The Best Male Actors Of The Last 50 Years

[Mojo]

Nobody’s mentioned Alan Bates.

 

[horrie hastings]

Don’t forget Edward G Robinson and Walter Brennan.

Old rubber lips as Bette Davis used to call him, yes he was a good actor though, he and Bette were great together in the 1937 film Kid Galahad.

As i mentioned a lot earlier in the thread Claude Raines was such a great actor, he could do good, indifferent or evil equally well. James Cagney and Basil Rathbone i could watch over and over again to.

Have quite a few Bette Davis and Bogart movies on DVD and a few of the early ones both were in supporting roles but one of my favourites that pair them together is a film called Marked Woman, one of Bettes best movie but rarely mentioned in her top ten, Bogey is great in it also.

 

[hineyrulz]

Bogey was great in everything I saw him in.

I watched Key Largo with my dad at least 10 times growing up.

 

[horrie hastings]

Bogey was great in everything I saw him in.

I watched Key Largo with my dad at least 10 times growing up.

The Maltese Falcon with Peter Lorre and Mary Astor is another timeless classic. One of the early movies i have with Bette and Bogey was called Three On A Match, both had really small roles but there is one scene with Bogey as a gangster and the pure look of evil on Bogeys face is priceless as him being a gangster

 

[Matua]

Daniel Day Lewis can chew scenery with the best of them. I like that he's been so selective with his roles though

Chew scenery is the key, he's lost the brilliant acting of his earlier career in favour of chewing.

 

[soc123_au]

Good to see a few mentions from the golden years. William Holden was amazing. Counterfeit Traitor & Stalag 17 are among my favorite movies.

 

[soc123_au]

To exclude TV seems a bit silly seeing as most of the best stuff from the last 20+ years has came from that medium

Ray Meagher?

He was pretty good in The Odd Angry Shot & Breaker Morant.

 

[hineyrulz]

Ray Meagher?

He was pretty good in The Odd Angry Shot & Breaker Morant.

Don’t forget Fire in the stone.

 

[horrie hastings]

Good to see a few mentions from the golden years. William Holden was amazing. Counterfeit Traitor & Stalag 17 are among my favorite movies.

William Holden was my mums favourite but it was more for movies like Picnic, Sabrina ,
Sunset Boulevard and Love Is a Many Splendid Thing .

 

[soc123_au]

William Holden was my mums favourite but it was more for movies like Picnic, Sabrina ,
Sunset Boulevard and Love Is a Many Splendid Thing .

He was my Mums first crush apparently. Probably why I was exposed early. Ha ha

 

[Munky]

*Dwayne Johnson: Agree with you 100%. Im disliking his movie choices the longer his career goes. His best movie was "Welcome to the Jungle".....his second film. Perfect blend of the Rock being the Rock and his chemistry with Seann William Scott.

*Jason Statham: I agree again....but I like a lot of his movies though. I really enjoyed "The Beekeeper".

*Ryan Reynolds: I agree again...but he is the only actor out of the three guys with genuinely good acting chops....he just chooses to be the same old Ryan Reynolds in just about every movie he is in because it pays the bills for him. But, if you have seen the movie "Buried", you'll notice that he is a damn good actor....when he wants to be.

It's why I went with the past fifteen years.

The Rock used to actually do some interesting stuff.

I do like Reynolds and can probably do one movie a year but his shtick can wear thin since it takes over the whole movie.

Stratham really leans into his typecast now and is still pretty enjoyable.

 

[kit66]

My top 10 from the last 100 years

Clint Eastwood - so many great roles in so many great films, a real entertainer.
Humphrey Bogart - grew up watching this tough guy.
Marlon Brando - the greatest "actor" I've ever seen, so much style.
Toshiro Mifune - embodiment of the Samurai warrior and nailed every other role as well.
Henry Fonda - just watch him as Wyatt Earp in "My Darling Clementine" and you'll know why I picked him.
Robert Mitchum - nailed every role, good guy, tough guy, romantic lead, reluctant hero, cowboy and a couple of the best bad guy roles you'll ever see in "Night Of The Hunter" (an evil f**ker with those LOVE / HATE tattooes on his fingers) and as Max Cady in "Cape Fear" ( I thought he did a better job than even the great DeNiro in the remake).
Bill Murray - I just love this guy in everything, great comedy actor, looks like he has fun doing what he does.
Robert DeNiro - all class. Taxi Driver, insane acting.
Takashi Shimura - I watch a lot of Japanese films and this guy is one their best - the lead actor in "Seven Samurai" (plays the same role Yul Brunner did in the US remake, The Magnificent Seven only better), "Rashomon", "Stray Dog", "Ikiru", "Throne Of Blood", "Yojimbo", a bunch of Godzilla films including the lead in the 1954 original, "Hidden Fortress", "Kwaidan" and a heap of Yakuza films. All up 330 credits on imdb, busy man.
Michael Caine - too cool, style master and subject of many great and not so great impressions. I myself do a really bad impersonation, "not a lot of people know this".

 

[Wizardman]

My top 10 from the last 100 years

Clint Eastwood - so many great roles in so many great films, a real entertainer.
Humphrey Bogart - grew up watching this tough guy.
Marlon Brando - the greatest "actor" I've ever seen, so much style.
Toshiro Mifune - embodiment of the Samurai warrior and nailed every other role as well.
Henry Fonda - just watch him as Wyatt Earp in "My Darling Clementine" and you'll know why I picked him.
Robert Mitchum - nailed every role, good guy, tough guy, romantic lead, reluctant hero, cowboy and a couple of the best bad guy roles you'll ever see in "Night Of The Hunter" (an evil f**ker with those LOVE / HATE tattooes on his fingers) and as Max Cady in "Cape Fear" ( I thought he did a better job than even the great DeNiro in the remake).
Bill Murray - I just love this guy in everything, great comedy actor, looks like he has fun doing what he does.
Robert DeNiro - all class. Taxi Driver, insane acting.
Takashi Shimura - I watch a lot of Japanese films and this guy is one their best - the lead actor in "Seven Samurai" (plays the same role Yul Brunner did in the US remake, The Magnificent Seven only better), "Rashomon", "Stray Dog", "Ikiru", "Throne Of Blood", "Yojimbo", a bunch of Godzilla films including the lead in the 1954 original, "Hidden Fortress", "Kwaidan" and a heap of Yakuza films. All up 330 credits on imdb, busy man.
Michael Caine - too cool, style master and subject of many great and not so great impressions. I myself do a really bad impersonation, "not a lot of people know this".

Great list.

Clint Eastwood is an interesting one though. Out of all the actors you listed, a Clint Eastwood movie is easily the one I want to watch the most out of those actors.....so I absolutely love the bloke. But even I have to admit, he basically played the same type of person pretty much throughout his career....albeit a bloody entertaining watch.

Clint definitely brings a lot to the table when it comes to delivering a performance. But, he is definitely not an actor that really stretches his acting abilities too much.

 

[Wizardman]

There is one particular actor whom I'd admit to not actively seeking out his films.....but whenever I see him, he is thoroughly impressive in the way he delivers a performance as well as having an insane number of completely diverse roles.....yet nails every single one of them.....no matter the quality of the movie itself.

Vincent D'Onofrio

 

[kit66]

Great list.

Clint Eastwood is an interesting one though. Out of all the actors you listed, a Clint Eastwood movie is easily the one I want to watch the most out of those actors.....so I absolutely love the bloke. But even I have to admit, he basically played the same type of person pretty much throughout his career....albeit a bloody entertaining watch.

Clint definitely brings a lot to the table when it comes to delivering a performance. But, he is definitely not an actor that really stretches his acting abilities too much.

Yeah, I went with "my favourite"actors rather than "greatest actors" there otherwise Clint and Murray and Caine probably make way for the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Lawrence Olivier, Kirk Douglas etc.