Most chameleonic actor/actress

[pstall]

Jim Carrey/Depp/Downey

[fitty76]

Gary Oldman.

[Woodie]

Way too many actors today aren't really actors, they're personas.

I mean seriously, is what Jack Nicholson does really "acting"? In every film, he's essentially just himself with a different name and situation. Ditto for Bruce Willis, Tom Cruise, Dennis Quaid, Matthew McConnaughey and others.

Who are the real "actors" out there? The guys who actually come off as different guys when they play different roles?

I don't think Tom Cruise fits as a guy that just plays a variation of himself. Throughout his career he has played a multitude of different characters. Up until the point he decided to try and turn himself into an action star, I think he was one of the best actors going.

Right now, though, Daniel Day Lewis is the best going. He just doesn't make that many movies nor does he make many commercial movies, so the average fan doesn't really notice. Leonardo DeCaprio and Matt Damon also are top notch, but tend to do more commercial movies, so more people pay attention and know them.

A lot of the older actors that were once thought of as great are now just coasting through their twilight years.

[cookinbrak]

Johnny Depp has done one movie in 7 years that he wasn't a pirate or a cartoon character.

[Fiz]

[Miaoww]

It's Gary Oldman by a mile.

/thread

[Fiz]

this guy

is this guy

[Miaoww]

Can't act for sh!t thought.

[zebrainz]

Hugh Laurie

[Porn Shop Clerk]

I'm kinda sad nobody mentioned Robin Williams. He had his bombs, but very few actors have been all over the board like he has.

But really, he's not even up for consideration without his dark trilogy.

[necroplasm]

Can't act for sh!t though.

I thought he played Dr.Crane really well.

[Starscream]

He Who Must Not Be Named?

[thefuzz]

Pitt, Damon, Hanks.

They are better than all other right now.

[natty]

Good choices, though I find Pitt and Depp a tad overrated.

Should have included a second question in the original: Who is the most overrated of the bunch and/or the one with the least range? I'd probably nominate the afforementioned Jack Nicholson, but I'm sure there are others.

On the main point, I'd argue for Philip Seymour Hoffman as the most underrated of the bunch. He's played a pretty broad variety of characters. Hard to believe the roles in things like Twister, MI3, Boogie Nights, Red Dragon, Capote and Doubt are all the same guy.

Pitt is definitely not overrated. He may have ridden his looks more than most but the guy is a damn good actor. Especially as being a 'chameleonic' actor. River runs through it, 12 monkeys, seven, fight club, the mexican, Interview with a vampire, Ocean's 11, Inglorious basterds. He's had quite a range.