If I were to now utter "fantastic actor", which men would you say qualify as such?

De Niro
Pacino
Olivier
Branaugh
Sir Ralph Richardson
Sir Derek Jacobi
Alan Rickman
Brando (sometimes and sort of)
Michael Caine
Daniel Day Lewis

Most of the Brits on Masterpiece Theatre. There is something about that accent.

Now now, those are two separate questions. I’ll answer the main one.

I just watched a fantabulous movie last night – Spider – so Ralph Feinnes is on my brain.

Daniel Craig. i saw him on a play on Broadway, completely consumed the role he was in, I lost all thought of him being who he is.

De Niro, as @gailcalled said, and maybe Pacino. Dustin Hoffman for sure.

Jack Lemmon. So good at everything from Ensign Pulver to Save the Tiger.

And Paul Newman!

Must admit I entirely agree with @gailcalled‘s mention of Sir Derek Jacobi. If anything he was great in a series called “Cadfael” (based on Edith Pargeter’s aka Ellis Peters) books (and she was a fantastic author, I read many of the books of which my Mother has the entire collection.

My own personal favorite actor has always been Harrison Ford. He was great in Star Wars, great in Indiana Jones and great in Patriot Games etc etc.

@SamandMax: Jacobi was wonderful in “Cadfael,” but he was stupendous in I, Claudius, perhaps the greatest historical drama ever made.

Derek Jacobi, the tv series that made his name.

^^^ There you are. We can agree on something.

^^^Was bound to happen eventually, inevitable really.

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Adam Sandler, Marlon Wayans, Christian Bale.
Oh wait, they are the opposite.

@ragingloli I’d have given you a GA only you failed to include Dolph Lundgren.

If he dies, he dies.

“I must break you!”

He is not a man, he is like a piece of iron!

Was he in gay porn then?

For ethical reasons, I can neither confirm nor deny that statement.

@ragingloli Shut it. Bruce is good, don’t dismiss him just because action is his bread and butter. Check him out in Looper.

I just thought of another shit actor, Jean Claude Van Damme…my word, but he’s terrible.

Gene Hackman right up there with the greats, The French Connection movies being his finest work.

Steven Segal with the shit.

And I think David Tennant will be one of the greats, if given half a chance.

I can’t abide Segal, other than the first Under Siege film…ship’s cook my arse!

And let us not forget Woll Smoth. He is bad, too.

^ If I never see another Will Smith movie it will be too soon.

Cary Grant
Daniel Craig
Al Pacino
Sir Ian McKellan
Geoffrey Rush
Gary Oldman
Jeremy Irons

And Johnny Depp. Not because he’s one of the most beautiful men ever, but because he truly is talented. He can slip into any role and really become that character.

Yay, we’re back on track!
Christoph Waltz
Paul Newman
Clint Eastwood
Jon Voight
Gregory Peck
Michael Caine

Leonardo Dicaprio has really surprised me. In his younger days, I thought he was just a piece of fluff, but as he has aged, he has been pretty consistent at starring in really great movies. I loved Shutter Island.

Johnny Depp is just so dang cute, and he usually plays parts that suit him. Willy Wonka was the only absolutely terrible movie he has done.

Jack Nicholson
John Malkovitch
Anthony Hopkins
Al Pacino
Robert de Niro
Kevin Spacey.

Jack Nicholson and Anthony Hopkins give me the creeps, so you are right, they must be really good actors.

Doesn’t John Malkovitch?

Maybe it would if I knew who he was.

Here he is

No wonder I don’t know who he is. I have never seen any of his movies.

Anthony Hopkins
Daniel Day Lewis
Derek Jacobi
Kenneth Branagh

Toshiro Mifune
Jack Nicholson
John Goodman
Billy Bob Thornton
Bill Murray
Benicio Del Toro
Woody Harrelson
Robin Williams
Brad Pitt
Martin Sheen

Michael Fassbender

•Caine
•DeNiro
•Hopkins
•Nicholson
•Malkovich
•Oldman
•Pacino

Bryan Cranston

Jack Nicholson
John Malkovitch
Anthony Hopkins
Al Pacino
Robert de Niro
Kevin Spacey.

@flutherother I agree loll

@WillWorkForChocolate “And Johnny Depp. Not because he’s one of the most beautiful men ever, but because he truly is talented. He can slip into any role and really become that character.”

I want to give Colin Farrell the same due. He’s stupid good looking, but the could act the pants off a nun. Wait…

@ucme Good call with Cristoph Waltz, I love watching him.

Haven’t yet read anyone else’s answers, will do so after posting.

Alan Rickman

Anthony Hopkins

Morgan Freeman

Michael Caine

Benedict Cumberbatch

Oh, I forgot:

Patrick Stewart

Peter O’Toole

Gene Hackman

Christopher Walken

And several great actors who have passed away:

Robert Hardy

Nigel Hawthorne

I forgot to mention I think Colin Firth is a damn fine actor.
Liam Neeson is pretty good too, I think.
But by far and away, my favourite actor – at least an English actor – is Sean Bean, who did an outstanding job as Sergeant/Lieutenant Sharpe in Sharpe’s Rifles (and a boatload of others). Can’t say I really cared much for his involvement in Lord of the Rings though – as I kept falling asleep trying to watch it – but I’m pretty sure he must have done a good job in that too.

I forgot Heath Ledger and Danny McBride.

Christopher Walken
Jeff Bridges
Billy Bob Thornton
Morgan Freeman
William H. Macy

It’s a it bad to say that I want to have dirty sex with @kardamom’s list? This may or may not be because I’m flunkering right now

I’m beginning to worry about you

Well some of her list. In their respective attractive days of course.

Ok not so worried now

@SamandMax
Until you realise she means all of them at the same time.

Get out of my brain, Loli.

Well since it seems we’re going for inclusivity so I’ll add:

Guy Pearce
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Paul Dano
Anton Yelchin
Clancy Brown
Ben Foster
Viggo Mortensen
Lee Pace
Ryan Reynolds (think I’m exaggerating? see the Amityville remake)
Mark Ruffalo
Robert Sheehan
Ryan Gosling
Matt Smith
James Cromwell

^^ A definite yes to Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I’ve loved him since he was a kid on Third Rock from the Sun : )

I LOVE James Cromwell. ^_^ And Guy Pearce looks like a chipmunk. Good actor, but I swear, he’s part chipmunk.

And Paul Dano is amazing in everything he appears in.

@Seek_Kolinahr Maybe your chipmunks look like Guy Pearce?

Alan Rickman will always be a great. Always. excuse me to my personal puddle of tears in the corner

But why just actors, there are scores of wonderful actresses

@Magical_Muggle “Actor” is a perfectly legitimate descriptor for a person who appears in theater or film, regardless of gender or sex.

That said, someone did make a “sister” question to this one here

@Magical_Muggle No slant on female actors, just wanted men for this as a stand alone question.
I feel dirty for posting in a 3yr old question of mine, almost grew a semi…not quite though

That makes sense, you also made the sister question :)
It makes sense now to want to separate the two

Haha, I completely forgot I asked that one too, didn’t even bother to click on the link “someone” gave :p

“someone”. At least I’m not “nobody”. :-P

Confirmation bias :D