The Greatest British Actor

[poliphilo]

Someone I know in Real Life has just got themselves an LJ. All hail playdreams. Up until now the only Real Life people I've known on LJ were my kids.

So who's the greatest British actor of all time? Channel 5 gave its viewers a list compiled by "experts" and asked them to put the names in their preferred order. And, no- Burbage, Garrick, Keane and Irving weren't on it. I hate that phrase "all time" because it never means what it says.

Anyway, the greatest British actor of all time turns out to be Anthony Hopkins. I guess it was the fava beans that did it. I saw Hopkins on stage once (in Lear) and thought he was ordinary.

But Cary Grant and Peter Sellers were on the list- they came in at 4 and 7 respectively- and this makes me happy.

Yes, Cary Grant was a Brit. Born in Bristol. Real name Archie Leach. Is this common knowledge? It should be. Surely it's time we put his head on a stamp or a bank note or something!

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

What about Alec Guiness and Peter O'Toole and Patrick Stewart (oh, I know. I can't help it.) and--who was that man who played Julius Caesar in the sixties in a film...we saw it in high school and I fell in love with his long eyelashes...)

Instead of "greatest actor," I suspect this is a popularity contest.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Alec Guinness came in at #2. Peter O'Toole is Irish and so ineligible. Patrick Stewart didn't make the list (sorry).

I can't identify the man with the eyelashes.

John Gielgud maybe? He came in at #8