Which of these actors is the best?

Well, Guzmán certainly hasn't as many showcased or leading roles as the others on the list. He's a very good actor, he just hasn't had many chances on the big screen to show just how good.



I think Luis' best role so far is probably in Soderbergh's The Limey, as the sort of Sancho Panza to Terence Stamp on his revenge-fueled tour of sunny southern California. Although the screentime is too often brief, Luis Guzmán is also excellent in Carlito's Way, Out of Sight, Q&A, Punch-Drunk Love, Boogie Nights and Traffic. Don Cheadle's character in Traffic gets probably the best pay-off by the end of the film, but it's only so emotionally resonant and satisfying because of the work he and Luis did together earlier in the film, making the loss of Guzmán's character a painful one for Cheadle and the audience. That's not easy to pull off in the amount of screentime he has. That's what Luis Guzmán is so good at, making these marginal characters that could be throwaways memorable and alive. He's not a chameleon, he's not the kind of actor who is going to have a dynamic jaw-dropping range that you don't physically recognize from role to role. But what he does do he does very well.

Again, he simply hasn't been given a movie that he could play one of the more primarly roles in. Not yet, anyway.

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I voted for Macy too, on the same premise that he has been great in so many movies now. I can't think of a time when he was anything less than good in a film. Fargo was excellent, The Cooler was also very good.

I thought about voting for Don Cheadle but, after that awful Dick Van Dyke impression he did in Ocean's 11, I just couldn't do it.

I went for Macy

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I can't really say about 'the Best'...but my favorite is John C. Reilly. I think Chicago made me a life-time fan. I've noticed him more since than....and he's become one of those comfy sofas like many other supporting actors of old, it's always good to see him. Not sure it that makes sense.


I haven't been able to bring myself to rent Hotel Rwanda yet, but I'll take everyone's word for it on Mr. Cheadle.

Wow, someone's a huge P.T. Anderson fan.

Or maybe it's just coincidence.............But it's the humble opinion of this narrator that these things don't happen. We may be through with the past, but the past isn't through with us......


Out of those, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, closely followed by Macy. Hoffman has had usually smaller supporting roles in Anderson's film, but they're done with real feeling that totally steals the show when he's onscreen, like Scotty J's fondness of Dirk, or Phil Parma's desire to do some good for Earl Partridge. And Punch Drunk Love.......wow. Just wow. Then there's his performance in Capote, which is the best film I've seen all year.

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They are all really great, but I would have to say William H. Macy his performances in The Wool cap as Gigot, Seabiscuit as Tick Tock McGlaughlin, and Door To Door as Bill Porter were amazing.

It's a tie between Macy, Hoffman and Cheadle. The others compared to these are decent actors. I can't choose. My favorite is Hoffman. But both him and Macy are so versatile that it's horribly difficult to choose; and Don Cheadle always puts on a charismatic performance, always. Good choices. Good thread. But damn, it's hard.

I saw Capote last week, and now I definitely think Hoffman is the best actor out of the bunch (and still my favorite).



But Don Cheadle's a close second.

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I love William H. Macy. Thought he did a marvelous job in Fargo. To me he was a money grubbing snake in that who took chances with his family's security just to be financially secure.

I would choose Philip Seymour Hoffman over any of those actors because I like his movies where he is one of the main stars. I was going to chose William H. Macy but decided not to because I remembered the gut wrenching animated Doogal movie he, Stewart, Goldberg, and Kevin Smith starred in.

Don Cheadle is so underrated. He is the best out of that group. He can stretch himself and play almost any type of character

John C Reilly is the most underrated incredible actor that I can ever think of.