This is something I've been thinking about for several years. Here's my take
on who's a good actor and who isn't.

At the moment Don Johnson rates as the worst of the worst. I'm not sure
how anyone can think of him as being a good actor. I will admit, he stars
in one of my favorite cult movies, "Zachariah (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068011/)".

At any rate, at the moment I want to put Alan Alda just above Johnson.
Alda can't act himself out of a Chinese Take Out sack. In fact I believe
the sack is a better actor.

As far as the Best Actor/Actress goes, I'm not so sure that one exists.
However there are some who are definitely better actors than most.
Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, John Wayne,
et al are amongst the most credible actors and actresses.

As far as modern actors/actresses go, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are
certainly in the running. I'm not sure how Leonardo DiCaprio won an
Oscar. Were the movies really that bad that year? Seriously. He's not
that good of an actor. Had Dean Martin been in a movie that year nobody
would even know who DiCaprio was and Martin was a marginal actor at
best.

What do you think? I promise not to criticize anybody's selection. I'll only
ask about it. I hope you'll do the same for me.

This is something I've been thinking about for several years. Here's my take
on who's a good actor and who isn't.

At the moment Don Johnson rates as the worst of the worst. I'm not sure
how anyone can think of him as being a good actor. I will admit, he stars
in one of my favorite cult movies, "Zachariah (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068011/)".

At any rate, at the moment I want to put Alan Alda just above Johnson.
Alda can't act himself out of a Chinese Take Out sack. In fact I believe
the sack is a better actor.

As far as the Best Actor/Actress goes, I'm not so sure that one exists.
However there are some who are definitely better actors than most.
Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Bette Davis, John Wayne,
et al are amongst the most credible actors and actresses.

As far as modern actors/actresses go, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are
certainly in the running. I'm not sure how Leonardo DiCaprio won an
Oscar. Were the movies really that bad that year? Seriously. He's not
that good of an actor. Had Dean Martin been in a movie that year nobody
would even know who DiCaprio was and Martin was a marginal actor at
best.

What do you think? I promise not to criticize anybody's selection. I'll only
ask about it. I hope you'll do the same for me.

Leonardo Dicaprio hasn't won an oscar. He probably should have for WOWS, but he didn't. He's one of the best without one.

Dean Martin is still one of the all time greats. Really, really great. No doubt.

Maybe I missed something. When did DiCaprio win an oscar?

Whoops, Chadanth got there first.

I'm not really a fan of his either. His best work, by far, was The Basketball Diaries.

Maybe I missed something. When did DiCaprio win an oscar?

Whoops, Chadanth got there first.

I'm not really a fan of his either. His best work, by far, was The Basketball Diaries.

Leo?

He was amazing in "The Departed". He was very good in WOWS.

Leo?

He was amazing in "The Departed". He was very good in WOWS.

Well, everyone has their opinion and I gave mine. (And I'm not going to provide "evidence".) LOL

Well, everyone has their opinion and I gave mine. (And I'm not going to provide "evidence".) LOL

Honestly, I haven't seen Basketball Diaries in a long time. Did you see the departed or WOWS? The departed is far better, IMHO.

Yes, and I'm just not a big fan of his acting.

Leo?

He was amazing in "The Departed". He was very good in WOWS.

He was also pretty good in "This boys life".
And what no love for Frank Sinatra? Von Ryans Express.

Yes, and I'm just not a big fan of his acting.

Fair enough. It's highly subjective. Did you catch 12 Years a Slave? I though the overall film was fantastic, but nothing really stood out in terms of individual performance.

Leonardo Dicaprio hasn't won an oscar.
I thought he won an Oscar for Titanic. I'm relieved to know that he didn't.
Thanks for the information. He's not that good of an actor. I just saw that
he was nominated or an Oscar for Titanic. I still don't see it.


Dean Martin is still one of the all time greats. Really, really great. No doubt.
Dino was a fantastic entertainer. No doubt, but not near Oscar proportions.
He's far better, in my opinion, than DiCaprio can aspire to be.

Hmmm... In my opinion? I believe I'll change my statement to an absolute.
"He isn't that good of an actor." However, from what I've seen he's better
than Alan Alda, who is a terrible actor but better than Don Johnson.

Fair enough. It's highly subjective. Did you catch 12 Years a Slave? I though the overall film was fantastic, but nothing really stood out in terms of individual performance.

Sorry, I haven't seen it.

Should Don Johnson be considered an actor? Seriously. Should he be
considered an actor. I've always thought that an actor should be able to act.
Don Johnson shows no ability to act.

He's not anywhere in the same league as Alan Alda or Tom Cruise and both
are horrible, terrible, no good and very bad actors.

Don Johnson is definitely the worst person to appear in a movie or a serial.
Period. Can anyone think of a worse actor? (the term is used loosely)

Hey, the Three Stooges were definitely far and above the qualifications of
being Oscar nominees compared to Johnson.

Should Don Johnson be considered an actor? Seriously. Should he be
considered an actor. I've always thought that an actor should be able to act.
Don Johnson shows no ability to act.

He's not anywhere in the same league as Alan Alda or Tom Cruise and both
are horrible, terrible, no good and very bad actors.

Don Johnson is definitely the worst person to appear in a movie or a serial.
Period. Can anyone think of a worse actor? (the term is used loosely)

Hey, the Three Stooges were definitely far and above the qualifications of
being Oscar nominees compared to Johnson.

I suppose if you like the 80's and pastel suits, he's an actor. I can't think of anything of substance he's done.

I don't see anyone here singing the praises of Don Johnson. He was just a "flavor of the month" actor many years ago.

There are a lot of actors who made a career out of basically playing themselves (or at least, playing the same part). I think Don Johnson was probably one of those. Miami Vice was cool in the 80s, but that's about it. I did like him as a southern plantation owner in Django Unchained. Jeff Goldblum is the same type of actor. He plays Jeff Goldblum a lot.

Stephen Root is one of the best character actors around. And Charles Durning was a great one as well.

http://www.fernbyfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/o_brother_where_art_thou_2000_720x306_837108.jpg

Should Don Johnson be considered an actor? Seriously. Should he be
considered an actor. I've always thought that an actor should be able to act.
Don Johnson shows no ability to act.

He's not anywhere in the same league as Alan Alda or Tom Cruise and both
are horrible, terrible, no good and very bad actors.

Don Johnson is definitely the worst person to appear in a movie or a serial.
Period. Can anyone think of a worse actor? (the term is used loosely)

Hey, the Three Stooges were definitely far and above the qualifications of
being Oscar nominees compared to Johnson.

While he mostly struck me as kind of average for acting but was fun in some roles, though the only shows I saw him in were ones the show was written around him so probably hid weaker parts of his acting. His forte at least for a while was on the production end after he made a name for himself.

Since you mentioned poor performances, I checked and it looks like he had money problems starting a few years ago for not getting payments he was due and the issue was in court for a long time. So if you are judging by anything in the last few years it may be because it was taking whatever he could get, even ones with known problems he would have otherwise avoided. There are a lot of things that have to go right between managing, subject selection, story arc, dialog, casting, directing/filming, editing, scoring, promotion, distribution, (probably others) for a film/TV to be it's best. Though given how few roles I have seen him in, he might just have a history of taking the money and running on bad projects that I never saw.

This is something I've been thinking about for several years. Here's my take
on who's a good actor and who isn't.

At the moment Don Johnson rates as the worst of the worst.

Wasn't Don Johnson in "A Boy and His Dog"?
(another cult classic)

After careful consideration, I have to say that Billy Bob Thornton is one of the best and most versatile actors ever.
(and I hate to admit it, but George Clooney is darn good too.)

However, my favorite all-around actor is still Jack Nicholson.
(compare and contrast his performances in "Five Easy Pieces" . . . "Goin' South" . . . and "Terms of Endearment" [not to mention "Hell's Angels on Wheels" or "Easy Rider" or "Chinatown"] and you might get my point).

Liam Neeson somehow went to hell after Schindler's List . . . But he was sure good in that film.
(it's the best movie ever made)

Kenneth Branaugh ain't no slouch neither.
Ditto for Johnny Depp.


The worst actor ever is probably William Shatner (even though I'm a Star Trek fan . . . without getting all goofy about it).
His acting triumph might have been the episodes of The Twilight Zone involving the fortune telling coin-operated device and/or the stratosphere airplane gremlin. It was all downhill from there. (except for the Captain Kirk thing that intentionally involved bad acting).

I suppose if you like the 80's and pastel suits, he's an actor. I can't think of anything of substance he's done.

You guys obviously havent seen his classic film "A Boy and His Dog".
A Boy and His Dog is a cycle of narratives by science fiction author Harlan Ellison. The cycle tells the story of a boy (Vic) and his telepathic dog (Blood), who work together as a team to survive in the post-apocalyptic world after a nuclear war.

I can't believe I left out Jeff Bridges.
He runs a close second to Jack Nicholson in my book.

(and--again hating to admit it--Alec Baldwin. "Glengarry Glenross"/"The Cooler"
plus Jack Lemmon . . . and William Macy . . .)

So . . . To wrap it up:
Good:
Jack Nicholson
Jeff Bridges
Billy Bob Thornton
Jack Lemmon
William Macy
Alec Baldwin
Tom Hanks
(The dude in "Eraserhead" =)

Other:
William Shatner
A Cast of Thousands =)

(p.s.: I actually met Harlan Ellison in his heyday. At a bookstore at which I used to work. He's a great writer, but a pompous little schumck in person. this was back in the '70s and he might have changed. probably for the worse. =)

Yeah, Jeff Bridges just gets better with age. I'm also a fan of Gary Oldman. Interesting body of work, sometimes you cant even recoginize him in the parts he plays.

Harry Dean Stanton ("Repo Men") and Bruce Dern ("The Wild Angels" . . . "Nebraska"). =)

I think any actor that ever starred or guest starred in the TV series Gunsmoke was a better actor than most of the current crop of Hollywood actors.

And what no love for Frank Sinatra? Von Ryans Express.Much better, though, in "From Here to Eternity."

Some on prunie's "best" list were simply reprising the same character in role after role. Having once interviewed Jimmy Stewart, I know that he was by no means playing himself, ever, on the screen. However he did reprise Elwood Dowd, Harvey's friend, many times over. I think the same sort of thing was true for The Duke. Nevertheless they remain among my favorites -- along with quite a few others from that era, and almost none of the modern crew.

For sheer acting ability, though, my nominee is Edward G. Robinson. A close second is Henry Fonda. And don't forget Burgess Meredith, who hardly ever had a lead role, and Walter Brennan...

I would like to add Marlon Brando, Robert Mitchum, and second Edward G. Robinson.

I really liked William Macy in his portrayal of real life salesman Bill Porter who was stricken with cerebral palsy in Door to Door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIKxmCp_fho

William "b" Macy rules.
(especially in that "cult film" involving hired killers co-starring Donald Sutherland that almost no one saw =)

When is his OKC-themed film projected to debut?

William "b" Macy rules.
(especially in that "cult film" involving hired killers co-starring Donald Sutherland that almost no one saw =)

When is his OKC-themed film projected to debut?

Rudderless you mean?
Rudderless - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudderless)

I really liked William Macy in his portrayal of real life salesman Bill Porter who was stricken with cerebral palsy in Door to Door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIKxmCp_fho

And sadly I did hear that the real Bill Porter passed away in Dec of 2013. He was an inspiration of making the very most out of what we are given.

As is William Macy.
(a really, really, good "character actor")

I also like Steve Buscemi (spelling alert). I wonder if it takes a better actor to be a character actor than a leading man or woman. Don't we all imagine ourselves to be the protagonist and take to the role easily? I would postulate that it takes a better actor to take a lesser part, figure out what makes that person tick, figure out how to best make that person relevant to the story being told (and hope that what you think the story is is the same as the director's idea of what the story is), and then to be that person and really shine.

At the risk of being called "UnAmerican", on the bottom of my list is John Wayne. King of the "B" movies. I can't remember very many movies where he played anything but himself. Was he entertaining? Probably, but I enjoy a performer that actually embraces a roll, as opposed to doing it "His way". I think he did a good job in "The Quiet Man" though. I also gained (dis)respect for him after his Playboy interview so that doesn't help my attitude about him. I have too many favorites to list, but James Woods comes to mind as far as those still alive. Jack Nicholson of course and how about Burt Lancaster? He was pretty versatile. I don't know if he ever won the dog and pony contest (Oscar), maybe for Elmer Gantry? I always enjoyed Paul Newman, but I don't know how I would Actually rate him. He was very good in some movies, but not a great actor.
C. T.
p.s. Let the boos begin.

A friend of mine . . . Back "in the day" . . . Who returned, uninjured (physically), from "The Nam" (Marine, Recon) once said: "Who the F--- is John Wayne? The dude hasn't ever really been a cowboy or a soldier. He's an actor. What the F--- is all that about?" My friend was probably suffering from a version of PTSD.

At the risk of being called "UnAmerican", on the bottom of my list is John Wayne. King of the "B" movies. I can't remember very many movies where he played anything but himself. Was he entertaining? Probably, but I enjoy a performer that actually embraces a roll, as opposed to doing it "His way". I think he did a good job in "The Quiet Man" though. I also gained (dis)respect for him after his Playboy interview so that doesn't help my attitude about him. I have too many favorites to list, but James Woods comes to mind as far as those still alive. Jack Nicholson of course and how about Burt Lancaster? He was pretty versatile. I don't know if he ever won the dog and pony contest (Oscar), maybe for Elmer Gantry? I always enjoyed Paul Newman, but I don't know how I would Actually rate him. He was very good in some movies, but not a great actor.
C. T.
p.s. Let the boos begin.

I think Burt Lancaster is probably one of the best actors of all time.

Kelroy55,
His versatility was amazing. Take a look at the list of movies he starred in. The range of parts is astounding. As for being one of the best of all time, I'm not sure, but dang, he was really good. Not to disagree with you though! I would really have to give some serious thought to the "Best of all time" performers. Burt Lancaster would be a finalist but I think would fall a little short. That's a pretty heavy title.
C. T.
I think Burt Lancaster is probably one of the best actors of all time.

Anthony Quinn was great as Zampano in LaStrada

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIpmlVax6zY

Kelroy55,
His versatility was amazing. Take a look at the list of movies he starred in.
The range of parts is astounding. As for being one of the best of all time, I'm
not sure, but dang, he was really good.
C. T.
Two of my all time Lancaster favorites are The Rainmaker and Elmer Gantry.

I don't believe it's possible to honestly say who the best actor is/was. Every
time I use that label I see a movie the makes me say otherwise.

However, I've not seen a worse actor than Don Johnson and lord know I've
seen my fair share of community plays and musicals and Japanese monster
movies.

... (Don Johnson) His forte at least for a while was on the production end
after he made a name for himself.
I didn't know that. I immediately think of Tommy Lasorda. He wasn't a
good pitcher but was a fantastic manager.

James Bond.

Who was your favorite or what's your take on each actor who played him.

There are a lot of actors who made a career out of basically playing themselves...
I immediately think of Jimmy Stewart. I can't think of a role that he wasn't
Jimmy Stewart.

Stanislavski (sp) began producing "method actors." Marlon Brando was one
of many.

I immediately think of Jimmy Stewart. I can't think of a role that he wasn't
Jimmy Stewart.I agree fully that he pretty much always played the same character, but that character was in NO way based on himself! Back in the mid-50s I was assigned to interview him; in person, he was a very quiet but immensely self-assured person, and extremely well-educated and intellectual, not at all like the character he had perfected for his many roles.

Most of us probably know that he was one of the very small number of entertainers who in WW2 refused assignment to slots that made use of their professional skills, but insisted on a combat assignment. A private pilot since his youth, h became a B-17 pilot and personally led many missions over Europe. In fact, the lead role played by Gregory Peck in "Twelve O'Clock High" was, according to a Stewart biography I read, based almost literally on Stewart's wartime actions. And he remained an officer in the USAF Reserve after the war, retiring as a Brigadier General. That's a very far cry from his familiar "Aw, shucks!" screen character!!!

I think Burt Lancaster is probably one of the best actors of all time.


Kelroy55,
His versatility was amazing. Take a look at the list of movies he starred in. The range of parts is astounding. As for being one of the best of all time, I'm not sure, but dang, he was really good. Not to disagree with you though! I would really have to give some serious thought to the "Best of all time" performers. Burt Lancaster would be a finalist but I think would fall a little short. That's a pretty heavy title.
C. T.

Spencer Tracy was pretty good and so was Charles Laughton.

I can't believe I left out Jeff Bridges.
I agree with you about Jeff Bridges. He's gotta be one of the most underrated actors around. He's so believable in his roles. In Texasville I truly believe he's lived in small town Texas all his life. In Fisher King he imbues the personality of a self centered shock jock. But he doesn't stay there, his character experiences a change of character. In Big Lebowski he is The Dude.

I've gotta disiagree with you on Johnny Depp, though. He's the same in every movie. He's a quirky little character. I think one of his best roles was in Once Upon A Time In Mexico.

And I'm a little tired of all the British actors run amok in Hollywood. I think it's a thing of Americans hear a British accent and they assume they must be a good actor. It reminds me of that one episode of Frasier where he and Niles run across one of their favorite actors from their youth who is a British actor. They decide to produce him in a one man show and realize that he's really a terrible actor but they just didn't notice it when they were kids.

Many of our main super heroes are British actors. There's a bunch of them on TV. Are there not enough American actors trying to get jobs? Is that why we have so so many British actors on our airwaves and in our movies now?

I agree with you about Jeff Bridges. He's gotta be one of the most underrated
actors around.
I first saw him in Starman. Terrific.

I agree fully that he pretty much always played the same character, but that
character was in NO way based on himself!
I didn't mean that his roles were based on himself. He simply played the
same character because he played it as Jimmy Stewart. I never saw him act
in any role that he wasn't himself. The Thin Man, Mr. Smith goes to DC,
Liberty Valance, Destry, A Wonderful Life, Anatomy of a Murder, etc...
The roles were how Jimmy Stewart would play a cowboy, a lawyer,
a murderer, a cop, a banker, etc...

Cool that you interviewed him. A cousin of mine has his autograph. He'd
draw Harvey and sign his name.

I just learned that Alan Arkin is an Oscar winner. I had no idea. Quite
surprising that such a not so stellar actor would win an Oscar. I mean, he's
a good actor. Maybe 2007 was a bad year for movies. I don't know.

... I've gotta disiagree with you on Johnny Depp, though. He's the same in
every movie. He's a quirky little character...
I agonized through Sweeny Todd. He was Alda-ish at best. Maybe it was
the role or the script. At any rate, it was an awful movie. I believe he was
better in Pirates of the Caribbean, another lack luster production. Depp
wasn't convincing in that role, either.

Stephen Segal approaches Johnson-esque proportions. He's somewhere
between Alda and Johnson and that's not good.

I just discovered this site. I'm not saying it's accurate, but it's interesting.

I happen to like Nicholas Cage. He's not great but I like him.

Top Ten Worst Actors - TheTopTens.com (http://www.thetoptens.com/worst-actors/)

William Holden is definitely one of the greats. Stalag 17 and Sunset Boulevard.
Two incredible movies.

As an aside, but related, I just realized that Shapiro, an important role in Stalag
17, is Harvey Lembeck who played von Zipper in the Beach movies with
Frankie and Annette.

I just discovered this site. I'm not saying it's accurate, but it's interesting.

I happen to like Nicholas Cage. He's not great but I like him.

Top Ten Worst Actors - TheTopTens.com (http://www.thetoptens.com/worst-actors/)
I'm curious as to why Nicholas Cage is on this list and Don Johnson isn't.
Cage is quite credible. Maybe they don't consider Johnson to be an actor.
That would certainly be understandable and reasonable. Stephen Segal? He's
pretty bad but nowhere near dj proportions. I can think of several
community actors that he's better than. Can't say that for dj.

I didn't know Paris Hilton was an actress. In fact I've not heard of most
the people on this list.

Here's my list:

Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Chris Cooper
Benedict Cumberbatch
David Tennant
Tommy Lee Jones
Morgan Freeman
Johnny Depp
Christian Bale
Kevin Spacey
Matt Damon
Colin Firth
Robet Duvall
Alan Rickman
Paul Giamatti