# Pacino, DeNiro, Hoffman, Nicholson, Hackman - 5 greatest actors?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [December 21, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807 "2007-12-21T06:11:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/1 "2007-12-21T06:11:06Z")
I was reading on an IMDB thread for some movie about the supposed “big five” of acting. A poster claimed that they were Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Jack Nicholson and Gene Hackman. There was no specific reference for this or anything, it was just the poster’s opinion. Many others agreed with him that these five men were the five greatest actors (of their generation.)
Do you agree with this list? If you do, what order would you place those actors in (I can’t remember what they were in the original thread.)
If you don’t agree, who would you consider the five best actors of that generation? (I’m talking primarily about actors of American cinema, but feel free to list those of your own nation if you are not American.)
Also - who are the “Big Five” of the current generation of young (25 - 35) actors?
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### Author:  [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/2 "2007-12-21T06:17:58Z")
Greatest \*living \* actors?
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/3 "2007-12-21T06:22:25Z")
Feel free to mention any actors who have perished, as long as they are part of that same generation that DeNiro and Pacino are from.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/4 "2007-12-21T06:30:50Z")
The big five are all male and all shouty?
I’d include Anthony Hopkins and Meryl Streep.
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/5 "2007-12-21T06:36:10Z")
I would think actresses would be a separate category, if only for the sake of including more people. Feel free to also list the top 5 actresses.
Not to sound dogmatic, but I do want to emphasize in advance that this thread isn’t supposed to be a “your five favorite actors” thread. It’s supposed to be a judging of the actor’s “greatness,” which may well be an arbitrary category but I think should probably be restricted to actors who are considered _by most people_ to be talented actors, and who are not completely obscure.
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### Author:  [@ForumBot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForumBot)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/6 "2007-12-21T06:37:00Z")
I’d definitely substitute DeNiro for Tom Hanks. If he had a larger body of work, I’d put Ian McKellan on the list, too.
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### Author:  [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/7 "2007-12-21T06:44:59Z")
Jack Nicholson always seems to be playing a variation of the same character. IMHO, he is highly overrated.
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/8 "2007-12-21T06:45:45Z")
I would place Tom Hanks in a separate generation of actors - born in the 50s or early 60s. Other examples of this generation’s great actors would include, for example, Tim Robbins, Sean Penn, Denzel Washington, etc.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/9 "2007-12-21T07:46:57Z")
Dustin Hoffman doesn’t belong in the top 100. Talk about overrated. Overall I think that group of actors gets a little too much credit. They are very enjoyable to watch, but they seem to essentially be one trick ponies. Certainly they are big box office draws, but I’m not sure I’d rate them as “best”. To be the best you have to be something of a chameleon. That’s what makes Tom Hanks and Leo DiCaprio so special, IMHO.
I’d certainly put Robert Duvall in the top 5 for that generation, maybe Robert Redford too if he qualifies in the same age group. Anthony Hopkins and Harrison Ford deserve to be right near the top. Morgan Freeman should probably round out the group. I think every one of this 5 is better than the OP’s for sheer acting ability. The OP’s list would get more credit if “star quality” or “presence” is a high priority in your ranking system though.
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/10 "2007-12-21T07:53:59Z")
I don’t agree with that list either. I would consider Jon Voight and Alan Arkin in place of Hoffman and Hackman.
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### Author:  [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/11 "2007-12-21T08:39:11Z")
They might be the most bankable of their generation, but not really the greatest Hoffman in particular is only as good as his scripts; he makes the occasional Ishtar or Mr. Magorium. (Sean Connery has been in some excruciatingly awful films, but has the distinction of being the best thing about them; Hoffman can’t even say that.) When I saw the title of this thread, I thought “Hoffman” meant Philip Seymour Hoffman…
John Cazale, though never a huge star, only made four or five movies, but they were four or five of the best ever made and he stood out as a huge plus in them. I’d watch Harvey Keitel or Bill Macy in just about anything. Morgan Freeman seldom disappoints.
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/12 "2007-12-21T08:46:02Z")
The five listed are all great when they are great but I sometimes think Nicholson’s “leering as acting” can be tiresome. So I could reluctantly dump him for say:
Paul Newman
Alan Rickman
Michael Caine
Robert Duvall
George C Scott
Marlon Brando
Anthony Hopkins
Sidney Poitier
and those 12 would be my top 5.
But if it had to be one replacement then Newman for some of my favourite roles:
The Sting
Cool Hand Luke
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Hustler
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Hud
The Verdict
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Hombre
The Long, Hot Summer
Sweet Bird of Youth
Slap Shot
Sometimes a Great Notion
Absence of Malice
The Color of Money
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
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### Author:  [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/13 "2007-12-21T08:52:48Z")
I’d definitely agree with Pacino. I’ve seen about twelve of his films and he has an amazing range. And he does choose great projects, which is about half the battle, isn’t it?
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/14 "2007-12-21T09:59:57Z")
Alright, let me make a list then of possible candidates for the Top 5 for the NEXT generation of actors after Pacino et al (actors who made their mark during the 80s as opposed to the 70s)
Tom Hanks
Tim Robbins
Denzel Washington
Daniel Day Lewis
William H. Macy (born in 1950 but did not have a film career until the mid-80s.)
David Morse
John Malkovich
Michael Douglas (Old, but did not have a film career until the 80s.)
(Just a few examples.)
And another list of actors who made their mark during the 90s and who I think are currently in their prime as actors (the current “greats”) :
Johnny Depp (naturally)
Edward Norton
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Matt Damon
Kevin Spacey (older than the others, but first came to prominence in the 90s.)
Forrest Whittaker (again, a little older - had his first acclaimed role with “Bird” in '88 and then Crying Game in '92 and Ghost Dog in '99.)
Jake Gyllenhaal
Heath Ledger
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### Author:  [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/15 "2007-12-21T13:05:40Z")
It’s such a tough question, because they’ve all done such shit at one time or another.
De Niro and Nicholson end up playing themselves so much but if you go back and look at their 70’s and early 80’s work, they can just blow you away.
Hoffman and Hackman don’t even belong in the discussion.
For my money. . .
Hanks,
Hoffman (Phillip Seymour Hoffman, that is. He’ll avoid being type-cast),
Pacino (he had a lull late 80s, early 90s but resurrected it with \*\*Donnie Brasco \*\*and **Insomnia** ).
Daniel Day Lewis (never seems to do a bad movie. It helps that he’s only done like 10 movies in the last 20 years).
I don’t know if I could make a case for DiCaprio, but I really like him.
He holds his own with Hanks in **Catch Me If You Can**.
He holds his own with Lewis in **Gangs of New York**.
He out-acts Nicholson in **The Departed**. Yes, he did. Admit it. Had a way better accent. Brought much more depth.
There is a reason that the great directors use him for their biggest projects.
I like Depp, too.
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/16 "2007-12-21T13:20:21Z")
I agree with that post. DiCaprio is definitely one of the current “greats” of the younger generation, and he is only going to get better with age. He probably has the potential to be the Jon Voight of our time - boyishly handsome leading man, who will mature into a gritty character-actor as he gets older.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is also amazing. He is SO good in the Talented Mr. Ripley, for instance, playing such a smug cocky asshole that you’ve just got to love him anyway. I think he could play anyone. If they ever do a biopic of Fatty Arbuckle, for instance, I think he’d be perfect. And then he could turn around and play a completely different character. I saw him in The Scent of a Woman, one of his earlier roles, and he was a great deal slimmer and looked _handsome!_ I could see him losing 40 pounds to play one character and then gaining it back to play another, as in Raging Bull.
Al Pacino’s best role, in my opinion, was Dog Day Afternoon. If you haven’t seen this, you will utterly be blown away. On that role alone I think Pacino earns his place as a legend.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/17 "2007-12-21T13:28:06Z")
Definitely Tom Hanks.
Next biggest omission: Jodie Foster.
And for really young actors, Leonardo DiCaprio
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/18 "2007-12-21T13:43:50Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk]
Hoffman and Hackman don’t even belong in the discussion.
[/QUOTE]
That is just silly. You may not agree that they rate in the top 5 but the idea that they can be dismissed out of hand is ridiculous.
Hackman was nominated for 5 Oscars from 1968 to 1993 and won one each for Best Actor and Best supporting Actor.
Hoffman has 7 nominations from 1968 to 1998 and won two for Best Actor.
Pacino for comparison was nominated 8 times from 1973 until he finally won one in 1993 when nominated twice for both lead and support.
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### Author:  [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/19 "2007-12-21T13:47:31Z")
Bless you, **Annie-Xmas** , I love it when people consider people my age \*really \*young. 🙂 (DiCaprio’s about the same age I am (34)).
I would definitely not put Hoffman and Nicholson in that category. They both play the same roles every time. (On finding out Hoffman was doing voice work for a cartoon, I turned to my husband and said, “Oh, god, we won’t even have body language to help figure out what he’s saying now.”) The man _mumbles_.
In the middle-aged category I would add Pitt and Depp, and Edward Norton. Like DiCaprio, while they’re attractive men, they are also versatile (Depp especially). And I do have to agree about Philip Seymour Hoffman. He’s the kind of actor who improves whatever script he’s in, and he seems to meld into his roles so well you have trouble remembering that he was the same guy who played X or Y.
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacino-deniro-hoffman-nicholson-hackman-5-greatest-actors/430807/20 "2007-12-21T13:54:24Z")
When Tom Hanks agrees to do ‘Bachelor Party II: The Sex Mule’s Revenge’, then I’ll consider adding him to my top 5 list.
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