# Best Male Actor Of Our Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380 "2012-07-25T21:35:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/62 "2012-07-26T10:29:23Z")
I voted Oldman. A guy who probably doesn’t get considered for lists like this because he does a lot of broad comic roles, but who I think is actually an excellent actor:[John C. Reilly](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000604/). ---
**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:** [July 26, 2012, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/63 "2012-07-26T12:05:50Z")
Glengarry Glen Ross has a few of my favorite actors: Kevin Spacey, Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon and Ed Harris. I also like Gary Oldman and Jeremy Irons. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/64 "2012-07-26T12:33:40Z")
> [@the\_diego](#): > > Richard Harris. Better than Olivier, better than Brando, better than Nicholson. …and deader than a door nail. (Not eligible. See OP.) ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/65 "2012-07-26T13:23:01Z")
I’m a huge fan of Jason Isaacs. There’s nothing this man can’t do. His range is enormous and his performances are always layered with nuance. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/66 "2012-07-26T13:28:26Z")
Jim Carrey? Steve Martin? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/67 "2012-07-26T18:51:30Z")
This is a very broad definition of “of our time:” some of these guys are in their 80s and DiCaprio is in his late 30s, and that has to be at least a generation or two in film history. I recognize the OP is asking in the sense of actors who are working now or have been active until recently, so that nitpick aside, the actors I am most impressed by these days are Bridges and Cranston. I know that in recent years Jeff Bridges has played a fair number of chill Jeff-Bridges type guys (and I haven’t seen his older stuff), but it’s impossible not to enjoy watching him do it. We’ve been watching Breaking Bad over the last year, and he’s excellent - and when you compare it to Malcolm in the Middle (a show I’ve seen but never liked much) it is just astounding that dimwitted Hal and angry, scheming, nihilistic Walt are played by the same person. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/68 "2012-07-26T21:12:02Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > Jim Carrey? Steve Martin? **Jim Carrey** had crossed my mind, he’s proven he can act, but I’m not sure if he’s in the same league as the others. **Steve Martin** as well. Yet, I don’t know if it’s just my perception, or relatively lowered expectations knowing their start was in comedy, but then, Tom Hanks has proven to be an exception to this thinking. Jim Carry was fantastic in plenty of more dramatic roles, like _The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine, Man on the Moon,_ and _I Love You Phillip Morris._ I’d put Jim over Steve in the actual skill and range of acting, though I love both of them dearly for different reasons, and respect Steve Martin more as a comedian, actor, writer, author and banjo player more than Carrey. But Carrey does crack my shit up. Still, I’m thinking of everyone still working today, DDL and Robert Duvall are hard to top (Eastwood, Oldman, Hanks and Hoffman not being far behind, for my own tastes). ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/69 "2012-07-26T21:21:18Z")
> [@Waenara](#): > > [Scenery chewing goodness.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krcNIWPkNzA) “…There, you see now, how all your so-called power counts for absolutely nothing now, how your entire empire can come crashing down because of one… little… **smack’s Oldman’s back** …cherry.” I loved that movie ever since I realized it’s a comedy. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/70 "2012-07-26T21:25:01Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > - True Romance +Lost in Space 😉 > [@gallows\_fodder](#): > > I’m a huge fan of Jason Isaacs. There’s nothing this man can’t do. His range is enormous and his performances are always layered with nuance. He totally sounds like Dustin Hoffman when he’s doing an American accent, and now I can’t un-hear it. I haven’t seen him in much more than _Awake_ though, which he was fantastic in. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/71 "2012-07-26T21:36:20Z")
[Top 10 Gary Oldman performances](http://youtu.be/6hugJ3c2LlI). ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/72 "2012-07-26T21:47:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > This is a very broad definition of “of our time:” [fairly generous SNIP] This is tripping me up as well. I would argue that Robert DeNiro was the best male actor of HIS time which spanned several years and included breathtaking performances in Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Cape Fear, Midnight Run, but wound down somewhere around Rocky and Bullwinkle. > [@SenorBeef](#): > > I really don’t understand how guys like Nicholson, Pacino, or De Niro get held up as great actors. They play themselves in every role. You can very distinctly think at every point of watching them “oh, that’s Jack Nicholson doing Jack Nicholson, only this time as [character attribute]” > > **They are the exact opposite of great actors like Gary Oldman who are fully playing the role they play. They become the characters.** > > I can see liking their movies simply because you like them acting as themselves, but I don’t know how anyone can consider it to be great acting. What I’ve bolded is my yardstick for great acting, and I think Oldman, and Philip Seymour Hoffman do that for me. Also, I believe that the three men you mention in your first paragraph used to do that. (DeNiro and Pacino moreso than Nicholson) I do get the distinction between best and favorite. I will see anything Alan Rickman is in. I think he’s a tremendous actor, in my top ten for sure, but not the BEST. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/73 "2012-07-26T21:57:09Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I’m going with Dustin Hoffman: his Oscar-nominated role in THE GRADUATE was the opposite of his Oscar-nominated role in MIDNIGHT COWBOY, his Oscar-nominated role in TOOTSIE was nothing like either of 'em, and his Oscar-winning role in RAIN MAN was nothing like his Oscar-winning role in KRAMER VERSUS KRAMER. > > I can imagine other actors on the list doing some of that stuff, but I can’t readily imagine any of 'em doing all of it. Hmm. I only voted for DDL, but I could actually see Leo DiCaprio doing all of those roles pretty damn well at various points in his career. Oldman is very good, no doubt, but I don’t think he has enough significant roles for the “Best Of Our Time” title. I can’t think of a single role of his as meaty as Daniel Planview, but am willing to be corrected. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/74 "2012-07-27T02:15:00Z")
Depp isn’t getting a lot of mentions and I kind of want to change my oldman vote just to get him some love. He isn’t quite the chameleon that oldman is, and errs to the kooky too often but… [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hcPD2\_ZvmhE/UBGL7gM7CTI/AAAAAAAAnSc/Z1BbxtPw3eU/w497-h373/602508\_10151001172545073\_2104136505\_n.jpg](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-hcPD2_ZvmhE/UBGL7gM7CTI/AAAAAAAAnSc/Z1BbxtPw3eU/w497-h373/602508_10151001172545073_2104136505_n.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2012, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/75 "2012-07-27T06:52:25Z")
I too think Johnny Depp should get more recognition here. He is truly a chameleon on screen, performances have many terrific nuances, every character unique, never playing “himself”. I think Depp truly disappears into his roles. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/76 "2012-08-05T07:26:28Z")
I had to give a tie to Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington and Alec Baldwin. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/77 "2012-08-05T08:21:36Z")
I voted for 4 people, but if I had to vote for just one, Gary Oldman wins, hands down. The man is just phenomenal. He seems able to handle playing any type of role, and he’s also capable of being a supporting actor. The only person I’ve ever seen disappear into a role like Oldman is a guy who isn’t on the list: Harry Dean Stanton. Before I hit “post” I scrolled thru the thread, and I gotta say that video that **Spoke** linked is an awesome overview of Oldman’s work. ---
**Author:** ![coolbyrne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@coolbyrne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coolbyrne)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/78 "2012-08-05T14:48:59Z")
I also voted for Gary Oldman, though it was a tough decision between him and **Ralph Fiennes** , who, surprisingly, has not been mentioned. Schindler’s List Quiz Show Oscar and Lucinda Spider The English Patient In Bruges Coriolanus Sunshine Red Dragon and, of course, Harry Potter I’ll be interested in seeing him in the new Bond flick, because it looks like he’ll have to leave the brooding at home and try something a bit more approachable as a character. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/79 "2012-08-05T15:44:30Z")
I picked all of them. Because I could. 🙂 Not sure I’d call some of these “our time” either, eg Redford. He’s done little acting in recent years. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/80 "2012-08-05T16:36:35Z")
As I’ve said, I’m on the Oldman bandwagon, but I’ll tell you another actor who’s not on the list and who I think is seriously underappreciated (possibly because of his pretty-boy looks): **Colin Farrell** Watch these movies: [In Bruges](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780536/) [The Way Back](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1023114/) [Hart’s War](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251114/) [Crazy Heart](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1263670/) [Phone Booth](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0183649/) …and you’ll realize that the man can turn in a beautifully nuanced performance in a wide range of roles. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380/81 "2012-08-05T17:02:50Z")
There is only ONE…Bruce Campbell! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-male-actor-of-our-time/629380.md?page=5)