Actors worth following, part 2
This list continues from part 1.
Ben Affleck
Affleck has also directed movies — Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo. He also happens to be the new Batman.
- Masterpieces
- Good Will Hunting
- Gone Girl
- State of Play
- Great movies
- Argo
- The Company Men
- Dogma
- Gone Baby Gone
- Jersey Girl
- The Town
- Good movies
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Chasing Amy
- Great the 1st time
- Paycheck
- Mediocre movie
- Armageddon
Steve Carell
Carell got his start on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and later starred in The Office.
- Masterpieces
- Crazy, Stupid, Love.
- Despicable Me
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Great movies
- Dan in Real Life
- Get Smart
- Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
- Good movie
- Despicable Me 2
Matt Damon
Damon co-wrote screenplays for Good Will Hunting and Promised Land. He wasn’t thought of as an action star at all until he made The Bourne Identity — and blew everybody away. Damon has made more masterpieces than anyone on the list so far, even beating Tom Cruise.
- Masterpieces
- The Adjustment Bureau
- The Bourne Identity
- The Bourne Supremacy
- The Bourne Ultimatum
- Good Will Hunting
- The Martian
- Ocean’s Eleven
- Ocean’s Twelve
- Great movies
- Dogma
- Elysium
- Interstellar
- Promised Land
- True Grit (2010)
- We Bought a Zoo
- Good movie
- Ocean’s Thirteen
- Mediocre movie
- The Brothers Grimm
Judi Dench
I haven’t seen any of the movies she made when she was young, but Dench’s presence in a recent movie is always notable. She played M in 7 James Bond movies, connecting the Pierce Brosnan era with the Daniel Craig one. She played in several TV shows, including As Time Goes By.
- Masterpieces
- Pride and Prejudice (2005)
- Shakespeare in Love
- Skyfall
- Great movies
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
- Chocolat
- GoldenEye
- The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
- Good movies
- Casino Royale
- Die Another Day
- Tomorrow Never Dies
- The World is Not Enough
- A mistake
- The Importance of Being Earnest (2002)
Jodie Foster
Foster was a child actor. As an adult she’s been less prolific, choosing her roles carefully. She has also directed a few movies, including Money Monster.
- Masterpieces
- Inside Man
- Maverick
- Sommersby
- Great movies
- Contact
- Elysium
- Panic Room
- Not-so-great movie
- Flightplan
Morgan Freeman
I probably first encountered Freeman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which I enjoyed very much back then. Freeman has been in all sorts of movies and his mellifluous voice makes him in demand as a narrator. In the 1970s he was in the TV show The Electric Company.
- Masterpieces
- Batman Begins
- Driving Miss Daisy
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Great movies
- 10 Items or Less
- Bruce Almighty
- The Dark Knight
- Lean on Me
- The Magic of Belle Isle
- Nurse Betty
- Oblivion
- Good movies
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Now You See Me
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
- Mediocre movie
- Lucy
Paul Giamatti
Giamatti is a master at playing a character who’s not exactly the nicest but we root for him anyway.
- Masterpieces
- American Splendor
- Barney’s Version
- Saving Mr. Banks
- Win Win
- Great movies
- The Illusionist
- Sideways
- Mediocre movies
- Lady in the Water
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Gyllenhaal will convince you she’s a baker or a journalist or a mother who’s been to jail. Jake, star of Donnie Darko, is her brother.
- Masterpiece
- Stranger Than Fiction
- Great movies
- Crazy Heart
- The Dark Knight
- Mona Lisa Smile
- Sherrybaby
- World Trade Center
Anne Hathaway
Hathaway was terrific as one half of a couple who didn’t know whether to get together or not in One Day, and the head of an online fashion company in The Intern. She was one of the best parts of The Dark Knight Rises as Catwoman, although she was never called that.
- Masterpieces
- The Intern
- One Day
- Great movies
- Becoming Jane
- The Devil Wears Prada
- Get Smart
- Interstellar
- Good movie
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Mediocre movie
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Angelina Jolie
Jolie always convinces you of the reality of her character, whether it’s a spy, a mother in the 1920s who’s lost her child, or a fairy whose betrayal leads to a vengeful curse. Her father, Jon Voight (Mission: Impossible), is also a well-known actor.
- Masterpiece
- Changeling
- Great movies
- Girl, Interrupted
- Maleficent
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Salt
- Mediocre movie
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow