# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/81 "2017-03-19T22:26:32Z")
Barbara Stanwyck. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2017, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/82 "2017-03-19T23:07:29Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > I think it interesting that by a large margin people are choosing actors rather than actresses. I was surprised that ANYone picked an actress, as the OP said “actor.” I took that to be the challenge. I’d go with Daniel Radcliffe. He’s got a long career ahead of him, and seems to pick scripts with an intellectual or philosophical twist to them. And he doesn’t seem to want to just hang about now that he’s got all the money he could need. So I’d be likely to have a long life of at least intriguing film ahead of me. I don’t understand picking someone whose career is over, or nearly so. Why damn yourself to a life of re-runs? ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/83 "2017-03-20T19:14:45Z")
Alan Rickman ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/84 "2017-03-20T19:33:32Z")
I’m sticking with that one-name actor that has been in such a wide variety of movies over so many years, sometimes even play two, three, four (or even more!) rolls in the same movie. This actor is capable of playing any age, ethnicity or sex, and do so without flaw. Unknown. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/85 "2017-03-21T01:43:22Z")
Niven, Caine, or Katharine Hepburn. It’s a hard choice… ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/86 "2017-03-21T13:41:50Z")
Susannah York. Starting with _Sebastian_, of course. Lots of good movies in the 60s and 70s. And if I got _real_ desperate there’s _Superman_ and _Superman II_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/87 "2017-03-21T13:55:05Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Susannah York. Starting with _Sebastian_, of course. Lots of good movies in the 60s and 70s. And if I got _real_ desperate there’s _Superman_ and _Superman II_. Speaking of which, there’s always Vic Armstrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/88 "2017-03-21T16:13:59Z")
**Samuel L. Jackson** Not necessarily because of him or his roles but because he’s in such a variety of different films that I like. All the Marvel films, a bunch of Quentin Tarrantino stuff, The Incredibles, Jurassic Park And Kong, Goodfellas, Patriot Games, DieHard3, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/89 "2017-03-21T16:50:40Z")
Nicolas Cage. What can I say, I like bad movies, and Mr. Cage apparently will say “yes” to literally _any_ script. There’s a handful of legitimately high quality fare peppered in there, e.g. Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, etc. There’s also a whole lot of genuine shit, but again, I like that. And the man has managed to hit nearly every conceivable genre throughout his career, so at least there’s a wide variety of shit. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/90 "2017-03-21T16:56:39Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > I was surprised that ANYone picked an actress, as the OP said “actor.” I took that to be the challenge. > > I’d go with Daniel Radcliffe. He’s got a long career ahead of him, and seems to pick scripts with an intellectual or philosophical twist to them. And he doesn’t seem to want to just hang about now that he’s got all the money he could need. So I’d be likely to have a long life of at least intriguing film ahead of me. > > I don’t understand picking someone whose career is over, or nearly so. Why damn yourself to a life of re-runs? The word actor is gender neutral 1. A person who behaves in the manner of a character, usually by reciting scripted dialogue, in order to entertain an audience, especially in a play, movie, or television show. [cite](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/actor) ---
**Author:** ![Phroggge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Phroggge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phroggge)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/91 "2017-03-21T21:44:41Z")
Alec Guinness! ---
**Author:** ![Phroggge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Phroggge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phroggge)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/92 "2017-03-21T22:53:34Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Stephen Blum. He’s in everything! > [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089710/](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089710/) My son informs me I’m required to admonish you that friends don’t let friends watch voice dubs. Must admit that, on the whole, I agree with him. (Right now he’s checking which voice actor in Space Brothers he can tie to the largest number of other favorite anime, albeit the OP specified favorite actor to _watch_, which kinda rules out voice only, as well as _movies_, which leaves out TV series.) ---
**Author:** ![MacCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maccat/32/216_2.png) [@MacCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacCat)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/93 "2017-03-22T03:43:22Z")
Another vote for Cary Grant… ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/94 "2017-03-23T13:20:13Z")
Peter O’Toole ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/95 "2017-03-23T16:03:06Z")
That’s easy…Pez. Cherry-flavored Pez: No question about it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/96 "2017-03-23T16:11:47Z")
^ Sugar overload! ---
**Author:** ![Lowdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Lowdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lowdown)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/97 "2017-03-23T18:13:37Z")
If I’m following the spirit of the thread, maybe Kurt Russell. Gary Oldman was a good suggestion too. If I’m being practical, maybe Madison Ivy? ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/98 "2017-03-23T20:21:34Z")
What, no love for Harrison Ford? His box office numbers are insane! Now, I could use more small, complicated movies than what he generally supplies, but I almost always have fun at his movies, so I could live with only seeing his stuff. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/99 "2017-03-23T21:33:44Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > What, no love for Harrison Ford? His box office numbers are insane! Most of those are barely worth watching once, let alone over and over. Looking at IMDb I count 3 of _his_ movies that are worth watching a few times and only one, _Blade Runner_, is worth watching many, many times. (Especially if you get to watch all the different cuts.) He is in a few other really good movies as a secondary character. E.g., _The Conversation_, but that was a looong time ago. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258/100 "2017-03-24T02:31:11Z")
Michael Caine FTW. Yes, he’s been in a fair number of stinkers, but I think I’d take a long time to get tired of re-watching: Inception The Dark Knight The Prestige Children of Men Noises Off… Hannah and Her Sisters Dressed to Kill The Eagle Has Landed The Man Who Would Be King Sleuth (1972) Get Carter (1971) Battle of Britain The Italian Job (1969) Billion Dollar Brain Funeral in Berlin Alfie The Ipcress File Zulu [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-could-only-watch-one-actors-movies-for-the-rest-of-your-life/507258.md?page=6)