# Favorite/Least Favorite "Classic" Actors and Actresses?



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

In this thread I'm defining a _classic_ actor/actress as one whose film debut occurred *well before the year 1965*, and who was already fairly famous by that date. Of this group of actresses and actors, whom do you particularly like and dislike?

I'd have to say that my favorite classic actor is the late Sir Peter Ustinov. I just find him a total delight to watch, especially as Hercule Poirot, I believe I could see just about anything he was in and enjoy it. My favorite classic actress is probably Judy Garland. I also like Frank Sinatra as an actor, particularly in _The Man with the Golden Arm_. Other favorite "classic" actors/actresses of mine include Gregory Peck, Lee J. Cobb, Rosalind Russell, Celeste Holm, Angela Lansbury, David Niven, John Garfield, and Jack Klugman.

As for least favorites, I absolutely cannot stand Rex Harrison; even his speaking voice annoys me. Ditto Katherine Hepburn. I can't get very excited about Henry Fonda, either -- which is ironic, because he stars in one of my favorite films ever, _12 Angry Men_ (but Cobb and Klugman are in that one as well). Loretta Young and Robert Redford are two others I don't care for (Redford is perhaps a bit late for this discussion, but he was in things in the early 1960's).

How about you?


----------



## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Heh, there's not many I dislike before 1965, and not many I like after it!

My favourites include

Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Orson Welles, Erich von Stroheim, Montgomery Clift, James Cagney, Peter Lorre, Joseph Cotton, James Stewart, Robert Mitchum, George Sanders, Clifton Webb, Alain Delon, Emil Jannings, Pierre Fresnay

Lillian Gish, Katherine Hepburn, Lauren Bacall, Marlene Dietrich, Gene Tierney, Ingrid Bergman, Joanne Dru, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Rosalind Russell, Rita Hayworth, Claudia Cardinale

Not many that I do not like. Perhaps... Marlon Brando, Gregory Peck, James Mason. Audrey Hepburn. And that's not such a strong dislike. Rather just the absence of the great and passionate admiration I have for my favourites.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Favorites: Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Myrna Loy and Marilyn Monroe.

Can't stand: Judy Garland. She makes my skin crawl. My wife likes her movies, so I just leave the room.


----------



## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Great thread.. 

My favorites that dead: Richard Burton & Claude Rains/Agnes Moorehead & Ingrid Bergman

My least favorite that are dead: Steve McQueen & Gregory Peck/ Joan Crawford & Katherine Hepburn


----------



## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

Laurence Olivier is one of my favorite actors of all time. I love his majestic style of delivery.

As for my least favorite, I have to say Marilyn Monroe. Her cutesy, little-girl manner annoys me (although I myself have been known to behave that way on occasion!)


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My favorite: Burt Lancaster, especially in From Here to Eternity, Field of Dreams and Atlantic City.

Least favorite: Bette Davis. Never appealed to me.


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Fugue Meister said:


> Great thread..
> 
> My favorites that dead: Richard Burton & Claude Rains/Agnes Moorehead & Ingrid Bergman
> 
> My least favorite that are dead: Steve McQueen & Gregory Peck/ Joan Crawford & Katherine Hepburn


I have to disagree concerning Richard Burton and Steve McQueen. Richard was way too histrionic for my tastes. As for Steve, I don't know of any actor who could say so little and still maintain a compelling screen presence.


----------



## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

Bulldog said:


> I have to disagree concerning Richard Burton and Steve McQueen. Richard was way too histrionic for my tastes. As for Steve, I don't know of any actor who could say so little and still maintain a compelling screen presence.


Well you can disagree all you want but that won't change how I feel about SM, meanwhile I'll always enjoy watching Burton. As much as you're wrong about RB, I know what it feels like to find another's selections disagreeable, for instance I also love Rex Harrison and James Mason but Xautatun and Bellinilover don't share that feeling which is fine, it's everybody's God given right to be wrong... :devil:


----------



## Templeton (Dec 20, 2014)

Chaplin, Peter Lorre, Jimmy Stewart, Robert Donat, Laurel & Hardy, Arletty and the wonderful Greta Garbo. Garbo's performance in Lubitsch's 'Ninotchka' is probably the most sensual performance that I have ever seen. What an aura she had, simply amazing.


----------



## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

My favorite:Michel Simon and Olivia de Havilland.
Least favorite: Ms Monroe and Bette Davis ( already above mentioned).


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

helenora said:


> My favorite:Michel Simon and Olivia de Havilland.
> Least favorite: Ms Monroe and Bette Davis ( already above mentioned).


Olivia is still going strong at 100 years old!


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Xaltotun said:


> Heh, there's not many I dislike before 1965, and not many I like after it!
> 
> My favourites include
> 
> ...


I'm not a big Marlon Brando fan, either. I like James Mason.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Richard Burton, Marlon Brando, James Stuart and a soft spot for Vivien Leigh and James Dean.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Never saw why Brando so highly rated


----------



## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

DavidA said:


> Never saw why Brando so highly rated


very true. I share your opinion.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

DavidA said:


> Never saw why Brando so highly rated


Apparently, Frank Sinatra used to call Brando "mumbles.":lol:


----------



## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

Far and away my favorite actor from the period has to be Bogart. The Big Sleep, the Maltese Falcon and Casablanca are among my favorite movies, along with The African Queen and The Caine Mutiny. Great actor.


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Actors I rate highly: Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum, Roger Livesey, Ernie Borgnine (think about it - did he ever turn in a poor performance?). 
Amongst the ladies: Lauren Bacall, Katherine Hepburn. 
And dare I suggest that Cary Grant was a bit over-rated? Especially since George Clooney does Cary Grant better than Grant ever did!


----------



## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

Bulldog said:


> I have to disagree concerning Richard Burton and Steve McQueen. Richard was way too histrionic for my tastes. As for Steve, I don't know of any actor who could say so little and still maintain a compelling screen presence.


There is a funny story concerning McQueen in the commentary for The Magnificent Seven. In the iconic opening, where he and Yul Brynner are taking the body up the road to the cemetery, much to the opposition of many of the townsfolk, McQueen was doing all sorts of scene stealing business with his hat, to which Yul said quietly something like "If you keep doing that, I am going to take my hat off, and no one will be looking at you anymore no matter what you do."


----------



## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Pat Fairlea said:


> And dare I suggest that Cary Grant was a bit over-rated? Especially since George Clooney does Cary Grant better than Grant ever did!


George Clooney does the most superficial aspect of what Cary Grant did - the suave, sophisticated, cool gentleman - as well as Grant did. But Grant's acting is a lot more than that. An incredible rhythm and timing for comedy. Physical movement. Insecurity, astonishment, alienation, estrangement. A sense of inner emptiness, going through motions. I almost think that Grant is underrated - he's one of the greatest actors of all time.


----------



## Ekim the Insubordinate (May 24, 2015)

I quite like John Wayne as well, but in his older, gruffer movies - True Grit and the Shootist come to mind. I can't say that I like a lot of his earlier work. But those movies were great - and still are.

I did like Cary Grant much more than I ever have Clooney. Clooney seems more of a caricature of Grant - like someone trying to play Grant.

I will also say that the Marx Brothers could make me laugh more than any of these modern comedies whose sole goal seems to shock, rather than entertain.


----------



## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Ekim the Insubordinate said:


> I quite like John Wayne as well, but in his older, gruffer movies - True Grit and the Shootist come to mind. I can't say that I like a lot of his earlier work. But those movies were great - and still are.


I'm a John Wayne fan as well, but I guess I prefer the earlier stuff. My favourites include Stagecoach, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande, The Searchers, Red River... but also one of the late ones, Rio Bravo, which is superb.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Vera Miles is another actress I like -- wonderful speaking voice, sensitive face. She was great on _The Twilight Zone_ ("Mirror Image"). And how could I have forgotten Peter Falk? A very likeable actor, IMO.

I don't care for Lucille Ball; I find her annoying. Desi Arnaz, on the other hand, was a very underrated comedian. Certainly he was a much better comedian than singer.:lol: As with Henry Fonda, Jack Lemmon is an actor I don't exactly _dislike_ but at the same time can't quite get excited about.

It's funny how subjective tastes in actors are. My mom can't stand Gene Kelly or Walter Matthau. My brother doesn't like Rod Steiger. What do others here think of these actors?


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I forgot Paul Newman, if nothing else counts then only for: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Fav actors: James Stewart, Christian Bale, Ian McKellan, Samuel L. Jackson, Charlize Theron (in Monster), Viggo Mortensen

Least fav: Kristen Stewart.


----------



## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

Most: Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Peter O'Tool, Jack Lemmon

(A definite British tilt)


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Xaltotun said:


> I'm a John Wayne fan as well, but I guess I prefer the earlier stuff. My favourites include Stagecoach, Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Rio Grande, The Searchers, Red River... but also one of the late ones, Rio Bravo, which is superb.


I didn't like John Wayne before, but over time he has become as synonymous to me as the Weatern landscape, even though his good-acting roles are scarce. His greatest role for me is in Red River, my favourite moment when he looks at his betrayers and says "...I'm going to hang ya"


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

DavidA said:


> Never saw why Brando so highly rated





helenora said:


> very true. I share your opinion.


I can understand why so many people find him overrated, but he really was a fine actor when he wanted to be until he "went Hollywood." Brando got cynical and developed a dislike for the acting profession, but before that he could turn in some decent work. In one of his lesser films, *Reflections in a Golden Eye*, he turned in a wonderfully nuanced performance that might alter some opinions, and in *The Freshman* he does a parody of his role as Vito Corleone that is better than his over-the-top one in *The Godfather.* *Apocalypse Now* was a mess, but that was Coppola's fault more than anyone in it.

The worst Brando did was in altering some of his film characters for image protection. *Last Tango in Paris* was a failure of nerve, clearly about gay men, but that would not do for Brando's marque. Likewise, *The Young Lions* was about the step by step moral corruption of a Wehrmacht soldier, but on Brando's insistance was transformed into one about an idealist betrayed who winds up seeing the error of his ways. He even had an argument about it with Irwin Shaw, the book's author, who was unhappy about Brando's character alteration. I never saw Brando perform live on stage, but have been informed he was very good in that medium. But that was before his film career.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Brando is the Godfather of method acting. Yeah it sounds corny. I really like Laurence Olivier, especially in Wuthering Heights. He was a guy who could really adapt to the times. Also Max von Sydow.


----------



## Richard8655 (Feb 19, 2016)

I guess I'm going against the consensus here. Never liked John Wayne - too wooden. Neither Jimmy Stewart - too smarmy. Rod Steiger on the other hand was excellent. His acting came from somewhere deep within (i.e., The Pawnbroker).


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Max von Sydow? I liked him in Ingmar Bergman films such as The Seventh Seal.


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

hpowders said:


> Max von Sydow? I liked him in Ingmar Bergman films such as The Seventh Seal.


Did his best work with Bergman, in my opinion.


----------



## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

likes ... Susan Hampshire, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Kenneth More, Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Rita Hayworth, Claire Bloom

dislikes ... John Wayne


----------



## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

znapschatz said:


> Did his best work with Bergman, in my opinion.


Yes, he did! Of course, he was in his prime in those wonderful years!


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Just as I was preparing a comment we got a tornado warning so I have to go collect the cat. Will report later, if possible....


----------



## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

znapschatz said:


> Just as I was preparing a comment we got a tornado warning so I have to go collect the cat. Will report later, if possible....


Wow, that sounds scary. Hope everything's OK! Please do come back with an update and let us know how things are going.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Richard8655 said:


> I guess I'm going against the consensus here. Never liked John Wayne - too wooden. Neither Jimmy Stewart - too smarmy. Rod Steiger on the other hand was excellent. His acting came from somewhere deep within (i.e., The Pawnbroker).


Yeah, great performance in Pawnbroker. Those were the days. Now to me it's all about excess emotion that gets attention.


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Okay for now, the tornado didn’t touch down after all, although the warnings were in effect until almost an hour ago. But we have had them in central Ohio occasionally. In the last one, we were far from the actual funnel, but the winds here were strong enough to down one of our trees. I happened to have been looking out the window when the tree sheared off with an awful crack. Now, that was scary. It hit the ground causing no other damage to us, but falling against a neighbor’s house, knocking out their electricity. The box was fixed by the guy’s father, a licensed electrician, so we both got off with minor expense, although it cost us something to have the tree removed. 

Every so often, midwest tornados cause a great deal of damage. In 1974, the whole eastern Ohio town of Xenia was wiped out by a tornado that killed hundreds of people. The whole business district was leveled, along with most of the surrounding neighborhoods. That was probably the worst. So we take tornado warnings seriously, except for the cat, who had to be picked up and carried in, despite his protests :scold: . 

Thanks for your concern, though. And the cat has forgiven us. :kiss:


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Becca said:


> likes ... Susan Hampshire, Laurence Olivier, John Gielgud, Kenneth More, Peter Sellers, Alec Guinness, David Niven, Rita Hayworth, Claire Bloom
> 
> dislikes ... John Wayne


I'm glad somebody mentioned Peter Sellers and Alec Guiness, two of my very favorites. But I don't dislike John Wayne, who mostly portrays the same character, but plays him so well he is regarded by a huge following as the quintessential cowboy/soldier, although in real life he was never either. 
Interesting way John Wayne got his nickname of "Duke." As a boy, he used to walk his family dog, a big one named "Duke," on a route that took him by the local firehouse. The firemen knew the dog by name, and they called the little guy on the other end of the leash, "Little Duke." The name stuck until Wayne (née Marion Mitchell Morrison) outgrew "Little" but retained "Duke," by which he was known to his friends and fans for the rest of his life.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

znapschatz said:


> I'm glad somebody mentioned Peter Sellers and Alec Guiness, two of my very favorites. But I don't dislike John Wayne, who mostly portrays the same character, but plays him so well he is regarded by a huge following as the quintessential cowboy/soldier, although in real life he was never either.
> Interesting way John Wayne got his nickname of "Duke." As a boy, he used to walk his family dog, a big one named "Duke," on a route that took him by the local firehouse. The firemen knew the dog by name, and they called the little guy on the other end of the leash, "Little Duke." The name stuck until Wayne (née Marion Mitchell Morrison) outgrew "Little" but retained "Duke," by which he was known to his friends and fans for the rest of his life.


Thanks for the story, didn't know that. I think because he plays the same guy almost all the time, people feel like they know him. Like Tom Cruise, Cary Grant, James Stewart usually playing the same guy. Maybe it's a good way to keep your box office standing.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

znapschatz said:


> Okay for now, the tornado didn't touch down after all, although the warnings were in effect until almost an hour ago. But we have had them in central Ohio occasionally. In the last one, we were far from the actual funnel, but the winds here were strong enough to down one of our trees. I happened to have been looking out the window when the tree sheared off with an awful crack. Now, that was scary. It hit the ground causing no other damage to us, but falling against a neighbor's house, knocking out their electricity. The box was fixed by the guy's father, a licensed electrician, so we both got off with minor expense, although it cost us something to have the tree removed.
> 
> Every so often, midwest tornados cause a great deal of damage. In 1974, the whole eastern Ohio town of Xenia was wiped out by a tornado that killed hundreds of people. The whole business district was leveled, along with most of the surrounding neighborhoods. That was probably the worst. So we take tornado warnings seriously, except for the cat, who had to be picked up and carried in, despite his protests :scold: .
> 
> Thanks for your concern, though. And the cat has forgiven us. :kiss:


The cat knows where the food is coming from.


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Phil loves classical said:


> Thanks for the story, didn't know that. I think because he plays the same guy almost all the time, people feel like they know him. Like Tom Cruise, Cary Grant, *James Stewart* usually playing the same guy. Maybe it's a good way to keep your box office standing.


People love their fictions. Unlike John Wayne, who had a deferment in WW2 because his studio claimed he was essential to their business, Stewart, even though already a star, was in the thick of it as a bomber pilot, who not only served with distinction in heavy combat, but post war remained in the Air Force Reserve, eventually reaching the rank of General. Yet almost nobody thinks of him as a warrior, but as a family man and a nice guy. That's _reel life_ for you :clap: .


----------



## znapschatz (Feb 28, 2016)

Pugg said:


> The cat knows where the food is coming from.


Yes, he is a practical cat, but until my wife campaigned for him to stay with us, he had been a neighborhood independent spirit at least five years previously who was quite capable of feeding himself. I once witnessed him snatching a bird in flight. He is with us by his choice as well as ours, which we quite appreciate.


----------



## OldFashionedGirl (Jul 21, 2013)

Faves: Charles Laughton, Peter Lorre, Burt Lancaster, Joseph Cotton, James Mason and Greta Garbo.
Least favorite: Marilyn Monroe.


----------



## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

I just remembered I really like William Holden, James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. They were natural actors. I never quite liked Gary Cooper's acting itself, but he played interesting characters.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> I'm not a big Marlon Brando fan, either. I like James Mason.


Actually, though, there is at least one Brando moment in _A Streetcar Named Desire_ I absolutely love, because it's so intense: the part where Stanley yells at Blanche and Stella, "I am not a Polack! People from Poland are Poles, they are not Polacks!!"

I also like this bit:






I wanted to mention, too, that Brando was good at adapting to (or, perhaps, "mimicking") a more classical style of acting -- see his performance as Mark Antony in _Julius Caesar. _


----------



## Zimmer80 (May 6, 2017)

Favorites are Claude Rains - underrated. Became a HUGE fan upon seeing Casablanca. 
Laurence Olivier,Bogie,William Holden,Myrna Loy,Lana Turner,Charles Chaplin

Dont care for - Cary Grant,Joan Crawford,Bette Davis,


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I don't care for Shirley Jones. She had a beautiful voice, and I know she once won an Oscar (for _Elmer Gantry_) -- but personally I think she was a mediocre actress, particularly in musicals.

I've changed my opinion on Brando in the last month or so: I now like him quite a bit.


----------



## bz3 (Oct 15, 2015)

Favorites: Jimmy Stewart, Barbara Stanwyck, William Holden, Robert Taylor, Errol Flynn, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Olivia de Havilland, Robert Mitchum, Edward G. Robinson, Lionel Barrymore, James Cagney, Audrey Hepburn, Judy Garland, John Wayne, Mary Astor, Burt Lancaster, Monty Clift.

Least Favorites: Spencer Tracy, Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Steve McQueen, June Allyson, Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Natalie Wood, Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Glenn Ford, Tony Perkins, Paul Newman, Red Skelton.


----------



## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Favorites: Ingrid Bergman, Rita Hayworth (for looks), Gregory Peck, Claude Rains, Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster.


----------



## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

Xaltotun said:


> Heh, there's not many I dislike before 1965, and not many I like after it!
> 
> My favourites include
> 
> ...




I agree with Audrey Hepburn though. Jesus Christ, she is so overrated.


----------



## mathisdermaler (Mar 29, 2017)

znapschatz said:


> Did his best work with Bergman, in my opinion.


Everyone does their best work with Bergman, lol. I feel like his "holy trinity" of actresses, Liv Ullman, Harriet Andersson and Bibi Andersson may well be the three greatest actresses of all time.


----------

