In no particular order –
Male:
Tom Hanks
John Wayne
Russell Crowe
Morgan Freeman
Dustin Hoffman
Female:
Sally Field
Meryl Streep
Katherine Hepburn
Diane Keaton
Cate Blanchett
Political potshots aren’t appropriate in a Cafe Society thread. Don’t do this again.
twickster, Cafe Society moderator
As of Post # 22, here are the actors with multiple votes so far:
Men:
Robert Deniro 2
Gene Hackman 2
Tom Hanks 2
Dustin Hoffman 3
Gary Oldman 2
Jimmy Stewart 2 28 Total Names
Women:
Sally Field 2
Katharine Hepburn 2
Frances McDormand 2
Sissy Spacek 2
Meryl Streep 4 21 Total Names
I’ll post a new summary at the top of the next page.
My picks:
Men:
Marlon Brando
Robert Deniro (it’s De Niro, btw)
Robert Duvall
Heath Ledger
Edward Norton
Women:
Judi Dench
Laura Linney
Helen Mirren
Kate Winslet
And one who hasn’t been mentioned yet: Patricia Clarkson.
Limiting to 5 of each, and only the ones who came to prominence since I started watching movies critically (say late '70’s to early '80’s)
Cate Blanchett
Judi Dench
Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet
Judy Davis
Ian McKellan
Geoffrey Rush
Ian Holm
Robert DeNiro
Robert Duvall
(with an eye on Paul Giamatti and Billy Crudup to overtake in the next few years)
I added all these names to the summary data in case others vote for Crudup and Giamatti, too. I’m not meaning to be exclusive at this stage. Just trying to get a reasonable group together for polls, so as not having to bother with the “Other” category when the time comes.
What about Steve Buscemi?
I’d put both Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp on the list.
Men:
Daniel Day-Lewis
Edward Norton
Gary Oldman
Sean Penn
Brad Pitt
Women:
Kate Winslet
Meryl Streep
Laura Linney
Jessica Lange
Susan Sarandon
It was tougher to pick the women than the men. I started by pruning out those before my time and those I didn’t think warranted inclusion. That left me with only four guys, so I added in the late-nominee Brad Pitt, which I (obviously) agree with. On the women’s side, though, I was left with something like a dozen choices, each one more difficult to eliminate than the next.
As of Post #30, here are the multiples:
Marlon Brando 2
Daniel Day-Lewis 2
Robert De Niro 4
Robert Duvall 3
Gene Hackman 2
Tom Hanks 2
Dustin Hoffman 3
Heath Ledger 2
Edward Norton 3
Gary Oldman 3
Sean Penn 2
Brad Pitt 2
Jimmy Stewart 2
36 Total Names
Women:
Cate Blanchett 2
Judi Dench 3
Sally Field 2
Katharine Hepburn 2
Jessica Lange 2
Laura Linney 3
Frances McDormand 2
Helen Mirren 2
Susan Sarandon 2
Sissy Spacek 2
Meryl Streep 6
Kate Winslet 4
23 Total Names
This is coming along nicely. Thanks, all!
Women:
Kate Winslet
Cate Blanchett
Meryl Streep
Judi Dench
Helen Mirren
Men:
Robert Duvall
Robert DeNiro
Gene Hackman
Al Pacino
Kevin Spacey
Katharine Hepburn
Jodie Foster
Bette Davis
Cate Blanchett
Joan Crawford
Charlton Heston
George C. Scott
Jack Nicholson
Spencer Tracy
Michael Caine
Men:
James Stewart
Jack Lemmon
Russell Crowe
Daniel Day Lewis
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Gene Hackman
Ian McKellan
Ian McShane
Brian Cox
Robert DeNiro
Jack Nicholson
Harvey Keitel
Patrick Stewart
James Spader
Women:
Judi Dench
Helen Mirren
Meryl Streep
Katherine Hepburn
Kathy Bates
Glenn Close
And I’m sure I’m forgetting a shitload.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Liam Neeson
Robert DeNiro
Sean Penn
Gary Oldman
Ralph Fiennes
Tom Hanks
Edward Norton
Paul Newman
Henry Fonda
Kevin Spacey
Morgan Freeman
A couple more: Alec Baldwin and Johnny Depp (despite his involvement in the questionable Pirates of the Caribbean series; he earns a place on this list for his work in Ed Wood alone, so far as I’m concerned).
One name that is rarely mentioned in these type polls is John Lithgow. Not only has he played many different characters extremely well, he has very distinctive looks, unlike many of the other actors mentioned.
Summary time. As of Post #37:
As of Post #37
Men:
Alec Baldwin 1
Marlon Brando 2
Jeff Bridges 1
Steve Buscemi 1
Michael Caine 1
Brian Cox 1
Russell Crowe 2
Billy Crudup 1
Daniel Day-Lewis 4
Robert De Niro 7
Johnny Depp 2
Robert Duvall 4
Ralph Fiennes 1
Henry Fonda 2
Morgan Freeman 2
Paul Giamatti 1
Cary Grant 1
Alec Guinness 1
Gene Hackman 4
Tom Hanks 3
Charlton Heston 1
Dustin Hoffman 3
Philip Seymour Hoffman 1
Ian Holm 1
Harvey Keitel 1
Heath Ledger 2
Jack Lemmon 1
John Lithgow 1
Ian McKellen 2
Ian McShane 1
Toshiro Mifune 1
Robert Mitchum 1
Liam Neeson 1
Paul Newman 2
Jack Nicholson 3
Edward Norton 4
Gary Oldman 4
Laurence Olivier 1
Al Pacino 1
Sean Penn 3
Brad Pitt 2
Geoffrey Rush 1
Kurt Russell 1
Liev Schreiber 1
Gerorge C. Scott 1
Kevin Spacey 3
James Spader 1
Jimmy Stewart 3
Patrick Stewart 1
Spencer Tracy 2
John Wayne 1 51
Women:
Kathy Bates 1
Cate Blanchett 4
Patricia Clarkson 1
Glenn Close 1
Joan Crawford 1
Bette Davis 1
Judy Davis 1
Judi Dench 5
Sally Field 2
Jane Fonda 1
Jodie Foster 2
Katharine Hepburn 4
Diane Keaton 1
Jessica Lange 2
Laura Linney 3
Frances McDormand 2
Helen Mirren 4
Julianne Moore 1
Joan Plowright 1
Vanessa Redgrave 1
Mercedes Ruehl 1
Susan Sarandon 2
Sissy Spacek 2
Meryl Streep 8
Elizabeth Taylor 1
Kate Winslet 5
Joanne Woodward 1 27
Another actress: Edie Falco.
Also, sign me up as endorsing Robert Duvall, Marlon Brando, and Laurence Olivier. And add John Gielgud to that list, if you please.
Also: Nancy Marchand.