Greatest acting job you have seen.

[hawaiiirish 62]

Actors and directors will tell you that although playing with a disability, playing a suffering person , playing a villain, playing a dying or diseased person, playing strong dark emotions , playing with an accent etc all of that kind of stuff tends to challenge actors LESS then playing comedy.

 

The timing necessary to make us laugh is often elusive and only the best actors can make that ring pitch perfect without either going over the top or missing the boat entirely.

 

So far only the (for the ages performance by peter sellers in dr Strangelove)is listed.

 

In that spirit some terrific COMEDY performances that often get overlooked because death & disease seem so much more 'emotional'!

 

In no particular order

 

Peter Sellers--Dr Strangelove

Sterling Hayden --as general jack ripper in the same film

Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie

Leslie Nielson in Airplane

Jack Lemmon in the Odd couple

Cary Grant in Arsenic & Old lace

Robert Shaw in The Sting

Tom Ewell in The Seven year Itch

Marilyn Monroe in The Seven Year itch

Bill Murray in Groundhog Day

Woody Allen in Manhatton/Play it again Sam/Annie Hall

Rosalind Russell-His Girl Friday

Robert De Niro---Midnight Run

Peter Sellers--The Pink Panther

Nick Nolte---Down & Out in Beverly Hills

Ann Bancroft---The Graduate

Goldie Hawn---Private Benjamin

Julia Roberts--Pretty Woman

Marilyn Monroe---Some Like it Hot

Tea Leone---Flirting with Disaster

John Heder---Napolean Dynamite

Charles Grodin--Midnight Run

Walter Matthau--The New Leaf

Donald Sutherland---Kelly's Heroes

Richard Dreyfus-----Stakeout

Danny DeVito----Ruthless people

Nicholas Cage ---Honeymoon in Vegas

aloha's

Edited June 21, 2013 by hawaiiirish

[Scotty88 0]

Agreed. He had that little pill box too. " I take no pleasure in taking life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it."

 

"I don't have time for any of this Mickey Mouse buulllllshiiiiit"

 

Woody Allen in Manhatton/Play it again Sam/Annie Hall

 

You jogged my memory, so many good Woody Allen characters. Loved Walken as Annie's brother...such a classic scene in the car!

 

Surprised no mention of Diane Keaton (Sleeper, Godfather 2)

 

Also, Alan Alda was excellent in Crimes And Misdemeanors (smaller role).

[Shamrocker 0]

Mel Gibson in Braveheart was fantastic. Sad to see what has become of his career.

 

Leo Dicaprio is my favorite actor and probably one of the most underrated actors ever. He's had a lot of blockbusters like titantic, inception, the departed etc but its some of his smaller movies where he showed how amazing an actor he is like in the basketball diaries, what's eating gilbert grape, blood diamond etc

[REMND 0]

For comedy, the guy I seem to go with is Gene Wilder, mostly from Young Frankenstein which is my favorite comedy.

 

Eddie Murphy had some pretty darn good roles as well such as his Bevery Hills Cop series and Trading Places.

 

You made me think of another great comedy actor I appreciate, Jim Carrey. However, the role that he played that I thought was great was the Truman Story. I did not know he had that much breadth of acting.

[VCDomer 68]

For comedy, the guy I seem to go with is Gene Wilder, mostly from Young Frankenstein which is my favorite comedy.

 

Eddie Murphy had some pretty darn good roles as well such as his Bevery Hills Cop series and Trading Places.

 

You made me think of another great comedy actor I appreciate, Jim Carrey. However, the role that he played that I thought was great was the Truman Story. I did not know he had that much breadth of acting.

 

Did you leave out Pauly Shore in Encino Man on purpose? Just wondering. :faint2:

Edited June 21, 2013 by VCDomer

[Rocketsan 772]

Marlon Brando - "The Godfather"

 

You should close this thread now.

 

Blasphemy I know, but I find this overrated...

[REMND 0]

Did you leave out Pauly Shore in Encino Man on purpose? Just wondering. :faint2:

 

Pauly Shore is entertaining for a few minutes. After that I check out. I think it is because he just repeats those few minutes. He has all but disappeared hasn't he?

[VCDomer 68]

Pauly Shore is entertaining for a few minutes. After that I check out. I think it is because he just repeats those few minutes. He has all but disappeared hasn't he?

 

I thought he was an idiot and saw nothing funny about him. He has.

[DamshaBua 48]

Blasphemy I know, but I find this overrated...

The movie itself, Brando's portrayal of Vito Corleone, or both?

[Scotty88 0]

Blasphemy I know, but I find this overrated...

 

I kind of agree with you, not to say Brando wasn't excellent.

 

The best acting in the trilogy has to be in part 2. Young Vito, Michael, and Fredo were genius. All 3 deserve recognition.

[Scotty88 0]

pauly shore is entertaining for a few minutes. After that i check out.

 

to get some serious grindage???