I see it as a four way tie of heroines. Angelina, Chralize Theron, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. All four were more than happy to shed their clothes for the camera multiple times each for the sake of my teenage self. Super hot celebrities that are comfortable sharing their nakedness is heroism to me.
An honourable mention I couldn't dare not mention: Don LaFontaine. LaFontaine was blessed with the greatest voice in human history. Since the 60's, he was the "Movie Trailer Voice" until his untimely death in 2008. This man should have an honourary Oscar. Here's a cool interview with him, and you can see what a decent guy he really was: Here's Don hard at voicing the perfect kind of trailer for him:
No one is cooler than Paul Newman. Yeah, Arnie has more muscles, and Nicholson is certifiable, and Eastwood ages like a fine wine. But Newman played the cool-headed bad boy on screen for a few decades, then walked away from it all to race cars and help sick kids. It doesn't get any cooler than that.
Marlon Brando. More specifically, Marlon Brando from 1950 to 1980. Ever see The Wild One, On the Waterfront, or A Streetcar Named Desire? The guy just straight up oozes cool in a way matched only by Bogart in the 40's, or possibly Beatty in the 70's. He eventually got fat and lazy, but not before turning in one of the greatest acting performances in any movie, by anyone, ever:
Christopher Fucking Walken The man is a legend. Personally, I'd take him over Jack, DeNiro, maybe even Pacino, any day. Deer Hunter. Dogs of War. Dead Zone. King of New York. The guy can scare the shit out of you when playing a quadrapalegic that is tied to a chair. And then in the next breath do this: And the Tooth Fairy bit in The Rundown (a vastly underrated movie, in my opinion), is a classic. The man is a Living Legend.
Not really. Back in the day, before the intarweb and E! TV, by the time someone became a Legend, they were usually dead. It was a REALLY big deal to become a legend while you were still alive, hence the term Living Legend. In other words, it really did mean that they were a legend, and were still alive. Once they died, they were again relegated to the title of simple (non-living) Legend.
John Malkovich, I can't believe that he isn't in one of the Twilight movies! Like, that would have made his career! Seriously though, one of the best actors I can even think of.
Some great choices in this thread. Anyways, I'll pick two, both for old-school, and modern day; Old-School: Charlie Bronson- The ultimate action star. Everything about him was completely badass. When he was 10 years old, his father died, and he went to work in the coal mines to support his family. According to Wikipedia, his family was so poor, he had to wear his sister's dresses to school sometimes. Suffice to say, any man that has to do that is going to grow up tough. At the age of 21, he enlisted in the Air Force for WW2, and was eventually discharged after receiving a Purple Heart. Around the time he was 30, Bronson decided something as simple as acting would be a piece of cake for him. Of his many great action roles, some memorable classics are 1. Once Upon a Time in the West (considered by many THE greatest film of all time) 2. Red Sun (along with Toshiro Mifune and Alan Delon; greatest action cast ever?) 3. The Valachi Papers 4. The Magnificent Seven 5. The Dirty Dozen 6. Death Wish 7. The Great Escape With his hatchet face, understated but effective delivery, and calm sense of humor in every role, he is the greatest action star to ever live. He lived life on his own terms, never spent much time in Hollywood, and lived a full, long life. Modern Times- Jason Statham That being said, nowadays, Statham is the greatest action star around, and much like Bronson, elevates every movie he is in by his mere presence. He relies more on humor, but he's absolutely brilliant at it. He never has to be a clown, and yet the movies he is in are consistently hilarious with his dry, dead-pan delivery. His ability to play serious or comical in any role, and be great at each one is unique among action stars. Even with the action genre being dead in Hollywood, he still finds some excellent action films to play in.
Dino fucking Martini. What should be the most famous picture of all time. Dean Martin is possibly the most affable badass I've ever heard of. I'll let Wiki tell it: That's right, this guy was an amateur boxer and a hustler to boot. Worked his way up from shitty surroundings to become part of the Rat Pack and one of America's cultural treasures. And he was also the goofiest drunk around. The epitome of cool. It's no wonder. If you ever get a chance, listen to the Rat Pack album, "Live at the Sands"; it's improvised brilliance. (Technically, they practiced a lot of the jokes and skits, but they do it in such a way that you would never know.)
Ok what ever you say there captin. Anyways, what about Steve McQueen: Acted in one of the best movies ever; Bullit, and was nicknamed "The King of Cool" Enough said.
Cary Grant could be dapper, menacing, goofy, grizzled, charming, intense, slapstick, and spine-melting romantic. He could be wearing a tuxedo with slicked back hair or a battered captain's hat and 3 day old beard and he would still make my toes curl. There hasn't been a single actor that has captivated me as much (okay, there is a soap actor, but on this forum he wouldn't count).
Ok, are we supposed to nominate people here based on their acting ability/roles, or how they are in real life? We can't argue the coolness/badassery/success of people like Dean Martin, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Clint Eastwood. For better or worse, I nominate Robert DeNiro as best actor of all time. I could even say that his characters made me who I am today. The guy can play damn near any role and make it his own, and because people often use fictitious characters as role models, I would say that he has influenced a lot of people. However, I don't go along with everything that he does in his personal life, like backing the Democrats. Does that make him less badass to me? No.
Having a beer with Elvis would have been great, boozing, pills, chase tail, shoot shit in the pool, eat late night fried everything and do it all again the next day.
Holy shit, somebody punch me. I'm an idiot. Here I was thinking of actors, and I forgot all about my true hero, Johnny Cash. Like I mentioned with DeNiro, I don't agree with some of his personal beliefs (like him being a Christian), but I have listened to his music since before I even knew who he was. He was an iconoclast in the country music world, and he stayed with it anyway, just like I would have. I would give my pinkies to go back in time and have a booze and pill party with him back when he was running with Elvis and Carl Perkins, Johnny Horton and that bunch. The world is a sadder place now that he is gone. And yes, I wear black every day and have for over 10 years.
Can't believe ol' Oliver Reed hasn't been mentioned yet. Quite probably one of the best drinkers that ever lived, not only was he a brilliant actor, but famous for being so drunkenly outragous on live TV, including turning up wasted to a chat show, then kissing an elderly feminist (around 6:00):
I'd like to give an honorable mention to Eli Herschel Wallach who is still alive at the ripe old age of 94 and starred alongside with Clint Eastwood in one the greatest films ever , The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.