The "Mount Rushmore" of actors would include......

[da_suns_fan]

1) Marlon Brando
2) Jack Nicholson
3) Tom Hanks

and..........

The three above are non-negotiable (its my thread and I consider myself a movie buff).

Parameters: Must have large mainstream popularity and critical acclaim (should have at least one oscar...not Tom Cruises, John Travoltas or Brad Pitts etc). Must have at least one signature performance in which they introduced an extremely memorable character (Don Corleone, The Joker, Forrest Gump etc).

My nominees include:

Paul Newman (some would say its obviously him)
John Wayne (no Oscar but icons are icons)
Clint Eastwood
Spencer Tracy
Clark Gable
Denzel Washington (not quite a legend but he's getting there).

[Fpoonsie]

I know you wanna label the first 3 as "untouchable", but Tom Hanks above Pacino? De Niro? Hopkins?

Don't get me wrong, I love Bachelor Party just as much as the next guy, but seriously...wtf?

[mrsmaalox]

DeNiro, of course.

[Pistons < Spurs]

Steven Seagal
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Jean Claude Van Damme
Eddie Murphy

[Cry Havoc]

I know you wanna label the first 3 as "untouchable", but Tom Hanks above Pacino? De Niro? Hopkins?

Don't get me wrong, I love Bachelor Party just as much as the next guy, but seriously...wtf?

I would actually have Tom Hanks as #1 or #2 on my list. You can say Pacino and De Niro, but neither of them are nearly as flexible of an actor as Hanks. You can put him in ANY role. He's played everything. Villan, hero, anal retentive nerd, detective... basically any role that's ever been devised for movies, he's been it. I think that's far more valuable than an actor who's relatively typecast his entire career (not taking anything away from the other names mentioned).

[mardigan]

Brad Pitt
Adrian Brody
Harrison Ford
Arnold Schwarzenegger

[mrsmaalox]

And take off Tom Hanks and add Bogart.

[Mugshot]

1) Marlon Brando
2) Jack Nicholson
3) Tom Hanks

and..........

The three above are non-negotiable (its my thread and I consider myself a movie buff).

Parameters: Must have large mainstream popularity and critical acclaim (should have at least one oscar...not Tom Cruises, John Travoltas or Brad Pitts etc). Must have at least one signature performance in which they introduced an extremely memorable character (Don Corleone, The Joker, Forrest Gump etc).

My nominees include:

Paul Newman (some would say its obviously him)
John Wayne (no Oscar but icons are icons)
Clint Eastwood
Spencer Tracy
Clark Gable
Denzel Washington (not quite a legend but he's getting there).

John Wayne did win an Oscar.

[mrsmaalox]

I would actually have Tom Hanks as #1 or #2 on my list. You can say Pacino and De Niro, but neither of them are nearly as flexible of an actor as Hanks. You can put him in ANY role. He's played everything. Villan, hero, anal retentive nerd, detective... basically any role that's ever been devised for movies, he's been it. I think that's far more valuable than an actor who's relatively typecast his entire career (not taking anything away from the other names mentioned).

I think DeNiro is pretty flexible. As is Dustin Hoffman.

[lil_penny]

Pacino??

[Mugshot]

1.) Brando
2.) Nicholson
3.) Hoffman
4.) Newman

----

Deniro
Pacino

[Fpoonsie]

I would actually have Tom Hanks as #1 or #2 on my list. You can say Pacino and De Niro, but neither of them are nearly as flexible of an actor as Hanks. You can put him in ANY role. He's played everything. Villan, hero, anal retentive nerd, detective... basically any role that's ever been devised for movies, he's been it. I think that's far more valuable than an actor who's relatively typecast his entire career (not taking anything away from the other names mentioned).

All valid points. I would certainly have him in my top 10, but to immediately put him in an immovable top 3 position seemed a bit presumptuous (not taking away from his roles in Forrest Gump and Philadelphia)

And your everyday moviegoer may remember Pacino and De Niro MOST for their roles in films like The Godfather and Goodfellas, but they won their Oscars for the roles that WEREN'T gangsters (Scent of a Woman, Raging Bull). I think that says alot about THEIR versatility.

[PM5K]

When an actor is in a movie where the two main characters are the actor, and a volleyball, you know that's a pretty good volleyball, and a pretty good actor.

[mrsmaalox]

Now what about females? I may be having a memory problem but the only modern time actresses I can think of are Sally Field and Meryl Streep. Then of course Katherine Hepburn. And the fourth spot could go to Joan Crawford, but probably Bette Davis, but I would give it to Barbara Stanwyck because she's my all time favorite

[jaffies]

Thank you very much.

[mrsmaalox]

I love Charlie Chaplin but he's not American. Since Mt Rushmore is American I thought we were limited to here.

[Fpoonsie]

I love Charlie Chaplin but he's not American. Since Mt Rushmore is American I thought we were limited to here.

Oops. Good point. And I put Hopkins in my first post.

[eyeh8u]

larry the cable guy

[mrsmaalox]

Oops. Good point. And I put Hopkins in my first post.

But we could have an English one with Hopkins, Chaplin, Cary Grant and Lawrence Olivier

[Fpoonsie]

But we could have an English one with Hopkins, Chaplin, Cary Grant and Lawrence Olivier

...and, of course, Clive Owen. I mean, have you SEEN Closer? He's number 3 on my man crush list right after Zach Braff and Ryan Reynolds.

[jaffies]

I love Charlie Chaplin but he's not American. Since Mt Rushmore is American I thought we were limited to here.

Theodore Roosevelt was Mexican. Look it up, I'll wait.

[mrsmaalox]

...and, of course, Clive Owen. I mean, have you SEEN Closer? He's number 3 on my man crush list right after Zach Braff and Ryan Reynolds.

Oh yes. He's sooo masculine; funny that in Closer he's with one of my girl crushes, Natalie Portman

[dirk4mvp]

DiCaprio says hi and demands a spot on that.

[mrsmaalox]

DiCaprio says hi and demands a spot on that.

DiCaprio is moving up the ranks fast I think. Just needs a few more years

[Fpoonsie]

Oh yes. He's sooo masculine; funny that in Closer he's with one of my girl crushes, Natalie Portman

Bow-chicka-bow.