by Kevin C. Carr

Created on: January 28, 2007   Last Updated: May 09, 2007

There are only two actors that stand out as the most influential and talented actors of our time. This being ironic to me because it was not until the 20th century that we would actually revere actors as more than just actors. There is a difference between an actor, to me, and an outstanding personality or movie star. The difference being that it does not take talent to be a movie star, only charm

and charisma. Where as for a true actor it is beyond just talent, it is charm, training, experience in life, and the heart to actually create a character, on stage or in film, worth remembering. These are the attributes of a good actor. To be great, or the best as it were, you need what these two gentleman I'm about to describe had.

The first and foremost favorite actor of all time to me would be Lawrence Olivier. Here was a man driven not only by his God-given gift, but actually his passion for the art. His stage career superseded that of any actor dead or alive to date. To list everything he did would be fruitless, considering that the list is endless. Though his film career was not as illustrious as it was in the theater, but that only heightens the validity of his choices. He did film for the money and fame and stage for the notoriety, love, and respect of his art form.

The second would have to be Marlon Brando. A raw and uninhibited actor who's rage, passion, intellect, and savage love for the craft out shined any actor of his time. He was a 'phenom' who never really had to work hard at what he did. His training was solid, no doubt, from The Actor's Studio in NYC, but it was his cool and relaxed way of approaching such terrifyingly difficult roles on stage and film that sets him apart. "A Streetcar Named Desire" on stage and screen made the man famous, "The Wild One" made him a heartthrob, "On The Waterfront" was his most brilliant performance with slight nuances that made him almost unrecognizable from his other characters, and, of course, "The Godfather" which made him a legend.

These are the two actors of time that have had such an impact on my life and career. They defined what it meant to struggle for your art. They both had the charm of twenty or thirty actors of today combined, yet had the talent of over a hundred each. They were phenomenal examples of the artist known as the 'thespian' and remain figureheads of future generations to come.

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