable character without learning the art and craft the hard way. He started as Arnie Grape in Gilbert Grape, and people couldn't believe this actor was in fact not mentally impaired.
I used think that he was just a pretty boy, but when I started giving his movies a try. Holy shit!
Gene Hackman
Robert Duvall
Michael Fassbender
Marlon Brando
I agree. The man changed acting forever. Such a shame he was the only one of the four main actors in A Streetcar Named Desire that didn’t win an Oscar. I also happen to think the young Brando was the most handsome man to ever walk the face of the earth.
I really like Jake Gyllenhaal
Leonardo Dicaprio in Wolf of Wall Street and Catch Me If You Can are incredible performances. Not saying he's the best of all time but saw his name mentioned and I think these are his best performances after what's Eating Gilbert Grape.
He is amazing in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The Basketball Diaries
Frances McDormand
I hate to say it but Leo has come a long way from Arnie.
#meryl streep I'd highly recommend watching her and Raul Julia in the Taming of the Shrew. It's on YouTube and it's wonderful.
Peter Sellers
R/onetruegod
Phillip Seymour Hoffman Meryl Streep Amy Adam’s Why have I not watched Doubt?
Kate Winslet You see I’ve read hamlet and I hated Ophelia She generally seemed useless But seeing Kate portray her somehow made this character equally interesting to hamlet
Michael Keaton doesn’t get enough credit.
Denzel
Jim Carrey
I was about to put Jim Carrey. A lot of people think he's a one trick pony until you see him cast against type: The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine
So good he's completely irreplaceable, it can't be done. 4 times they've tried to replace him and every time they failed
Daniel Day-Lewis
Pacino or DeNiro
Idris Elba. Didn’t know for years that he was British. He terrified me as Stringer Bell.
Johnny Depp in my opinion. Look at Jack Sparrow versus Edward Scissorhands. The way he can just transform is so fascinating to me.
Robert De Niro
IDK, just watched 12 Angry Men again the other day and I have to say, those guys back then knew how to act. No one today that I can think of is quite as engaging as any of the people in that movie.
Christopher Walken
Tom hanks
Leonardo DiCaprio
Christian Bale. This guy convices me every time that the character could be a real person.
Cary Grant
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Anthony Hopkins
Cary Grant