20 Favorite Actors

I did my 20 Favorite Actresses a few months ago and felt the need to list my favorite actors as well. It's not a terribly surprising list, lots of obviously good actors, but it's who I'm feeling right now and it's the actors that appear in my favorite films. Someday I hope to be discerning enough to have a few "What?" picks on the list. It would be nice to throw in a Philip Baker Hall or a George Sanders sometime and mean it. But for now, here's who made the cut, as well as my favorite role they've played.



Paul Bettany: A Knight's Tale
I wish this guy worked more often. His role as Chaucer in Knight's Tale absolutely stole the show. He's charismatic and sexy, and has the greatest hangdog eyes. Also love watching him play tennis in Wimbledon and he matches really well with Russell Crowe in Master and Commander.

Jeff Bridges: The Fabulous Baker Boys
Has absolutely incredible range. He's the cocky, shrewd President in The Contender, the man-child alien of Starman and smolders, mostly silently, playing the piano in Baker Boys. (And of course, no one can forget, he's also The Dude. Dude!)

Russell Crowe: L.A. Confidential
Everyone already knows he's one of the best actors of his generation. Again, range. First noticed him as Bud White in L.A. Confidential, who remains one of my favorite film characters of all time. For such a fearsome actor, I'm amazed at his gentleness in Cinderella Man.

John Cusack: High Fidelity
Love his line delivery; it sounds intentionally funny, but off the cuff and like he's musing it over internally at the same time. The way he talks to the camera in High Fidelity clinches that movie as one of my faves, but I can't forget him as the ultimate underdog Romeo in Say Anything either.

Daniel Day-Lewis: Last of the Mohicans
He looks and sounds so refined (part of the reason I love him as Newland Archer in The Age of Innocence) but has wells of anger and passion simmering in his eyes. I will always love him best as Nathaniel in Mohicans, but am so impressed by the diversity of characters he's played in My Beautiful Laundrette, Gangs of New York, A Room with a View, and There Will Be Blood. (Still haven't seen My Left Foot, his first Oscar-winning performance.)

Johnny Depp: Benny & Joon
Such a chameleon. Love him in sensitive roles like What's Eating Gilbert Grape? and always thought his ode to Keaton in B & J was underrated by the general public. Fantastic physical comedy.

Leonardo DiCaprio: The Departed
Sentimental vote for sure; I've loved him almost as long as I've loved movies. His roles in What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Departed are the most obvious examples of his skill and range, but I also thinks he pretty fantastic in Titanic (I know), and Catch Me If You Can. Revolutionary Road is just the most recent example of his willingness to get emotionally naked and ugly for a part.

Harrison Ford: Star Wars
He's pretty underrated as an actor, but he's got the nuances of the tough guy role down. He just is Han Solo or Indiana Jones, he's so great in Witness and The Fugitive, but I love the comic chops he's shown in personal guilty pleasures Hollywood Homicide and Six Days, Seven Nights.

Morgan Freeman: Kiss the Girls
We all know he's one of the best. I would have picked his Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby, but it's been too long since I've seen it. I always had a pesky affection for this underappreciated crime thriller, which coasts on Freeman's ability to make the ridiculous plausible and very scary with his deep intonation and quiet, serious delivery.

Paul Giamatti: Sideways
He's accused of only playing sadsacks, but I don't think that's true. Yes, his character in Sideways is rather pathetic (but he does it so beautifully, with such subtlety of feeling in his eyes), but he is a pillar of strength in Cinderella Man and the HBO miniseries "John Adams", has amazing comic abilities that usually go unmentioned, and likes to tackle different roles in films like The Illusionist and Shoot 'Em Up. (He's also one of the early "Hey, it's that guy(s)!" for his unnoticed roles in everything from The Truman Show and My Best Friend's Wedding to Saving Private Ryan and Donnie Brasco.

Jake Gyllenhaal: Moonlight Mile
He's got that innocent vibe, true, but displayed some creepy skill in Donnie Darko, and is the true romantic of Brokeback Mountain. His best role in my opinion is the almost completely-by-eye acting he does as the bereved fiance' in Moonlight Mile. I'm excited to see what he does next.

Heath Ledger: Brokeback Mountain
His Joker is amazing, but it was his charismatic turn as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You that caught my eye. He's beyond beautiful in A Knight's Tale and The Patriot, but turns in really great supporting performances in Monster's Ball and Lords of Dogtown. Of course, Brokeback Mountain will always be the most impressive, in my opinion; it was the first time we really sat up and said, "Damn, look at what he can do!"

James McAvoy: Atonement
This guy is so my new favorite. In a very short time he's already played so many different kinds of characters, my favorites being the idealistic and romantic Robbie Turner of Atonement and the immobile, but fiercely individual Rory O'Shea in Inside I'm Dancing. He looks more like a character actor than a leading man, and I think that will help him continue to play a variety of roles and not be typecast in the future.

Viggo Mortensen: Lord of the Rings Trilogy
This is a guy with genuine presence. His roles in LotR, Eastern Promises and A History of Violence are mostly quiet, inner performances, carried off with minimal dialogue, and yet you know each of these characters so well. Mortensen is able to completely change by altering his bearing and physicality.

Paul Newman: Cool Hand Luke
I think this is one of his best performances, although I love Cat on a Hot Tin Roof best, but that's really Liz Taylor's movie. I love his partnership with Redford (The Sting nose-flick is one of my faves) and his performance in Nobody's Fool is amazing.

Joaquin Phoenix: Signs
I sure hope he hasn't really retired and isn't as crazy as he appears. Another actor with a lot of range, some of his most memorable roles have been dark sociopaths, but I will always prefer him as the honest, reliable, unintentionally funny Merrill Hess of Signs, one of my favorite film characters.

River Phoenix: Running on Empty
Another talented career that was cut short, Phoenix was one of the most promising actors of the '80's and early '90's. He's a standout in Stand By Me, and won accolades for his offbeat performances in My Own Private Idaho and Dogfight. In Running on Empty he's quiet and odd and bares emotions so vulnerably. He was an actor who knew how to play a hard character and still realistically expose the soft underbelly.

Brad Pitt: Fight Club
Yes, he's very pretty. But dammit if he isn't scary and hilarious as Tyler Durden. He puts that beauty to good use as the tortured "bad boys" of A River Runs Through It and Legends of the Fall, and his ability to access a lot of raw emotion is always impressive. (Plus, I want to see him in more comedies - his turn in Burn After Reading was outstanding.)

James Stewart: It's A Wonderful Life
The only "classic" actor on my list. He was just such an "Aww, shucks," nice guy. He played idealistic early in his career, starred in one of the best films ever (It's a Wonderful Life) and then did a really creepy turn in Vertigo as an obsessive P.I. Really love his voice.

Vince Vaughn: Wedding Crashers
Not someone I generally consider, but his performance in this is one of my favorites, ever. God, that motormouth just goes and goes and goes and forces this manic energy out and I laugh at this role every single time. He really earned it in this one.


Just Missed the Cut: John C. Reilly, Alan Rickman, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr., Hugh Grant, Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray.