Although there are many fine character actors who've been around for years and never received the recognition or critical acclaim they are most certainly due, most notably Ed Harris, Jeff Bridges, John Malcovich, James Caan, James Woods, Nick Nolte, Jeff Daniels, Kurt Russell,Gary Sinise,Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Joe Pesci,Harrison Ford,Russell Crowe, Edward Norton,Kevin Bacon, Eddie Murphy,Sam Jackson,Morgan Freeman,Alan Arkin,Robert Redford,and Danny DeVito, and the wonderful, Charles Durning,(another seamless actor) there are a few stand-outs who are my personal favorites, and who I consider outstanding, exceptional actors who give consistently strong performances, and who excel in their ability to portray a diverse range of characters,from those that are tragic, to those that are comical, and everyone in between.

These are a few of my favorite actors and I consider each of them to be the gold standard when it comes to being truly great,inspiring actors who are masters of their craft:

1. Robert DeNiro- Robert DeNiro is acting at its finest, and he is as fine an actor as they come. Robert DeNiro inhabits the characters he plays like a second skin. From his performance in The Deerhunter, to his performance in Raging Bull, to Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, to the incredible performance as Max Cady in Cape Fear, to Goodfellas,to his performance in Jacknife as an Vietnam Vet, to his performance in Heat opposite Al Pacino, to the lighter side in Meet The Parents, to his performance in Backdraft as an arson investigator, to his performance in Sleepers as a priest, to his role in Jackie Brown opposite Sam Jackson, to Awakenings with Robin Williams, Robert DeNiro gives consistently strong, riveting, compelling, and engaging performances, is truly gifted, and has an enormous range in his ability to convincingly play tragic characters, depraved characters, sociopathic characters, comic characters, and your average Joe. Robert DeNiro is a seamless actor. His performances are never disappointing. Watching Robert DeNiro act is a real treat. He is the consummate actor.

2. Al Pacino- Al Pacino is, like DeNiro, another gifted and extraordinary actor. I cannot say enough good things about Al Pacino. He, too, is the consummate,seamless actor who never misses a beat and has an outstanding body of work to his credit. From his performance in The Godfather, to Panic in Needle Park,to Scarface, to Dog Day Afternoon, to Cruising, to And Justice For All, to Serpico,

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