Everyone has their own opinion on great actors and great movies. Nobody is more right or more wrong since it is just an opinion but it is fun to have favorites and enjoy. Some actors have immense talent, and some actors are easy on the eyes and then there are the actors that are both. We admire some actors more for what they do off the screen than onscreen, as some of them are remarkable individuals who use their fame and fortune to help others and the world.
Tom Hanks is a extraordinary talent. It’s is rather shocking to think that he got his start on a small and kooky TV show called “Bosom Buddies. Afterward he pulled off such great roles as Andrew Beckett, a gay lawyer who is infected with the AIDS virus and is fired from his conservative law firm because of the fear that they might also contract the disease. His first Academy Award was from that role back in 1993.
Then in 1994, he became just 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 in fact a volleyball.
Brad Pitt has been recognized as a pretty boy since he first charmed us all in “Thelma and Louise” back in 1991. Yet, 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 private life sometimes seems to outshine his movie roles the most impressive thing about Brad Pitt is his commitment to humanitarian causes all through the world. He has donated huge sums of funds to help many causes.
When Hurricane Katrina practically wiped out the whole city of New Orleans, Brad Pitt started the “Make it Right Foundation”. The foundation was created to assist in the redevelopment of the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans. They build affordable and sustainable homes that are true to the diverse culture of the city of New Orleans. The objective was to complete the building of the homes quickly so that the residents could return to their homes as soon as possible. These things have been Brad Pitt’s true success.
There is an additional great actor who is greatly 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 recognized 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.
Nevertheless we also remember him for his philanthropy. In 1982 he created a line of food products called “Newman’s Own”. It began with a salad dressing and then extended to include pasta sauce, lemonade, popcorn, cookies, salsa and more. He established a policy that all of the income generated from Newman’s Own, after taxes of course, would be donated to charity. As of 2006, the company had donated in excess of $250 million.
Our favorite movies and favorite actors and actresses may change from time to time. We may love them for their talent or for other reasons but now that we can download full length, high quality movies from the Internet instantly we don’t have to miss any more of the movies that we want to see.
You must log in to post a comment.