seeing a ton of good answers, most of which I agree with, but no cate blanchett yet and I think she’s a fair contender

Viola Davis

Carrie Coon next question

I always say the same thing which is, in terms of craft and all that I really can’t say because I love so many actors for specific roles and bodies of work, but the best actor is Tom Cruise because he’s a fucking nutjob cultist weirdo maybe worse who I find captivating and entertaining every time.

You know what, he’s on my top 5. I think he’s like…a perfect example of a movie star. He’s great in everything, he’s insane.

Most definitely. The tail end of a dying breed. He can do it all… from a script. Otherwise he doesn’t understand things like pranks or going to the movies in real life.

Angela Bassett. She is 100% her character in everything that she’s in. I never watch her and default to “This is Angela Bassett playing a role.” She really feels like she becomes that person.

Denzel. I mean, he's done bad movies but he's never been bad in them. He's charismatic, he's got range, he's got output, and he can do stage as well as small and big screen.

Also I guess Nicholson should be mentioned. Everyone just thinks he's doing 'Jack' in everything but he has had a varied and broad career and managed to escape the Pacino/DeNiro hamming it up thing as he aged.

Paul Giamatti.

Great answer! Love him.

Olivia Colman and Laurence Fishburne

Robert Patterson

JLD and Will Arnett, the latter for Bojack alone

Unfortunately, since this guy passed away the choice has become considerably more difficult :

Recent runs, Colin Farrell A24 stuff, True Detective, Penguin. He really took on the hot guys being creative little weirdos in the last ten fifteen years or so, literally taking over for Heath Ledger starting with the Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. That’s the first that came to mind.

I think this is a great answer.

He breaks my heart with "In Bruges" and I have seen it countless times.

The Range from The Penguin to The Gentlemen is enough for me.

He remains one of the very few white male actors I still care to watch He truly transformed his career

ah shit the prompt was LIVING bc i scrolled all the way back to maybe change my answer

for film, will always be meryl streep for me for the ladies and daniel day lewis for men both are total chameleons.M and competely become the characters they play for stage, mark rylance was literally life changing in twelfth night. an actual loving genius

Oh and Rylance in Wolf Hall??? A master in action

he's so incredible

Daniel Day Lewis was my first answer. He’s just a total master of his craft.

Lesley Manville (British woman)

Also Timothy Spall makes a good case for himself in Death Valley, he plays an actor playing a retired actor, but you can see he drew from so many sources (I was watching Marple yesterday and she did a thing and I went, That's where he stole it from!)

Viola Davis!!!

I don't know if I can answer this. I think of actors the same way I think of directors, I only remember the names of the bad ones.

A lot of my choices already being mentioned. I will give anything that Marianne Jean-Baptiste is in a try.

How has no one said Sally Field? She's amazing

DDL

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Joaquin

I haven’t seen anyone say Daniel Day Lewis or Toni Collette, who I think is brilliant. She can do everything.

She’s great. She’s somewhat underused. Daniel Day Lewis is retired so he probably forgot everything he learned.

Also I have a tremendous crush on Toni Collette. Have since the 90s

I have an irrational hate because I feel like she was forced upon us as an Aussie, I am more of a Rachel Griffiths fan. But the answer is Cate Blanchett to Gem's question.

Not Susie porter?

She's great but Cate is just phenomenal. Not to mention her and her husband basically keep the Sydney Theatre Company going and are huges supports in the arts scene here.

I forgot the question so I just started naming Aussie Actors.

So versatile

Oh my god YES

Controversial: I can't watch Toni Collette. I don't have a reasonable explanation for it.

I love Toni when she's NOT doing an American accent (yes I watched every episode of United States of Tara. I am so brave)

I tried. I may have made it close to 15 minutes but that's rounding up.

I only watched it first run I cannot imagine going back and watching it on purpose.

We all have that person.

Meryl Streep

I was trying to find someone to rival her, but I'm coming up with nothing. Even in Only Murders in the Building when she's auditioning for the play, her monologue about being a nanny had me riveted. Then her reaction to being told she was good - I would've believed she'd never heard that before.

yeah it's funny I remember watching that season and going "oh THAT'S what acting looks like"

Viola Davis and Meryl Streep are like right there for me, I might give Viola the edge for being able to say “Why is your penis on a dead girl’s phone” with a straight face

Joaquin Phoenix maybe for me

Gary Oldman. Ridiculous range. Love him in this film. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Con...

Judi Dench ranks right up there.

THEE best? Of ALL the Actors?

Yep.

I may be able to formulate an answer in the next 3-5 years after some deliberation. I will get back to you.

By the time you formulate a good many of them might've moved from the 'living' column...

You’re right which is why I am immediately adding Judi Dench to my list.

I think Kathy Bates warrants a mention.

Ooooo yes agree!

Sorry I don't care about the reasons she did it, but her performance in Cats is a HUGE point deduction.

All mine have been women so I'm throwing in Matt Berry.

Maybe not best of all time, but a) unique b) never fails to crack me up c) I think the potential for drama is there if he felt like it.

I love a lot of Brits not because they are Brits but because drama school is still pretty required there whereas many of our prominent US actors are just winging it (yes, you DO need to go to school for it and not just be ridiculously good looking, sorry)

I genuinely feel like that’s enough of a reason for anyone.

Matt Berry is fucking amazing

Loooool I forgot about that but her body of work is so huge that the deduction is not a significant figure.

Reminds me of Maggie Smith getting a bit snippy at Judi as only she can. youtu.be/2VxsyjMv1d8?...

God I loved Maggie smith. Second half of the year goal is to go watch her as a young woman. My intro to her was the secret garden (1993).

If you've never seen The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, do so. It's remarkable.

I’m seeing Denzel and Meryl as contenders elsewhere which yes they’re in the pool. I also really want to say Bryan Cranston. And Frances McDormand.

Ooooo Frances McDormand and Denzel Washington are my answers.

She’s SO good. She’s so funny and poignant and like … effortless. She can do quiet or boisterous or furious or ANYTHING.

She’s just so…real? I can imagine being the characters she plays.

It probably helps that all her roles are written exPRESSly for her but who can blame Joel and/or Ethan when she’s that good.

Macaulay Culkin. [drops mic] [walks away]

Kieran Culkin*

Alan Tudyk

the legend

Paul Walter Hauser who just ran the blade and went through broken glass and thumbtacks on this Ring of Honor show.

I think for a popular answer, it would have to be Michelle Williams; for an emotional answer, Melanie Scrofano or Catherine O'Hara (and I'm not even Canadian).

Uhh, Clint Nicholson?