# The greatest actors of your lifetime **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150 "2010-03-20T17:58:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/1 "2010-03-20T17:58:12Z")
In hopes of building a reasonable poll later, I’d like input on the candidates you consider worthy of comparison with the best male and female actors (film mainly) who have been around during your lifetime. I realize your age will play some part in your decision, but that’s a given. List as many as you feel would qualify to be put on such a poll. Polls actually: one for men and one for women. No limit to the number you may list, as long as you feel they’re in the top x-number. For my money: Men: Marlon Brando Alec Guinness Laurence Olivier Robert Deniro Spencer Tracy Gene Hackman Women: Meryl Streep Judi Dench Helen Mirren Julianne Moore Frances McDormand Susan Sarandon ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/2 "2010-03-20T18:03:07Z")
Tom Hanks. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/3 "2010-03-20T18:03:08Z")
Henry Fonda Jimmy Stewart Dustin Hoffman Katharine Hepburn Sally Field ---
**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 20, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/4 "2010-03-20T18:05:23Z")
George W. Bush - pretended to be the president for 8 years. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/5 "2010-03-20T18:07:20Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > George W. Bush - pretended to be the president for 8 years. He wasn’t very convincing. I think this poll is about _good_ actors. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/6 "2010-03-20T18:08:48Z")
See, I knew I’d think of others once I wrote some down! Addenda: Robert Mitchum Paul Newman Edward Norton Elizabeth Taylor Sissy Spacek Joanne Woodward ---
**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 20, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/7 "2010-03-20T18:08:54Z")
😛 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/8 "2010-03-20T18:52:37Z")
“Your lifetime” seems a little hard to define. I was born in 1961. Was Cary Grant an actor in my lifetime? He made his last movie in 1966. But he was alive until 1986. Can I retroactively count the movies he made before I was born? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/9 "2010-03-20T18:54:59Z")
Vanessa Redgrave Health Ledger ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/10 "2010-03-20T19:04:47Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “Your lifetime” seems a little hard to define. I was born in 1961. Was Cary Grant an actor in my lifetime? He made his last movie in 1966. But he was alive until 1986. Can I retroactively count the movies he made before I was born? You choose. I didn’t want this to be too picky. I expected the really old folks (silent era, 30’s) to be outside most people’s experiences. But if you feel Cary Grant or Humphrey Bogart or Errol Flynn ought to be on a list in a poll for folks to vote for The Best, then please add any and all. And if Johnny Depp and Hugh Jackman and Jack Black make you feel they’re to be compared with older folks for that honor, by all means add them. Ideally, two polls will follow this thread’s findings. One for men and one for women. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/11 "2010-03-20T19:13:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > “Your lifetime” seems a little hard to define. I was born in 1961. Was Cary Grant an actor in my lifetime? He made his last movie in 1966. But he was alive until 1986. Can I retroactively count the movies he made before I was born? After some more thought: if the actor in question was already dead at the time you were born, maybe the distinction of “your lifetime” could be debated, but since movies are sort of forever things, I realize now the distinction is petty. Ignore that part of the issue if it makes you more comfortable selecting some names of Great Actors. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/12 "2010-03-20T19:16:34Z")
Maybe not great yet, but really, really good: Liev Schreiber and Laura Linney. Anything with either of them is worth seeing. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/13 "2010-03-20T19:18:57Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Maybe not great yet, but really, really good: Liev Schreiber and Laura Linney. Anything with either of them is worth seeing. Excellent additions! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/14 "2010-03-20T20:01:35Z")
On the theory that an Academy Award doesn’t automatically indicate great acting, and that other qualities may be at play, here are four cheat sheets to peruse and select the ones we may have been overlooking. My hope is that we can narrow down the Poll Candidates to something like 20 in each poll. [Academy Award for Best Actor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Actor) [Academy Award for Best Actress](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Actress) [Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Supporting_Actor) [Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Supporting_Actress) If you prefer some other award-giving organization’s winners and nominees, by all means check them out. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/15 "2010-03-20T20:27:31Z")
Male: Absolute Tops: In Order: Jeff Bridges, Sean Penn, Robert DeNiro No particular order: Robert Duvall, Jack Nicholson, Gene Hackman, Jimmy Stewart, Kurt Russell, Toshiro Mifune, Kevin Spacey Female: In Order: Meryl Streep No particular order: Jane Fonda, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek, Frances MacDormand, Mercedes Ruehl, Joan Plowright Now I’ll read everyone else’s and see who I left out. Edit: I forgot Dustin Hoffman! Of course. . ---
**Author:** ![Shawn1767](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shawn1767](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shawn1767)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/16 "2010-03-20T20:30:02Z")
Gary Oldman Jodie Foster ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/17 "2010-03-20T20:30:25Z")
Best I’ve ever seen is Gary Oldman, no contest. I’ve never seen better. The man is a wizard thespian. Among the ladies, Kate Winslet is awe-inspiring, but you cannot deny the skills of Meryl Streep. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/18 "2010-03-20T20:34:25Z")
Great additions, there, **TreacherousCretin** , **Shawn1767** and **RickJay**! I’ll post a summary of the ones so far, after a while. Thanks, y’all! ---
**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 20, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/19 "2010-03-20T20:39:26Z")
Daniel Day-Lewis cannot go unmentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150/20 "2010-03-20T21:29:02Z")
Okay. Here’s a summary of what’s been suggested so far: Men: Marlon Brando Jeff Bridges Daniel Day-Lewis Robert Deniro Robert Duvall Henry Fonda Cary Grant Alec Guinness Gene Hackman Tom Hanks Dustin Hoffman Heath Ledger Toshiro Mifune Robert Mitchum Paul Newman Jack Nicholson Edward Norton Gary Oldman Laurence Olivier Sean Penn Kurt Russell Liev Schreiber Kevin Spacey Jimmy Stewart Spencer Tracy 25 Women: Judi Dench Sally Field Jane Fonda Jodie Foster Katharine Hepburn Jessica Lange Laura Linney Frances McDormand Helen Mirren Julianne Moore Joan Plowright Vanessa Redgrave Mercedes Ruehl Susan Sarandon Sissy Spacek Meryl Streep Elizabeth Taylor Kate Winslet Joanne Woodward 19 If you want to help decide who goes into a poll for the Best Male and Best Female, post a top 5 list of each category so we can trim the list down some before a poll pretty much seals the voting. Your Top 5 lists don’t have to include the names in this list. But it will help to eliminate those that don’t have as good a chance as the others. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-actors-of-your-lifetime/533150.md?page=2)