# If you could only watch one actor's movies for the rest of your life...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [August 21, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258 "2009-08-21T23:54:36Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/1 "2009-08-21T23:54:36Z")
Who would you pick?
My first instinct is Bruce Willis. I could watch everything from _Die Hard_ to the _The Sixth Sense_ to _Pulp Fiction_. I think that ideally you would want an actor that is prolific, but also has a lot of variety in their work. You could pick John Cazale, who made six excellent movies, but I would get sick of only six movies for the rest of my days. I would pick someone who is still alive, so I could watch the new movies that they make. You could pick John Wayne, but there are going to be no new John Wayne movies. Also, the Duke was kinda limited in his range.
Others I would personally consider are Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and Al Pacino, although I think Pacino’s best days are behind him. I think his last great movie was _The Insider_. Hanks’ best days might also be behind him. You could also make the same argument for Cruise, although I don’t agree. Cruise, Pitt and Willis are all in their forties or early fifties and have a solid and diverse body of work behind them, but are still young enough to make some great movies in the future.
Fortunately this question bears little with reality and I can actually watch whoever I want, but if I had to then I’m going with my gut and picking Bruce Willis
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### Author:  [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/2 "2009-08-22T00:33:38Z")
I was going to mention Pitt or Willis, but you covered both of them.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/3 "2009-08-22T00:42:59Z")
Easy choice. Jimmy Stewart. He was prolific and had more latitude than you might think. Besides, he was the last gentleman _man_ in American mythology.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/4 "2009-08-22T01:47:51Z")
Henry Fonda, by a great margin.
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### Author:  [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/5 "2009-08-22T01:53:25Z")
Gary Oldman. \<3 GO.
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### Author:  [@SurrenderDorothy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SurrenderDorothy)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/6 "2009-08-22T02:02:50Z")
Audrey Hepburn.
Not that all her movies are great or unusually varied or anything. But she’s my favorite.
Also, to me anyway, lots of her movies are good over and over and over. There are lots of movies I wouldn’t care to see more than once in a few years, but I’ve seen Roman Holiday about a zillion times and still go, “ooh, I love this movie” when I see it on TV.
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### Author:  [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/7 "2009-08-22T02:11:01Z")
I might go Kevin Costner. But Bruce Willis is up there, as is Ed Norton.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/8 "2009-08-22T02:14:37Z")
Charles Lane. You’d have plenty of movies to choose from, and all different varieties.
Living actors, well, there’s always Woody Allen. Meryl Streep also has a lot of great performances in a lot of different types of roles.
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### Author:  [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/9 "2009-08-22T02:52:01Z")
Christopher Lee. Over 200 movies. Won’t get tired of them for a while.
Or, Katharine Hepburn.
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### Author:  [@maplekiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maplekiwi)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/10 "2009-08-22T03:02:56Z")
Robert redford - a lot of variety in his work.
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### Author:  [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/11 "2009-08-22T03:12:03Z")
Stephen Blum. He’s in everything!
> **[Steve Blum | Actor, Additional Crew, Script and Continuity Department](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089707/)**
>
> Known for: Star Wars: Rebels, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, Transformers Prime
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### Author:  [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/12 "2009-08-22T03:18:06Z")
Emma Thompson. Love, love, love her, and that way I could watch my all-time favorite movie ever (_Sense & Sensibility_) anytime I want to.
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### Author:  [@Miss\_Woodhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Woodhouse)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/13 "2009-08-22T03:19:15Z")
My first thought was also Audrey Hepburn, who I love. But I think I would have to go with Cary Grant. Good variety of movies, very prolific and worked with some great directors in his day.
And he’s just good to watch no matter what comes out of his mouth. Sigh.
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### Author:  [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/14 "2009-08-22T03:42:00Z")
Humphrey Bogart maybe? I’d get Casablanca and Maltese Falcon which are great movies. He has a few other good ones too but I’d probably get bored without action movies.
Same goes with Audrey Hepburn. She has Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Funny Face and My Fair Lady but, again, I’d get bored with the lack of action.
Same also goes for all the other classic actors. I’d definitely have to pick a more recent actor.
Actually, I think I’d pick Jason Segel. For TV shows, I’d be able to watch How I Met Your Mother, Undeclared and Freaks and Geeks. For movies, well just about everything he has been in.
Seth Rogen too.
Or Quentin Tarantino, just because he’s in most of his own movies.
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/15 "2009-08-22T03:55:01Z")
> [@Miss\_Woodhouse](#):
>
> But I think I would have to go with Cary Grant. Good variety of movies, very prolific and worked with some great directors in his day.
>
> And he’s just good to watch no matter what comes out of his mouth. Sigh.
He simply [del]dominated[/del] captivated the screen. No violence, just a casual acceptance of the inevitable, and you were happy to go along.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/16 "2009-08-22T07:58:22Z")
I’d have to say Cary Grant. He made enough great movies, with enough variety, to keep me from getting bored.
But I’d miss Bette Davis.
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### Author:  [@cactus\_waltz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cactus_waltz)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/17 "2009-08-22T08:08:26Z")
My first thought was Robert Duvall. He’s in a fair bit of modern movies (and is still productive) with a nice sample of american classics behind him as well.
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### Author:  [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/18 "2009-08-22T09:24:17Z")
Easy. Johnny Depp.
(Duvall would my my second choice, though.)
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### Author:  [@Abby\_Emma\_Sasha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_Emma_Sasha)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/19 "2009-08-22T10:27:28Z")
I have three choices:
My vagina says Will Patton because I’ve been in love with him since 1990 or so. He’s a wonderful actor but doesn’t always make good choices in moviemaking.
My fun side says Samuel L. Jackson because I motherfucking love this guy and no matter how motherfucking bad the movie is I’ll enjoy his performance. He’s just fucking awesome.
My brain says Robert DeNiro because he made so many great films before he got senile. Hell, I have most of his movies on tape and I watch them again and again as it is. Nobody better.
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### Author:  [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/20 "2009-08-22T13:19:36Z")
Steve Buscemi. He’s prolific, has a varied choice in movie styles, is in a number of recentish classics and has a relationship with certain filmakers I respect so is likely to continue to be in movies I want to see.
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