# In what film did you first notice & love your favorite movie actor or actress? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 25, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371 "2013-02-25T20:12:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/1 "2013-02-25T20:12:58Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/2 "2013-02-25T20:23:31Z")
Frances McDormand, as Miss Clavell in **Madeline**. The perfect Miss Clavell! Calm and loving and capable. Oh, and Chris Cooper in **Lone Star**. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/3 "2013-02-25T20:25:05Z")
First movie I saw him in: _Money Pit_. 1st movie I really liked: _Forrest Gump_. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/4 "2013-02-25T20:31:05Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > 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. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/5 "2013-02-25T20:34:13Z")
_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. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/6 "2013-02-25T20:34:34Z")
Alan Rickman, _Die Hard_ ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/7 "2013-02-25T20:34:55Z")
_Lawrence of Arabia_. Peter O’Toole… ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/8 "2013-02-25T20:37:11Z")
Kate Hepburn, “Bringing Up Baby” Imagine my chagrin upon realizing she was 60 years old by the time I saw the movie. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/9 "2013-02-25T20:42:47Z")
I think it was in [Last Holiday](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Holiday_%282006_film%29) that I first realized that I have a gigantic crush on Queen Latifah. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/10 "2013-02-25T20:55:23Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/11 "2013-02-25T21:03:13Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/12 "2013-02-25T21:17:56Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/13 "2013-02-25T21:20:48Z")
Patricia Neal, probably _In Harms Way_, perhaps _Hud_. No, _The Day the Earth Stood Still_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/14 "2013-02-25T21:44:04Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ac8455/32.png) [@James\_Otto\_Sweet\_Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Otto_Sweet_Heart)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/15 "2013-02-25T21:58:19Z")
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. 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/16 "2013-02-25T22:06:28Z")
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_ ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/17 "2013-02-25T22:20:21Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/18 "2013-02-25T22:34:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/19 "2013-02-26T00:47:46Z")
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_. ---
**Author:** ![BrassyPhrase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea666f/32.png) [@BrassyPhrase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrassyPhrase)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2013, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371/20 "2013-02-26T00:48:10Z")
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** [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-film-did-you-first-notice-love-your-favorite-movie-actor-or-actress/651371.md?page=2)