Been working on this for a while, my top 25 male actors from 1935 to the present. Here are 25-20: abbreviated for Joel 25 Sean Connery 24 Clint Eastwood 23 Russell Crowe 22 Gary Cooper 21 George Clooney For the rest who care to hear why: ;) 20. George Clooney - Already well-known as Dr. Doug from TVs ER back in the early 1990s, GC began establishing his silver screen status as a criminal seeking refuge in a vampire-laden brothel in Tarantinos From Dusk til Dawn(1996). That attention garnered him a role in One Fine Day (1996) a romantic comedy with single mother Michelle Pfeiffer where he plays a clean-cut divorcee father with a heart for her and her young boy . Clooney proved his comedy potential and continued to cement his general likeability. Roles kept coming for him through the late 90s and into the 00s where he played in one solid film after another, sometimes formulaic like The Peacemaker (1997) but generally good. Beginning in 2000 he moved into new territory with an ode toward Homers Odyssey, in the Coen Brothers, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), it was creative and at times amusing, but often hard to watch and understand due to the jargon-esque dialogue and heavy accented delivery. Clooney and the film, though not universally loved, were given overall praise for the project and his star continued to rise. In 2004 he took on Rat Pack lore and starred in the Sinatra lead role for Oceans 11 (of which there were two sequels) and then dove into more heady, dark material with Syriana (2005), Good Night, Good Luck (2005), The Good German (2006), Micheal Clayton (2007), and back with the Coen Brothers for Burn After Reading (2008), another odd comedy. In Clooneys films he is usually the center of the story, the anchor that is good-natured, unflappable, and at the ready with a word, quip, or shot in the arm. Nominated 4 times as an actor and winning once for Syriana (2005) and as a producer for Argo (2012), Clooney has demonstrated a rare combination of charisma, talent, and showmanship that were common in the golden era of cinema but sparse in the cookie-cutter mold of the contemporary film industry. Of all the actors on my list that are still living, George Clooney may have the most potential to break into the higher echelons of the all-time big screen greats. 21. Gary Cooper – The stereotypical clean-cut American man, not heroic or for the spotlight, just hard-working and bearing a relentless code of personal justice. Wading through many decent but forgettable Westerns, Cooper stands out primarily for his work in five films, beginning with Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and concluding with an Oscar win for High Noon (1952 his second win). In between he won his first Oscar for Sergeant York (1941), starred in two of Hemmingways best: A Farewell to Arms (1932) and For whom the Bell Tolls (1943), and played a heart-tugging lead in the story of Lou Gehrig- The Prideof the Yankees (1942). He was nominated for the Oscar in five of these films, winning twice. His leading roles were often nonchalant and light-hearted, even playful with smirks and darting eyes, but they knew who and what they were all about and usually had fun showing us. Coopers characters were generally likeable and earnest with respect, he was as reliable a leading man as Hollywood had from the silent pics of the late 20s into the 1960s. 22. Tommy Lee Jones - A sometimes character actor and often star, TLJ is known for his deadpan delivery, oddball characters, and unusual intensity. He often plays tough guys with a penchant for relentless justice ( Men in Black I, II, & III, Double Jeopardy 99, The Hunted (2005), The Missing 03, In the Valley of Elah 07, and Captain America 11 ). His role as Deputy US Marshal Sam Gerard in The Fugitive (1993) was such a quality performance while chasing Harrison Ford (Dr. Kimbel) that he reprised the role 5 years later in a different film US Marshals (1998) chasing another might be/might not be innocent prey. Whether playing a nutball Irish terrorist in Blown Away (1994) a historical pain in the neck rascal Ty Cobb in Cobb (1994) or a crotchety retired air force pilot in Space Cowboys 2000), TLJ brings a rare sincerity to his roles, they are sometimes nuanced, often driven, and always with that subtle twinkle in his eye, much like the above actor, Gary Cooper, as though his character knows hes only acting but isnt afraid to admit it to us because he knows he can suck us right back into the ruse a moment after the wink. 23. Russell Crowe - RC seems to rarely make missteps in his projects. Beginning with L.A. Confidential in 1997 he has made one solid film after another showing solid if not brilliant performances in all of them. Though not every film along the way was a huge hit like Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (his signature performance to date 2001) they have ranged from good to great and in the ten years from 97-07 he made 13 films where in 8 of them his performances were exceptional. Unlike Eastwood, Crowes cowboy turn in the remake of 3:10 to Yuma (2007) was full of rich, and at times, poignant dialogue, delivered with thought and heart. RC has shown versatility playing action and drama, venturing into musical with 2012s Les Miz, taking on the role of 19th Century French policeman Javert. Even more recently, perhaps in a nod toward Brando, playing Jor El, father of Superman in Man of Steel (2013), where he is pretty super himself in an ultimately sacrifical role to ensure the safety of his earth-bound son Kal (Henry Cavil). As in Gladiator, Crowe plays this role with fearless tenacity, not reckless and emotional, but bound to reason and conviction that he will not betray. Crowes characters, like most of these greats, have a certain integrity to them, patient to a point but not to be trifled with as they are just but not tame. 24. Clint Eastwood - Much like John Wayne, Eastwood has a style all to himself. The slant-eyed glare, gruff, intense man of few words. Eastwood is only second to the Duke as Americas most famous cowboy in cinema history. After making the Western genre his own in the 60s he switched gears in the 70s and took on city crime as the police inspector Dirty Harry. From acting to directing, and occasionally composing, Eastwood is Hollywood immortal and its only versatility and lack of dialogue in film that keep him from being much higher on this list. Eastwood is committed to making films that tell stories he believes are important, he doesnt prescreen, and he makes them fairly quick and cheaply. All of this is quite rare in the money-driven culture of film and modern society. Though his films total more than 60, and his fans span generations of over 50 years in the industry, his best work has arguably come in the last 20 years. Producing, directing, and usually starring, he is acclaimed in all three areas, perhaps never better than when he won Oscars for all three (Picture, Director, and Actor) in his final Western, the violence-lamenting, Unforgiven (1992). The film deals with the consequences of violence, the scars it leaves on the living as well as the loss of loved ones. Though many of his films have contained violence, it was not Clints desire to glorify it but to make it contextual, realistic, and show his characters real struggle with it. For all CEs work, Unforgiven is his best and as the immortal Roger Ebert wrote at the time, ... its Clint Eastwoods eulogy to the American Western. Clint belongs on a list of his own in terms of his overall contribution to film and all that makes up Hollywood. Some may have offered more, but they are few and that would be a much shorter list on which he would be prominently placed. 25. Sean Connery - The highly popular, suave and deadly, Bond character aside, Connery starred in dozens of good films, won an Oscar in his late 50s and seemed to look better and get better with age, even playing action roles in his 60s and 70s. His last dramatic role in the new century, Finding Forrester (2000) a terrific nuanced performance about literature and the creative juices while gearing up for a literary battle, pitted against F. Murray Abraham, Connery befriends and disciples an unlikely student played by a young Rob Brown. Often playing the spy, policeman, or gentleman thief, Connery was terse, no-nonsense, and unflinching. Though loved as the first and (perhaps best) James Bond in the 1960s, he endeared a whole new generation of fans to himself in the (1989) film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. He plays Indys (H. Fords) father as a short on patience and people skills intellectual, with the adventurous spirit of a child and spry-wit and gateof a man half his age. (reminiscent of Walter Houston in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 1948). Henry Jones Sr. was courageous, warm-hearted, and ever enjoyable. After IJ TLC, Connery went on to make 18 more films until retiring in 2003 (minus a voice bit in 2012s Sir Billi) Working with Alfred Hitchcock on Marnie (1964), Sidney Lumet in 74, John Huston in 75, Michael Crichton in 78, Brian De Palma in 87, Spielberg in 1989, John McTiernan in 1992, Michael Bay in 96 and Gus Van Sant in 00 he saw the gamut of great directors and has worked with many of the other actors to appear above on this list. His looks, and vocal tones in Scottish brogue helped make him famous but Connery has a frankness and warmth about him that wouldnt seem to go together but in him perfectly fit.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Jun 2014 17:39:09 +0000
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