10 fav Brit actors/actresses best film performances

[stuart.uk]

Charlie Chaplin-The Kid
Ronald Colman-Random Harvest
John Mills-Hobson's Choice
Sean Connery-The Wind And The Lion
David Niven-Dawn Patrol
Robert Donat-Goodbye Mr. Chips
Claude Rains-Mr. Skeffington
Dirk Bogarde-Victim
Roger Moore-The Sea Wolves
Michael Caine-Educating Rita

Olivia De Havilland-The Strawberry Blonde
Audrey Hepburn-Charade
Helen Mirren-The Queen
Vivien Leigh-Waterloo Bridge
Greer Garson-Random Harvest
Jean Simmons-Guys And Dolls
Julie Walters-Mo
Angela Lansbury-The Celtic Riddle
Virginia McKenna-Carve Her Name With Pride
Judi Dench-The Blonde Bombshells

[Lzcutter]

In no particular order:

James Mason- whether as Norman Maine or Phillip Vandamme or Mr. Jordan, no other British actor had that voice.

Richard Burton- too often regarded as Dick, the male half of "Liz and Dick", he was a much better actor than he gets credit for being.

Sean Connery - Bond, James Bond. If that had been all, that would have been enough but then he surprised us by turning into one of the great character actors of all time. From Goldfinger to Robin and Marion to the The Untouchables, he never fails to impress. And in The Wind and the Lion, he gets one of the greatest screen entrances of all time.

Claude Rains - too often we forget he was English.

Maggie Smith- Who wouldn't listen when Dame Maggie snaps?

Richard Harris- One of that legendary pack of British actors that drank too much, chased skirts too much and put their demons on the screen (see Richard Burton, Oliver Reed and Peter O'Toole)

Oliver Reed- Way too often thought of mean and thuggish, see him in Richard Lester's marvelous Musketeers movies to see how heartbreaking he can be.

Peter O'Toole- like the others, a tremendous actor from Lawrence to Alan Swann and still giving us powerful performances.

Alan Rickman- Incredibly sinister in Die Hard and Quincy Down Under and even more heartbreaking in Truly, Madly, Deeply and Sense and Sensibility. And then he makes you want to smack the crap out him in the Harry Potter series and Love Actually.

Liam Neeson- rugged, handsome and what a voice.

Emma Thompson- she can break your heart in that moment in Love Actually, make you laugh out loud in Much Ado About Nothing, we thought her career might be over when she and Kenneth Branagh split but luckily, we were wrong. She can act and write and has an Oscar to show for it.

Charlie Chaplin- smile through your tears and sorrow, smile and maybe tomorrow, no one reminded us that we could cry and laugh our way through life the way Chaplin could.

Basil Rathbone- Was anyone better suited to play Sherlock Holmes?

Kenneth Branagh- Definitely the best Henry V of the silver screen, he had all the trappings of following in Olivier's footsteps but then he took a turn towards character acting. Go figure.

[JackFavell]

There are so many favorites in this category, I went over the limit, and I am sure I forgot someone!

Alec Guinness - The Man in the White Suit

Ralph Richardson - The Fallen Idol

Bernard Miles - Great Expectations

Trevor Howard - Brief Encounter

Bernard Lee - The Third Man

Robert Donat - Knight Without Armour

Dennis Price - Kind Hearts and Coronets

Anton Walbrook - 49th Parallel

Leslie Howard - Pygmalion

Gordon Jackson - Upstairs Downstairs (I know it's not a film, but it's so good, I can't leave it off the list)

Eric Porter - The Forsyte Saga (ditto)

Angus Lennie - The Great Escape

Donald Pleasance - The Great Escape

Bill Paterson - Comfort and Joy

Simon Callow - Four Weddings and a Funeral

John Hannah - Four Weddings and Funeral

[pvitari]

I just watched Knight Without Armour a few days ago -- I had recorded it off TCM. It was a very unusual role for Marlene Dietrich because she played a rather innocent, coddled aristocrat who escapes the Bolsheviks by the skin of her teeth only with the help of Donat's British writer-spy-in-disguise-as-a-Red-revolutionary. It was a very lavish production and blood-chilling too, with numerous scenes of mass executions on both sides of the ideological divide. Donat was marvelous of course but I was also very taken by John Clements as a good-hearted young Communist who falls madly in love with Marlene and whose heart is broken when he realises she and Donat are a couple.

[JackFavell]

Oh, You make me realize I should have added John Clements - he's so great in everything I''ve ever seen him in - but probably the main film that captures his personality would be Four Feathers. He's also excellent in South Riding.

[charliechaplinfan]

My favorite British actors

Charlie Chaplin - in everything
James Mason - A Star is Born/Odd Man Out/The Reckless Moment
Alan Bates - A Kind of Loving
Richard Burton - Night of the Iguana
John Mills - Hobsons Choice
Charles Laughton - Hobsons Choice
Robert Donat - The Winslow Boy/Goodbye Mr Chips
Ronald Colman - A Tale Of Two Cities
MIchael Caine - Educating Rita
Albert Finney - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Alec Guinness - The Ladykillers


British Actresses

Vivien Leigh - Gone With the Wind. Waterloo Bridge, A Streetcar Named Desire
Audrey Hepburn - Roman Holiday
Angela Lansbury - Gaslight
Margaret Lockwood - The Man in Grey
Ann Todd - The Seventh Veil
Phyliss Calvert - Madonna of the Seven Moons
Rachel Roberts - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning/ This Sporting Life
Claire Bloom - Limelight
Celia Johnson - Brief Encounter
Brenda De Banzie - Hobson's Choice

[JackFavell]

I forgot Ronald Colman!

[klondike]

FAVORITE BRIT ACTORS

Classic:
Finlay Currie, The Mudlark
Donald Crisp, How Green Was My Valley
Roger Livesey, I Know Where I'm Going
Michael Redgrave, The Dead of Night


Vintage:
Patrick McGoohan, Alias Dr. Syn
Robert Shaw, The Luck of Ginger Coffey
Sidney Poitier, To Sir, With Love
Edward Woodward, The Wicker Man

[JackFavell]

Favorite British Actresses:

Celia Johnson

Joan Greenwood

Vivian Leigh

Margaret Lockwood

Kay Walsh

Wendy Hiller

Jean Cadell

Katie Johnson

Vanessa Redgrave

EIleen Atkins

Brenda de Banzie

Kathleen Harrison

Glynis Johns

Margaret Rutherford

[stuart.uk]

On this side of the pond, Jeremy Brett is sort of seen as the best Sherlock Holmes

[JackFavell]

Here too.

I didn't list my favorite modern or TV actresses - the list would be different. In no order:

Diana Rigg

EIleen Atkins (she should have been on this list but I like her so much I included her in the classic movie list)

Helen Mirren

Kate Winslet

Emma Thompson

Pauline Collins

Imelda Staunton

Judi Densch

Judy Davis - I don't know if she counts, but I'm listing her anyway.

Anna Massey

Susan Hampshire

Margaret Tyzack

Jean Marsh

Meg Wynn Owen

[stuart.uk]

Jean Marsh, along with Eileen Atkins, is currently starring in a new version of Upstairs Downstairs set in the 1930s. The 3 episodes already shown in the UK are on you tube. Here's a clip

[JackFavell]

I read about that last year - it seemed so far away then... Have you seen them? I hope they are good! It makes me nervous when they bring back an old series or redo things nowadays. But I suppose I should trust Marsh and Atkins.

[stuart.uk]

Yes and it's every bit as good as the original

Angus Lennie was also in a good role in 633 Squadren, yet he ended up as a chef in the popular, but not acclaimed soap Crossroads with star Noele Gordon

[stuart.uk]

I only did my top ten, here's 10 more actresses

Celia Johnson-Brief Encounter
Rosamund John-The Way To The Stars
Kate WInslet- The Reader
Claire Bloom-Limelight and Intimate Contact
Diana Rigg-On Her Majesty's Service
Susannah York-Sebastian
Alison Steadman-Champions
Kay Walsh-This Happy Breed
Brenda Blethyn-Saving Grace
Pauline Collins-Shirley Valentine