10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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charliechaplinfan
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10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by charliechaplinfan »

The same as the actor thread, looking at a actresses work as a body of work and then making a list of your top ten. I've found this far harder than the actors, it's much harder for me to be subjective with my own sex. Here's some of my nominations, in no particular order

AUDREY HEPBURN - She's an original, no one else quite like her and her films are sweet. I think she appeals to my little girl side.
JEANNE MOREAU - I find her fascinating, an unusual face, not beautiful but more appealing than most.
SIMONE SIGNORET - I'd love to see more of the ladies work, from the few films I've seen a very moving actress
VIVIEN LEIGH - Beautiful, engaging, compelling, ethereal, vulnerable and ultimately my favorite.
MARLENE DIETRICH - A wide ranging career from her first movies with Von Stenrberg, her work with Lubitsch, her tenacity and her personality that comes through whoever her director is.

I'll be giving my second five more thought.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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ken123
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10 Favorite Actresses & Their Performance

Post by ken123 »

Well if men can have a tread why not the better gender ? 8)

1. Ann Sheridan - Torrid Zone - Her chemisty with Cagney is magnetic
2,Maureen O ' Hara - The Quiet Man - Ditto the above but with Wayne
3.Barbara Stanwyck - Double Indemnity - Also a standout in comedy something Crawford & Davis were not
4.Linda Darnell - A Letter to Three Wives - And as the ultra alluing Stella in Fallen Angel
5.Joan Bennett - The Woman in the Window - Maybe because she wears her clothes so well
6.Claire Trevoe - Key Largo - An Irish kid " Maggie Mooney "
7.Agness Moorhead - Dark Passage - Sinister and alluring
8.Joan Blondell - Nightmare Alley - Still attractive and vulnerable
9.Bette Davis - All About Eve - The one Davis performance that I really like
10, Tie - Ann Dvorak - Three on a Match with Joan & Helen Walker - Nightmare Alley - Cold as ice and alluing - Ty Power never had a chance
stuart.uk
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by stuart.uk »

Katharine Hepburn=Bringing Up Baby. She stayed at the top longer than any another actress, save Lillian Gish, who loses out due to the lost 1930s yrs
Bette Davis-Now Voyeger. At her pk the best actress of her generation IMO
Ingrid Bergmam-The Yellow Rolls Royce
Doris Day-With Six You Get Egg Roll. The most fullfilled female all round entertainer
Barbara Stanwyck-Cattle Queen Of Montana. One of the screens first and best action heroines
Olivia De Havilland-The Strawberry Blonde. A great actress, who might have been bigger at Warner, but for Davis
Judy Garland-A Star Is Born. IMO potentially the screens greatest ever talent
Ginger Rogers-Batchelor Mother
Maureen O'Hara-The Quiet Man. An actress, who I think, along with Stanwyck would have been bigger today
Jean Arthur-Arizona, but I think the films ending spoiled her early tomboyish '''I can take care of myself'' attitude
Last edited by stuart.uk on March 5th, 2011, 3:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ken123
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by ken123 »

IMHO Ginger was better in Roxie Hart . Davis in All About Eve,Arthur in Mr Smith, MsDay in By the Light of the Silvery Moon.
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srowley75
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by srowley75 »

Bette Davis (All About Eve or What Ever Happened to Baby Jane)
Barbara Stanwyck (The Lady Eve or Double Indemnity)
Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce)
Giulietta Masina (Nights of Cabiria)
Katharine Hepburn (Bringing Up Baby, Pat and Mike, or The Lion in Winter)
Carole Lombard (My Man Godfrey)
Sissy Spacek (Carrie)
Miriam Hopkins (These Three)
Rosalind Russell (Auntie Mame)
Hayley Mills (Whistle Down the Wind or The Parent Trap)
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Rita Hayworth
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by Rita Hayworth »

Here is my 1st five in no particular order.

Aubrey Hepburn - Breakfast at Tiffany, 1961 Classic - her role as Holly Golightly was sensational.
Elisabeth Taylor - Cleopatra, 1963 Classic - her role as Cleopatra was astounding, Honorable Mention - Giant, 1956 - Cattle Ranchers, Big Oil, inspiration to the Dallas Television Show in the late 70's.
Rita Hayworth - Gilda, 1946 Classic - You know the rest of story, see my Avatar - Pure Flim Noir at its best
Grace Kelly - To Catch a Thief, 1955 Classic - Her role as Francis Stevens was one of my favorite movies of her, her pairing with Cary Grant - makes them an awful cute classical couple on screen - a beautiful and elegant blonde pairing up with a handsome, dashing man in Cary Grant. I find Grace Kelly a charm of her very own.
Clara Bow - It, 1927, Silent Movie Classic, I find her alluring, bewitching, gorgeous in her role as Betty Lou Spence as the It girl. I have watch well over half a dozen films of her, and she was incredibly good in this film.

I will make another post sometimes end of the week. I need more time to add 5 more Leading Ladies to this list.
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mrsl
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by mrsl »

.
This is my list of favorites. It's quite different from my last list. I guess my way of thinking has changed.

1. Audrey Hepburn: Wait Until Dark - She is so intense in this that she draws you, her audience into her fear, also, you would swear she is truly blind throughout the movie and not faking it.

2. Ann Sheridan: The Opposite Sex - In this one she has matured into a sharp thinking, and sharp tongued lady who can definitely take care of herself as her character suggests, but she never looses that feminine allure.

3. Greer Garson: Random Harvest - She sings, she dances, she laughs, she cries, she plays comedy and tragedy all in this one movie. She is just marvelous.

4. Ingrid Bergman: Inn of the Sixth Happiness - Like Greer above, in this movie Ingrid exudes nearly every emotion possible, including a motherly influence that could very well have you weeping.

5. Ginger Rogers: Kitty Foyle - I love the way she keeps that tough girl image right up there at the top threatening to come out. Every now and then it seeps out, but she finally lets go at the end when she leaves him waiting for her with no warning in sight.

6. Barbara Stanwyck: Sorry, Wrong Number - By keeping herself so tense and tightly held in, she has you, her audience also sitting on the edge of your seat, with your nerves screaming for someone to come and help her, even though you hated her from the beginning for being such a spoiled, crybaby.

7. Elizabeth Taylor: Giant - For some reason I never think of Elizabeth when discussing great film stars, yet she has delivered so many fine and varied performances, I don't know why. She's always been careful with the roles she chose to play and most of them have turned out to be excellent for her.

8. Katherine Hepburn: Summertime - Another actress who draws you into her head so you feel all the emotions she is showing you. In this movie you have to laugh with her, smile with her, feel lonely, and cry with her. A perfect performance.

9. Judy Garland: Meet Me in St. Louis - I love watching her grow up in this one from a young teenage gal, to a fine young woman who knows some things must be earned to be rewarding.

10. Maureen O'Hara: The Rare Breed - In this one, instead of fighting the Duke, she does a cracker jack job of holding her own with two strong men - Brian Keith and Jimmy Stewart, not to mention that bull!!!

I could easily add a couple of names and movies, but as I started the list, these are the names that jumped out of my brain into my hand, then thinking of their movies was a harder chore. Some of the movies are not greatly well known, but the performances in the roles are what made the actress stand out for me as something special.
.
Anne


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Lzcutter
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by Lzcutter »

Not in order:

Joan Blondell: There is no film that couldn't be made better by Joan Blondell.
Jean Arthur: Her voice may not be everyone's cup of tea but she captured the 1930s/1940s era working woman like no other.
Ann Sheridan: She proved that she was much more talented than the "Oomph Girl" title implied.
Marlene Dietrich: Whether capturing our imagination with her screen portrayals or going to the front lines to entertain the troops, she was a woman for all seasons whose own vanity robbed herself and us of more roles because she didn't want us to see her get old.
Judy Garland: Her personal life was usually a mess but when she could hold the demons at bay she could soar.
Ingrid Bergman: She could be good, she could be bad but she was always luminous.
Meryl Streep: Whether in comedies, dramas or bio-pics, her range and her commitment to acting never ceases to amaze.
Maureen O'Hara: One of the few women who could go toe to toe with John Wayne and the more formidable John Ford and hold her own.
Gloria Swanson: The only silent star willing to portray Norma Desmond without hesitation. She is absolutely fearless in the role and American film is all the better for her performance.
Barbara Stanwyck: From Depression-era working girl to cattle baroness of Stockton and beyond, there is no role that Stanwyck wouldn't consider. From comedy to drama, she always amazes.

Honorary Mention:
Elizabeth Taylor: Much more than just the pretty face she is mainly known for. Her range of parts, when you consider her career, show that she is extremely talented.
Myrna Loy: William Powell too often gets the credit for the *Thin Man* but without Myrna Loy who would remember the series at all?
Sissy Spacek: One of those actresses you never see acting. Even after almost forty years.
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"For me, John Wayne has only become more impressive over time." Marty Scorsese

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charliechaplinfan
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by charliechaplinfan »

My second five

MARY PICKFORD not just the little girl roles but the adult roles she played so very well.
KATHARINE HEPBURN comedy and drama, such a varied and great career.
JEAN ARTHUR I love her and all her films, she seems super charged with excess energy, the most unlikely of film stars perhaps with the most unusual voice.
JENNIFER JONES I was late to discover her as an actress, she's really grown on me, she deserves nomination just for Cluny Brown not to mention Madame Bovary, Love Letters, Statione Termini etc
GRETA GARBO for her silents alone although there are some great talkies too.

Honorable mentions

CAROLE LOMBARD
CATHERINE DENEUVE
GINGER ROGERS
MARGARET SULLAVAN
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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Rita Hayworth
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by Rita Hayworth »

Here is my 2nd FIVE - with a double bill included in this list.

Greta Garbo - In 1936 Classic - Camille as Marguerite Gautier - She was dynamite - I only saw this movie once. I would like to see it again.
Ava Gardner - In 1964 Classic - The Night of Iguana as Maxine Faulk - I consider this role is one of her greatest work as an Actress.
Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell - In 1953 Classic - Gentlemen Prefers Blondes - Lorilee Lee and Dorothy Shaw - as Lee and Shaw they entertain me with love and laughter.
Gene Tierney - In 1944 Classic - Laura - As Laura Hunt, I consider this role on of my sentimental favorites of her career. She was superb.

There my 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances. It was tough to do.
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charliechaplinfan
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by charliechaplinfan »

I like Camille, Greta Garbo seemed made for that role yet I find Conquest and Queen Christina more to my taste. She's made for costumes. Her silents are something else.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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JackFavell
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by JackFavell »

Here are 10 favorite actresses, whose mere presence in a movie make me happy. I tried to include names not already mentioned, those who make me turn and look at the screen and stay there watching when I hear their voices.

Myrna Loy

Aline MacMahon

Ethel Barrymore

Claire Trevor

Simone Simon

Katy Jurado

Ruth Hussey

Hattie McDaniel

Jennifer Jones

Edna Mae Oliver
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mongoII
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by mongoII »

Here are the ladies of my choice:

Joan Blondell in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn"

Olivia de Havilland in "The Heiress"

Jane Wyman in "Johnny Belinda"

Barbara Stanwyck in "Double Indemnity"

Bette Davis in "The Letter"

Sara Allgood in "How Green Was My Valley"

Luise Rainer in "The Good Earth"

Gladys George in "The Roaring Twenties"

Hattie McDaniel in "Gone With the Wind"

Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Blvd."


Of course there are more priceless performances.
Joseph Goodheart
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JackFavell
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Re: 10 Favorite Actresses and their performances

Post by JackFavell »

I love your including Joan Blondell, Gladys George and Sara Allgood, mongo. Great choices!
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