Humphrey Bogart as Casablanc’s Rick is a classic which should have been mentioned.
Speaking of Chandler, after hearing about his transvestite father for years. casting Kathleen Turner in the role was a stroke of genius.
When the recent Snow White and the Huntsman came out, I think there was a rare moment of SDMB unanimity that Kristen Stewart simply did not cut it as “the fairest of them all”. (Not that she’s ugly, mind you, and I have nothing against her, but she just wasn’t believable as the loveliest woman in all the land, certainly not lovelier than Charlize Theron as the evil queen.)
Stephen Fry in the title role of the 1997 movie Wilde is frequently mentioned as an example of “born to play the part”, especially given his noticeable physical resemblance to Oscar Wilde.
Good casting:
Alistair Sim WAS Ebenezer Scrooge. All others are #2, or lower.
Henry Winkler as The Fonz
Claude Rains as Captain Renault
Phil Hartman in News Radio
Speaking of Fry - him and Hugh Laurie was wonderfully cast as Bertie Wooster and Jeeves.
Honestly, that whole movie is a triumph of casting: just watch Maury Chaykin patiently get cross-examined by a hapless Austin Pendleton while good ol’ boy prosecutor Lane Smith grinningly has this all wrapped up in front of authoritative judge Fred Gwynne, and try to swap in an actor who’d be an improvement.
Edward G Robinson in the Ten commandments was cringeworthy even when I was a kid and saw this movie.
I hated the pairing of Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger in Jerry Macguire. Terrible casting there.
Most of the ones I try to come up with… I then realize I’m just picking really good actors who are good in whatever they do. They seem like perfect casting, but I can’t truly say that it’s perfect casting that’s made them perfect in the role.
Bryan Cranston as Walter White… and as Hal…
Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview… and as Bill Cutting… and as Abraham Lincoln…
You know, that sort of thing.
Then, I thought of Harry Dean Stanton as Lyle, the brother in The Straight Story. Yes, he was great in Alien, and Repo Man, and a number of other roles, but he hasn’t always totally perfectly filled a role.
But in The Straight Story, he completely embodies everything he needs to: the estranged brother, angry over an ancient argument with no proven villian, who sees without needing to be told the journey taken by the protagonist (via a glance at the tractor), and years of ice-hardened solitude sublimate within seconds leaving him raw and vulnerable, facing his long-lost brother whom he knows must be close to death. And all of this without uttering a word.
All-around likes: The Sound of Music, The Wizard of Oz, The Beverly Hillbillies, Mary Tyler Moore Show
Taxi, except for Jeff Conaway
MAS*H, except for Mike Farrell
Bobby Wheeler was a third-rate actor who could be dropped from a show’s cast easy as just giving his lines to someone else. Who could’ve played that part better?
Right now, on TCM. is the movie that answers the question about best casting(for both actor and actress)
Gone With The Wind, with Clark Gable as Rhett Butler, and Vivian Leigh as Scarlett.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly:
Clint Eastwood as Blondie.
Lee Van Cleef as Angel Eyes.
Eli Wallach as Tuco.
All excellent choices, I would say.
BEWITCHED in the Dick York years. Samantha’s relatives were all perfect: Maurice, Endora, Clara, Arthur, and various regal aunts, as well as Dr. Bombay (about the only member of the cast alive now other than the kids) and Esmerelda.
Kevin Costner in just about everything is an abomination.
Silverado was nearly perfectly done, Costner included.
Including John Cleese as a sheriff. Somehow, it worked.
I thought he was pretty good in dusk till dawn.
Of course, he didn’t direct that film, and maybe that makes all the difference. Perhaps he’s not objective enough to look at his own cameos and press the re-shoot or recast buttons.
On the voice acting front, Chris Pine was terribly miscast as Jack Frost in Rise of the Guardians. A deep, 30-something voice coming out of a skinny 14-year-old boy. I think Dreamworks are more interested in getting celebrity names than decent voice actors.
Wow, no Lost votes yet? I don’t think you can do much better than the casting of Terry O’Quinn as John Locke, or Michael Emerson as Ben Linus.