Who do you think is the most talented actor/actress that you've seen?

[bumblebeewine]

For me, it's Pamela Rabe. So underrated but so immensely brilliant. Also think Jessica Lange is amazing.

Who do you think is the most talented actor/actress you've ever watched?

Of course, but there's a huge difference between box office success and actual acting talent. Mentioning no names.

I saw James McAvoy as Cyrano de Bergerac and he was mesmerising. It was a revelation.

Mark Rylance has a wonderful stillness and presence.

@Elderflower14 , I’m extremely envious Joan Hickson was fabulous and the definitive Miss Marple .

@SillyUnMurphy

I’m going to add another “really?” to the suggestion of Emma Watson. She ruins everything she’s in.

Yep. Totally bland and wooden. Not quite at Keira Knightley levels of unwatchable, but getting there.

It all goes to show how subjective acting is. A lot of people on this thread have mentioned David Tennant, but I don't rate him at all. To me a top-notch actor/actress is one who can play all sorts of different roles equally convincingly, to the point that you're shocked that it's the same person playing all those roles. So I'd say Daniel Day Lewis for the men and maybe Jodie Foster or Judi Dench for the women. But it's hard to pick just a few.

Lesley Manville, Mark Strong and Peter Mullan.

Galaxy Quest is such an underrated film

It certainly is!

Wegot it from the video shop (shows how old we are) when the kids were little. The entire family though it was brilliant!

I'm not sure about overall but the best piece of acting I've seen was the scene in the interview room in the final season of The Fall with Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan. It was crazy good

Income and talent aren't that closely related, in my opinion, @Bipbopbee. Matt LeBlanc was one of the highest paid actors on television - I'm not sure even you would claim that he is a terrific talent.

I'm doubling down on my original post. Brad Pitt is shite.

Brad Pitt is OK when he gets a good role, but no way is he up there with Daniel Day Lewis or Mark Rylance. Simply no comparison. He's not a terrible actor but he owes his success mostly to his looks and much publicised 'private' life than to any great acting skills.

Of course, but there's a huge difference between box office success and actual acting talent. Mentioning no names.

I sooooo agree with this!

Irrfan Khan
Dilip Kumar
Manoj Kumar
Amitabh Bachan before the 1970s
Gregory Peck
Ingrid Bergman

Stephen Graham puts everyone else around him in the shadows, when acting.

Brad Pitt is a very very good actor. Not, perhaps, one of the greats, but very accomplished. Great in 'Thelma & Louise', 'Moneyball' and 'OUATIH'.

I'm waiting to see if Jodie Comer is more than a bunch of accents. Not sure.

@Hepcat75

I'm waiting to see if Jodie Comer is more than a bunch of accents. Not sure.

Jodie Comer is superb in 'Killing Eve' (even if I think the series itself is overrated), and not just for the accents. However, I too am going to hold off on including her as one of the 'greats' until I've seen her in a few more challenging roles.

@Fungster

Income and talent aren't that closely related, in my opinion, *@Bipbopbee*. Matt LeBlanc was one of the highest paid actors on television - I'm not sure even you would claim that he is a terrific talent.

I'm doubling down on my original post. Brad Pitt is shite.

Matt LeBlanc was only popular because of Friends. He’s a terrible actor as a stand alone.

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Se7en, Troy, Thelma and Louise, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood was very good.

I should have added Leonardo DiCaprio to my list.. I forgot about him... Shutter Island, Catch Me if You Can, Wolf of Wall Street etc.

But it would be boring if we all liked the same

Male: Charlie Sheen or David Tennant or Tom Hardy. I could watch any of them all day. Tom as Alfie Soloman is bliss

Female: Suranne Jones

@Elderflower14 that's fab! Joan Hickson was the perfect Miss Marple, no doubt.

Alibi quite often show those old BBC episodes and I have most of them recorded, except The Moving Finger! I always look out for it as it's my favourite Marple book but I've not noticed it so far.

Agatha Christie met JH when she was a lot younger and told that she hoped one day that JH would play Miss Marple... I think Margaret Rutherford overdid it...

Has Tom Hardy been mentioned yet? I think hes brilliant.

Also love Ryan Gosling.

Margot Robbie is brilliant in wolf of wall street and I Tonya as is the actress who plays her mum.

For TV actors I have a huge soft spot for Joe Gilgun from this is England, misfits and Brassic.

Oh and cant forget Sterling Brown from This is us and the trial of OJ Simpson. Love him

Agree with Juliet Stevenson and Alan Rickman. PP mentioned him as mesmerising in Tango at the End of Winter so true - I saw it at the Edinburgh Festival and when it finished I wanted to go back and watch it all over again, right there and then).

I really like Mark Bonnar in whatever he's in. Very subtle.

Patrick Stewart. Absolutely amazing on stage and that voice! Incredible presence. He's been reading the Shakespeare sonnets during the pandemic but frankly he could read the phone book and I'd still listen.

Also absolutely adored Alan Rickman and cried when he passed. I agree with what a pP said about uplifting any material.

Clive Owen - yes!! Very under rated. Should have been Bond.

Cate Blanchett. Very talented in a restrained, elegant way.

Imelda Staunton. Vera Drake was a stunning piece of work.

A lot of people on this thread have mentioned David Tennant, but I don't rate him at all. To me a top-notch actor/actress is one who can play all sorts of different roles equally convincingly, to the point that you're shocked that it's the same person playing all those roles.

At the risk of sounding like a dick, have you ever seen him on the stage? I think he absolutely has that. His Don Juan was one of the best things I have ever seen on the stage....yet he started out as a Shakespearean actor and was as good as Hamlet as he was in Much Ado About Nothing. I suspect his TV roles are just easy money.....

Not sure if anyone has mentioned John Hurt, always thought he was a great actor. I really like Sam Rockwell and Mark Ruffalo too.

Sam Rockwell in literally everything.