Top 5 Favourite Actors

Today we are going to look at our top 5 favorite actors; this will be between me, Simon, Lewis and Emma

5. Rowan Atkinson

4. David Jason

3. Denzel Washington

2. Tom Hanks

1. Jim Carrey

5. Edward Norton
His very appearance on film propelled him into the spotlight as an accused, stuttering altar boy with a multiple personality disorder.  Following such a gripping performance was his character Derek Vinyard, a reformed white-power skinhead attempting to rectify his misdeeds and influence on younger brother (perhaps Edward Furlong’s last good film).  Since then he has featured in a range of unforgettable roles, including the unnamed protagonist of Fight Club, sentenced Monty in 25^th hour, a mentally challenged (or is he?) thief opposite De Niro in The Score, the cunning title character in The Illusionist, identical twins living polar lifestyles in Leaves Of Grass, urban cowboy in Down In The Valley, and the bad dude in the 2003 version of The Italian Job.  Oh, and he was Bruce Banner in the second Incredible Hulk movie.  Ed is perhaps the first actor whose discography I really indulged in.

4. Jeremy Irons

 In my opinion one of Great Britain’s finest – and certainly underrated – actors, Jeremy Irons is best known for his voice; he is the voice of Scar, in Disney’s Lion King.  He brings great depth to the characters he plays, from lovestruck palaeontologist (French Lieutenant’s Woman), terrorist leader (Die Hard With A Vengeance), aristocrat murder suspect (Reversal Of Fortune), Jesuit priest (The Mission), Crusades Marshal (Kingdom Of Heaven), and Musketeer (Man In The Iron Mask).  Of course, he remains one of the best portrayers of a proper nasty villain, owing to his fantastic gritty edged voice and stare (Time Machine, Dungeons & Dragons).

3. Shah Rukh Khan

 Little known outside of India and the Bollywood movie industry, King Khan is in fact among the biggest stars on the planet. A very likeable and somewhat diverse actor, he is best known for starring roles in romantic comedies and family dramas.  His first major success was the incredibly successful film ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, featuring alongside Kajol in the first of many performances together.  Of course his films are less approachable to a western audience, owing to the necessitation of subtitles/overdubs, Indian culture, musical style, and often 3+ hour running times, so an ideal starting point would be ‘My Name Is Khan’, a contemporary story of love, religion and disability, set in San Francisco.  His performances in ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’, ‘Devdas’ and ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ ascertain his ranking among the very best actors.

2. Al Pacino

 When diminutive Italo-American method actor Al Pacino raises his big voice he really steals the scene.  Hailing from a background in theater and Shakespeare, he really knows how to deliver the lines, and the emotion that carries them.  Throughout his career he has performed with intensity and sincerity, with a splash of deadpan humor and profound one-liners.  And although on screen he carries an overbearing presence, his real life nature is incredibly amicable.  His greatest, and most renowned performance was as Michael Corleone in the Godfather trilogy, but his roles in Scarface, And Justice For All, Glengarry Glen Ross, Merchant Of Venice, Insomnia, and Scent Of A Woman (for which he won an Oscar) are well worth a viewing.

1. Robert De Niro

A legend method actor who has performed a vast array of film roles beside his reputed stance in major crime movies.  The Godfather II, Goodfellas, Heat, and Once Upon A Time In America are among my personal favourites, but De Niro has also cemented his diversity as a boxer (Ragin Bull), US sergeant in Vietnam (The Deer Hunter), ambitious stand-up comic (The King Of Comedy), vengeful ex-convict (Cape Fear), and of course taxi driver as the iconic Travis Bickle and that monologue:  “you talkin’ to me?”  Nowadays he may be typecast to elderly grandfather roles, but an 8th collaborative Scorsese effort – featuring old friends Al Pacino and Joe Pesci – on the horizon heralds a return to his former glory.

I did struggle a bit with this. It was hard only choosing five. And they’re in no particular order. Mark Wahlberg  I’m a huge fan. He’s nice to look at, I love his movies and I’m sure I’d enjoy going for a beer with him. He’s gone from strength to strength the last decade and been in some really good movies. Anyone who’s seen The Departed must surely love him a little bit. Films like Pain & Gain and Lone Survivor show how he can change his physique for roles which in turn shows his determination and respect for being an actor. Films like The Fighter and The Departed show his talent. And films like Boogie Nights show the rest :) Brad Pitt  I’ve been a fan of Brad Pitt for years and though I don’t love all of his movies, I love the ones I do like, a lot. I like it when he plays a baddie or a scumbag or just someone a bit nuts (12 Monkeys!) I think he’s absolutely brilliant at playing roles like that. He’s such a huge star as well, yet when I see him in a movie I never think of him as ‘Brad Pitt’ I am just immersed in the character he’s playing. My favorite Brad Pitt role is Early Grace from the movie Kalifornia though a close second (and third) would be Mickey from Snatch and Aldo Raine from Inglourious Basterds. Please Brad, no more World War Z shit. Kenneth Williams I’m a huge fan of classic English comedy films the ‘Carry On’ series and though many talented actors starred in the films, Kenneth Williams was the best of the best of the best. I find him absolutely hilarious and have done since I was a child. I would think I say a Kenneth Williams quote at least once every day, no joke. His comic timing was impeccable and the camp acting, the nostrils, the voice – just perfect. He also acted on the stage but pissed off the thespian actors by going into camp mode, much to the delight of the audience! Adrien Brody I think Adrien Brody is one cool dude (he’s so cool!) and that’s the main reason I like him. But of course he’s a talented actor and is able to play many roles from the sensitive guy to the action hero. I think I first saw him in Summer of Sam but luckily he’s made plenty of good movies since then! I just like him, I’d watch anything with him in and he’s certainly been in some strange and interesting films. I also love the fact he’s never had a nose job. Not that he should do, he shouldn’t do, he’s perfect as he is. But most actors would. He’s just so cool! Michael Fassbender Everyone loves Fassy! Michael Fassbender is so unbelievably talented it’s hard to know where to begin. He is amazingly diverse and has starred in films of all genres – and done it well. We’ve seen him speak fluent Spanish and German, as well as being great at ALL accents (even the finest actors can struggle with this). His first major movie was 300 which was only eight years ago – it speaks volumes when you think of the roles and movies he has tackled in those eight years. He’s literally taken the movie industry by storm, and quite rightfully so too. Respect.

5. Paul Dano

Paul is somewhat of an indie darling, with Little Miss Sunshine, Gigantic and Ruby Sparks to his name. He also turned solid supporting performance in Oscar winning There Will Be Blood, popular blockbuster Looper and Oscar winner 12 Years A Slave. Paul is always going to be solid performer who stays under the radar to the more casual fan, but his time to break out maybe closer than people think.  He is destining to win an Oscar in the future.

4. Dwayne Johnson

I grew up watching Dwayne as The Rock in WWE, I have gone on to see all of his films since he has entered the world of Hollywood from Scorpion King to Snitch and sure we have had some good (Fast & Furious 6) and some bad (Tooth Fairy), but he always makes himself an imposing screen presence. He has been given a chance with a mega disaster film coming out in 2015 and recently been cast in a comic book film.

3. Cillian Murphy

Cillian is another actor who will turn up in both small and large budget films. Having recently been involved with the Christopher Nolan epics Batman Begins and Inception. He can play both sides of the fence and always performs to top levels. He has lead roles in some of my favorite films Sunshine, 28 Days Later and Red Lights. I believe he will be an actor people will be talking about in the future looking back at his work.

2. Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo is the most well-known on my list, he has an unbelievable list of films (Titanic, The Departed, Django Unchained) to his name but somehow that Oscar statue always eludes him. It is only a matter of time before he gets the Oscar but you see his name on a film you know it will be great.

1. Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Joseph will always be my favorite actor, he picks roles he enjoys both mega budget (Dark Knight Rises, Inception) or mini budgets (Brick, Uncertainty). It is not only his acting that I respect but his work behind the camera with his HitRECord production company showing he is a genuine good guy in the business.