by Zack Mandell

Created on: November 09, 2010   Last Updated: November 16, 2010

There are so many great actors out there, it’s hard to choose just a few. For me, the following people command the screen with their presence. I also took into consideration the number of movies they've done and the types of roles they've played.

Denzel Washington is definitely one of my favorite actors. Of the 40-something films he's done, my favorites include Man on Fire, Remember The Titans, and Bone Collector. Denzel's on screen charisma sets him apart from other actors. His characters always capture your attention and hold it.  For me, if a Denzel Washington film is playing on the screen, I cannot ignore it. I get sucked into it simply because of the passion and believability he brings to every role . He's a natural when it comes to playing the hero, but with movies like Training Day and American Gangster we learned that he can be an equally compelling villain. For his work in the former, Denzel Washington received an Oscar in the category of Best Actor. He serves as an empowering figure not for African Americans but for all races.

At the very top of my list in spot 1 or 2 would have to be Michael Douglas, an industry veteran who, in my opinion, serves as a symbol of American film. He's been acting for decades, yet his more recent movies show that at the age of 66 Douglas still possesses the passion and on-screen presence that made him an icon in the 80's. Nobody can forget the character of Gordon Gekko in 1987's Wall Street, a role he returned to in the 2010 sequel. Of all his movies, my favorite would have to be 1992's Basic Instinct, which co-starred the beautiful Sharon Stone. The two had amazing chemistry on-screen, and Douglas gave a knock out performance as the young Detective Nick Curran. This role, like many of his others (i.e. Fatal Attraction), has Douglas playing a character who is torn between doing good and doing bad. The 1993 film Falling Down is another great Michael Douglas flick. It's an entirely different storyline and role for the actor, who portrays William Foster, a former defense engineer and divorcee. Under these circumstances, Foster's outlook on society is not entirely bright. As he makes his way through Los Angeles to get to his daughter's birthday party he encounters different situations that test his limits. With Falling Down coming out one year after Basic Instinct, Michael Douglas demonstrated his acting capabilities as well as his appreciation of the business. I don't think I'd be making a far reach in saying

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