Brief, pithy, to the point. I’m specifically interested in talking about movies, not TV shows, but given the Law of Thread Mutation, I expect people to mention the small screen anyway, so I’ll release my annoyed huff now.
Answering my own question: My favorite active film actresses (as opposed to favorite of all time) are Natalie Portman and Kate Winslet. I first noticed & loved the former in Garden State, the latter in Heavenly Creatures.
Anybody else?
Frances McDormand, as Miss Clavell in Madeline. The perfect Miss Clavell! Calm and loving and capable.
Oh, and Chris Cooper in Lone Star.
First movie I saw him in: Money Pit. 1st movie I really liked: Forrest Gump.
You know what would be nice? Identifying the actor you’re talking about. I mean, I know you’re talking about Ernest Hegelscheimer, but not everyone will be make that connection.
Shakespeare in Love, Gwyneth Paltrow. 100% my type.
I just watched it recently for the first time in a long time. It should have received 74095 Academy Awards.
Alan Rickman, Die Hard
Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O’Toole…
Kate Hepburn, “Bringing Up Baby”
Imagine my chagrin upon realizing she was 60 years old by the time I saw the movie.
I think it was in Last Holiday that I first realized that I have a gigantic crush on Queen Latifah.
I have so many favorites…
I guess I first saw Spencer Tracy in ***Inherit the Wind ***(which we were assigned to watch for our 5th grade science class).
I first saw Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Robin Hood (which I watched with my Dad when I was 6 or 7).
I probably first saw Anthony Hopkins in The Lion in Winter, though he made no strong impression at the time.
I’m sure I first saw John Wayne in he annual WPIX TV re-broadcast of The Quiet Man, when I was a kid.
I first saw Daniel Day-Lewis (the most consistently interesting CURRENT star) in Last of the Mohicans (I didn’t see his most brilliant performance, in My Left Foot, until much later).
I first saw Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean (the first one & the only one that matters). Shortly thereafter I went on a Depp binge & watched everything he had done before that. Some of those films I enjoyed a lot, but I always enjoy watching Johnny Depp.
Gary Oldman, saw him for the first time in The Fifth Element. Then I saw him again for the first time in The Professional. “Hey, this guy is great; I wonder what he’s been in?” Then I saw him again for the first time in the Batman movie. He’s a chameleon… if I don’t know he’s going to be in the movie, when he shows up he looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from every character he’s ever played. I even saw him in one Harry Potter, and knew it was him, then heard he was going to be in the next movie and thought “Oh, cool, I wonder who he’s going to play?”
Then again, maybe my memory is playing tricks on me.
Patricia Neal, probably In Harms Way, perhaps Hud.
No, The Day the Earth Stood Still. 
I first saw Glenn Close in The World According to Garp. Amazingly it was her first film role, and even though it’s not a particular favorite of mine, she instantly became my favorite actress, and after 30 years, she still is.
I’m also a big fan of Jessica Lange, whom I first saw in Tootsie, and James Woods, whom I first saw in True Believer (still one of my favorite movies).
For me, it was Nicholas Cage in the Con Air film.
God bless you and him always!!!
Holly
P.S. I did see his Honeymoon In Vegas film when it was in the theater, but I was only ten years old back then. Con Air was the second film of his that I saw.
So hard to say who my favorite actor is so I’ll cheat and pick two
Geoffrey Rush as Casanova Frankenstein in Mystery Men
and
Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday
I first noticed Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I have no recollection of my age when I first watched that movie–it came out in '80 and I was born in '84. But I remember watching it a lot starting in early childhood, because it was one of my dad’s favorite movies.
Later, seeing him as the Joker in Batman solidified my respect for his range. And then in *About Schmidt *and Bucket List (which I saw on the same day) I basically fell in love. Not the creepy stalkery obsessed kind of love, but the kind where I would actually pay to see a movie just because he’s in it. And although I know he’s fairly misogynistic and wrinkled as an elephant leg, I don’t care… I’d still do him.
Having since watched him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I can confirm that, not only has he still “got it” at eighty-whatever years old, but he’s always HAD it.
QUOTE=Skald the Rhymer;16043517]You know what would be nice? Identifying the actor you’re talking about. I mean, I know you’re talking about Ernest Hegelscheimer, but not everyone will be make that connection.
[/QUOTE]
:smack: Sorry! My fave is Tom Hanks.
Jeff Bridges. Mrs. Cretin and I saw him in 1971 (The Last Picture Show) but didn’t notice him; saw him again a couple of years later in Thunderbolt And Lightfoot and were blown away by his performance. He’s been our favorite actor for almost 40 years.
Frances MacDormand. First noticed her in Raising Arizona.
Timothy Dalton in Flash Gordon. I looked him up and have seen just about every picture he’s been in (and not to hijack, at least one tv show.)
Peter O’Toole in (I think) How to Steal a Million Dollars. I went back and fell deeply in love with Lawrence of Arabia