Favorite First Performances by an Actor/Actress

[OopAnt]

What is your favorite first performance by a famous actor or actress? I think Natalie Portman's "Leon - The Professional" might be one of the best in recent memory. I think Sue Lyons in Kubrick's "Lolita" was especially good. And of course, young Johnny Depp in his role of the boyfriend in Nightmare on Elm Street (which he did before his stint on 21 Jump Street) Spit it out, lets hear it.

OopAnt

[Hannibal21]

ACTOR:
Orson Welles in CITIZEN KANE

ACTRESS:
Audrey Hepburn in ROMAN HOLIDAY

[Antonio]

Two horror greats: Jamie Lee Curtis in HALLOWEEN and Bryce Dallas Howard in THE VILLAGE.

[jaw2929]

Come on people, Edward Norton's performance as "Aaron Stampler" in Primal Fear was fuckin nothin short of brilliant! :D

[ilovemovies]

Norton was brilliant in Primal Fear.

The only ones that come to mind:

Bryce Dallas Howard in The Village

Colin Ferrall in Tigerland

[OopAnt]

Originally posted by Trail_Blazer
Come on people, Edward Norton's performance as "Aaron Stampler" in Primal Fear was fuckin nothin short of brilliant! :D

I would have to agree that Norton was amazing in this role.

Has anyone seen "Wilde"? Orlando Bloom's first official role. I was wondering if it really counted, or if Lord of the Rings was a legitimate first role.

OopAnt

[ilovemovies]

Another one to add:

Eddie Murphy in 48 HRS.

I guess technically He Knows Your Alone is Tom Hanks first role, but his first major hollywood movie was Splash. So if that counts then I'd add Hanks work in Splash to the mix.

[Briare Rabbit]

Originally posted by Hannibal21
ACTOR:
Orson Welles in CITIZEN KANE

ACTRESS:
Audrey Hepburn in ROMAN HOLIDAY.

I hate to nitpick, but Kane wasn't Welles first role, and Roman Holiday certainly wasn't Hepburn's.

I'd have to say John Cazale's Fredo and Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate is it.

[Hannibal21]

Originally posted by Briare Rabbit
I hate to nitpick, but Kane wasn't Welles first role, and Roman Holiday certainly wasn't Hepburn's.

I wasn't counting Welles' short films, Kane was his official role in a major motion picture.

You're right about Hepburn though, I was aware of that, but I was thinking about her 'breakthrough performance' instead, for some reason.

[Gian-Sergio]

Actor:
Gael Garcia Bernal in AMORES PERROS

[Hannibal21]

Lauren Bacall in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT
Kirk Douglas in THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS
Burt Lancaster in THE KILLERS
Angela Lansbury in GASLIGHT

[Brando @$$ Fat]

Sylvestor Stallone in ROCKY

[Pulp_Joker]

Brando @$$ Fat
Sylvestor Stallone in ROCKY

Absolutely, one of the best best performances, period.

[zeppelin]

Aside from the ones already mentioned, these ones spring to mind immediately:

Eva Marie Saint in On the Waterfront
Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins
Ben Kingsley in Gandhi
Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (at least I think it was his first movie)

[Trinity]

Greer Garson in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS