Actor/Actress With an Impressive Body of Work

[pryor15]

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honestly, i don't know how anyone with even a trace of humanity couldn't love it.

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Me either, but I'm sure that many around your age haven't seen it.

I love when Elwood is told that his sister has been trying to have him commited to the institution and he responds, "My, that Vera is certainly industrious."

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i love when they're in the bar and the guy tries to skip on his bill and says, "the one at the end will pay for it", and Elwood, without missing a beat says, "he'd be delighted"

it just warms my heart.

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Pryor, my regards to you and anyone else you happen to run into.

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same to you, john

[Blarg]

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While he doesn't always play leading roles, John Hurt's prodigious filmography ranges from cheap sci-fi to Shakespeare, and includes low budget, well written and directed, "artsy" films. Further, he always brings his role to life with superb acting.

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I love this guy and wish we saw him a LOT more. He's easily good enough to be heading up more films.

He brings to mind another favorite, Harry Dean Stanton. Alien, The Black Marble, Repo Man, Paris, Texas, Cool Hand Luke, so many others ... he's often been fantastic, and never less than good that I've ever seen.

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Let's see, he appeared in three Hitchcock films, a number of Anthony Mann westerns, great screwball comedies, a couple little Frank Capra films, and even saw a pooka in Harvey. Oh yes, and he shot Liberty Valance, or so the legend goes. How's that for range, Katy.

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Now that is range, John Cole. I believe I am impressed. I need to see Harvey.

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Stewart's not my favorite by a long shot, and I'm not sure I could really say I see him disappear into a character fully the way someone like De Niro can -- plus I find some of his westerns reprehensible -- but Harvey is great stuff, as was some of that Hitchcock.

[katyseagull]

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Stewart's not my favorite by a long shot, and I'm not sure I could really say I see him disappear into a character fully the way someone like De Niro can -- plus I find some of his westerns reprehensible -- but Harvey is great stuff, as was some of that Hitchcock.

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But didn't you think he disappeared into character in It's a Wonderful Life? I thought he rose to the challenge and his performance was surprisingly very moving. I mean he yells at his kid for crying out loud, and he looks positively frantic as he searches for the money. A very solid and believable performance of a man losing his [censored] if you ask me.

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I think he disappeared into his Jimmy Stewart schtick a lot, and that was usually adequate. His characters tended not to have a lot of insight into themselves. Roles like Rear Window and Vertigo were tailor-made for someone who's a little dim on himself and his motivations, and so are Westerns where the only good injun is a dead injun. There was a time or two I've seen him in movies where he needed to act with some precision and it seemed wholly beyond him. He seems to do better in roles not drawn too deep, or in ones where he plays characters who don't have to understand themselves particularly well - or where lack of self-knowledge is even part of the whole subject of the movie.

Maybe that's not fleshed out well enough, but the guy just doesn't seem like he could play deeper roles. I don't see enough conflict or idiosyncrasy. There is a reason he was America's Everyman; he's blank enough that he's really like nobody, so we can imagine him as anyone at all.

[Wynton]

Couple of quick comments:

It's true that Nicholson is always Nicholson, but he has played a real wide variety of characters. And he is excellent both in comedies and dramas.

Katie, I haven't seen Carnal Knowledge in years, but I remember it as one of my favorites. It was certainly both funny and depressing. And I recall the dialogue as being impeccable.

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Hilarious opening. Especially for those more modestly-spoken times.

[Barcalounger]

A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints
A Scanner Darkly
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

This is just a recent string of Robert Downey Jr, he's probably had several other notable streaks of good film. I find him to usually be the best part of any scene that he's in. I couldn't find a fourth for the early part of his career:

Weird Science
Back to School
Less Than Zero

[Wynton]

Let's not forget this run by Marlon Brando:

On the Waterfront (1954)
The Wild One (1953)
Julius Caesar (1953)
Viva Zapata! (1952)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

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I was looking through IMDB to see if Caan qualified for four in a row, and he doesn't, but it did give me a pang of nostalgia and revive my respect for the guy, who seems to be doing nothing interesting lately, sadly enough. His best stuff was sometimes in things that might have made him a tough sell back in his days, that would sell much better today. He was one of the few top male stars around more than willing to portray weakness and confusion and questionable morality; more so, he was one of the few macho types willing to do so.

Some good ones, including some I'd love to see again:

Brian's Song (weepy macho)
The Godfather (legendary awesomeness)
Cinderella Liberty (human all too human)
The Gambler (gritty excellence)
Freebie and the Bean (Alan Arkin!(y) funny lightness)
Funny Lady (Streisandy light comedy)
Rollerball (completely silly future dystopic rowdiness)
The Killer Elite (uneven but sometimes gripping violency)
Thief (particularly awesome favoritey)
Misery (foot smashery)