The Sexiest Actors?

[Johnjackgilbert]

Forget Long John Silver...

[joanwebster]

have just watched on biography channel alan bates- nice but besst is stanley baker

[Tweedy]

Hello. This is my first post here.

Eric Portman (sour, cruel, mysterious, superior, the b*****d with the heart of gold, possibly, or possibly not) is top of my list, followed by Stanley Baker (butch but soulful), Michael Craig (still working and still very attractive at eighty, and as prickly as ever...) Terence Morgan (charismatic baddy, very sweet goody), Tom Walls (devilish imp or suave gentleman spy), David Farrar (the best James Bond who never was), Gordon Jackson (I don't know, there's something about him...). I have never understood the appeal of Sean Connery - makes my skin crawl. As for Colin Firth... well, I don't want to be rude, he can't help it, after all. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif[/img]

You may laugh, but I actually quite fancy the funny-looking comedian types, like Arthur Askey and Moore Marriott (Harbottle strikes again!).

For the record, I'm thirty. And no, I can't think of any present day actors of either sex I would call really sexy. Some, like John Simm, are very credible on screen, likeable, engaging, or good looking, but there are no sex symbols nowadays.

I'm bisexual, so if I may: The sexiest women would be Margaret Lockwood, Joan Greenwood (for her voice alone), Jessie Matthews (perfect dancer's line, Cockney sass and irresistible vulnerability), Belinda Lee (fantastic figure and great skill, tragic and bizarre life story though, poor thing...), Googie Withers (aristocratic looks and wonderful sense of humour), Greta Gynt (a great match for Eric Portman [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/devil.gif[/img] ). I could go on.

It's queer, but modern ideas of sexiness don't seem to work on me. All the Famous folk look like plastic dolls, quite nauseating, and not two brain cells to rub together between the lot of them. Perhaps they need to starve through a Depression and fly a Spitfire in a war or two to get some character.

~Tweedy

[Rob Compton]

Interesting first post, Tweedy, thank you - and welcome to the site

rgds
Rob

[Tweedy]

Re Portman, I like Daybreak and Dear Murderer best, I think, though 49th Parallel is excellent - Portman makes the case for his Nazi as a tragic, deluded hero, rather than the cardboard cut-out villain. Has anyone seen or read the play about him, Dinner With Ribbentrop? From what I've read it's based on the idea he was a Nazi sympathizer in real life. Ignorance might be bliss...

[Tweedy]

(Rob Compton @ Jan 17 2006, 07:03 PM) Interesting first post, Tweedy, thank you - and welcome to the site rgds Rob

Thanks a lot Rob. I'm very happy to be here. It's very nice to come across people who have taste in films as good as mine

~Tweedy

[Steve Crook]

(Tweedy @ Jan 17 2006, 08:47 AM) Re Portman, I like Daybreak and Dear Murderer best, I think, though 49th Parallel is excellent - Portman makes the case for his Nazi as a tragic, deluded hero, rather than the cardboard cut-out villain. Has anyone seen or read the play about him, Dinner With Ribbentrop? From what I've read it's based on the idea he was a Nazi sympathizer in real life. Ignorance might be bliss...

Hello Tweedy, welcome to the forum.

I've said before that although I admire Portman as an actor, in real life he was a bit of a shit.
I hadn't heard of Dinner with Ribbentrop, it looks interesting. I like one review that said the playwright is quite balanced in his portrait of Portman, representing him as an equal-opportunity bigot who hated just about everyone.

On one of our Canterbury walks (mainly visiting locations used in A Canterbury Tale) we met a lady who had tried to write a biography of Portman. She'd spoken to a lot of people that worked with him but not one of them had a nice thing to say about him. As she didn't want to write that sort of biography she dropped the project. But she did tell us some quite unsavoury tales about him

But even that doesn't stop me admiring his work as an actor

Steve

[Fellwanderer]

(Steve Crook @ Jan 17 2006, 12:03 PM) Hello Tweedy, welcome to the forum. I've said before that although I admire Portman as an actor, in real life he was a bit of a shit. I hadn't heard of Dinner with Ribbentrop, it looks interesting. I like one review that said the playwright is quite balanced in his portrait of Portman, representing him as an equal-opportunity bigot who hated just about everyone.

A well-balanced individual - chip on each shoulder!

FELL

[Tweedy]

(Steve Crook @ Jan 17 2006, 11:03 PM) Hello Tweedy, welcome to the forum. I've said before that although I admire Portman as an actor, in real life he was a bit of a shit. I hadn't heard of Dinner with Ribbentrop, it looks interesting. I like one review that said the playwright is quite balanced in his portrait of Portman, representing him as an equal-opportunity bigot who hated just about everyone. On one of our Canterbury walks (mainly visiting locations used in A Canterbury Tale) we met a lady who had tried to write a biography of Portman. She'd spoken to a lot of people that worked with him but not one of them had a nice thing to say about him. As she didn't want to write that sort of biography she dropped the project. But she did tell us some quite unsavoury tales about him But even that doesn't stop me admiring his work as an actor Steve

Hello Steve. Thanks for the welcome.

I love A Canterbury Tale. My grandmother's family came from the Chilham area, having lived near Canterbury since the 13th C (our first Australian ancestor in that line was a chorister at the cathedral). I first saw the film just after my grandmother died, and we had been sent photos of our family farm and surrounding countryside. Perhaps oneday I'll turn up in England for your tours. Sounds lovely.

Eric Portman seems to me like more of a troubled soul than a truly bad person - the universality of his dislikes suggests deep unhappiness.

I wish someone *would* write the Portman biography, even if his acting was the only good thing about him. That in itself is a fascinating idea (and a common affliction among high achievers who give everything to their work and have nothing left over for mere Life).

~Tweedy

P. S. I'm just watching Take My Life now, and thinking how much better Portman would have been in the sinister Marius Goring role.

[Johnjackgilbert]

(Tweedy @ Jan 18 2006, 06:09 AM) Eric Portman seems to me like more of a troubled soul than a truly bad person - the universality of his dislikes suggests deep unhappiness. I wish someone *would* write the Portman biography, even if his acting was the only good thing about him. That in itself is a fascinating idea (and a common affliction among high achievers who give everything to their work and have nothing left over for mere Life). ~Tweedy P. S. I'm just watching Take My Life now, and thinking how much better Portman would have been in the sinister Marius Goring role.

Eric Portman's troubled soul - the same conclusion Mary Ellis came to in her fascinating biography ("Those Dancing Years"). Alchoholism and repression are terrible things... and perhaps the essence of his amazing ability to 'project' intense emotion, on stage and screen, as it burned just below the surface. The haughtiness hiding the vulnerability, creating a very cold and brittle facade. A screen persona very similar to his own difficult personality - maybe less belligerent!

There were some people who liked the man, he wasn't actively hated by everyone! But, he managed to rub an awful lot of people the wrong way. I also wish a decent biography would be written on him - or put together a decent collection of writing about his work.

Whatever the flaws of the man, he was a superb actor and very attractive...

[thirdlady]

(Ingrid @ Dec 13 2005, 09:23 AM) Michael York on the 70s movies have you seen Logan,s run? so cute

I've not seen that yet!

[DeeDee]

Well, since you asked. . . .these are the actors who have had my attention for most of my film watching career:

Christain Bale
Stanley Baker
Dirk Bogarde
Richard Burton
Sean Connery
Tom Courteney
Daniel Day Lewis
Ralph Fiennes
Ioan Gruffudd
Laurence Harvey
David Hemmings
Anthony Hopkins
Jeremy Irons
Jude Law
James Mason
Patrick McGoohan
Ian McShane
Julian Sands
Rurus Sewell
Terence Stamp
Michael York

Ah, yes, their screen presence has alway given me a rousing good time!

DeeDee

[theuofc]

Thanks for the great Bogarde photo.

I got what I asked for... but now I have to dig up some photos of .....gorgeous females and post them in Sexiest Actresses.

Best,

Barbara

[DeeDee]

That IS a wonderful photo of Dirk Bogarde -one that I haven't seen until now. Thank you!!

[Steve Crook]

You have the photo stuck onto your mirror? Well, I suppose it's a look to aim for

Steve