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[Grizzlyjin]

Anyone that can stay A list for 30+ years. I'd go with Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks. Arnold Schwarzenegger slums with direct to DVD type stuff on the low, still obviously has name recognition. But he was also out of the game for awhile with his term as Governor.

Sam Jackson has pretty much been non stop since his breakout in the 90s.

I wouldn't put someone like Jim Carrey anywhere near the list since almost all of their status comes from movies and shows they did damn near 20 years ago.

 

[Vyrance]

Has to be Tom Hanks

 

[Kinyou]

DiCaprio would be my pick. He has the kind of career where it feels like it's only going upwards.

 

[obear]

Leonardo DiCaprio

This

 

[jb1234]

Tom Hanks was my first thought.

 

[kswiston]

It depends if you are looking at consistency throughout an entire career or if peak brilliance for a decade or so outweighs that. DeNiro and Pachino might have been on top of things for 20 years during the 70s to early 90s, but both started just phoning it in for cash in the last decade or so of their careers.

 

[TDLink]

Came in to say Christopher Lee. First post nailed it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Samuel L Jackson are both alright picks though.

 

[faridmon]

For Me its Tom Cruise. Always delivers regardless of any genre he played in.

 

[PeskyToaster]

DiCaprio would be my pick. He has the kind of career where it feels like it's only going upwards.

He's transitioned very well from the roles that younger guys easily get to roles that suit him as an older man without underselling himself.

 

[Oddduck]

The one thing that can be said about Samuel L Jackson is he's been part of some really big movie franchises.

Die Hard
Star Wars
Marvel
Jurassic Park

 

[Coriolanus]

No one touches Katharine Hepburn.

No one.

(well, DDL might get there eventually)

 

[sixteen-bit]

omega tom hanks

 

[Soren_lost]

Christopher Lee
Toshiro Mifune
Max von Sydow


Daniel Day has a few more decades to go.

 

[Ahasverus]

Good picks Gaf.

Mine are Meryl Steep (living LEGEND) and Tom Hanks, specially for his performance on The Last Nigga on Earth.

 

[Trey]

He plays the same character in most of his movies. He's also been in way too many shitty movies. He should've said no to at least half the roles he's played.

Hell nah. Get them paychecks, Sam.

 

[injurai]

I was agreeing with most of the picks, but now I think Tom Hanks trumps most of them.

 

[PSqueak]

I'd say Johnny Depp, his ratio of "successful, good movies" to "bad movies" is pretty good and he has an impressive acting range, tho he should stop given that Tim Burton (instrumental in his track record) has gone to shit and is responsible for most of his "bad" movies.

 

[hiredhand]

Definitely not Streep. Considering the amount of Oscar nominations she has gathered and the lenght of her career, she doesn't have that many classics. She has lots of great perfomances but they are mostly in mediocre Oscar baits.

Here is a list of her Oscar nominations. How many of these films would you call truly great?
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000658/awards

If I would have to pick a woman I'd much rather choose someone like Julianne Moore or Katharine Hepburn.

 

[Fancy Clown]

Al Pacino.

Dude was Michael Corleone, Scarface, and Serpico.

He was horrible as Scarface and his career has nosedived in the past two decades to the point where he's in Adam Sandler movies

 

[Zeus Molecules]

Clint Eastwood or Sam Jackson when it comes to sheer volume

^this

Leo has had a great career he just needs that Oscar.

 

[npm0925]

James Stewart.

 

[foxtrot3d]

I'd say Harrison Ford.

.

 

[Sohter.Nura]

Leo DiCaprio.
I really didn't like him when he was young cause I was so jealous of how the girls acted towards him. But seriously, the guy I think is one of the best actors in our generation.

 

[bengraven]

Agree with the Hanks thing.

And also Sam Jackson - half his films are pure shit or even under the radar and people still love him and want to put them in their films.

 

[Nokterian]

DiCaprio would be my pick. He has the kind of career where it feels like it's only going upwards.

Yeah at first well i didn't pay much attention to him but later i do like his work a lot i also like how directors molded him to be one of the finest examples in acting. Same goes to Tom Cruise excellent work on both fronts.

 

[hiredhand]

I'd say Johnny Depp, his ratio of "successful, good movies" to "bad movies" is pretty good and he has an impressive acting range, tho he should stop given that Tim Burton (instrumental in his track record) has gone to shit and is responsible for most of his "bad" movies.

Depp would have been a really good answer ten years ago. Now, after Pirates sequels, The Tourist, Dark Shadows, Transcendence and Mortdecai, not so much.

 

[Platy]

Special nod to Robin Williams.

 

[Seven4sses]

Sean Bean

 

[SpotAnime]

Box Office Mojo's listing of highest grossing actors:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm

SLJ on top, followed by Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, and Morgan Freeman in the $4 billion club.

Now, cross reference that list by the number of Academy Award noms/wins, and there's your answer.

Hanks - 2 wins, 5 noms
Freeman - 1 win, 5 noms
Ford - 1 nom
SLJ - 1 nom

So, probably Tom Hanks.

 

[Dai101]

First post and all that.

R.I.P. Sir Lee.

 

[Walter Matthau]

James Stewart.

His career is made even more impressive when you factor in that he was away from acting for five years to fight a war and took time to reflect on the devastation he witnessed.

 

[Blader]

De Niro, Mifune, Olivier, von Sydow, Hanks, Streep, Cruise, and maybe DiCaprio.

Some people may disagree on the last two, but they've both shown incredible versatility in transforming themselves from blockbuster stars to serious leading men and back again.

John Cazale went 4-0 in The Godfather Part 1, 2, Dog Day Afternoon, and the Deer Hunter

5-0

The Conversation

Good picks Gaf.

Mine are Meryl Steep (living LEGEND) and Tom Hanks, specially for his performance on The Last Nigga on Earth.

Just off the top of my head, I'm tempted to say Meryl Streep is the best (American, at least) actress of all time.

 

[brianmcdoogle]

John Cazale.

This is his filmography:

The Godfather
The Conversation
The Godfather: Part II
Dog Day Afternoon
The Deer Hunter

Every film he was in was nominated for an Academy Award. Sadly, cancer got him.

 

[RustyNails]

John Cazale.

This is his filmography:

The Godfather
The Conversation
The Godfather: Part II
Dog Day Afternoon
The Deer Hunter

Every film he was in was nominated for an Academy Award. Sadly, cancer got him.

Legendary.

 

[shadowkat]

James Stewart
Audrey Hepburn

 

[SpaceWolf]

Special nod to Robin Williams.

Not really, man.

I mean, I love Robin Williams just as much as the next guy but the man had starred in a lot of really awful movies. Like so many, all the bad stuff probably ended up outweighing all the gems. He had a notoriously spotty filmography.

Very talented guy though. Just a shame he couldn't find better scripts, especially at the latter end of his career.

 

[MilkyJoe]

He's in everything...

 

[Walter Matthau]

Box Office Mojo's listing of highest grossing actors:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/people/?view=actor&sort=sumgross&p=.htm

SLJ on top, followed by Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, and Morgan Freeman in the $4 billion club.

Now, cross reference that list by the number of Academy Award noms/wins, and there's your answer.

Hanks - 2 wins, 5 noms
Freeman - 1 win, 5 noms
Ford - 1 nom
SLJ - 1 nom

So, probably Tom Hanks.

You would need to adjust the results for inflation to get a better measurement. Using gross would lead you to believe that Rupert Grint is more successful than Cary Grant.

 

[Bruce Springsteen]

 

[Future PhaZe]

Harrison Ford if he can bring a couple more hits out of his later years

Blade Runner, Star Wars, Air Force One, The Fugitive, Indiana Jones.

Problem is he really hit a dry spell when he got older. The Force Awakens is great for rounding out the resume though and with Blade Runner 2 being directed by Denis Villeneuve...that's going to be an absolute hit as well.

 

[Scully Scully Scoo]

al pacino - played some of the most iconic characters of all time (scarface, michael c., serpico)

di nero - godfather, casino, goodfellas, untouchables, heat, raging bull, deer hunter etc. need i say more?

jackie chan - biggest martial arts star ever. the blend of action/comedy is unparalleled.

arnold sch... - biggest action hero of all time. iconic actor

leonardo dicapiro - hit after hit, modern legend

edit. have to mention tom hanks - the variety of roles he has taken on is incredible

and clint eastwood - the most iconic cowboy of all time

 

[Nakazato]

He plays the same character in most of his movies. He's also been in way too many shitty movies. He should've said no to at least half the roles he's played.

And yet the movies he has been in have the most gross revenue. You can knock him on his role all you want but the man keeps working and brings in money.

Now excuse me while I go watch snakes on a plane

 

[Transistor]

Harrison Ford if he can bring a couple more hits out of his later years

Blade Runner, Star Wars, Air Force One, The Fugitive, Indiana Jones.

Problem is he really hit a dry spell when he got older. The Force Awakens is great for rounding out the resume though and with Blade Runner 2 being directed by Denis Villeneuve...that's going to be an absolute hit as well.

The problem is having a dry spell kind of negates him for the category of "best career ever". Especially since he did 6 Days / 7 Nights....

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

I think Marlon Brando has to be up there. He redefined screen acting and set the template that's followed to this day.

 

[Lightning Count]

Steve McQueen

GAF, you disappoint me that I am the only one to list this great actor.

 

[diamount]

I think Michael Fassbender will be up there if he continues to act for another 30 years.

 

[SpotAnime]

You would need to adjust the results for inflation to get a better measurement. Using gross would lead you to believe that Rupert Grint is more successful than Cary Grant.

Curses you damned inflation!

So I found this, with adjustments to gross based on inflation.

Spoiler

It's still Tom Hanks.

 

[EGM1966]

Jack. You know who I mean.

 

[Scully Scully Scoo]

tom cruise shouldnt even be in the conversation. he hasnt been in a great film ever.

 

[Baldwin_the_First]

who..? i swear i've never heard of him. what five films?



i know Pacino of course but.. who, who and who? should i know those characters?

i guess i should watch some American cinema. i just think it's mostly worthless tripe so i haven't paid much attention for decades. i'm honestly too busy catching up on some of the Croatian (and Serbian, to an extent) existential policron-dramas from the 60s/70s. way too many i've missed.

Smells like hipster in here.