Favorite actors

Although there are many fine character actors who've been around for years and never received the recognition or critical acclaim they are most certainly due, most notably Ed Harris, Jeff Bridges, John Malcovich, James Caan, James Woods, Nick Nolte, Jeff Daniels, Kurt Russell,Gary Sinise,Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Joe Pesci,Harrison Ford,Russell Crowe, Edward Norton,Kevin Bacon, Eddie Murphy,Sam Jackson,Morgan Freeman,Alan Arkin,Robert Redford,and Danny DeVito, and the wonderful, Charles Durning,(another seamless actor) there are a few stand-outs who are my personal favorites, and who I consider outstanding, exceptional actors who give consistently strong performances, and who excel in their ability to portray a diverse range of characters,from those that are tragic, to those that are comical, and everyone in between.

These are a few of my favorite actors and I consider each of them to be the gold standard when it comes to being truly great,inspiring actors who are masters of their craft:

1. Robert DeNiro- Robert DeNiro is acting at its finest, and he is as fine an actor as they come. Robert DeNiro inhabits the characters he plays like a second skin. From his performance in The Deerhunter, to his performance in Raging Bull, to Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, to the incredible performance as Max Cady in Cape Fear, to Goodfellas,to his performance in Jacknife as an Vietnam Vet, to his performance in Heat opposite Al Pacino, to the lighter side in Meet The Parents, to his performance in Backdraft as an arson investigator, to his performance in Sleepers as a priest, to his role in Jackie Brown opposite Sam Jackson, to Awakenings with Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro gives consistently strong, riveting, compelling, and engaging performances, is truly gifted, and has an enormous range in his ability to convincingly play tragic characters, depraved characters, sociopathic characters, comic characters, and your average Joe. Robert DeNiro is a seamless actor. His performances are never disappointing. Watching Robert DeNiro act is a real treat. He is the consummate actor.

2. Al Pacino- Al Pacino is, like DeNiro, another gifted and extraordinary actor. I cannot say enough good things about Al Pacino. He, too, is the consummate,seamless actor who never misses a beat and has an outstanding body of work to his credit. From his performance in The Godfather, to Panic in Needle Park,to Scarface, to Dog Day Afternoon, to Cruising, to And Justice For All, to Serpico, to Sea of  Love with Ellen Barkin, to Carlito's Way with the outstanding Sean Penn, to a slick salesman in Glengarry Glenross, to a homicide detective in Heat, to Insomnia, to The Insider, to his Academy Award winning performance in Scent of a Woman: See him in the Ferrari scene, dancing the Tango,in the hotel room where he is about to take his own life, and the final scene where he goes to bat for the young man who literally saved his life. Al Pacino is always a treat to watch, and, like DeNiro, never disappoints. He has tremendous range and his body of work is outstanding.

3. Jack Nicholson- As Good As it Gets is what Jack Nicholson is. He is an extremely fine actor on par with Pacino and DeNiro. From his performance in Five Easy Pieces to the astronaut in Terms of Endearment, to The Witches of Eastwick, to Heartburn,to the zany Mars Attack, to The Postman Always Rings Twice, to One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, to Blood and Wine, to As Good As it Gets, to Hoffa, to his touching and poignant performance in About Schmidt. Jack Nicholson is always a pleasure to watch, never disappoints and gives consistently strong performances.

4. Michael Caine- Michael Caine is a very fine British actor who,like DeNiro, inhabits his roles like a second skin. From Alfie, to The Man Who Would Be King, to Educating Rita in which he plays the role of a burned out professor, to Brian De Palma's, Dressed to Kill in which he plays a psychopath, to the husband who cheats with his wife's sister in Hannah and Her Sisters, to A Shock to the System, to The Cider House Rules, to Blood and Wine in which he plays an oily, rough-around-the-edges-somewha t-oafish jewel thief opposite Jack Nicholson, to Surrender with Sally Fields, to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels with Steve Martin, Michael Caine is always a pleasure to watch,has a tremendous range, and never disappoints. He gives consistently strong performances and is one of the finest actors of his generation.

5. Robert Duvall- Robert Duvall is another extremely fine actor. I cannot say enough good things about Robert Duvall. From his performance in The Godfather, to Tender Mercies, to The Natural to his role as a seasoned attorney in A Civil Action which he plays to perfection and inhabits like a second skin, Robert Duvall is a very fine actor who you can expect greatness from. He can play a lonely, down and out man who is seeking redemption just as easily as he can play a pompous, smug, seasoned lawyer.

6. Dustin Hoffman- This actor has an astonishing body of work to his credit. See him in Midnight Cowboy opposite Jon Voight, another very fine actor. Hoffman's performance as the pitiful, down and out, ne'er-do-well with a limp is compelling, poignant, heartbreaking and acting at it's finest. See him in The Graduate in the final scene where he screams, "Elaine, Elaine!" in the church, to his love, the beautiful Katherine Ross, who is standing at the altar. See him in the Marathon Man with, Sir Laurence Olivier, arguably the finest actor of his time. See him in another outstanding performance in Tootsie with Bill Murray. See him as Willie Loman in Death of a Salesman. See him playing a dad in Kramer vs. Kramer opposite Meryl Streep. See him in Rain Man. See him in Wag the Dog. See him in Sleepers. And don't let me forget, All The Presidents Men with Robert Redford. Hoffman plays Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post reporter who cracked Watergate wide open. From tragedy to comedy, Dustin Hoffman can hit the high notes and gives consistently strong performances.

7. Johnny Depp- Johnny Depp is an exceptionally fine actor, not to mention, gorgeous. Johnny Depp can hold his own with the best of them, and has what it takes to play a diverse range of characters in such movies as:What's Eating Gilbert Grape,Edward Scissorhands, The Secret Window, Blow,Pirates of the Caribbean, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Donnie Brasco,and The Ninth Gate. Johnny Depp has integrity. He doesn't care about being a "star." He marches to the beat of his own drummer, and this is reflected in the characters he's played. He isn't a pretty boy. He is a man of substance...someone with depth of character. There is nothing pretentious about Johnny Depp: He is the real deal.

8. Ray Liotta- Ray Liotta played Joey on a soap (Another World)if I'm not mistaken, in the 70's, and has been around for years. And he's still going strong. Ray Liotta brings a certain intensity and vulnerability to the characters he plays, and has played a diverse range of characters and demonstrated his ability to totally inhabit the characters he plays. See him as an intern taking care of his retarded brother in a poignant and compelling story called, Dominic and Eugene. See him in Illegal Entry where he plays a psychotic, over-the-top cop. See him in Goodfellas opposite DeNiro, Pesci,and, Paul Scorvino,another seamless actor. See how he transforms himself in Narc- opposite Jason Patric. Ray Liotta is a strong actor who gives consistently fine and compelling performances.

9.Jon Voight- Another very fine actor with great range and versatility who delivers consistently strong and engaging performances. See his wonderful, moving, and touching performance in Midnight Cowboy as Joe Buck opposite Dustin Hoffman. See him in Coming Home in the role of a Vietnam Vet. See him in Deliverance. See him in Enemy of the State as a corrupt politician. See how he transforms his appearance in the movie, Heat, with DeNiro and Pacino. See him in The Rainmaker as an attorney for an insurance company

10. Richard Burton - Unfortunately,this extraordinarily gifted,handsome,Welsh-born actor died in August,1984 at the age of 56. Richard Burton was in a class all his own, and will be remembered as one of the greatest and most distinguished actors of his generation.

With his beautiful blue eyes and mesmerizing voice, Richard Burton possessed an elusive, vulnerable, and charismatic intensity in his many brilliant and extraordinary performances including Hamlet, Camelot, The Taming of the Shrew, The Night of the Iguana with Ava Gardner, Cleopatra;the film in which he met and fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor, Look Back in Anger, The Bramble Bush in which he falls in love with the wife of his dying friend, Whose Afraid of Virginia Wolff? and the poignant, beautiful, and moving film, The Sandpiper, in which he plays a priest who falls in love with the mother (played by Elizabeth Taylor) of one of his students. Richard Burton's legacy is that he was a mesmerizing, brilliant, and absolutely unforgettable actor whose many fine performances will never be forgotten.