May 31, 2013 01:03 PM
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Hollywood is far ahead of world cinema not only because of the scripts they they produce or the directors have in store but also because of the acting talents they showcase. Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock have once defined acting is nothing but controlled performance.
According to them a hamming actor is not a good actor no matter how good he or she looks on screen. One has to possess tremendous control over his character and must portray the character as close to real life as possible. It's a tough ask to pick five among a pool of magnificent actors but still these are five actor's I've seen in Hollywood who had a chameleon-like ability to shoo-in to their roles whenever the script demands it.
- Marlon Brando
To a generation of young actors growing up, Brando is the Godfather of acting. He is the actor who laid down the frameworks by inventing the so called method acting in the early 50's and late 70's. Brando's performance as Stanley Kowalski in Elia Kazan's A streetcar Named Desire redefined the possibilities of acting for films and helped permanently alter the cinematic landscape. He's the man whom Martin Scorsese referred to as "Before Brando" and "After Brando". The father of Superman, the Godfather of cinema Marlon Brando is undoubtedly the greatest actor ever to grace the silver screen..!!
- Robert De Niro
After Brando died in 2004, De Niro moved up one place to be the greatest actor alive in Hollywood. He's mostly remembered for the portrayal of Jake Lamotta in Martin Scorsese's classic 1980 sports film titled Raging Bull. I must admit its often painful (and unsympathetic) to watch this film but De Niro's simmering, powerful work was more than enough for me to hail him as the greatest of his generation.
- James Stewart
James Maitland Stewart is perhaps the most natural and versatile actor of all time. Born in May 20th 1908 Stewart is one of the privileged actors to earn a contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, popularly known as MGM. His portrayal of George Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a wonderful life is considered by many as the greatest screen hero of all time. Often quoted as Hollywood's quintessential romantic hero, Jimmy is the guy who made bleeding look fun and Kissing look poetic..!!
- Humphrey Bogart
He's a classic every man. A good guy who shows the best and the most heroics in all of us. During a film career spanning almost 30 years Humphrey Deforest Bogart appeared in 75 feature films including cult classics such as Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The Maltese Falcon and one of my all time favorite films Casablanca. In American Film Institute ranks him as the number 1 male star in the history of American cinema. Humphrey Bogart comes in at number 4..
- Ryan Gosling
Singling out one actor from the modern generation isn't easy especially when we have such talented actors such as Sean Penn, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise. But with his electrifying, commanding performance in 2001's disturbing political drama The Believer Ryan Gosling secures number 5 place in my top 5 actors of all time. I know its too early to judge this young Canadian actor but I'm very confident that time will prove his immense acting talents in the years to come. American Critics have already started to hail him as the Robert De Niro of this generation and it won't be surprising if this actor wins an academy award in a couple of years from now.
