The Top Of The Top Actors

Everybody has their own opinion on great actors and great movies. No one is more right or more wrong because it is just an opinion but it is fun to have favorites and enjoy. Some actors have enormous talent, and some actors are easy on the eyes and then there are the actors that are both. We like some actors more for what they do off the screen than onscreen, as some of them are great individuals who use their fame and fortune to help others and the world.

Tom Hanks is an amazing talent. It is rather outrageous that he got his start in a goofy TV show called “Bosom Buddies”. Later he played an amazing role as Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer who was infected by the AIDS virus and took on his own conservative law firm for firing him because of the fear that they may too contract the disease. Tom won his first Academy Award for that role in 1993.

Then in 1994, he became only the second actor in history to win back-to-back Oscars as he again took home the award, this time for “Forrest Gump”. Yes, there are also many other great movies from the funny and sweet like “Big” to the more serious like “Castaway” where his co-star was actually a volleyball.

Brad Pitt has been recognized as a pretty boy since he first charmed us all in “Thelma and Louise” back in 1991. However, Brad hasn’t always played the pretty boy roles. Back in 1995 he played a couple of disturbing characters in both of the movies “Seven” and “Twelve Monkeys”. While his personal life sometimes seems to outshine his movie roles the most impressive thing about Brad Pitt is his support to humanitarian causes throughout the world. He has donated hefty sums of money to help many causes.

Brad Pitt founded the “Make It Right Foundation” to assist the people of New Orleans following the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina. The idea was to be a catalyst for the redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans by building homes that were affordable, sustainable and true to the culture of New Orleans. The goal was to finish it quickly so that the residents could return as soon as possible. Here is where he has had true victory.

There is an additional great actor who is deeply admired for his generosity. Paul Newman passed away this past September 26, 2008 but he will long be remembered for great movies like “Road to Perdition” from 2002, “The Color of Money” from 1986 and “Absence of Malice” from 1981. He also played Butch in the well known and ever beloved “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” from the year 1969. And then of course, the list of great Paul Newman movies goes on and on.

But like Brad Pitt, Paul Newman was also known for his charity. In 1982 with a colleague he created a line of food products called “Newman’s Own”. It started with salad dressing and since then it has expanded to include pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, salsa, cookies and other items. Newman established a policy that all of the proceeds from Newman’s Own, after taxes, would be donated to charity. As of early 2006, the corporation had donated in excess of $250 million.

We will for all time have our favorite movies and our favorite actors and actresses. We may be fond of them because of their talent or for other reasons but now that we can download full-length, high quality movies instantly on the Internet at least we won’t have to miss any of their movies.