10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #1

#1: Robin Williams

Best Known For: The Genie in Aladdin, Popeye in Popeye, Mork in Mork and Mindy and Happy Days, Daniel Hillard/Eugenia Doubtfire in Mrs. Doubtfire, and Theodore Roosevelt in Night at the Museum I-III.

Admit it, you all figured he was going to be somewhere on this list. I can imagine some of you saying "called it" as I type this post. Robin Williams is my favorite actor of all time! He is one of the actors that I turn to when I need a laugh, when I need to relax after a long day. I first became exposed to this actor through Aladdin and since that moment I heard him as the genie, I was an instant fan of this man's work. Williams had a wide range as an actor, and has acted in many roles that were both serious and comedic. He was never a person to follow a script "word for word". He improvised, he came up with his own jokes, his own gags, and in the case of films such as Mrs. Doubtfire, he offered some suggestions for the story. He was one of the people I always wanted to meet at a convention, along with Stan Lee, Sean Schemmel and Tara Strong. He was (and still is) one of my biggest inspirations as a writer, animator, and graphic designer. You are never forgotten on this blog, Robin Williams. You are praised, and now, you are "free at last" and free from the lamp that bound you to the earth.

 

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: Honorable Mention

Honorable Mention: Rick Moranis

Best Known For: Seymour Krelborn in Little Shop of Horrors, Louis Tulley in Ghostbusters I and II, Barney Rubble in The Flintstones, Dark Helmet in Spaceballs

This actor is one I would have loved to put on the main list, but unfortunately I could not find a spot to squeeze him in. However, this does not mean he is any less of a favorite of mine than the others on the list. Moranis has an excellent acting range. He can me comedic, he can be dramatic, he can essentially be anything the director wants him to be. I enjoyed his performances in Little Shop of Horrors (to the point where his interpretations of the musical numbers are my favorite so far, but I have already mentioned that in a previous post), Ghostbusters, The Flintstones, and Spaceballs. He is one actor that can make a person laugh and cry simultaneously, because the characters he portrays are goofballs, yet you can't help rooting for them. In many of his roles that I have seen, he plays characters of the "underdog" archetype, one who starts out small and insignificant, becoming something bigger in the end. Unfortunately, Moranis is no longer pursuing an acting career. He took an extended leave of absence after his wife passed away and has not been seen or heard from since then. Will he be back someday? It is uncertain, but he will be eagerly accepted in the event of his return to the silver screen, unlike the next actor on the list who is unfortunately no longer with us.

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #2

#2: Tara Strong

Best Known For: Timmy Turner in The Fairly Oddparents, Ben Tennyson in Ben 10, Dil Pickles in Rugrats, Harley Quinn in Batman: Arkham City and onward


This actress is one that is pretty iconic and recognizable in my eyes, as she has voiced quite a few characters I have seen throughout my life. Matter of fact, I have heard her in so many roles that I can easily listen to a character's voice and instantly recognize it to be Tara Strong behind the microphone. If I had to pick a favorite role of hers, it would be hard to decide as I have not heard a role that I could call a "definite favorite". However, two of her roles that I do like best are Ben Tennyson in Ben 10 and her interpretation of Harley Quinn, with her role as Dil Pickles being an honorable mention. While I did enjoy her role of Timmy Turner as a child, I found the character to be grating and somewhat annoying in later years. (I mean no offense to that previous statement, Miss Strong and Nickelodeon, but Timmy has seriously gone downhill as a character.) Overall, because of her massive vocal range as well as her impressive voice-over resume, Tara Strong is my favorite voice actress as well as my favorite actress on this list.

 

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #3

#3: Masako Nozawa

Best Known For: Son Goku, Son Gohan, Son Goten, Bardock, and Turles in Dragonball, Guilmon in Digimon Tamers 

Number three is essentially Stephanie Nadolny and Sean Schemmel's Japanese counterpart in terms of voicing Son Goku and the male members of his family, however she also voiced the character's youngest son and father. At her old age, she is still voicing these characters as well as she did in the 1980s and 1990s, voicing them in their child and adult years. She began her involvement with the Dragonball franchise in 1986, after being selected to voice the main male protagonist, Son Goku. In those thirty years, she only made subtle changes to how she portrayed her characters; such as changing her vocal pitch to reflect their personality and the characters' aging. It is difficult to imagine anyone else voicing these characters, and it will be difficult to accept a replacement if Nozawa were to pass or retire.

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #4

#4: Bill Murray

Best Known For: Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, Frank Cross in Scrooged, Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, and Baloo in Disney's The Jungle Book (2016)

What do all of these characters mentioned above have in common? They speak in a monotone and sarcastic voice, and they are all characters who can be placed in a category known as "lovable jerks". It is this aspect of the characters Bill Murray portrays that keeps me laughing until I cannot breathe. I first became exposed to the character through Ghostbusters and the live action adaptation of Garfield. Speaking of Garfield, the original voice actor for Garfield (the late Lorenzo Music) portrayed the animated version of  Peter Venkman (Bill Murray's Ghostbusters character), and Bill Murray portrayed the live action version of Garfield. However unlike some of the actors on this list who have a wide range of characters to portray, Murray unfortunately portrays the same character each time. That is not a bad aspect of the actor, though. Murray is simply putting his actual personality into the character, making the role his own.

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #5

Here we are at the halfway point of the list!I deeply apologize for the extended hiatus. Once again, I have been busy with obligations at home and at school, therefore being prevented from updating the blog. Now that the semester is winding down in terms of workload, let us get back into the list of favorite actors and actresses!

#5: Stephanie Nadolny

Best Known For: Son Goku in the Dragonball franchise, as well as his son in the same series.

I must say that despite her retiring from voicing these two characters, she will always be the definitive voice in my eyes.  When Funimation started using their own voice cast for the Dragonball franchise, Stephanie Nadolny was thrust into the spotlight as the child voice of the protagonist, Son Goku. When I think of Goku or his oldest son, Gohan, Nadolny's voice is the one that I think of them using. It is sad that she did not reprise her role for everything after the english dub of Dragonball Z: Kai. The last time we have heard her voice was in archival recordings used for Ultimate Tenkaichi. Miss Nadolny, if you are reading this post, I wish you the absolute best in life and I wonder why you did not reprise your roles. Colleen Clinkenbeard is good as Goku and Gohan, but she does not hold a candle to Stephanie Nadolny.

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #6

#6: Adam Jacobs

Best Known For: Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables, Simba in The Lion King stage adaptation, and the title character in the stage adaptation of Aladdin

One of the main reasons I enjoy the work of this actor is because he portrays three of my favorite fictional characters, and he portrays them pretty well accurately to the source material as well as once again making the role his own like the rest of the actors on this list (if you haven't caught on, if an actor can make the role their own and put their own spin on a role, then they will more than likely make this list). If you see him as Aladdin, do not expect an imitation of Scott Weinger and Brad Kane, expect to see Adam Jacobs' interpretation of the character. The same can be said about his interpretation of Simba and Marius. I can say that based on what I have heard and seen, he absolutely kills it when singing Proud of Your Boy, causing me to have teary eyes whenever I see the stage version of Aladdin. If Disney someday remakes the film, I would want him reprising his stage role as well as him reprising his role as Simba.

 

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #7

#7: Ciara Renee

Best Known For: Esmeralda in the stage adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl in DC's The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow

As many of you may know, one of my favorite novels is Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and the Disney adaptation ranks pretty high on my list of favorite Disney films despite not being faithful to the source material. However, the stage adaptation of the Disney film is more faithful to the source material, blending material from both the novel and the film. Ciara Renee's portrayal of the gypsy La Esmeralda was no exception to this concept, as she not only borrowed elements from her film and literary counterparts, but she also brought some of her own material to make the character more likable and fleshed out. Renee brought her sense of wit and sarcasm (something she also brought over in her role as Hawkgirl in DC's TV Universe), as well as bringing a believable range of emotions to bring Esmeralda to life. If the show were to go to Broadway someday, I would definitely love to see her reprise her role. She is one of the few stage actresses on this list, with the other stage actress slated to appear later on in this list, mainly due to her ability to make a character relatable and believable.

 

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #8

Before we begin, I would like to apologize for not updating daily like I promised I would. I have been swamped with classwork, preventing me from frequently updating this list.

Now without further ado, let us continue the ten favorite actors and actresses list with number eight, and this time, I am focusing on how the actor contributed to a specific role!

#8: Tom Welling
  Best Known For: Clark Kent/The Blur/Superman in Smallville

When people ask me who my favorite actor that portrayed Superman is, I will most likely say Tom Welling's interpretation of both the Man of Steel and his alter-ego, Clark Kent. Usually when adapting Superman, the Clark Kent side of the character is often neglected or not expanded upon. Tom Welling in Smallville fixed this problem and allowed us to see a side of the character we rarely saw. We did not see a man in a blue suit and sometimes red tights, but we saw the man and personality of the character behind the suit. We saw the reporter for The Daily Planet, the young adult struggling through high school and learning of his Kryptonian heritage,  and his relationship struggles with Lana Lang and Lois Lane. Matter of fact, we did not even see him don the iconic costume until the final episode of the series, and even then, we did not see him in the actual suit. Those portions of the episode were made using body doubles and CGI, further adding to the fact that this portrayal is all about Clark Kent and not Superman. As mentioned earlier, many actors bring their own to portraying Superman, but portraying and fleshing out Clark Kent is something rarely seen, which is why Mr. Welling has earned a spot on my list!

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #9

 #9- Emma Watson
  
Best Known For: Hermione Granger in Harry Potter franchise


Number nine (as mentioned above) is an actress that co-starred with the previously mentioned Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter franchise as the female lead in the series. She is best known for playing the roles of characters with high intelligence and intellectual prowess, such as Hermione in Harry Potter and Belle in the upcoming remake of Beauty and the Beast. Like Radcliffe, she fully immerses herself in each role she portrays and makes it her own, contributing her intelligence and cynicism.

10 Favorite Actors/Actresses: #10

To tide you all over until the release of my multi-part look at Batman: The Killing Joke, I thought I would give you an insight into ten of my favorite actors and actresses across media, including actors who have physically appeared in film as well as voice acting for animation. Every other day, I shall release a new actor or actress to this countdown until we have reached number one.

10- Daniel Radcliffe
Roles best known for: Title character in Harry Potter, Igor in Victor Frankenstein

Throughout my childhood and teen years, I was known as a bit of an avid reader (and I still am in case you are wondering, as evidenced by my favorite book being Victor Hugo's Les Miserables) and starting to becoming the film buff  I am today (like Adam Goldberg in his youth). The main series that contributed to both of those aspects was a franchise known as Harry Potter. When I was a child, I would always go to a movie theater to see the premiere of the most recent film in the series, which created many fond memories throughout my life. I was hooked to the point of wanting to read the books, which sparked my passionate interest in literature. While I would love to talk about how much Harry Potter impacted my life and my interests, I must stay on topic and discuss why the man who embodied the role of the franchise's title character is one of my favorite actors, a trait he shares with one of his fellow costars. I enjoy seeing how Radcliffe immerses himself in each role he is involved in and able to put his own twist and interpretation to each character he plays. With each role I have seen him portray, I do not see him as simply "Daniel Radcliffe" playing (insert character name here), I see the character embodied by Radcliffe as he makes the role his own. Of course, my favorite role he has played is The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter. If I had to choose a particular film in that series, I would say his portrayal in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.