# If you could only watch one actor's movies for the rest of your life... **URL:** \ **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:** 2
**Author:** ![Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/bc8723/32.png) [@Unauthorized\_Cinnamon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unauthorized_Cinnamon)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/21 "2009-08-22T13:22:03Z")
Just pick Kevin Bacon - then you can watch everything! Seriously though, my first thought was Meryl Streep, because not only has she done lots of work, with lots of different types of movies, but I always just enjoy the hell out of watching her. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/22 "2009-08-22T13:55:43Z")
Johnny Depp or Kate Winslet. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/23 "2009-08-22T14:39:51Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > 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. Best answer IMHO. You’ve got romantic comedies, drama, westerns, and suspense. You’ve got everything you could possibly want right there. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/24 "2009-08-22T14:47:58Z")
Tom Hanks- his movies are always high quality and enjoyable. Even the clunkers! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/25 "2009-08-22T17:34:51Z")
I could go for Kate Winslet. I practically have **Titanic** on infinite loop these days anyway. Tom Hanks could do also. I love Forrest Gump. John Cusack might be a good choice because I like quirky movies especially from the 80’s. My taste in movies just isn’t that sophisticated. ---
**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:** [August 22, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/26 "2009-08-22T18:44:39Z")
> [@GraceTX](#): > > Best answer IMHO. You’ve got romantic comedies, drama, westerns, and suspense. You’ve got everything you could possibly want right there. Except for anything recent. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/27 "2009-08-22T18:52:26Z")
Cary Grant. It’s impossible for me to flip through channels, spot him in a movie, and keep flipping. (More recently, Johnny Depp. He’s done drama, comedy, and fantasy, and I just know he’s got years and years of great work ahead of him.) Bette Davis. (please see: Cary Grant). (More recently - that’s tougher, I’ll have to think of a more contemporary female…) ---
**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:** [August 22, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/28 "2009-08-22T19:11:14Z")
Since my first choices have been listed, I’ll go with Harry Dean Stanton. ---
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/29 "2009-08-22T23:45:36Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Since my first choices have been listed, I’ll go with Harry Dean Stanton. He was my second choice. Some good solid classics on his resume, worked a lot, pretty versatile. I just didn’t see as much new going forward. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/30 "2009-08-22T23:47:23Z")
[Brendan Gleeson](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0322407/) I picked a good prolific character actor who is in a lot of really good stuff. I would get tired of looking at Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt, but if I ever get tired of Brendan Gleeson it’s ok because he’s not the star in most of his movies, but he’s always awesome and his characters are different enough that you forget it’s him. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/31 "2009-08-22T23:54:53Z")
Maybe Gene Hackman. A lot of variety and a lot of classics in his career. By the way, has he retired from acting? I haven’t seen him in anything in years. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/32 "2009-08-22T23:55:57Z")
Ben Johnson. Or Cary Grant. Definitely no living actor. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/33 "2009-08-23T00:38:17Z")
> [@Stephe96](#): > > Maybe Gene Hackman. A lot of variety and a lot of classics in his career. > > By the way, has he retired from acting? I haven’t seen him in anything in years. Looks that way. According to his IMDB entry, he’s made 2 movies since 2001, the last being “Welcome to Mooseport” in 2005 (though, he’s done a little bit of voiceover / narration work, and a few “himself” appearances since then). According to his Wikipedia entry, he says he’s retired from acting (and is apparently now writing novels). ETA: He’s been doing the voiceovers for Lowe’s advertising for several years now. ---
**Author:** ![KennerTheGreat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a8b319/32.png) [@KennerTheGreat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KennerTheGreat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/34 "2009-08-23T15:11:57Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Tom Hanks- his movies are always high quality and enjoyable. Even the clunkers! I’ll second this. I enjoy Billy Crystal, as well. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/35 "2009-08-23T15:15:49Z")
Clint Eastwood. By far my favorite actor. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/36 "2009-08-23T16:02:32Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Stephen Blum. He’s in everything! > [Steve Blum - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089710/) Is he your brother or something? Because he’s a video game voice actor. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/37 "2009-08-23T19:36:18Z")
Anime, Justin. Anime. He’s one of two guys who is ‘in everything’, for the dub, and I can’t remember the other. And I mean starting with Mobile Suit Gundam and carrying on to today. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/38 "2009-08-23T19:58:28Z")
Of those not mentioned, Morgan Freeman. He isn’t my favorite actor, although he’s quite respectable, he’s in enough movie I enjoy watching that I’d be satisfied with him for a while. I also don’t know why Kevin Bacon isn’t a serious answer. He’s in a lot of very watchable movies. ---
**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:** [August 23, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/39 "2009-08-23T22:00:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Ben Johnson. Or Cary Grant. Definitely no living actor. Ben Johnson is a good one. That way I can have _She Wore a Yellow Ribbon_ AND _Red Dawn_! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/40 "2009-08-23T22:03:38Z")
Not to mention _Stripes_ and _The Wild Bunch_ and _The Last Picture Show_. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258.md?page=3)