# Actors you’ll always watch **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 6, 2025, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254 "2025-06-06T05:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/21 "2025-06-06T16:36:31Z")
Paul Giamatti, Simon Pegg, Timothy Olyphant ---
**Author:** ![redpoint5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@redpoint5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redpoint5)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2025, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/22 "2025-06-09T09:19:15Z")
Ed Norton, Christian Bale, Tom Cruise, and apparently Julianne Moore. ---
**Author:** ![cieskokid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cieskokid/32/5374_2.png) [@cieskokid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cieskokid)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2025, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/23 "2025-06-09T10:37:45Z")
Debra Winger - Terms of Endearment, Urban Cowboy, that Officer movie (ugh! on Richard Gere, a limited actor), Legal Eagles, Cannery Row, Shadowlands, the wonderfully weird Wilder Napalm…Debra always creates multi-faceted characters, dramatic but can do subtle shades of comedy. Though she doesn’t act much anymore I always enjoy re-watching any film Debra is in. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2025, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/24 "2025-06-09T12:07:33Z")
Sam Rockwell. ---
**Author:** ![redpoint5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@redpoint5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redpoint5)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/25 "2025-06-10T03:34:33Z")
Yes, how’d I forget Sam. I figured out I liked him in the movie “Moon”, which most people probably don’t have the attention span for (plus it’s a predictable plotline). ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/26 "2025-06-10T03:47:30Z")
You are correct. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/27 "2025-06-10T04:05:12Z")
> [@redpoint5](#): > > Yes, how’d I forget Sam. I figured out I liked him in the movie “Moon”, which most people probably don’t have the attention span for (plus it’s a predictable plotline). I liked it! I can’t think of any movie I’ve seen him in where he didn’t make it better, without having to obviously draw attention to himself. Even in small roles, he delivers a solid performance. Just a good, solid actor. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/28 "2025-06-10T11:17:41Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Do you have an actor who is so compelling to you that you’ll always watch a movie they’re in, simply because of that actor? Cate Blanchett Tilda Swinton Helen Mirren Willem Dafoe ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/29 "2025-06-10T23:53:42Z")
Sounds like a Wes Anderson movie… ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/30 "2025-06-10T23:58:10Z")
The aforementioned **Paul Giamatti** and **Sam Rockwell** come to mind. I haven’t seen everything they’ve ever done but neither has disappointed in anything I’ve seen thus far. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/31 "2025-06-11T00:44:46Z")
Alive: Christoph Waltz, Paul Giamatti, Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Steve Buscemi Dead: Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Sidney Poitier, Dame Maggie Smith, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Harold Lloyd There are others, but these were top of my head. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2025, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/32 "2025-06-12T23:52:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Sounds like a Wes Anderson movie… In that case allow me to add Kirsten Dunst ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/33 "2025-06-13T03:04:27Z")
Robert Shaw Walter Matthau (yes, even **Earthquake** ) ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/34 "2025-06-13T05:09:13Z")
Billy Bob Thornton, Christopher Walken and Tommy Lee Jones are all consistently good. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/35 "2025-06-13T06:31:15Z")
Small screen rather than big, but Nicola Walker Anna Maxwell Martin And the (sadly missed) Helen McCrory Of course Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2025, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254/36 "2025-06-13T06:45:11Z")
I don’t remember where I heard it, but someone said anything with Harry Dean Stanton or Dean Stockwell can’t be all that bad. May have been Ben M. on TCM. _Paris, Texas_ had them both! Great movie! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-you-ll-always-watch/1019254.md?page=1)