Richard Widmark has passed away. He was among the last of an era of great actors.

[razorman]

He worked with many legendary actors like Glenn Ford, John Wayne, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, and my personal favorite, Robert Mitchum. Politics aside, I would like to know what other DU'ers think about today's actors, and how they compare to the greats of the past.
I realize that many folks on this forum may not be old enough to remember some of the names I just mentioned. What do you think?

[BOSSHOG]

1. My favorite Actor ever is Paul Newman

Cool Hand Luke and the Verdict. Incredible performances, just incredible. I agree with your assessment of Robert Mitchum. Thorougly enjoyed his rough and tumble Destroyer Skipper role in Enemy Below.

I guess I'm an agist but I don't think today's performers compare very favorably with the older generation, Tom Hanks and Kevin Spacy being exceptions.

Are you a Razorback Razorman??

[razorman]

4. Cool Hand Luke is my favorite Newman movie. I saw it a couple of weeks ago.

George Kennedy was also awesome in it. I used to be a Razorback. I live in New England now.

[BOSSHOG]

5. Truly love Fayetteville

UA Class of 79. Living in Mississippi now but get back to my old stomping grounds as often as possible. Although the Fayetteville now is not nearly as charming as the Fayetteville of the 60's and 70's.

[razorman]

7. I was originally from near El Dorado.

[KansDem]

2. No! I just watched "Street with No Name" last night!!!

Street with No Name

He will be sorely missed... :(

[hellbound-liberal]

3. Here are current actors who compare very favorably with actors of the past, especially John Wayne!

Robert DeNiro
Al Pacino
Dustin Hoffman
Sean Penn
George Clooney
Tom Hanks
Daniel Day-Lewis
Denzel Washington
Forest Whitaker
Ben Kingsley
Morgan Freeman

I think the fact that those other actors are considered legends is because they are no longer with us. I think many of the actors on this list will also be considered legends one day. As a raving sentimentalist, I share your sense of loss with the passing of Richard Widmark and many of the "old school" actors and entertainers. :hi:

[razorman]

6. It's a good list. Actually, though, I was wondering about the younger,

up-and-coming actors. Personally, I don't see many who might inherit the mantle of the actors we have been talking about, particularly in the genre of action films. With the possible exception of Vin Diesel(with some more seasoning), I do not see any worthy successors to the Wayne/Eastwood/Bronson roles.

[Forkboy]

12. Christian Bale has serious potential, both for action and drama.

Anyone who can go from this role....


To this role....


is doing something right, and taking his craft seriously. :)

[Forkboy]

13. I'll add the highly underrated Guy Pierce to that list.

A superb actor who slides under the radar. L.A. Confidential, Momento and The Proposition are especially excellent, but all his work is good.

[Hobarticus]

14. I'd have to add Russell Crowe...

He may be a horse's ass with a phone, but I think he's an excellent craftsman. Haven't been disappointed in anything he's been in.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

8. My favorite actor is Sam Waterston

Most people only know him from "Law & Order", but he has an impressive resume of films, as well as TV and stage appearances. He's often taken controversial roles or roles in "deep" films that have never gained much popularity. My favorites are "Mind Walk" and "A Captive in the Land". He was nominated for an Academy Award for "The Killing Fields" and is on the boards of many charitable organizations.

Check out more about him here:

http://www.geocities.com/ayeshahaqqiqa/index.html

[hyphenate]

9. I don't know about any one else,

but I look at them and the current actors from an odd perspective. I was a child during the time that many of these older generation of actors were most busy with their careers, and for the most part, I look at them as grown-up men. In that sense, they awed me when I saw them, and cemented their legendary status.

Now, when I see them in an old movie, they're more in line with my own age. Some I can see as sexy, others as intriguing and even others as rude and nasty. Over the years, so many revelations about these actors have come out, and it's a different world for many of us who once idolized one of them or more. We can now see them as actual human beings, as imperfect as the rest of us. But it's because, for the most part, that their appearances were built on standards of another time and place. We didn't have the internet to tell us more about them, and if they had any talent at all as actors, they could easily disguise their real selves from the selves they memorialized on film.

On the other hand, there are the actors which we grew to know in our own time: actors like Robert Redford, Harrison Ford, even Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino. Actors who were young when we were younger ourselves, and who grew up with us. And there are the actors who are still young, who have barely hit their stride, and who will see another generation in their lifetime. I noted the other day that someone I thought sexy was young enough to be my own son. It's a scary feeling.

And in the latter example, it means (at least for me) that I can't be very awed by most of the newer field of actors. I can enjoy their performance, even consider them brilliant, but on a very emotional level they aren't the "grown-ups" of my childhood.

I do, however, think that many more of the actors who are most talented find themselves working in television at one or another time of their lives. Television is a great starting ground, and for some it's lifeblood for them, never truly transitioning to film. For the older actors, television was never an option. So we are more likely to know the younger actors by their work in TV before they begin to make films. And that makes them less of a mystery and a lot more accessible.

[GigiMommy]

10. Yes he was!

I heard that he and Sydney Poitier were very good friends. I personally like George Clooney.

[HighNoon]

11. Classic Hollywood Actors - The best

You should goto:

iocnsradio.com and listen to the show hosted by the son of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. They do a weekly show on all the classic hollywood actors.