who is the most versatile actor today?

Yes, I had, and then you had to go remind me! A decade of counseling down the drain!

I don't think I've seen any of Philip Seymour's films yet. I disliked the real Capote's real voice and personality so much that I didn't want to pay to see him reenacted. But then I guess that the way that film put me off is sort of a testament to P.S. Hoffman's acting ability. The feedback that I'm getting on Charlie Wilson's War is discouraging me from seeing that one, plus the fact that we Texans know the real characters of that movie all too well. Also, Hank's attempt at a Texas accent is atrocious in the TV ads.

What else has PS Hoffman been in?

OK... but what does that have to do with his overall versatility as an actor, or are you saying that he isn't really that versatile?
If you are, then that's your right, but I'd obviously disagree.

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I like PSH a lot. He's great in 25th Hour and so good in Love Liza.

Well, to my mind, versatility means someone who can play different roles in such a manner that you can believe him as that character, someone who changes his performance or even his looks to fit the new character he's playing, as opposed to someone who plays a cowboy with the same appearance and characteristics as he plays a New Yorker, as he plays a gangster, as he plays an angel, as he plays any other role. To me, John Travolta plays John Travolta regardless of what character he's playing. The same can be said about most of the actors in Hollywood--you go to a John Wayne movie, you know what you're going to get from Wayne because you've seen the same performance in every one of his films; go to Steve McQueen, you know what his performance will be like, go to Doris Day and you know how she's going to play the role, go to a John Travolta film, you know you're going to get the same John Travolta you've always seen before. Like most movie stars, he makes a good living being the person people want to see on screen time after time after time. Very few movie stars are really good actors who can give you something different from one film to the next. As far as I can see, playing "Hairspray" in drag is probably the only risk he's taken on stage and his first major effort to stretch his acting ability. I hope he succeeds, but I'd be more impressed if Wesley Snipes, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Preston, Cary Grant, and so many others hadn't already done it.

As for his Urban Cowboy role, John Travolta didn't look, sound, or act like anyone I ever met in Gilley's, so he certainly wasn't believeable in that role to me. I kept expecting him to break into a disco line dance. Yeah, the movie was a big hit and paid him a lot of money and lots of people liked it. But I didn't believe him for a moment. Just my opinion. Not saying it's right or better than yours at all.

See, that's my problem--I'm not familiar with either of those movies.

I've got to run now, but here's a list of Philip Seymour Hoffman's movies. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000450/

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Oh man, you've got to check out 25th Hour! That's a Spike Lee Joint mang! And christine is right about Hoffman being excellent in the film and it's a different enough performance from his other roles to serve as proof of his versatility.

Im going to also have to add Robin Williams.

from dramatic "what dreams may come" to comedic"Good morning vietnam" to psychotic "one hour photo", Williams has proved large amounts of versatility to impress me and be considered as the elite upon actors.

I'm gonna have to go with Keanu Reeves.

It doesn't matter if it's action, comedy, a period piece, sci-fi, romance, drama, a thriller...No matter what the genre, if you want a vacant block of wood to utter "Woah" and "Dude" in monosyllabic emotionless tones, Keanu is your man. What versatility!



"That Barney Rubble: What an actor!"

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This thread is weird.

Some people have voted for Vin Diesel and Orlando Bloom. Twice.

Versatile in that they both could double for planks of wood? Now, why hasn't someone mentioned Clive Owen, then?

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Glancing down that list confirms how little I've encountered PSH on screen. Saw Scent of a Woman, but never really cared for that movie (they could have called it Blind Veteran Behaving Badly or Al Pachino Walks Through Another Role) and don't recall PSH in in it.

Saw The Big Lebowski, which I liked enough to buy the DVD and watch it a couple of times. But again, I don't recall PSH's role offhand. He just didn't stand out to me.

None of this is any reflection on his acting abilities--he seems to have been in several flims that just didn't engage my interest, through no fault of his own.

The only film I've ever seen in which Willis didn't portray the same tough-guy PI image that made him a star on TV was the role of the wimpy bald husband in Death Becomes Her. That told me that Willis actually can act if he wants to and will take the risk of doing so without his toupee. But apparently it's easier to take the money from yet another Die Hard film and run to the bank.

Versatility is right, Pike! Pine, oak, birch, hickory . . . . you name it!

I thought Tom Hanks was two other people for a moment - so I'm gona have to give it to him.

Toy Story - The Terminal - Forrest Gump - Saving Private Ryan

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i also go for Jack Sparrow "Depp"

I've seen Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp a very talented men.

I think Dustin Hoffman Must be considered as well, you look at Rain Man especially, not many actors could pull that off so convincingly whilst still being able to make Marathon Man an interesting film - the only reason i like that film is Hoffman! others include Hook in Hook a brilliant portrayal, and for sheer comic wonder Meet the Fockers.... He has to be up there!

Edward Norton anybody?

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How about versatile actressess? Seems to me there are more of them than male actors--Judi Dench, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, Kathy Bates.

Mentioning Emma Thompson reminds me of another very versatile male actor, also British--Anthony Hopkins.

Another versatile British male, Bob Hoskins. Hmmm, could there be more mature versatile British actors and actresses than there are young versatile American actors? I suspect so.

Oddly enough Keanu Reeves is in many films I like. He's an example of a bad actor that is interesting to watch and has good screen presence. I'd much rather see him in a film than a "good actor" like a Matt Damon or a Tobey Maguire who are boring on screen.

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