Top 10 Best Actors In Hollywood

[Nigel Tufnel]

OK, so the game isn't until tomorrow night...so we've got some time to talk hoops/matchups. After the kids went to bed, there wasn't much on tv, so I watched a pretty decent movie...unfortunately, it was cut to shreds because it was on regular cable. Anyhoo, it got me to thinking....who are the 10 best actors in Hollywood today? Not of all time...but if you needed a solid actor who could play a nasty gangster, a homosexual ballerina, a serial killer, an invalid, a complete nerd, etc...someone who could pull off any role...who are the 10 best actors in the profession at this time? I thought about it...and here is my list...I'm sure I will have forgotten someone great...but that's the point...lets discuss this. Here are 10 actors that I think are as good as anyone in Hollywood right now...in no particular order either.

1. Robert DeNiro
2. Johnny Depp
3. Leonardo DiCaprio (I'd like to say...I absolutely HATED him in Titantic...I hated the movie...I hated his character...I hated his acting...I thought I would hate him his entire career...but since that movie, he has slowly but surely won me over. The guy can flat out act. His acting in The Departed put it over the top for me.)
4. Edward Norton
5. Daniel Day Lewis (I haven't seen There Will Be Blood...but I can't wait. This guy is amazing, IMHO)
6. Jack Nicholson
7. Denzel Washington
8. Christian Bale (I like this guy in pretty much everything he's done...I think he has been severly underrated as an actor, but he is just now starting to get his just due. His first premier role, in American Psycho, was phenomenal, IMHO)
9. Brad Pitt (hey, he's obviously a pretty face, but I think the guy can act)
10. Sean Penn

OK, so off the top of my head, I left off Russell Crowe (who is very good)...another glaring omission is Al Pacino. I'm torn on Pacino. I thought he was great in Serpico and Dog Day. Personally, my favorite cinematic character of all time is probably Michael Corleone. But I think Pacino overacts...A LOT. That gets on my nerves a little bit. He probably deserves to be on the list...but like I said, his overacting gets on my nerves a little bit. Again, his portrayal of Michael Corleone, IMHO, is about as good as it gets...but he didn't make my list.

Lets hear it guys....thoughts?

[D-West & PO-Z]

I love Will Smith and think he has done a lot of good stuff. I like Morgan Freeman a lot too. Just commenting on 2 guys you didnt have that I think are really good.

[Stonebreaker]

Robert Deniro
Mel Gibson
Al Pacino
Denzel Washington
Tom Hanks
Jim Caviezel
Morgan Freeman
Kevin Spacey
Clint Eastwood
Gene Hackman

Silent Bob j/k

[ATL Muskie]

Good lists.

Edward Norton is solid, as is Daniel Day Lewis. Two of my favorites are Clint Eastwood and Robert Duvall. Little long in the tooth, but still solid actors who can do almost anything.

[xeus]

I'd add Nicholas Cage.

[American X]

Philip Seymour Hoffman - starting with Boogie Nights awesome in everything (White Chocolate!)

John C. Reily - starting with Boogie Nights awesome in everything (Don't let the invisible fire burn my friend!)

Christian Bale - Patrick Bateman and Batman

Ed Norton - The 25th Hour is vastly underrated

Gene Hackman - Royal Tenenbaum himself (You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive like you ain't never heard!)

Bill Murray - not just Carl Spackler, dig up The Razor's Edge, see Lost In Transalation if you have not already

[Stonebreaker]

Fudge.....How could I forget Gene Hackman. (adding him to list now)

[ATL Muskie]

I also like Billy Bob Thornton. Anyone who can go from Karl Childers to Bad Santa has to be good. Haven't seen much good stuff from him in a while, but I think he could play anything.

[Fred Garvin]

I also like Billy Bob Thornton. Anyone who can go from Karl Childers to Bad Santa has to be good. Haven't seen much good stuff from him in a while, but I think he could play anything.

I liked Monster's Ball. And I thought Peter Boyle should have got a statue.

[ATL Muskie]

I liked Monster's Ball. And I thought Peter Boyle should have got a statue.

Monster's Ball was great. I also liked him in "A Simple Plan."

[XUdomer23]

I love Will Smith and think he has done a lot of good stuff. I like Morgan Freeman a lot too. Just commenting on 2 guys you didnt have that I think are really good.

same. I like Ben stiller and Will Ferrell too, wasnt sure if they were mentioned

[Nigel Tufnel]

Well, I forgot Tom Hanks...he probably deserves to be on there. One guy I forgot who should probably also be on the list (get rid of Brad Pitt) would be Ralph Fiennes....guy is a great actor. His role as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List is one of the best performances ever. Hey, I like Tommy Lee Jones as much as the next guy...but the fact that he won a supporting actor Oscar for his role in The Fugitive over Ray Fiennes in Schindler's List was ridiculous.

Speaking of Tommy Lee Jones, I saw No Country For Old Men last night....what a phenomenal movie. Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones were all flawless in that movie. The Coen Brothers' finest movie...and that's saying something.

Oh...on my actor's list...did I forget Christopher Guest....he played a lead singer and lead guitarist in a pretty good mockumentary back in the 80's...can't remember his character's name or the movie...but it was really funny. He said something like..."these go to 11."

LOL.

[X-band '01]

Having seen The Fugitive a number of times, it seems more as if Jones is a co-lead actor along with Harrison Ford; it's impossible to have one without the other the way that movie lays out.

[OX09]

Kevin Spacey deserves some dap. He was great in Se7en and The Usual Suspects to name a couple