Many fans of Aaron Eckhart swear by the actor’s performances and hail him as one of the best actors of this generation. This fifty year old American actor has first made his debut in the 1997 black comedy film titled “In the Company of Men”. He has since performed in various key roles, including as Harvey Dent in the acclaimed “Dark Knight” film, George in the biographical film “Erin Brockovich”, and Nick Naylor in “Thank You for Smoking”.
If you’re looking for Aaron Eckhart’s best and most prominent role, it’s quite clear what the best film to watch is. The actor’s most iconic role is undoubtedly that of the charismatic and manipulative Nick Naylor in “Thank You For Smoking”. In the film, Eckhart plays the spokesperson for the cigarette industry. He received a Golden Globe nomination for his role, and enjoyed critical acclaim for the film.
Javier Bardem
Javier Bardem is a heavyweight Spanish actor who is known as one of the best Latin actors in Hollywood. His major breakthrough was playing Anton Chigurh in the Coen Brothers' award winning film, "No Country for Old Men". His role as the psychopathic villain in the film was considered by many to be one of the best villain roles of all time. His character was also nominated as one of number 26 in Entertainment Weekly's "50 Most Vile Villains in Movie History" list.
Despite Bardem appearing in many films over the years and doing fantastic work in all of them, nothing stands up to his magnum opus role in "No Country for Old Men". If you’re looking to see the Spanish actor at his very best, you don't need to look any further than this award-winning movie. Bardem practically stole all of the awards that year for his role. As long as you’re not too sensitive to violence, you should definitely give this one a watch.
James Dean
Back in the '50s, James Dean was considered a symbol of cultural rebellion. Unfortunately, the actor died during a car crash at just 24 years old, effectively ending one of the most promising film careers of all time. He only acted in three films, "Rebel Without a Cause", "East of Eden" and "Giant". Dean has since been branded as a social icon and is credited for much of the development of Rock and Roll music. Many musicians, such as Elvis Presley, claim to have been influenced by the actor.
His most endearing and celebrated film to date was 1955's drama film, "Rebel Without a Cause", where he portrayed Jim Stark. The film was a social rebuke of many cultural stagnations, and gave a social commentary on many of the time's traditions. The film is considered as one of the most culturally and historically influential films of all time, and has received many awards and recognition over the years.
Robert Duvall
Robert Duvall's career is considered by many as one of the most successful and inspirational ones in all of Hollywood. The actor has appeared in some of the most famous films of all time. He portrayed Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird", Tom Hagen in "The Godfather", and even had some major roles in 1963's horror anthology show, "The Twilight Zone". He's also one of the only actors in Hollywood that is an outspoken Republican, and has served in the United States Military with the rank of Private First Class.
Duvall has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, and finally won when he portrayed Mac in the drama film "Tender Mercies". This was one of the only films where he played a starring role. He’s mostly been known for being one of the best supporting actors in Hollywood, but that doesn’t take away from his incredible skills.
Heath Ledger
One of Hollywood’s darling actors, Heath Ledger became famous after his excellent acting in the teen comedy film based on Shakespeare's work, "10 Things I Hate About You". The young actor continued to rise in popularity when he appeared in "A Knight’s Tale" two years later. In 2005, he took the legendary role of Ennis in "Brokeback Mountain", a brilliant drama film that shook audiences. His last and arguably greatest performance was as the Joker, in Christopher Nolan’s "The Dark Knight".
There’s no denying that Ledger was an absolute force of brilliance in this one. Fans were originally horrified when they heard that the actor was cast as the Joker, until they saw his performance and realized it was the best film portrayal of the character they'd ever seen. Ledger was so committed to the role that he locked himself up in a hotel room for over a month, and began to keep a psychotic diary to gradually mold and create his character. Unfortunately, the actor died shortly around the time of the film’s release, he was posthumously awarded an Oscar for his role.