# Highest combined looks-talent quotient **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2009, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445 "2009-12-16T03:32:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/21 "2009-12-16T07:19:17Z")
I don’t know if this held true for her other movies (because I haven’t seen most of them), but in “Norma Rae” at least I’d say Sally Field hit 8/8. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Urban\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8c91f0/32.png) [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Urban_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/22 "2009-12-16T08:50:42Z")
Cate Blanchette rates highly in both, IMO. > [@TastesLikeBurning](#): > > Natalie Portman. Are you sure she can act? She never seems to emote very much, but maybe I was jaded by the terrible _V for Vendetta_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/23 "2009-12-16T08:59:41Z")
> [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](#): > > Are you sure she can act? Hey, when Portman cried out for Anakin Skywalker, my heart broke. No, wait… the other thing… my head broke. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/24 "2009-12-16T09:10:28Z")
> [@The\_Urban\_Spaceman](#): > > Cate Blanchette rates highly in both, IMO. Yep, she was going to be my nominee too. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/25 "2009-12-16T11:18:53Z")
meryl streep clocking in at 7/10 which trumps sally field’s 8/8. i’d say jennifer connelly is at a 9/8 angelina jolie is, funny enough, the female brad pitt. 10/8 ratio. natalie portman i’d rate a 9/7 flip natalie’s score and you’d get renee zelwegger. kiera knightly is also underrated posting a 8/8. now that i think about it, sally field deserves an 8/9. ---
**Author:** ![cactus\_waltz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/26 "2009-12-16T11:24:42Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Yep, she was going to be my nominee too. Mine as well. She’s not just good-looking, but she’s actually beautiful, in the classical sense of the word. Also, she’s highly intellectual and a great actress. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/27 "2009-12-16T11:51:30Z")
This is going to be a controversial one, because his good looks are _very_ unconventional and a lot of people find him unappealing for a variety of reasons, but I’m going to say **Vincent Gallo.** First - I think he is _really_ handsome. And I’m a straight guy, but I know plenty of women who think the same thing. I’ve heard and seen him described as looking like “Rasputin” or “Charles Manson” - and there is a certain craziness in his look - but he has such intensity. He can pull off a wide variety of looks, too. [Here](http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj84/eli_toki/vincent_gallo_450.jpg) he is well-dressed, but still kind of scruffy. He looks best with facial hair - [THAT](http://www.superiorpics.com/wenn_album/Christina_Ricci_-_Gallo_is_lunatic_crazy/Vincent_Gallo_002_051807.jpg) is a real mustache! - but there is some picture of him early on in his modeling career, which unfortunately I can’t find, where he is clean-shaven with a close-cropped haircut. He looks absolutely elegant, like a Roman statue. Gallo is a phenomenal actor. Never have I seen someone who exudes so much incredible charisma, confidence and vulnerability at the same time. He’s not a “leading man” or an “underdog” or “geek” - he utterly defies classification. Whether it’s in _Buffalo 66,_ _Brown Bunny_ or even the comedy _Get Well Soon,_ his characters are so fascinating that they just jump right out of the screen. He’s not just an actor, he’s also a director and producer. He wrote and directed _Buffalo 66_ - based partially on his own life - and he wrote, produced, directed, starred in _Brown Bunny_ as well as _writing and composing all of the music for it._ That is a true one-man act, something that in this day and age is truly admirable. Don’t listen to the haters, or Ebert - _BB_ is a great movie. It’s incredibly evocative. The blowjob at the end got a lot of hullaballoo and led to people mocking the movie and not taking it seriously - most of them haven’t even watched it. The amount of _love_ that he put into crafting that film is just incredible. The Honda racing motorcycle he rides in it was hand-painted by Gallo with a gold-colored paint that he actually _mixed himself._ His racing leathers were handmade; even the fucking brown van that he drives is practically a character in the film. Everything in it is full of personality. And the music is actually excellent. That’s another thing - Gallo is a musician, and an actual GOOD musician. His instrumental stuff, done in a vintage studio all on vintage gear like Mellotrons, actually sounds excellent. He composes beautiful melodies. He performs with John Frusciante, Sean Lennon, and other serious musicians - not as some kind of self-indulgent novelty act but as an actual legitimate musician. I have a tremendous amount of respect for his musical abilities. He’s also a painter (and a good one), a former motorcycle racer, and a surprisingly good writer (the essays on his website are absolutely hilarious.) He’s seriously a hero to me. Of course, a lot of other people hate him, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/28 "2009-12-16T12:04:09Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > It’s a masterpiece. And he’s perfectly cast and doesn’t hurt it at all. > > Look I love Brad Pitt. Cary Grant was in a LOT of movies and only ruined the ones he TRIED to act in. Brad Pitt knows his limitations and works perfectly well within them. If you said Keanu Reeves I’d be in agreement, he acts within his limitations perfectly, but I have to disagree about Pitt. I think he’d be a great actor if he looked like a thumb, just not nearly so famous. I’ll admit that it’s a point on which reasonable minds may disagree, though. ---
**Author:** ![ianzin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ed655f/32.png) [@ianzin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ianzin)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/29 "2009-12-16T12:06:01Z")
Katherine Hepburn. 11/11. And the ‘she was a star but not an actor’ brigade obviously don’t know her life story, don’t know much of her work on stage or screen, and can’t count up to four (her Oscar wins for Best Actress, from twelve nominations). I’m astounded that anyone thinks she lacked range or ‘could only be Katherine Hepburn’. Her list of [stage credits](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Hepburn#Stage_credits) and [movie roles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn_filmography) suggests otherwise. Just look at three of her roles, in _Bringing Up Baby, the Philadelphia Story_ and _The African Queen_, and you’ll see all the range you could ask for. Good looks are, of course, highly subjective. But from where I’m sitting, [she looks pretty good.](http://janezlifeandtimes.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/katherine-hepburn-cropped.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/30 "2009-12-16T13:33:16Z")
Ingrid Bergman. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/31 "2009-12-16T15:06:09Z")
Edward Norton ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/32 "2009-12-16T15:06:38Z")
> [@ianzin](#): > > Katherine Hepburn. 11/11. > > And the ‘she was a star but not an actor’ brigade obviously don’t know her life story, don’t know much of her work on stage or screen, and can’t count up to four (her Oscar wins for Best Actress, from twelve nominations). I’m astounded that anyone thinks she lacked range or ‘could only be Katherine Hepburn’. Her list of [stage credits](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Hepburn#Stage_credits) and [movie roles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharine_Hepburn_filmography) suggests otherwise. Just look at three of her roles, in _Bringing Up Baby, the Philadelphia Story_ and _The African Queen_, and you’ll see all the range you could ask for. > > Good looks are, of course, highly subjective. But from where I’m sitting, [she looks pretty good.](http://janezlifeandtimes.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/katherine-hepburn-cropped.jpg) I’ve probably seen almost everything of hers that it’s possible to see. In the three movies you mention the settings are different, but the characters are still comfortably within her narrow range. See _The Good Earth_ for an example of her attempt to work outside that range and get back to me. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/33 "2009-12-16T15:08:09Z")
Now, you want an actual 11+11, howbout Marlon Brando? ---
**Author:** ![Loisseau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/2bfe46/32.png) [@Loisseau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loisseau)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/34 "2009-12-16T15:14:09Z")
Helen Mirren ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/35 "2009-12-16T15:24:32Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I’ve probably seen almost everything of hers that it’s possible to see. In the three movies you mention the settings are different, but the characters are still comfortably within her narrow range. See _The Good Earth_ for an example of her attempt to work outside that range and get back to me. I did! She was so damn good she had me thinking she was Luise Rainer! 😛 Do you mean _Dragon Seed_? ---
**Author:** ![stolichnaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@stolichnaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stolichnaya)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/36 "2009-12-16T15:24:39Z")
She’s a bit unconventional-looking, I guess, but I’d throw Cate Blanchett in there. I’m confused as to the rating system, if it is acting/looks I’d go 10/9 for her. She looks like a real person, and has exaggerated features in all the right ways. She makes a more conventional sex symbol ala Megan Fox look like a doll, or an artist’s conception. As an actress she is powerful and can be very funny. And she’s smart. Commence swooning. Holly Hunter, Reese Witherspoon, Julianne Moore are up there as well. For dudes, I agree with Depp and Pitt, good calls both. I would add Robert Downey, Jr. Hm, men seem tougher to call. Warren Beatty is a possibility, as is Denzel Washington. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/37 "2009-12-16T15:31:27Z")
Can one not be an excellent actor _and_ a star? What if their acting abililty is what made them a star? ---
**Author:** ![Nightingale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecae2f/32.png) [@Nightingale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightingale)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/38 "2009-12-16T15:36:23Z")
I clicked on this thread to nominate Cate Blanchett, only to find that three other people beat me to it! She has one of those faces that I can never quite decide whether she is stunningly beautiful or rather homely. . . but her intelligence, carriage, and confidence put her firmly in the beautiful category. And her acting is superb. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/39 "2009-12-16T16:00:05Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Now, you want an actual 11+11, howbout Marlon Brando? That’s who I came in to mention. The young 'uns who only know him after he got fat and old … check out his work in the '50s. The man exuded sex. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445/40 "2009-12-16T16:03:47Z")
[Julie Christie](http://www.nosolocine.es/images/personajes/2910_2.jpg) and [George Clooney](http://onemonkeyshow.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/georgeclooney.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/highest-combined-looks-talent-quotient/521445.md?page=3)