Browsing through Ebert's Answerman Columns

I was browsing through Roger Ebert's answerman columns, in which he answers through questions posed by people going onto his website. They are one of the most entertaining things you can read in the subject of film criticism as he is insanely knowledgable on everything film, has great insights and sometimes has a sense of humor.

I saw Roger Ebert on ET the other night and he is in terrible shape right now and can't exactly talk. He has to talk through a computer like Stephen Hawking, so that's quite tragic. When it comes to seeing his printed word, he's still as sharp as ever.

Anyway, since I don't think I should copy and paste some of the questions I found interesting, i could try to post some links:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/ANSWERMAN/711290304/1023
This question is about whether actors simulate sex in films.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/ANSWERMAN/711290304/1023
This question is about the writer's strike and whether Ebert and Reoper receive residuals

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/ANSWERMAN/337/1023
Whether Ebert has a preference toward foreign films

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/ANSWERMAN/332/1023
Whether people should wait for the end credits to finish rolling or not before leaving. The question was from an annoyed viewer that people got up and left while Michael Clayton was still on the screen on the .
My opinion is that #1) nothing further in the story happens after the end credits kept rolling #2) it's usually up to people if they want to reap the rewards of the end credits or not #3) as a former movie theater usher, we're generally supposed to wait until the end credits finish rolling before we go in and clean but if it's a busy schedule we usually can't resist the temptation to start a little early

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/ANSWERMAN/710250317/1023
The controversy over people saying Al Gore won an Oscar when he didn't. I personally think that even if he didn't win the statue he was a major force behind the film and should receive acknowledgement as the man behind the Oscar-winning film because a) the director didn't really do much but just point the camera at him as he babbled b) you know that someone as media-savvy as Gore knew how to market and promote the film and get behind it and c) there would clearly be no film behind Gore. The analogy that saying Gore is the Oscar winner for Inconvenient Truth being as ludicrous as saying Muhammad Ali won an Oscar for When We Were Kings, is clearly incorrect, because Gore was an active participant in the film.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/ANSWERMAN/710250317/1023
Damn, the 6th Sense has just been ruined, I think I'll write a seperate post on this. But that was highly insensitive. I think I'll write Roger Ebert a question about this.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/ANSWERMAN/710250317/1023
Controvoursey over whether Francis Ford Coppolla being quoted in a magazine as saying Nicholson, De Niro and Pacino have been cinematically lazy over the last decade. Nicholson made About Schmidt, As Good as it Gets (which I think was a little overrated), and Departed; Pacino made Insomnia, Angels and America, Merchant of Venice, Two for the Money, and Devil's Advocate and De Niro's most notable effort would debatably be Sleepers. I haven't seen Stardust so I won't judge. I've heard a couple good things. Other than that we have films like Gigli, Mars Attacks, Anger Management, Showtime, Godsend, City by the Sea, The Score, Stardust, Shark Tale, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers (shameless money-grabbing sequel), Simeone, The Recruit, Two for the Money, and Something's Gotta Give, so perhaps Francis Ford Copolla shouldn't feel a need to apologize after all.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071108/ANSWERMAN/711080307/1023
When was the first use of a flying saucer in a film. This post also indicates that Ebert is willing to help you with homework projects

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071101/ANSWERMAN/335/1023
Whether that opening clip at Darjeerling Limited had any merit. I admire Anderson for leaving it out of the film and making it a separate movie, but nothing much really happened in the opening clip and I have no idea what the cause for the hatred was between the two people.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071018/ANSWERMAN/710180316/1023
This post discusses how films in the Victorian Era greatly fantasize the period. Elizabeth, in real life, would have had no teeth by the age of 30, because evidently British people back in those days had no dental hygiene (a tradition which proudly still stands). I saw Elizabeth and the Golden Age and I think that they went out of their way to make Elizabeth not look glamorous but realistic and even ugly at times. Certainly, the viewer wasn't drawn into Elizabeth's glamour.

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071025/ANSWERMAN/710250308/1023
If Queen Elizabeth II would watch on her TV at home, when Cate Blanchett wins the Oscar this year for playing QEI (which by the way, most people agree is a long shot for a win though a probable nomination at this point).
His response: "If Blanchett were to win for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," that would mean she'd receive the award from Forest Whitaker. He won for "The Last King of Scotland." I hope he doesn't hold the beheading of Mary, Queen of Scots against her."

Actors and how many best picture nominees they've been in

This was a lot harder than the previous list with best picture nominees, but it was a rather enjoyable way to spend free time. That gives me an indication over what kind of job I should go for if i can do this and it's not considered work.
I had help from two other people on this, so thanks to them, whatever their names are. This isn't a complete list of course, because we can only do one actor at a time. I also really hope there isn't a computer genius out there who figured out how to do this in an easier way. I'd like to hope I'm the only person out there with these statistics and that i've done something revolutionary here.

Some observations:
-What does this list show? I think it shows more than the previous list of actors in 2 or more best picture nominees because the tastes of people who award the best picture vary so much from year to year and dynasties don't regularly play out in terms of best picture winners. Good movies usually do get in the best picture category and the club of nominees ranges from things as diverse as coming-of-age stories in American Graffiti and Breaking Away to action films like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, to musicals (lots and lots of musicals, to .
-Appearing in a lot of good movies and having a lot of great accolades doesn't neccessarily coincide as is the case with Meryl Streep, Humphrey Bogart, or Katherine Hepburn. Good actors and actresses will stand out in extreme cases. Actors can get oscar-nominations for artsy films that wouldn't get the best picture prize but take Lawrence Olivier vs Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman is an iconic figure in film history because whenever we think of Rain Man, All the President's Men, Tootsie, Midnight Cowboy, or The Graduate, we think of him. His characters have had some of the most memorable scenes and lines in movie history. Lawrence Olivier was possibly the best actor ever, but exactly what do we remember of him? Wuthering Heights? Hamlet? Henry V? No doubt, great films, but the number of high profile films, I think makes a difference, that's all I'm saying.
-Being friends with Frank Capra and John Ford would get you high on the list. Every major work of theirs earned a best picture nomination. To a lesser extent, Eliza Kazan, William Wyler, Fred Zinneman, and Billy Wilder had that same success.
However, an eye for good projects makes a star bankable and you're more likely to have a legacy and be remembered if you're in great pictures. Harrison Ford never earned acting acclaim but until the last couple years where he slowed down in project selection he was one of the most visible and most popular stars in Hollywood, and this list indicates that.
-Way to go Ward Bond! I did this through clicking random names and came across this guy and slowly started working my way up the list and going "this guy might beat Jack Nicholson!" and i counted one after another after another. He was an uncredited actor (his biography said he was friends with John Ford who kept giving him bit parts) but by the time we got into the 40s, he was starting to have speaking roles and he even played Morgan Earp (Wyatt's brother) in My Darling Clementine. So Ward Bond, I salute you, and if your descendants are reading this be sure to contact me to claim your complimentary prize for winning the contest.
-Incredibly useless stat: Shirley MacLaine and Morgan Freeman rank highest on conversion of nominees to best picture winners by going 3 for 4
-Slightly more intersting stat: John Cazale has only appeared in 5 movies and 5 of them are best picture nominees
-Kevin Bacon does pretty well among his contemporaries with this criteria with 4 films. I wonder how much of the Six degrees of Kevin Bacon game can be played on those 4 films alone since they're all ensemble pieces
-John C. Riley with Chicago, The Hours and Gangs of New York in 2002 and Thomas Mitchell with Mr Smith Goes to Washington
-Robert Duvall has 8 films on this list, 7 of which are on AFI's top 100 list (all except Tender Mercies). He holds the distinction of being in the most movies on that list, although To Kill a Mockingbird is more like a cameo than a part.

The grand list:
Ward Bond-12 films-Mister Roberts, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Maltese Falcon, Seargent York, Grapes of Wrath, Gone with the Wind, You Can’t Take it With You, The Informer, Lady for a Day, It Happened One Night, Arrowsmith, The Quiet Man
Jack Nicholson-10 films-As Good as It Gets, The Departed, Reds, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Terms of Endearment, Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, Broadcast News, A Few Good Men, Prizzi’s Honor
Elizabeth Taylor-9 films-Father of the Bride, A Place in the Sun, Quo Vadis (uncredited),
Ivanhoe, Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Cleopatra (1963), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Anne of the Thousand Days (uncredited)
Gregory Peck-8 films-Guns of Navaronne, To Kill a Mockingbird, How the West was Won, Roman Holiday, Twelve O'Clock High, Gentlemen's Agreement, Yearling, Spellbound
Dustin Hoffman-8 films-Tootsie, The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Finding Neverland, Rain Man, Kramer vs Kramer, All the President’s Men, Lenny
William Holden-At least 8 films-Bridge on the River Kwai, Network, Our Town, Sunset Boulevard, Born Yesterday, Towering Inferno, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, Country Girl
Gary Cooper-8 films-Wings, High Noon, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Pride of the Yankees, Mr Deeds Goes to Town, Seargent York, Friendly Persuasion, Farewell to Arms
Robert Duvall-8 films-Tender Mercies, Apocolypse Now, Godfather II, Godfather, The Conversation, Network, To Kill a Mockingbird, MASH
Harrison Ford-8 films-American Graffiti, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Witness, Working Girl, The Fugitive, Conversation, Apocolypse Now
Marlon Brando-7 films-A Streetcar Named Desire, Julius Caesar (1953), On The Waterfront (Winner), Sayonara, Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), The Godfather (Winner), Apocalypse Now
Thomas Mitchell-7 films-High Noon, It’s a Wondeful Life, Our Town, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Gone with the Wind, Stagecoach, Lost Horizon
Robert De Niro-7 films (Godfather II, Deer Hunter, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Brazil, Goodfellas, Awakening)
Henry Fonda-7 films-On Golden Pond, The Ox-Bow Incident, Grapes of Wrath, How the West Was Won, Jezbezel, 12 Angry Men, Mister Roberts
Katherine Hepburn-6 films-Stage Door, Little Women, Philadelphia Story, On Golden Pond, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Lion in the Winter
Daniel Day-Lewis-6 films-Ghandi, Room with a View, My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Gangs of New York, There Will be Blood
Jean Arthur-6 films-Mr Deeds Goes to Town, You Can’t Take it With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Talk of the Town, The More the Merrier, Shane
Al Pacino-6 films-Scent of a Woman, The Insider, Godfather, Godfather II, Dog Day Afternoon , Godfather III
Tom Wilkinson-6 films-In the Name of the Father, Sense and Sensibility, Full Monty, Shakespeare in Love, In the Bedroom, Michael Clayton
Anthony Hopkins-5 films-Lion in the Winter, Elephant Man, Silence of the Lambs, Howard's End, In the Name of the Father
John Cazale-5 films-The Godfather (Winner), The Conversation, The Godfather: Part II (Winner), Dog Day Afternoon, The Deer Hunter (Winner)
Ingrid Bergman-5 films (?)-Bells of St. Mary's, Gaslight, Spellbound, Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls
Willhem Defoe-5 films-Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Mississippi Burning, English Patient, Aviator
Russell Crowe-5 films (in the last 9 years which is pretty damn impressive)-
LA Confidential, Insider, Gladiator, Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander
John C Riley-5 films-Thin Red Line, Aviator, The Hours, Gangs of New York, Chicago
Gene Hackman-5 films-Bonnie and Clyde, French Connection, The Conversation, Reds, Unforgiven
Cate Blanchett-5 films-LOTR I-III, The Aviator, Elizabeth
Tommy Lee Jones-5 Films-Love Story, Coal Miner’s Daughter, JFK, The Fugitive, No Country for Old Men
Tom Cruise-4 films-Born on the 4th of July, Rain Man, Jerry MaGuire, and A Few Good Men
Shirley MacLaine-4 films-Around the World in Eighty Days (Winner), The Apartment (Winner), The Turning Point, Terms of Endearment (Winner)
Richard Dreyffus-4 films-The Graduate, American Graffiti, Jaws, Goodbye Girl,
Faye Dunaway-4 films-Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, Network, Towering Inferno
Tom Hanks-4 films-Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Green Mile
Humphrey Bogart-4 Films-Treausre of the Sierra Madre, Caine Mutiny, Casablanca, Maltese Falcon
James Cromwell-4 films-Babe, LA Confidential, Green Mile, The Queen
Morgan Freeman-4 films-Driving Miss Daisy, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, Shawshneck Redemption
Walter Huston-4 films-Treausre of Sierra Madre, Dodsworth, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Maltese Falcon
Ian Holm-4 films-Aviator, Chariots of Fire, 2 LOTRs
Vanessa Redgrave-4 films-Man for All Seasons, Julia, Howard's End, Atonement
Leo DiCaprio-4 films-Aviator, Gangs of New York, Departed, Titanic
Ed Harris-4 films-The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, The Hours
Geoffery Rush-4 films-Shine, Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Munich
Kelly McDonald-4 films-Elizabeth, Godsford Park, Finding Neverland, No Country for Old Men
Claude Rains-4 films-Lawrence of Arabia, Casablanca, Mr Smith Goes to Down, Kings Row
Kevin Bacon-4 films-JFK, A Few Good Men, Apollo 13, Mystic River
Allison Janey-3 films-American Beauty, The Hours, Juno
Chris Cooper-3 films-American Beauty, Seabiscuit, Capote
Sean Penn-3 films-Dead Man Walking, Mystic River, Thin Red Line
Judi Dench-3 films-A Room with a View, Shakespeare in Love, Chocolat
Maureen O’Hara-3 films-How Green was My Valley, Miracle on 34th Street, Quiet Man
Alec Baldwin-3 films-Working Girl, Aviator, The Departed
George Clooney-3 films-Thin Red Line, Good Night and Good Luck, Michael Clayton
Beth Grant-3 films-Rain Man (as the woman from the farmhouse who let Ray watch Jeapordy), Little Miss Sunshine (as the bitchy beauty paegent organizer), No Country for Old Men (as Kelly McDonald's mom)
John Voight-3 films-Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, Coming Home
Robin Williams-3 films-Dead Poets Society, Awakenings, Good Will Hunting
Natalie Wood-2 films-Miracle on 34th Street, West Side Story
Daniel Craig-2 films-Elizabeth, Munich
Woody Harrelson-2 films-Thin Red Line, No Country for Old Men
Barry Del Sherman-2 films-American Beauty, There Will be Blood
Sidney Pollack-2 films-Tootsie, Michael Clayton
Brenda Blethyn-2 films-Secrets and Lies, Atonement
JK Simmons-2 films-Cider House Rules, Juno
David Warchofsky-2 films-Born on the Fourth of July, There Will be Blood
Paul Dano-2-Little Miss Sunshine, There Will be Blood
Stephen Root-2-Ghost, No Country for Old Men
If anyone wants to assist in this list, go right ahead

50 best actors of all time

A pretty objective list, I think, of the top 50, I’m surprised I made it all the way to 50 and it was a really hard assignment since actors come in different types: mainly those who create a persona and are a personality and those who are character actors, so it's really hard to make a standard list. You also have people who are more prolific and people who made each picture count. Stars who are very bankable, stars who are confined to one niche (i.e. The Western, etc.)

I think i might keep working on providing descriptions and stuff but that would probably take a lot of time, and come on, i can't be here all day writing. Some notes though:

1. Marlon Brando-Notable Roles: Streetcar Named Desire, Viva Zapata, Apocolypse Now, Last Tango in Paris, On the Waterfront, The Godfather, Favorite Director: Elia Kazan
2. Humphrey Bogart-Notable Roles: Sabrina, African Queen, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, To Have and Have Not, Key Largo, The Big Sleep. Favorite Director: John Huston
3. Jimmy Stewart-Notable Roles: It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Vertigo, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Winchester '73, Favorite Director: Frank Capra/Alfred Hitchkock
4. Lawrence Olivier-Notable Roles: Hamlet, Richard III, Rebecca, Wuthering Heights, Favorite Director: Himself
5. Cary Grant-Notable Roles: Arsenic and Old Lace, The Awful Truth, North by Northwest, Charade, His Girl Friday, Bringing up the Baby, Favorite Director: Nomadic
6. Gary Cooper-Notable Roles: The Westerner, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Pride of the Yankees, Seargent York, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, High Noon, Favorite Director: Nomadic
7. Alec Guiness-Notable Roles: The Lavender Hill Mob, Bridge on the River Kwai, Star Wars, Dr. Zhivago, Favorite Director: Mostly British directors
8. Robert De Niro-Notable Roles: Once Upon a Time in America, Deer Hunter, Godfather II, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, New York New York, Goodfellas, Casino, Favorite Director: Martin Scorsesee
9. James Cagney-Notable Roles: White Heat, Yankee Doodle Dandy, The Public Enemy, Favorite Director: Nomadic
10. Henry Fonda-Notable Roles: Young Mr. Lincoln, Grapes of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, 12 Angry Men, Once Upon a Time in the West, On Golden Pond, Favorite Director: John Ford, pehaps
11. Orson Welles-Notable Roles: Citizen Kane, Magnificent Ambersons, Lady from Shanghai, Othello, Third Man, Touch of Evil, Favorite Director: Himself
12. Clark Gable-Notable Roles: It Happened One Night, Mutiny on the Bounty, Gone with the Wind, Favorite Director: Nomadic
13. Charlie Chaplain: Modern Times, City Lights, Gold Rush, Great Dictator, Favorite Director: Himself
14. Peter O’Toole: My Favorite Year, Lawrence of Arabia, Beckett, Lion in the Winter, Goodbye Mr. Chips, The Last Emperor, Favorite Director: Nomadic
15. Jack Lemmon: The Apartment, Days of Wine and Roses, Mr. Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Save the Tiger, Odd Couple, Glengarry Glenn Ross, Irma la Douce, Favorite Director: Billy Wilder
16. Kirk Douglas: Spartacus, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Out of the Past, Lust for Life, The Champion, Paths to Glory, Favorite Director: Nomadic
17. Dustin Hoffman: The Graduate, Tootsie, Midnight Cowboy, Lenny, Papillon, Kramer vs Kramer, Rain Man, Wag the Dog, Favorite Directors: Barry Levinson, Mike Nicholls
18. Jack Nicholson: Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, The Shining, Prizzi's Honor, Terms of Endearment, A Few Good Men, As Good as It Gets, Favorite Director: Roman Polanski
19. Gregory Peck: Duel in the Sun, Twelve O'Clock High, Gentleman's Agreement, Roman Holiday, To Kill a Mockingbird, Favorite Director: Nomadic
20. William Holden: Network, Bridge on the River Kwai, Sabrina, Stalag 17, Wild Bunch, Towering Inferno, Favorite Director: Billy Wilder
21. Gene Kelly-Notable Roles: Anchors Aweigh, On the Town, Summer Stock, American in Paris, Singing in the Rain, It's Always Fair Weather, Favorite Directors: Stanley Donen, Vincente Minelli
22. John Wayne-Notable Roles: Stagecoach, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Fort Apache, Rio Bravo, The Searchers, The Alamo, True Grit, Favorite Director: John Ford
23. Tom Hanks-Notable Roles: Splash, Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Cast Away, Road to Perdition, Favorite Directors: Rob Zemeckis, Ron Howard, Stephen Spielberg
24. Sean Connery-Notable Roles: The Hill, Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Murder on the Orient Express, The Untouchables, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Favorite Director: Sidney Lumet
25. Edward G. Robinson-Notable Roles: Little Ceasar, Confessions of a Nazi Spy, Double Indemnity, Key Largo
26. Spencer Tracy-Notable Roles: Boys Town, Woman of the Year, Adam's Rib, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Bad Day at Black Rock, Inherit the Wind, Favorite Director: Stanley Kramer
27. Fred Astaire-Notable Roles: Flying Down to Rio, Top Hat, Swing Time, Holiday Inn, Barkleys on Broadway, Band Wagon, Towering Inferno, Favorite Director: Whomever was assigned by RKO
28. Burt Lancaster-Notable Roles: The Killers, From Here to Eternity, Elmer Gantry, Atlantic City
29. Sidney Portier-Notable Roles: The Defiant Ones, Lillies in the Field, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Favorite Director: Stanley Kramer or Norman Jewison would be my gues
30. Robert Redford-Notable Roles: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Natural, The Sting, The Candidate, The Way We Were, All the President's Men, Out of Africa
31. James Dean
32. Clint Eastwood
33. Paul Newman
34. Al Pacino
35. Montgomery Clift
36. Albert Finney
37. Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
38. Michael Caine
39. Harrison Ford
    
40. Gene Hackman
41. Ben Kingsley
    
42. Frank Sinatra
43. Denzel Washington
44. Walter Matthau
45. Tom Cruise
46. Robert Duvall
47. Anthony Quinn
48. James Coburn
49. Ernest Borgnine
50. John Voight

-I might call this a best actors and actresses of the 20th century list, simply because recent great actors like Russell Crowe, Jonny Depp or Scarlett Johannson who have been much bigger since 2000, have had a much
-Although, i am capable of independently thinking about this, i did consult two sources: AFI's twenty five legends and Premiere's April 2005 issue of top 50 movie stars
-For those keeping track, i basically have Robert De Niro as the best actor today. Obviously, it doesn't look as good with his last few comedic movies but look back before Analyze This
-Among my immediate family, Cary Grant is controversial but oddly enough Premiere Magazine ranked him #1 star of all time and AFI named him the #2 screen legend.
-Walter Matthau was a tough cookie to place, cause what do you have of him without Jack Lemmon
-This isn't really my opinion, although it's a balance between my opinion and popularity
-Ever notice how Gary Cooper, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck and Jimmy Stewart are all very alike? Gregory Peck has some great performances but he was so cheesy in Gentleman's Agreement
-I would say that the two biggest actors i grew up with are Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks, and it's interesting to put them up against the greats. If you think about movies that are entertaining and exciting, Harrison Ford is always front and center, though admittedly he hasn't had a hit in years. Hanks, to me, is the best, but i weighed that against other stuff. He's my personal favorite, put it that way
-Admittedly Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire aren't the best actors, but keep in mind that those were the only 2 guys out of the entire MGM roster of stars who can act, sing and dance at a level that made those musicals work. Donald O'Connor could dance but he couldn't act that well. Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra could sing but couldn't dance.

-Tom Cruise isn't the best actor, no, but he's done enough good work that he deserves a place on the list. Remember when he used to not be so universally reviled and thought of as one of the biggest stars in the world. It is pretty interesting because Premiere's April '05 (before Oprahgate) Issue ranked Tom Cruise as the greatest living star of today, so it wasn't that long ago. I wonder if the magazine editors who had pages and pages praising Tom Cruise would have changed their minds like the rest of the American public within the following 18 months

-I don't think number of oscars equals greatness. Jack Nicholson isn't number one although some people might say he is. He's good, i like him, he's definitely extroadinarily talented but I think late in his career he's relied on just being Jack. Also, i think i disagree with other people over his best performances (i like 5 Easy Pieces and Chinatown, not As Good as It Gets or One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest). I also perfer Robert Redford to Paul Newman even though Newman's been nominated a million times.

-James Coburn is interchangable with a number of stars from his era who were in The Great Escape or Magnificent Seven or similar Western/War movies with him-James Garner, Jack Palance, Charles Bronson, etc. It was a close call. I went for Coburn because In Like Flint just blew my mind. Was I supposed to take it seriously or was it a spoof? I couldn't figure out which.

-Sean Connery is also tough to nail down and evaluate outside of Bond. Is he a one-trick pony? The truth is he's done way more than 7 films in his career (that's how many Bond films he did), so it's a shame that he's so associated with Bond. His best acting performance outside of James Bond that i've seen is The Man Who Would be King. He's also not bad in Murder on the Orient Express