Each of the added 5 actors have actually been favorites for a long time-- long before I started this blog. I just seemed to always forget them when I made the list! So, NOW, they are being rightfully included (and I'm certainly leaving out some other favorite)! ALSO, for the first time ever I am given ACTUAL numbered places to each of the actors! (The placings are slightly irrelevant and change often, so, don't pay any serious attention to them. ;-D) OH, and do remember that the top 6 are REALLY just tied for first place. Well, anyway....
From the top (actually from the bottom)!
25
James Gleason
Favorite Roles: Henry Connell in Meet John Doe // Max Corkle in Here Comes Mr. Jordon
Classic Line: "There you are, Norton-- THE PEOPLE. Try and lick that!" -Meet John Doe
James Gleason was always great. No matter what. I've never seen him give a bad performance. He could play drama and comedy equally as well. AND he's never gotten the recognition he deserves.
24
Tommy Kirk
Favorite Roles: Merlin Jones in The Monkey's Uncle // Elliot Willard in Bon Voyage!
Classic Line: "It's better to use your head than break your back, I always say." -Swiss Family Robinson
Tommy Kirk is just cool. Whether he's Merlin Jones or the Shaggy Dog or Ernst Robinson or Go-Go (um, an alien from Mars or something...) he can always make me laugh. There would be practically NO cool 60's Disney movies if he hadn't been around!
23
Michael Callan
Favorite Roles: Eddie Horner in Gidget Goes Hawaiian // Clay Boone in Cat Ballou
Classic Line: "Wanna hear my first hit? Wanna hear my last hit? It's the same hit." -The Cat and the Canary
I adore Michael Callan he is completely brilliant and cool in everything! For more in-depth on him, check out this post!
22
Gary Cooper
Favorite Roles: John Willoughby in Meet John Doe // Longfellow Deed in Mr. Deeds Goes To Town
Classic Line: "People here are funny. They work so hard at living they forget how to live." -Mr. Deeds Goes To Town
Gary Cooper is AWESOME! In everything. Of course I'm rather partial to his Capracorn myself. I don't even think anyone else could play a disillusioned man better than he. His final scene Meet John Doe is so much brilliance. He says like three words the entire time...but you know exactly how he feels. Gary Cooper practically invented the understated style that later actors (like Steve McQueen) would copy.
21
Bradford Dillman
Favorite Roles: Arthur Straus in Compulsion // Paul Raine in A Circle of Deception
Classic Line: "By my reckoning, in over four decades I've been personally responsible for the demise of well over a thousand people. Heck, at Jonestown alone my Kool-Aid took out over nine hundred, and I've blown up the Queen Mary twice."
BEST. EVIL. SMILE. EVER.
He was seriously just brilliant. I'm not going to say anymore now, because Bradford Dillman week is coming next month (I'm not joking with you.)
20
Keenan Wynn
Favorite Roles: Alonzo P. Hawk (in anything) // Charlie Davenport in Annie Get Your Gun // Harvey Huntington Honeywagon III in Bikini Beach
Classic Line: "At the tender age of nineteen, I was the best known re-possessor of cars west of the Mississippi. Hot-wire Hawk, they called me." -Herbie Rides Again
Oh, I can't resist another Alonzo Hawk quote (to his son, who just HAPPENS to be Tommy Kirk..;-D): " If you weren't deductible, I'd disown you." - Son of Flubber
Anyway. Keenan Wynn was one THE greatest character actors ever. He could play any part. But, unfortunately for the stars of said films he played any small part in, he had so much presence and was really such a great actor, that he easily stole scene after scene.
AND HE SINGS.
19
Frank Sinatra
Favorite Roles: Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls // Charlie Reader in The Tender Trap // Mike Conner in High Society
Classic Line: "Hello, this is a recording, you've dialed the right number, now hang up and don't do it again." -Ocean's Eleven
There's not much to say about Sinatra. He just is. Not only was he really quite a brilliant actor, but he more importantly was pretty much the coolest person to ever live. Watching him on screen is mesmerizing. You are watching pure coolness just standing there.
18
Bobby Darin
Favorite Roles: Tom Milford in That Funny Feeling // Tony in Come September
Classic Line: "Sir, do you know what a lemming is? Well, it's an animal that destroys itself. -- I gotta look up my family tree 'cause there must have been some real lemmings there." -Come September
My Darlin' Darin. He's extremely talented at drama (nominated for an Oscar), and even better at comedy. I simply adore his work with his wife Sandra Dee. They are completely adorable together. ALSO: Bobby wrote and sang for many of his films. He's always amazing.
17
James Garner
Favorite Roles: Jason McCullough in Support Your Local Sheriff // Jess Remsburg in Dual At Diablo // Henry Tyroon in The Wheeler Dealers // Fred Williams in Boy's Night Out
Classic Line: "I'm never illegal. I'm just close to it." - The Wheeler Dealers
James Garner. He plays the conman so well....IT'S SCARY. In The Wheeler Dealers, he was conning every character, as the viewer I KNEW exactly what he was doing...but still found myself believing all the different lies he was telling all the different characters. That is awesome, evil power. As brilliant as James Garner is at comedy, he is just as amazing at drama. All throughout his career he's done dramas and comedies at the same time. He's just always been brilliant at everything.
And: James Garner could tell me that I was a Martian living on Pluto....and I would probably believe him.
16
Vincent Price
Favorite Roles: Nicholas Van Ryn in Dragonwyck // Prof. Henry Jarrod in House of Wax // Dr. Goldfoot in Dr. Goldfoot and His Bikini Machine
Classic Line: "I also read palms, I swallow swords, I mend my own socks, I never eat garlic or onions, what more could you want of a man?" -Laura
The openings words of Vincent Price's IMDb bio read: "Actor, Author, and Gourmet". <--This is coolness.
Vincent was so completely cool because he completely admitted that 90% of the time he was gloriously over-acting in everything (he called himself "an old Shakespearean ham actor")! But, unlike most others, Vincent Price was a good over-actor. He turned over-acting into art. All those freaky horror films of the 50's and 60's would be fun at all if Vincent was trying to be understated or something. And who else could turn Dr. Goldfoot and His Bikini Machine into a more than slightly brilliant movie?!
NO ONE ELSE.
15
Clark Gable
Favorite Roles: Peter Warne in It Happened One Night // James Gannon in Teacher's Pet
Classic Line: "I want to see what love looks like when it's triumphant. I haven't had a good laugh in a week." -It Happened One Night
Clark Gable just makes me happy. He can say and do anything, even absolutely ridiculous things...and completely pull them off. Case in point: Puttin' On The Ritz. If you've never seen Clark Gable singing and dancing to Puttin' On The Ritz (or MORE accurately: NOT singing and NOT dancing ;-D).....you are missing out on a major part of life.
14
Peter Lorre
Favorite Roles: Kismet in My Favorite Brunette // Dr. Einstein in Arsenic and Old Lace // Joel Cairo in The Maltese Falcon
Classic Line: "You know, Rick, I have many a friend in Casablanca, but somehow, just because you despise me, you are the only one I trust." -Casablanca
Peter Lorre was a genius AND he was effortlessly cool. He was not a character actor. I have literally never seen him give a bad performance-- playing a wide range of characters! He played drama and comedy equally as well. I utterly adore his sinister gardener in My Favorite Brunette, because it spoofs his part in films like The Maltese Falcon. I think my favorite performance of Mr. Lorre's is in Arsenic and Old Lace. Everything about his Dr. Einstein is hysterical. It's odd, but as much as I adore Cary Grant (and he's brilliant in that film), I always feel like Dr. Einstein is the one that you REALLY want most to get out of the situation unscathed!
13
Howard Keel
Favorite Roles: Fred Graham in Kiss Me Kate // Adam Pontipee in Seven Brides For Seven Brothers // Wild Bill Hickok in Calamity Jane // The Poet in Kismet
Classic Line: "May your taxes increase!"-Kismet
Howard Keel was absolutely one of the greatest musical stars ever. But he was not at all the usual, old, "standing around singing with an insipid look on his face" musical actor. I've always thought of him as rather a cross between Errol Flynn and Gene Kelly...but with a really good voice. When Howard Keel shows up in a movie, he comes swaggering in. He can turn any musical into something brilliant, and so much fun!
Classic Line: "May your taxes increase!"-Kismet
Howard Keel was absolutely one of the greatest musical stars ever. But he was not at all the usual, old, "standing around singing with an insipid look on his face" musical actor. I've always thought of him as rather a cross between Errol Flynn and Gene Kelly...but with a really good voice. When Howard Keel shows up in a movie, he comes swaggering in. He can turn any musical into something brilliant, and so much fun!
12
Tyrone Power
Favorite Roles: Zorro in The Mark of Zorro // Tim Baker in A Yank in the RAF // Thomas Jefferson Tyler in That Wonderful Urge // JAMIE-BOY in The Black Swan
Classic Line: "Can't go wrong drowning politicians, Henry." -The Black Swan
Tyrone Power was so amazing to watch on screen in all that swashbuckling coolness, but the craziest part about it-- was that he was even more talented than that. He wasn't just a brilliant comedian, he was brilliant in action films, but then you find out, oh he was ALSO brilliant in drama. And he was the best pirate ever. Although, most people remember Tyrone Power as always playing the "hero", he very rarely played a straight, simple hero. His heroes were very often conflicted, or not exactly heroes (JESSIE JAMES IS SO STINKIN' HONORABLE AND GOOD!), or "Charming Jerks". The latter is my classification for characters who are really just such jerks and horrible and selfish, but they are so charming you just love them anyways (think: Cary Grant in His Girl Friday). Tyrone Power was THE best at playing charming jerks.
Okay, I'm not sure exactly where all this Ty rambling is going to....let's just move on.
Oh, and: TYRONE POWER IS COOL KATE!
Classic Line: "Can't go wrong drowning politicians, Henry." -The Black Swan
Tyrone Power was so amazing to watch on screen in all that swashbuckling coolness, but the craziest part about it-- was that he was even more talented than that. He wasn't just a brilliant comedian, he was brilliant in action films, but then you find out, oh he was ALSO brilliant in drama. And he was the best pirate ever. Although, most people remember Tyrone Power as always playing the "hero", he very rarely played a straight, simple hero. His heroes were very often conflicted, or not exactly heroes (JESSIE JAMES IS SO STINKIN' HONORABLE AND GOOD!), or "Charming Jerks". The latter is my classification for characters who are really just such jerks and horrible and selfish, but they are so charming you just love them anyways (think: Cary Grant in His Girl Friday). Tyrone Power was THE best at playing charming jerks.
Okay, I'm not sure exactly where all this Ty rambling is going to....let's just move on.
Oh, and: TYRONE POWER IS COOL KATE!
11
Robert Montgomery
Favorite Roles: David Smith in Mr. and Mrs. Smith // Lucky Wilson in Hide-Out
Classic Line: "I'd give five bucks to see that cat take a sip of that soup." -Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Robert Montgomery was such a hugely expressive actor. His REactions, whether in comedy or drama were always completely brilliant. He was really great in drama, but I adore him most in comedy. Mr. Smith is seriously one of the coolest characters to ever appear on film.
10
James Dean
Favorite Roles: Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause // Cal Trask in East of Eden
Classic Line: "Man has a choice and it's a choice that makes him a man." -East of Eden
"You can wake up now, the universe has ended." -Rebel Without A Cause
It seems that there are very often only two different opinions on James Dean. A) He was the greatest human being to ever walk the face of this planet. OR B) He is completely overrated, a horrible actor, only famous because he died young. PERSONALLY, I think both approaches are wrong. I don't think James Dean was THE greatest actor ever, but neither do I believe that he is completely overrated either. James Dean was a great actor. If would have been so amazing to see what else he would have done in his career, if he hadn't died after only three films. James Dean is a great actor because he pulls you into a film. He FORCES you to feel and understand the characters. Some accuse him of over-acting, but I would more say that he never got the chance to play an understated role (although Giant has some really understated moments from him). His three roles really demanded a bit of overacting. I mean, he was playing a teenager in two of them. I am a teenager. I find the overacting COMPLETELY believable. ;-D
9
Bob Hope
Favorite Roles: Larry Lawrence in The Ghost Breakers // Monsieur Beaucaire // Ronnie Jackson in My Favorite Brunette
Classic Line: "I wanted to be a detective too. It only took brains, courage, and a gun... and I had the gun." -My Favorite Brunette
"I'm in great shape, for the shape I'm in." -The Ghost Breakers
Bob Hope forever played the coward. And he was so brilliant at it too. Bob Hope always makes me laugh, no matter what. His famous rapid-fire delivery ensured that if he didn't have you laughing at this joke-- he'd be sure and get you on the next one! Although, he could give a well-timed pratfall when necessary, his humor came much more from his words. He was a very topical comedian, he joked about people and events happening RIGHT THEN. But, although, much of his work is topical, it still stands up today as being completely hilarious. And what a truly great man he was as well. He gave up so much time and money and even risked his life (some the stories from Vietnam-- WOW!) to be right there with the troops, not only to make them laugh, but to give them support (he was named an Honorary US Veteran, the first time such an honor has been bestowed). I don't know, he was just such an AMERICAN. (It's regrettable, that he was actually born in England....;-D)
8
Jack Lemmon
Favorite Roles: Jerry in Some Like It Hot // Professor Fate in The Great Race // C.C. Baxter in The Apartment
Classic Line: "That's the way it crumbles... cookie-wise." -The Apartment
"I'm a neurotic nut, but you're crazy!" -The Odd Couple
Did Jack Lemmon ever do anything not brilliant?! I don't think so, I really don't. Very often actors are excellent at both drama and comedy, but they seem to lean a bit more to one genre. Not with Jack Lemmon. You watch him in a comedy and it's like, WOW! HE IS THE GREATEST COMEDIAN EVER! And then you watch him in a drama and it's, WOW! HE IS THE GREATEST ACTOR EVER! He was truly equally brilliant at both drama and comedy. And not just light drama or dramedy. He could do seriously heavy drama AND THE craziest farce ever. Jack Lemmon. There's just not much else to say about him. Haha.
Classic Line: "That's the way it crumbles... cookie-wise." -The Apartment
"I'm a neurotic nut, but you're crazy!" -The Odd Couple
Did Jack Lemmon ever do anything not brilliant?! I don't think so, I really don't. Very often actors are excellent at both drama and comedy, but they seem to lean a bit more to one genre. Not with Jack Lemmon. You watch him in a comedy and it's like, WOW! HE IS THE GREATEST COMEDIAN EVER! And then you watch him in a drama and it's, WOW! HE IS THE GREATEST ACTOR EVER! He was truly equally brilliant at both drama and comedy. And not just light drama or dramedy. He could do seriously heavy drama AND THE craziest farce ever. Jack Lemmon. There's just not much else to say about him. Haha.
7
Cary Grant
Favorite Roles: Walter Burns in His Girl Friday // Jim Blandings in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House // Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace // Devlin in Notorious // Jerry Warriner in The Awful Truth // Walter Eckland in Father Goose
Classic Line: "Nothing, Mary. Just a private joke between me and whoever my analyst is going to be." -Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
"Insanity runs in my family... It practically gallops." -Arsenic and Old Lace
"Take Hitler and stick him on the funny page." -His Girl Friday
As you can tell from my long list of favorite roles and classic lines (it was seriously painful to cut both down that much), Cary Grant never gave a bad performance. I will watch anything that has the name Cary Grant on it, because it is going to be well-done, or hilarious, or just plain happy.
6
William Powell
Favorite Roles: Nick Charles (in anything) // Godfrey in My Man Godfrey // Doc in Mister Roberts
Classic Line: "The important thing is the rhythm. Always have rhythm in your shaking. Now a Manhattan you shake to fox-trot time, a Bronx to two-step time, a dry martini you always shake to waltz time." -The Thin Man
William Powell was a very consistent actor. He was consistently brilliant. It didn't matter whether it was the 30's or the 40's or the 50's, he was always hilarious. I consider him to be the greatest comic actor ever. (He always did drama quite well.)
5
Joel McCrea
Favorite Roles: Joe Carter in The More the Merrier // John Sullivan in Sullivan's Travels // Tom Jeffers in The Palm Beach Story
Classic Line: "There's a lot to be said for making people laugh. Did you know that that's all some people have? It isn't much, but it's better than nothing in this cockeyed caravan." -Sullivan's Travels
Why does Joel McCrea not have 50,000,000 more fans?! He certainly deserves them! He had an understated acting style quite similar to Gary Cooper's, but Joel McCrea was really even better at it. AND he could do over-the-top when necessary. He was a very natural actor. One believes that he is EXACTLY the character he plays. He worked with many of the greatest directors AND was practically Preston Sturges' own personal muse (he starred in three brilliant Sturges' films)! And he was genuinely such a nice guy off-screen! :')
Why exactly does he not have 50,000,000 more fans?!
4
Gregory Peck
Favorite Roles: Joe Bradley in Roman Holiday // Mike Hagen in Designing Woman // John Ballentine in Spellbound // Stretch Dawson in Yellow Sky
Classic Line: "I've come to see lots of nice people who hate it and deplore it and protest their own innocence, then help it along and wonder why it grows. People who would never beat up a Jew. People who think anti-Semitism is far away in some dark place with low-class morons. That's the biggest discovery I've made. The good people. The nice people." -Gentleman's Agreement
Who else could play an adulterous King David or a guy who'd kill his own brother (Duel in the Sun) and then go play Atticus Finch?! ALL WITH COMPLETE CONVICTION AND BELIEVABILITY! Gregory Peck was definitely one-of-a-kind. He could do drama, or he could frantic comedy (Designing Woman) or he could do a mixture of drama and comedy (Roman Holiday.... :'''/).
3
Fred Astaire
Favorite Roles: Lucky Garnett in Swing Time // Tony Hunter in Band Wagon // Josh Barkley in The Barkleys of Broadway // Ted Hanover in Holiday Inn
Classic Line: "You're at a level where you can only afford one mistake. The higher up you go, the more mistakes you're allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style." -The Notorious Landlady
Style. That is a word to describe Mr. Astaire. He was brilliant and mesmerizing in everything. He's the greatest dancer ever (my mum hates musicals, but if she happens to walk by while I'm watching one and Fred's dancing: she always stops and becomes engrossed in it! Haha! Only with Fred though.). He also has my favorite voice ever. I could listen to him talk or sing for hours.
Basically, he just did everything perfectly. And with style.
2
Ray Milland
Favorite Roles: Don Birnam in The Lost Weekend // Tony Wendice in Dial M For Murder // George Stroud in The Big Clock
Classic Line: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. I can't take quiet desperation!"
The Magnificent Mr. Milland: playing drunks, murderers, and nuclear holocaust survivors alike with perfect ease, a charming smile, and a killer Welsh accent. Extremely underrated and extremely brilliant. As the would-be murderer of Grace Kelly in Dial M, he makes us ROOT FOR HIM. Of course, his most magnificent moment is The Lost Weekend. No where before or again has alcoholism been portrayed so strikingly. This is typical of a Milland performance. You can never take your eyes away.
1
Dana Andrews
Favorite Roles: Mark McPherson in Laura // Walt Dreiser in My Foolish Heart // Pat Gilbert in State Fair
Classic Line: "Justice? What do you care about justice? You don't even care whether you've got the right men or not. All you know is you've lost something and somebody's got to be punished." -The Ox-Bow Incident
If there was ever an actor who desperately deserved an Oscar, but never got one-- it's Dana Andrews. HE WAS NEVER EVEN NOMINATED! WHAT?! I will never forgive Fredric March for winning for The Best Years of Our Lives, while Dana, who clearly gave the most brilliant performance in the film, wasn't even acknowledged. Dana Andrews was, I believe, the greatest under-stated actor ever. He was able to convey so much through his characters, without being over-the-top at all. The only problem with Dana is that you can never count on him surviving through the film. THEN IT'S JUST DEPRESSING.
His 102nd birthday is coming up tomorrow, and the film world would indeed be a much lesser place without him (although MOST people apparently don't even realize this. -_-)
Basically, I just love Dana Andrews.
(I'm also married to him, but that's beside the point. ;-D)
So. Here are my 25 favorite actors. This post took me like 10 hours to write. I'm not even joking. I started writing it at 9 last night and finally went to bed at 2, having only made it as far as Peter Lorre. THIS IS DEDICATION. Only, NOW, nobody's going to actually read the entire post because it's approximately as long as the unabridged Les Miserables. (Believe me. I know. I had to read that for ninth grade literature.)
Also: please forgive and spelling or grammar errors....I never edit before I post! ;-D
I hope you have a stupendously wonderful New Years Eve and strikingly awesome 2011! :-D
-Millie
