Best acting performances - what are yours?

[Flippy_D]

Plenty of best movie and best actor polls around, but what about performances? In no order, here's some of my favourites.

Andy Serkis as Gollum, Lord of the Rings.
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson as Vince and Jules, Pulp Fiction.
Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kent, The Usual Suspects.
Guy Pearce as Edmund Exley, L.A. Confidential.
Gregory Peck as Atticus, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Bill Murray as Bob Harris, Lost In Translation.
Brad Pitt as Tyler, Fight Club.
Robert DeNiro as Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver.
Alec Guiness as Colonel Nicholson, Bridge on the River Kwai.
Denzel Washington as Alonzo Harris, Training Day.
Natalie Portman as Mathilda, Leon.
Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham as Mozart and Salieri in Amadeus.
Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, The Shining
R. Lee Ermey as Sergeant Hartman, Full Metal Jacket.
Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump, Forrest Gump (Primarily as the narrator role rather than dialogue).
Ewan McGregor as Renton, Trainspotting.
Johnny Depp as Ed Wood, Ed Wood.
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Carribbean.
Jon Voight as Joe Buck, Midnight Cowboy.

Any of your own to add?

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

Guy Pearce in Memento
Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs
Matthew McConeghey (sp?) in EdTV
Matthew McConeghey (sp?) in Frailty
Johnny Depp in Secret Window
Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York
Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot
Glenn Close in Mary Reily
John Malkovitch in Mary Reily
Julia Roberts in Mary Reily
Antonio Banderas in Shrek 2
Anthony Hopkins in Meet Joe Black
Brad Pitt in Meet Joe Black
Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys
Bruce Willis in 12 Monkeys
Jim Carrey in Man On the Moon
Jake Gyllenhall (sp?) in Donnie Darko
Denzel Washington in Man on Fire
Denzel Washington in The Hurricane
Denzel Washington in Bone Collector

It'd better stop.

EDIT -

Edward Norton in American History X
Leslie Nielsen in Airplane
Mel Brooks in Dracula Dead and Loving It
Kevin Spacey in Seven
Morgan Freeman in Seven
Brad Pitt in Seven
Tom Cruise in Magnolia
Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire
Tom Cruise in Rain Man
Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man
Bruce Willis in The Fifth Element
Kenneth Brannagh in Henry V
Derek Jacobi in Henry V
The Monty Phyton in ALL THEIR FILMS AND GAGS!

[Layabout]

John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson as Vince and Jules, Pulp Fiction.

Samuel L Jackson wasnt acting. Thats how he is. He is always like that. It's not acting. Its samuel L jackson.

[Damien]

Here are some:

Edward Norton in Fight Club
Kevin Spacey in American Beauty
Denzel Washington in Fallen
Bruce Willis in The Last Boy Scout
Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Michael Caine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall

[BMF-Inc]

Nicholas Cage-Adaptation
Bill Murray-lost in translation
Brad pitt-Fight Club
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society
Mel Gipson-Man without a Face and What women want (just kidding on the what women want)
Christian Bale-American Psycho (and hopefully batman begins)
Samuel L. Jackson-Pulp Fiction
Just to name a few. I will be back with some best actresses. I can't think of much right now

[Ghormak]

How can you mention Leon without mentioning Gary Oldman!

[[Cameron]]

Anthony Perkins - Psycho
Edward Norton - Fight Club
Brad Pitt - Fight Club, Seven
Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction
Morgan Freeman - Kiss the girls, Along came a spider
Johnny Depp - Everything he has ever done
Timothy Hutton - A Nero Wolfe Mystery (TV)
Jake Gyllenhall - Donnie Darko
Antonio Banderas - Desperado
Jack Nicholson - Chinatown, The Shining, One flew over the cuckoos nest

[LGM]

Johnny Depp in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Jake Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko
Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element
Edward Norton Fight Club
Robin Williams One Hour Photo
Bruce Willis in Sin City (I know it's not out yet, but he'll r0x0r)
Gary Oldman in The Professional
Natlie Portman in The Professional


Meh.. I know they're not outstanding, but these are some I think are awe.

[DGMacphee]

Johnny Depp - Everything he has ever done

Interesting to note that prior to Pirates of the Carribean, a lot of people were so-so about Depp. I read the IMDB user comments on Depp for the film Chocolat, and prior to POTC's release they say things like:

"I don't really know why he had to be in this movie. His character is a far-shot from necessary to the story."

"The only thing I can criticise is her relationship with Johnny Depp â€" I don't think there is a lot of chemistry between them [Depp and Binoche]. In fact, Depp seems to be a little bit miscast here, coming across as a nineties rock star rather than a fifties Irish tinker."

"Johnny Depp was useless, both his performance and the character. There was zero chemistry between he and Binoche."

"the rest of the sorry crew, whose accents ranged from the absurd faux-Irish of Monsieur Deppe to off-course mid-Atlanticese (witness Binoche), were palpably at sea."

Then after POTC:

"If you only watch Chocolat for one reason, make it this one. Johnny Depp. He's not required to do much but smoulder, but by golly, he does it well."

"Juliet Binoche is superb in the leading role and is supported by a wonderful cast, notably Judi Dench, Albert Molini and Johnny Depp."

"Well, I think this may be the best Johnny Depp preformence, just as good as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Carribbean."

There was even a post at the top of the Chocolat forums that says "WHO THINKS JOHNNY DEPP IS AN EXELLENT ACTOR?" with most, if not all, saying "I do".

It's interesting that when an actor does a career-defining role, suddenly people go "I LOVE EVERYTHING HE'S DONE", even though prior to said career-defining role people weren't really hyped about much said actor had done, especially the mediocre roles. Now, post-POTC, they say even his worst roles are brilliant.

Like I said, just interesting to note.

[[Cameron]]

I've been a fan of Johnny Depp before POTC, I'm not just jumping on the bandwagon:P.

[DGMacphee]

Didn't mean you specificially. Your comment just reminded me of that is all.

[LGM]

Depp was good way back when he did Nightmare on Elm Street. I knew right then and there he was pure gold(mund)

[DGMacphee]

But that's not my point. I'm saying Depp has churned out crap performances, but since Pirates of the Caribean there are a lot of fanboys who think everything he's touched was gold. Sure, I agree he's a good actor and his role in POTC was great. But I think it's a bit over-the-top to say every performance he's done was his best.

And like I said, I wasn't specifically targeting Alec. His was just a reminder. I've heard a great many others give more extreme amounts of worship.

[BMF-Inc]

yeah depp has done some crap performances. What was that movie with christopher walken about assasinating the governer? that was C.R.A.P! But he has done some great movies...edward scissor hands...yippee!

[Flippy_D]

Not to mention the Mexican...

Leonardo DiCaprio as Arnie Grape in What's Eating Gilbert grape? (Depp had the lead role there, too...)

[Darth Mandarb]

I'm actually kind of surprised at what some of you have picked but they are, of course, your opinions!

These are just a few of my favorites.

Daniel Day Lewis as Hawkeye - The Last of the Mohicans
Alfred Molina as Rahad Jackson - Boogie Nights
Sean Astin as Samwise Gamgee - The Lord of the Rings (he captured that character so perfectly in my opinion)
Brad Pitt as Tristan Ludlow - Legends of the Fall (props to Damien for mentioning this as well)
Edward Norton as Derek Vinyard - American History X
Denzel Washington as Private Trip - Glory
Robin Williams as Sean Maguire - Good Will Hunting
Gary Oldman as Drexl Spivey- True Romance and as Lee Harvey Oswald - JFK

I will just say that some of you have picked actors that are high-up on my 'actors that need to be shot list' ...

[dgunpluggered]

Mr T as Bruise Brubaker in "The Toughest Man in the World". I pity the fool who don't like his performance in that movie.

[BernieLaraemie]

Sebastian Shaw in "Return of the Jedi"
David Bowie in ANYTHING
Charles Dance in "The Golden Child"
Peter Falk and Jack Lemmon in "The Great Race"
Marilyn Monroe in "The Seven Year Itch" and "Some Like It Hot"
Elijah Wood and Sean Astin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy
Ewan McGregor and Jonathon Rhys Meyers in "Velvet Goldmine"
it's been said, but Johnny Depp in "POTC"

What about TV?
then I'd say Matt O'Toole in "CSI"
and Nigel Bennett in "Forever Knight"

[[Cameron]]

Bloddy hell, thats what i forgot.
Johnny Lee Miller - Trainspotting, Mindhunters, Hackers
Ewan McGregor - Trainspotting, Pretty much everything else he has done
Robert Carlyle - Trainspotting, Ravenous, Hitler, everything else he's done
John Hannah - Rebus Movies, Sliding Doors (even if it was a chick flick), everything else he's done.

I'd have to say that Carlyle and Hannah are up in my top ten actors. Can't beleive i forgot them. Good scot lads they are. Go team Scotland!!!

[Timosity]

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Total Recall
Brad Pitt - True Romance
Nicole Kidman - BMX Bandits
Johnny Depp - 21 Jump Street
Terry Kiser - Weekend at Bernie's
Mark Torgl - The Toxic Avenger
Tom Hanks - Is one of the worst over actors ever