The most talented film thespians list...

I recently read a review of a new film coming out starring Javier Bardem. I think that Mr. Bardem is one of the most brilliantly talented actors out there. That got me to thinking about some of my favorite actors and actresses in film. Sidney Poitier, Sir Alec Guinness, Audrey Hepburn, and Sir John Gielgud (among others, ie Olivier) are some of my favorite and some of the most brilliantly talented actors of all time (living or dead). I came up with 25 actors and 25 actresses still living and still acting that I think are some of the world's greatest talents. This is strictly my opinion, and I'm sure that I've even missed some of my own favorites.

ACTORS

Jeffrey Wright (THE ACTOR to watch out for. His work in Basquiat and Angels in America is masterful. Nothing short of genius. A balls-out risk taker.)
Javier Bardem (Check out Before Night Falls)
Noah Taylor (Amazingly talented young Aussie actor. Check out Flirting, The Year My Voice Broke, Nostradamus Kid, Shine.)
Daniel Day Lewis (Duh!!!)
Timothy Spall (Genius British actor, Secrets and Lies)
David Thewlis (Check out Mike Leigh's Naked. He's like the Shane McGowan of acting - scarily ugly and brilliantly talented.)
Willem Dafoe (Everyone knows his work, but check out the little known Light Sleeper)
Gary Oldman (Another duhh!!! Brilliant as Sid Vicious.)
Benicio del Toro
William H. Macy
Kevin Kline
Steve Buscemi
Tim Roth
Geoffrey Rush
Daniel Auteuil (Amazingly successful in France. Not here. Check out The Eighth Day)
Matthew Modine (Great underused actor. His turn as Joker in Full Metal Jacket is career defining.)
Max von Sydow
James Spader
Kevin Corrigan
Michael Rappaport (You see him a lot, but check out his early role in Zebrahead.)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Albert Finney
Ray Liotta (The most underrated, underused actor as far as I'm concerned. He's intense.)
Vincent Donofrio (His role as Pyle should be a case-study.)
John Lurie (Great musician, narrator of Animal Cops Detroit, and coolest person to star in Jim Jarmusch films other than Tom Waits.)

ACTRESSES

Lili Taylor (Brilliant in anything she does! The queen of indie. Check out I Shot Andy Warhol, Dogtown, or Household Saints)
Toni Collette (Sure, she's great in Muriel's Wedding, but she will blow you away in the very moving Japanese Story. WOW!!!
Parker Posey (The other queen of indie. Check out Party Girl or The House of Yes.)
Rena Owen (Once Were Warriors is my favorite movie of all time!)
Audrey Tautou
Kate Winslet (Very talented and gorgeous! Check out her early role in Heavenly Creatures)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (She will make you cry in Secrets and Lies)
Brenda Blethyn (She will also make you cry in Secrets and Lies)
Isabella Rosselini
Irene Jakob
Juliette Binoche
Julie Delpy
Dame Judi Dench
Emma Thompson
Thandie Newton (You may know her from Mission Impossible and some episodes of ER, but check her out in Flirting with Noah Taylor and a young Nicole Kidman.)
Jennifer Jason Leigh (If you haven't seen Georgia, see it!)
Emily Watson
Frances McDormand
Gong Li (To Live will make you cry, even if you don't have tear ducts.)
Christina Ricci
Keisha Castle-Hughes (She was the young star of Whalerider. Her performance was nothing short of mesmerizing. She wears her emotions on her sleeve brilliantly. She's definitely one to look out for. As far as I'm concerned she should have won the Oscar.)
Rosario Dawson
Helen Mirren
Emanuelle Beart
Martha Plimpton

This list came to me pretty quickly. I think that everyone listed above is talented in the field of acting. They may not all be big box office draws, but damn they're good.

Until the next bottle...
Cheers,
Jason