The Top 40 Male Film Lead Actors of all Time

[JarodRussell]

Clint Eastwood is just in front of Tom Cruise, and behind Gary Oldman, and not on spot #1. This list is invalid.

[foxhot]

That's assuming I didn't list him twice.

What other actor could get away with that?

[foxhot]

Now about Gary Oldman.....compared to Edward Norton, Sean Penn or other film chameleons, how would you all rank them based solely on their chameleonic abilities? I'd put him way out in front, considering his STATE OF GRACE/JFK/DRACULA period alone....

40. Arnold Schwarzenegger
39. Spencer Tracy
38. Steve McQueen
37. Gary Cooper
36. Daniel Craig
35. Errol Flynn
34. Sean Penn
33. Richard Burton
32. Tom Hanks
31. Edward Norton
30. Paul Newman
29. Michael Caine
28. William Holden
27. Clive Owen
26. Samuel L. Jackson
25. Marlon Brando
24. Al Pacino
23. Charlton Heston
22. Burt Lancaster
21. Frank Sinatra
20. Tom Cruise
19. Clint Eastwood
18. James Cagney
17. Gary Oldman
16. Denzel Washington
15. Jack Nicholson
14. Harrison Ford
13. Dustin Hoffman

[foxhot]

Hmmm.

40. Arnold Schwarzenegger
39. Spencer Tracy
38. Steve McQueen
37. Gary Cooper
36. Daniel Craig
35. Errol Flynn
34. Sean Penn
33. Richard Burton
32. Tom Hanks
31. Edward Norton
30. Paul Newman
29. Michael Caine
28. William Holden
27. Clive Owen
26. Samuel L. Jackson
25. Marlon Brando
24. Al Pacino
23. Charlton Heston
22. Burt Lancaster
21. Frank Sinatra
20. Tom Cruise
19. Clint Eastwood
18. James Cagney
17. Gary Oldman
16. Denzel Washington
15. Jack Nicholson
14. Harrison Ford
13. Dustin Hoffman
12. Sidney Poitier
11. Humphrey Bogart

[Captaindemotion]

I can place no credence in a list that has Paul Newman at 30, especially when it has Harrison Ford, who hasn't made a decent movie in 2 decades, at 14.

[foxhot]

But you could also arguably say the same for Schwarzenegger after ''T2'', not to mention Spencer Tracy, Steve McQueen, Cooper, Flynn, Burton, Holden, Brando, Heston, Lancaster, Sinatra, Cagney, Poitier and most especially Bogart, who's made nothing remotely watchable after 1957. I'll grant you Ford has had a long dry spell, and I haven't been entertained by him since 1997, but he still has just about 20 years of unbroken longevity, talent and occasional mild badassery.
Plus more cultural impact then most. He's had leading man status for almost 35 years, which only a handful of competitors can match or exceed.

[Captaindemotion]

I wouldn't put Arnie in the top 50 either. And I'm not talking about the others, I'm talking about Newman. Who, in his latter years, still knocked out the likes of Nobody's Fool, The Road To Perdition, The Hudsucker Proxy, The Colour of Money, The Verdict, Absence of Malice, Fort Apache The Bronx. And that's before you consider The Sting, Butch and Sundance, Hombre, Cool Hand Luke, The Hustler, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, etc etc.

Ford has been sleepwalking through performances, giving the same one-note grumpy old man performance since The Fugitive , his last good movie (though I'll grant you that he was good in Crystal Skull, even if the movie blew). He's now 70 and hasn't been relevant for years - at the same age, Newman had just turned out Hudsucker and an Ocar-nodded performance in Nobody's Fool.

No comparison.

[foxhot]

He was good in CRYSTAL SKULL????
I think Cate Blanchett was, but that's it.

Ford was boring, Spielberg was hopeless, John Williams was recycling, John Hurt was decomposing, Denholm Elliott was dead, John Rhys-Davies was absent, Ray Winstone was wasted, and ChiaPet LaBeefyboof was beginning his spectacular plunge into blockbuster ''performances.'' And yet this celluloid black hole STILL made one dollar less than IRON MAN in the 300 million range. The only way I could cope was to never see it again and pretend it was still just a trilogy.

Paul Newman has a restricted range...nowhere near as restricted as McQueen's......but other than QUINTET and THE SILER CHALICE, he probably never gave a bad performance. And unlike Redford or Beatty, he doesn't let vanity into the equation. He's one of the longevity kings for certain.

[Captaindemotion]

^Aren't you arguing against yourself by putting down Ford's last notable role while acknowledging Newman's longevity, lack of bad performances and vanity? I can't understand how you'd put Ford 16 places higher than him.

[BennyRussel]

foxhot has said he has a method to compiling this list. I am waiting patiently to hear it as I do not understand a "Lead Actors" list that has Frank Sinatra ahead of Marlon Brando (among others).

BTW foxhot, thanks for the fun thread.

[foxhot]

It was nothing. Believe me.

Captaindemotion wrote:

---

^Aren't you arguing against yourself by putting down Ford's last notable role while acknowledging Newman's longevity, lack of bad performances and vanity? I can't understand how you'd put Ford 16 places higher than him.

Um.....b-b-b-because in Section 415b of the Actor's Manual, it was established that QUINTET was far worse than the lowest five of Ford's turkeys. That's my creative loophole. It's really Robert Altman's fault, of course. But now it's time for incoming.....

40. Arnold Schwarzenegger
39. Spencer Tracy
38. Steve McQueen
37. Gary Cooper
36. Daniel Craig
35. Errol Flynn
34. Sean Penn
33. Richard Burton
32. Tom Hanks
31. Edward Norton
30. Paul Newman
29. Michael Caine
28. William Holden
27. Clive Owen
26. Samuel L. Jackson
25. Marlon Brando
24. Al Pacino
23. Charlton Heston
22. Burt Lancaster
21. Frank Sinatra
20. Tom Cruise
19. Clint Eastwood
18. James Cagney
17. Gary Oldman
16. Denzel Washington
15. Jack Nicholson
14. Harrison Ford
13. Dustin Hoffman
12. Sidney Poitier
11. Humphrey Bogart
10. Sean Connery

Now HIS last movie pre-retirement was a turkey too.

[Captaindemotion]

^Actually, his last 5 were. LXG isn't even the worst of them (clue - the worst should not be confused with this year's superhero ensemble movie)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000125/

[Harvey]

Finding Forrester is perfectly fine, if a bit rote. Is Playing by Heart (1998) any good? It looks...odd.

[foxhot]

I never saw it, but if memory serves it's one of those 16-character multi-generational ensembles that were once guaranteed to co-star Anne Bancroft.

Of course, in truth, Ford is 14 and Newman is 30 on my list because, as previously mentioned, the top 17 are my personal favorites. My subjective bias.....

In 1991 I thought to myself which four film stars should be on a cinematic Mount Rushmore......and though it was arbitrary to limit it to four, I did so. Now, those four will rank at 1, 2, 7, and 8 when this list is complete. Times and tastes keep changing somewhat.....

[foxhot]

Here's a new name I don't think was yet mentioned......not always a lead, not always a supporting player, but exceptional in the first and at least from his startup days, absolutely unparalleled in the second. To me, he has a staggeringly high grade point average. Even when he supports he's dominant. That's why he's nine.

40. Arnold Schwarzenegger
39. Spencer Tracy
38. Steve McQueen
37. Gary Cooper
36. Daniel Craig
35. Errol Flynn
34. Sean Penn
33. Richard Burton
32. Tom Hanks
31. Edward Norton
30. Paul Newman
29. Michael Caine
28. William Holden
27. Clive Owen
26. Samuel L. Jackson
25. Marlon Brando
24. Al Pacino
23. Charlton Heston
22. Burt Lancaster
21. Frank Sinatra
20. Tom Cruise
19. Clint Eastwood
18. James Cagney
17. Gary Oldman
16. Denzel Washington
15. Jack Nicholson
14. Harrison Ford
13. Dustin Hoffman
12. Sidney Poitier
11. Humphrey Bogart
10. Sean Connery
9. Robert Duvall