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My Top 6 Actor/Character Triumphs


indy4

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1. Johnny Depp/Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy

2. Anthony Perkins/Norman Bates - Psycho (haven't seen the sequels)

3. Harrison Ford/Indiana Jones - Indiana Jones Series

4. Gene Wilder/Willy Wonka - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

5. Ewan McGregor/Edward Bloom - Big Fish

6. Julie Andrews/Mary Poppins - Mary Poppins

7. Cate Blanchett/Irina Spalko - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

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Well, I'm with you up until you get to Ewan McGregor, as phony a southerner as has ever been on film, but that's okay -- it's still a good movie. All the rest are seconded heartily.

I'm not even going to try and be comprehensive, I'll just list a few that spring immediately to mind.

Christopher Reeve/Superman in Superman

Leonard Nimoy/Spock in anything not titled "Spock's Brain"

Bryce Dallas Howard/Ivy in The Village

John Wayne/Ethan in The Searchers

Bill Paxton/Hudson in Aliens (you may think I'm kidding; I am not)

Ian McShane/Al Swearengen in Deadwood

Season Connery/James Bond in anything not titled Diamonds Are Forever or Never Say Never Again

Ah, this could go on for a while. I'll stop here.

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Those are my favourites

Marlon Brando / Vito Corleone in The Godfather

Al Pacino / Michael Corleone in The Godfather I & II

Robert De Niro / Noodles in Once upon a time in America

Kyle MacLachlan / Special Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks

Harrison Ford / Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones I to III

Jack Nicholson / R.P. MacMurphy in One flew over the Cockoo's Nest

Sylvester Stallone / Rocky Balboa in Rocky (part I + II)

Kevin Spacey / Lester Burnam in American Beauty

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Daniel Day Lewis/Bill The Butcher in Gangs of New York

Peter Ustinov/Lentinus Batiatus in Spartacus

Anna Faris/Samantha James in Just Friends

Nathan Lane/Albert in The Birdcage

Hank Hazaria/Agador Spartacus in The Birdcage

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Bruce Willis as John McClane in Die Hard

Clint Eastwood as Blondie in The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men

Samuel L. Jackson as Jules in Pulp Fiction

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Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Alec Guinness as George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.

Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in Alien.

Peter O'Toole as T. E. Lawrence in Lawrence of Arabia.

Clint Eastwood as Blondie in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Jason Miller as Damien Karras in The Exorcist.

Philip Quast as Javert in Les Misérables.

Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent and Superman in Superman: The Movie.

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho.

Boris Karloff as The Monster in Frankenstein.

These are all examples (for me) where I completely forget that I'm watching an actor playing a role - the actor and the character are inseparable. I'm sure I'll think of lots of others as soon as I've posted this. In fact I've thought of one already: Joel Grey as the MC in Cabaret.

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Dustin Hoffman / Raymond Babbit - Rain Man

Joe Pesci / Tommy DeVito - Goodfellas

Billy Bob Thornton / Jacob Mitchell - A Simple Plan

Christian Bale / Patrick Bateman - American Psycho

Anthony Hopkins / Hannibal Lecter - The Silence of the Lambs

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Robert Shaw - Quint in Jaws.

Gene Hackman - Popeye Doyle in The French Connection.

George C Scott - General Patton in Patton.

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1. Johnny Depp/Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy

Ergh...

C'mon, you cannot deny what brilliance Depp brought to those films.

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He certainly brought some color to that character, but he seemed to lack a certain spark. A performance that I would classify as pretty good, but not great.

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Gene Hackman - Popeye Doyle in The French Connection.

Though the first film is clearly the best one, I actually think Hackman's performance in the sequel was even better. That would definitely be on my list.

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Kenny Baker / R2-D2 (Star Wars)

Anthony Daniels / C-3PO (Star Wars)

James Earl Jones / Darth Vader (voice) (Star Wars)

Jim Henson / Kermit the Frog (The Muppet Movie)

Frank Oz / Yoda (The Empire Strikes Back)

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I'll also add Cate Blanchett/Irina Spalko - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in number 7.

Oh my god what?

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I'll also add Cate Blanchett/Irina Spalko - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in number 7.

Oh my god what?

My thoughts exactly.

I can't believe I mentioned Philip Quast as Javert in Les Mis and yet completely forgot about Colm Wilkinson. In general I'm not a fan of Wilkinson's at all, but he simply is Valjean. And he's not even the first actor I saw in the role - that was John Owen-Jones, who has to be as good an actor, and has a far better voice, but didn't "inhabit" the role in the same way Wilkinson did.

I'll also add Derek Jacobi in I, Claudius. A completely flawless performance - though unfortunately now whenever I see him in anything else I keep expecting him to stutter. :o

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I understand the thread's title as "perfect casting" / "you cannot imagine anyone else for the role" / "(s)he made the character or even the movie" / "awesome characterization"

Some great examples have already been given, from which I will cite again:

Harrison Ford as Dr Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr

Sean Connery as James Bond

Christopher Reeve as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman (perfect as Mr Nice Guy and perfect as a strong, commanding, yet simple Superman)

Kyle McLachlan as FBI special Agent Dale Cooper (Twin Peaks)

Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow

Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name and Dirty Harry

James Earl Jones as Darth Vader's voice

J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson (after Superman, the best casting decision in comics movies)

I will now add:

Sean Connery as Dr Henry Jones, Sr

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

Joan Hickson as Miss Jane Marple (perfect because Miss Marple is supposed to be simple, discrete, and one you would not imagine to be a master detective)

Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator, T-800 Series

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Richard Chamberlain as Allan Quartermain

Estelle Getty as Tutti Bomowski

Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford

Laurence Luckinbill as Sybok

Billy Zane as Cal Hockley

Thomas F. Wilson as Biff Tannen

Jason Isaacs as Col. Tavington

Ronn Moss as Ridge Forrester

Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger

John Travolta as Gov. Jack Stanton

Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze

Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man

Roger Moore as James Bond

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1) Arnold Vosloo - Imhotep

2) James Earl Jones/David Prowse - Darth Vader

3) Ralph Fiennes - Voldemort

4) Alan Rickman - Snape

5) Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator

5) Christopher Lee - Saruman

6) Jeff Goldblum - Ian Malcolm

7) Christopher Reeve - Superman

8) Bruce Greenwood - President of the USA

9) Sean Connery - Prof. Henry Jones sr.

10)Richard Harris - Dumbledore

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how about Meryl Streep as Sophie,

the greatest female acting job of all time

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1) Arnold Vosloo - Imhotep

2) James Earl Jones/David Prowse - Darth Vader

3) Ralph Fiennes - Voldemort

4) Alan Rickman - Snape

5) Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator

5) Christopher Lee - Saruman

6) Jeff Goldblum - Ian Malcolm

7) Christopher Reeve - Superman

8) Bruce Greenwood - President of the USA

9) Sean Connery - Prof. Henry Jones sr.

10)Richard Harris - Dumbledore

Hmm...

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I'll also add Cate Blanchett/Irina Spalko - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in number 7.

Please elaborate.

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1) Arnold Vosloo - Imhotep

2) James Earl Jones/David Prowse - Darth Vader

3) Ralph Fiennes - Voldemort

4) Alan Rickman - Snape

5) Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator

5) Christopher Lee - Saruman

6) Jeff Goldblum - Ian Malcolm

7) Christopher Reeve - Superman

8) Bruce Greenwood - President of the USA

9) Sean Connery - Prof. Henry Jones sr.

10)Richard Harris - Dumbledore

Hmm...

Yes?

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We seem to have a different concept of what is memorable.

Apparantly ;) I'm curious to see your preferences.

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