MS Readers, the following 4 are notably some of the best ever to grace the cinema screen in history.
This might sound biased since I’m very much a Pacino and De Niro fan, but the top two choices are undoubtedly the best.
Al Pacino: Born to Italian American Parents, he studied acting under Lee Strasberg (acting coach). Barely affording the money to get to auditions, he rose to fame when he played Michael Corleone in Godfather. The part won him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor in the Oscars.
Scarface, Serpico, Dog day Afternoon followed, where he played the anti-social anti-hero, a genuine threat to our way of life. Undeniably the best and deserved screen icon.
He quoted as ’’The actor becomes an emotional athlete. The process is painful---my personal life suffers’’.
Robert De Niro: Another actor with Italian roots, discovered acting in a local production of ’Wizard Of Oz’. Started entering the movie screens in the late 60’s but made his breakthrough performance in Mean Streets. Godfather II followed, and this brought him world-wide stardom, playing cinema’s most famous character Don Vito Carleone.
Not surprisingly, the performance won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
He followed this up with mind-blowing performances in Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter. Flawed classics, these movies defined an era of film-making that has never been matched.
Johnny Depp: Another actor who has won critical acclaim for his work in a variety of memorable roles. The guy known for attracting news for the wrong reasons, he has come a long way since his troubled days.
His frequent collaborations with Tim Burton have seen him portray weird and wonderful characters in high-profile movies. He even quoted Tim Burton as ’’a director that saved him from being a loser, an outcast, just another piece of expendeble Hollywood meat’’.
The recent Pirates of the Caribbean, saw Depp play Jack Sparrow, a rougish pirate, who is both an amusing loser and a arousing swashbuckler.
He also displayed his musical talents when he appeared in a music video by Tom Petty, and produces music with his own band P.
And finally....
Denzel Washington: Very much an under-rated actor, who is known for playing challenging roles. He caught the acting bug while appearing in student dramas.
With his acting versatality and powerful prescence, he found no difficulty in finding work in the industry, and very soon he won his first Oscar in the movie Glory.
Well known for portraying real people in movies, he is well known for his integrity and genorosity.
Other actors who come close to giving the above a run for their money would be Tom Hanks, Morgan Freeman, James Caan, and so the list goes.
Please do post your suggestions and comments.