For you guys, which actors (male or female) have given their best performances that simply blew you away, which films were they in and why do you think they've stood the test of time. Can be CBM or not.
Males
1. Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver -- The scariest performance I've ever seen, and yet so sad and sympathetic.
2. Max Von Sydow - The Seventh Seal -- Defines gravitas in acting. Every note pitch perfect. Gentle, frightening (more so than Death), and wise.
3. Takashi Shimura - Ikiru -- The most complete performance I've ever seen. Takes you vicariously through all the emotions.
4. Orson Welles -- Chimes at Midnight -- Best Shakespearean performance, brings a bard character to life better than anyone else.
5. Humphrey Bogart - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre -- Completely believable as a junkyard dog-mean a*hole who I can still empathize with.
Females
1. Juliette Binoche - Three Colours Blue -- The best portrayal of grief I've ever seen, completely lacking in sentimentality and yet intensely sympathetic.
2. Setsuko Hara - Tokyo Story -- Naturalistic performance that immerses you in Ozu's world. Doesn't seem like acting but all you see is the character.
3. Machiko Kyo - Rashomon -- Same as Hara but without the naturalism. Intensely theatrical and you don't know exactly what to think of her.
4.
Lee Eun-shim - The Housemaid -- The second most frightening performance I've ever seen, and yet you still empathize with her.
5. Renee Jeanne Falconetti - The Passion of Joan of Arc -- The best overall acting I've ever seen except maybe Shimura. Her face tells a complete story of suffering and redemption. Things that most actors can't pull off with a monologue, she pulls off with a look.
