Best Single Performance Of All-Time?

[dh1989]

Do any of you have think a single performance is the best of all-time? I know it is tough, since there are so many out there, but is there one that really WOWED you and sticks with you 'till this very day?

Mine is......

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0167404/AU28_1_20.jpg

Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear in M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, the BEST film ever made, IMO. This performance was haunting, believable, charming, sad, and beautiful. Not a single flaw in it. He was robbed of the Oscar for sure. I love this performance dearly. He is one of my favorite actors too.

Incredibly Close Runner-Up:

Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

[zeppelin]

VERY tough decision, but I'm going with Robert De Niro in Raging Bull as the best performance of all-time.

[charliebobo]

AL PACINO in The Godfather Part II

[dh1989]

I agree with DeNiro in Raging Bull a lot. That was an amazing performance. In fact, almost ALL of DeNiro's performances are amazing. A truly great actor, IMHO.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yep, DeNiro in Raging Bull tops every other performance I've seen...

http://deniro.jvlnet.com/ragingbull.jpg

http://deniro.go.ru/images/80's/ragingbull03.jpg

[Hannibal21]

Ooooh, that's tough. But I'd have to go with...

Orson Welles in CITIZEN KANE

Not a very original choice I know, but at age 25 he really brought Kane to life. Not only how he made the film and created the character but the way he portrayed him. The emotions, thoughts, language, everything.

Runner ups: Humphrey Bogart in CASABLANCA and Bette Davis in ALL ABOUT EVE

[SAI]

Julianne Moore as Amber Waves, less a performance than a posession.

http://www.ptanderson.com/featurefilms/images/boogienights/movie/amber.jpg

[bankholdup]

Just one choice?

Hmm...
Marlon Brando in The Godfather

I guess....hard to pick just one though.

[VicVega]

http://www.msu.edu/user/svoboda1/taxi_driver/pictures/talk2me.jpg

DeNiro as Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver"

[Jon Lyrik]

Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead II

No, I'm not kidding. This is the best B-movie performance ever.

[notchreturns]

Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver, no doubt about it.

[DaMovieMan]

Originally posted by VicVega
http://www.msu.edu/user/svoboda1/taxi_driver/pictures/talk2me.jpg

DeNiro as Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver"

Exactly...

DMM

[Ripper1888]

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates in "PSYCHO" I think Perkins is one of the most underrated actors of alltime

[A.J. Hakari]

Robert Shaw as Doyle Lonnegan, THE STING. Best. Performance. Ever.

[Nate6]

Originally posted by VicVega
http://www.msu.edu/user/svoboda1/taxi_driver/pictures/talk2me.jpg

DeNiro as Travis Bickle in "Taxi Driver"

Exactly.

[paul calf]

de niro in taxi driver and raging bull were near perfect
as was marlon brando as vito corleone but i think

joe pesci in goodfellas was flawless,he was born to play that part.

[QUENTIN]

I'm gonna be real original here and go with VicVega, notch, DaMovieMan, and Nate6... Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver is without a doubt the best single performance of all-time.

Also, I find much koolness in the fact that the majority of performances mentioned so far are in Martin Scorsese flicks. Good to know I'm not the only one that thinks he is the best actor's director.

[ilovemovies]

I always here such great things about Robert DeNiro's performance in Raging Bull. I have not seen Raging Bull yet so for now I have to go with a tie:

Anthony Perkins, Psycho

and

Denzel Washington, Malcolm X

A close second goes to . . . .

Tom Hanks, Forrest Gump

[JurassicMik]

Christian Bale in American Psycho.

[Antonio]

As much as I love your choices, especially DeNiro, Pacino, Welles, Perkins, Julianne and Haley Joel...I'm going with Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. He was Stanley! Completely inhabited the part!

[SubMethod]

I'm in a tie for mine. I can't choose between Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate and Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

I have to give an honorable mention though to Peter Sellers for his three performances in Dr.Strangelove which is the best comedic performance of all time.

[Annie Hall]

This is said with the knowledget hat there are MANY movies I haven't seen, including ones listed here, but, I think the best single male performance of all time was given by

Al Pacino in The Godfather Part II

the best female performance of all time was given by

Faye Dunaway Chinatown

[Hucksta G]

De Niro in Raging Bull/Taxi Driver
Joe Pesci in Goodfellas
Jake Ghyllenhal in Donnie Darko
Al Pacino in Godfather Trilogy
Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now/ The Godfather
Daniel Day Lewis in Gangs of New York
Edward Norton in American History X
River Phoenix in Stand By Me
Jack Nicholsan in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
Russel Crowe in A Beautiful Mind

[arto_j]

Yep, it's definitely DeNiro in Taxi Driver.

[Ren Hoek]

Robert Mitchum as the most menacing villain I've ever seen on the big screen: Reverend Powell in THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955).

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1095/9421_0012.jpg


My favourite female performance: Bette Davis in WHATEVER HAPPENEND TO BABY JANE? :)

[croweho]

Russell Crowe as Bud White in L.A. Confidential.

[CheekyShepherd]

There can be only one winner for me:

http://www.movie-winners.com/posters/pix/ralphfienneschindler.jpg

[BadCoverVersion]

Gals would be...

Bette Davis (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?)
Emily Watson (Breaking The Waves)
Elizabeth Taylor (Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?)
Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies)
Meryl Streep (Sophie's Choice)

[docholiday_13]

Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange.


How could anyone possibly make such a fucktard of a character so damn likeable?

[bob]

Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon

CLOSE SECOND:

Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver

[Grebdron]

Originally posted by CheekyShepherd
There can be only one winner for me:

http://www.movie-winners.com/posters/pix/ralphfienneschindler.jpg

I swear I was coming in here to say exactly that, Cheeky.

On the nose.

Runner-up...Edward Norton-American History X.

[MickeyKnox]

Robert DeNiro as Jake LaMotta in (Raging Bull)


http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2001/movies/gallery/raging_bull/bull_lg-01.jpg

[artguylarry]

That's a tough call, I have a 3-way tie:

Faye Dunaway - Mommie Dearest
Sally Field - Steel Magnolias (would prob be "Sybil" if I had seen it)
Haley Joel Osment in A.I.

[SenorSpielbergo]

Robert De Niro in Raging Bull

[VincentPrice]

Two that come to mind....

Edward Norton as Aaron Stampler in "Primal Fear"

And...

Orson Welles as Capt. Hank Quinlan in "Touch Of Evil"

[blankpage]

Oh, Lord. This is waaayyy to tough for me to decide. Ok, my single greatest performance by an actor goes to.....


Marlon Brando in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Mptv/1045/0007-0103.jpg

[Joel_R]

Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront, followed by Robert De Niro in Raging Bull.

[bowieee]

Male: Daniel Day lewis as Bill The Butcher

Female: Emily Watson in breaking the Waves.

[ColinM]

http://i.imdb.com/Photos/Ss/0289765/2287-3129R.jpg

I can't believe I'm the first one to say Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. What an amazing, fantastic performance...

[Shakamaker]

Originally posted by docholiday_13
Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange.


How could anyone possibly make such a fucktard of a character so damn likeable?

Fucktard! Never heard that used before! :D

I reckon John Hurt, in 1984. His acting in the interrogation scenes is the best single performance I have ever seen.

[Tommy Doyle]

I've got to take the cheap way out, and name three.

Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs

Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs

Anne Bancroft as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker

I can't even describe any of these three performances in words because they're just too incredibly damn perfect.