You’re a heightist! See if you had said “not an actor, an extremely talented singer/musical performer” I’d say “okay, sure she does tend to always play the perky girl who sings and we haven’t seen a lot of dramatic range”, but no, you had to reveal that you are a height bigot.
Edward Norton 8/10
Jennifer Connelly 10/9
Jodie Foster is megahot. If you like that sort of thing.
This was the first name that came to mind. A woman who could have been a big star based purely on her physical gifts, but is also a talented and powerful actress.
Her…incredible physical gifts…
Liz Taylor (in her heyday)
amazing that Tilda Swinton hasn’t yet been mentioned
Add Hugh Jackman and Matt Damon to many of those already mentioned. I’d add George Clooney as well, but can’t decide where he falls on the “star/actor” divide.
Y’all have covered most of the women I’d mention, but I’ll throw in Winona Ryder too.
No, I’m a squeak bigot.
Keira Knightley, first and foremost. Love her.
Then among the other ladies:
Kate Beckinsale
Cate Blanchett
Ingrid Bergman
Vivien Leigh
Elizabeth Taylor
Donna Reed
Jennifer Anniston
Alexandra Maria Lara (the female lead in Downfall)
And among the gentlemen:
Laurence Olivier
Cary Grant
George Clooney
Hugh Jackman
Harrison Ford
Matt Damon
Daniel Craig
I also think Téa Leoni has that combination of attractiveness and very fine acting skills, though the roles she gets don’t allow her that much room to show off her acting chops.
Milla Jovovich
Model turned singer/songwriter turned actress.
Lillian Gish
Salma Hayek
Paul Newman- so good in so many ways.
Natalie Wood, who in my opinion has never been given the recognition she deserves.I’d forgotten how stunning she was and then I watched “This Property Condemned” the other night and there’s a shot of her (when she’s looking at the snow globe in Robert Redford’s room) where she is positively luminous.
Jude Law.
George Clooney
Viggo Mortensen
I assumed he was talking about her voice, and not her height.
Denzel Washington
Angela Bassett
Omar Sharif and Hugh Laurie.
My picks for high on looks and low on talent - Wynona Rider, Julia Roberts, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Julia gets by on charisma. Wynona was getting by on looks - we re-watched “Heathers” a few months ago, and her acting was painful to watch (even worse when she was in scenes with Christian Slater, who used to be high in the looks/talent quotient).
My criteria for good acting is fairly simple - if they look like they’re acting, they’re not good. The ones who reach luminous levels for me are the ones who not only don’t look like they’re acting, but your eyes can’t leave them when they’re on screen (Christopher Walken and Johnny Depp are good examples of this). Oh yeah, Johnny Depp - he’s an 11/11 for me.
Patrick Stewart is a good example of a mediocre-looking guy who becomes more attractive the longer you watch him on screen.
Cate Blanchette
Sissy Spacek is another one. Absolutely luminous, and she brilliantly inhabits all her roles.
Daniel Craig? Seriously? Even aside from his looks (which I think are ugly, but many others disagree,) I don’t really think of him as a good actor. I’ve seen both of his Bond films, Layer Cake, Enduring Love, Defiance and several other films with him, and I think he basically plays the same character every time. I do not think he exhibits any range of emotion or expression; I think his acting skills are totally overrated. Could one of the many Craig fans explain what it is about him that makes him such a great actor?