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[–]PowerKills 1837 points1838 points ago

Jackie Chan. He wrote, directed, acted, choreographed the action sequences, and did the stunts in most of his best movies.

Jackie has broken most of the bones in his body to entertain us.

[–]apatheistareece 1402 points1403 points ago

Jackie Chan said, "I never wanted to be the next Bruce Lee. I just wanted to be the first Jackie Chan."

[–]grecy 248 points249 points ago

Jackie Chan was an extra in Enter the Dragon as has a cool story about Bruce Lee.

Something went a little wrong in the timing, and Bruce hit him really hard... and then Bruce felt awful and spent a really long time apologizing and trying to make certain Jackie was OK (he was perfectly fine).

[–]DukeOfGeek 192 points193 points ago

Heh, for the rest of my life every time I got hurt and people ran up to me going "Oh God are you ok" I'd say, "Well it's not as bad as the time I got punched by Bruce Lee".

[–]thenepenthe 365 points366 points ago

Wow, this quote makes my heart swell with insane happiness and I have no idea why.

[–]pamplemouse 426 points427 points ago

probably arterial plaque

[–]chucky2000 431 points432 points ago

And he sang some of Mulan's backing track.

[–]minusxero 482 points483 points ago

He didn't sing SOME of Mulan's backing track, he fuckin' made a man out of you.

In Cantonese (above) AND Mandarin.

[–]wallz 35 points36 points ago

If nobody has read his biography, it's quite amazing. He was sold by his parents as a young child to the owner of a traditional Chinese opera troupe, where he was considered the "prince" since he was technically now the son of the owner. Whenever there would be mistakes during practice, Jackie would be beaten TWICE as much to set an example for the rest of the children.

[–]anrope 26 points27 points ago

I grew up watching his early US films where he was doing his own stunts, so awesome.

My favorite thing about Jackie Chan movies was the blooper reel at the end of each film. It showed how effing hardcore he was, but also quick to laugh.

The first rush hour was fantastic, but also just about signaled the decline of his action career, into dumb shit like "the tuxedo".

[–]OdysseusX 39 points40 points ago

I thought that way too until I realized just how old he was getting. Dont get me wrong, he is in better shape than most of us will ever be, but the dude has wrecked his body year after year. I think as 50/60 he's allowed to do much tamer "kiddie" movies that don't take as much of a toll on him. He remains somewhat entertaining.

[–]Person678 1057 points1058 points ago*

Viggo Mortensen. Actor, painter, poet, musician, photographer. Everything I hear about the guy says he's incredibly friendly, talented and just awesome.

[–]johnnysebre 288 points289 points ago

I dont know the details, but my roomate watched the thing and told me about it; I think its in the LOTR bonus features.

In the two towers, when Aragorn and company find the pile of dead uruks and the heroes believes the hobbits have died. When they filmed the scene, Viggo had to kick a helmet so it would fly in the general direction of the camera. He had a few attempts, and on the 4th try, after kicking it pretty damn well, he got on his knees and let out a scream of anger that wasnt scripted.

The thing is, it wasnt just something he thought of adding to the scene. He freaking BROKE his toe(s) kicking the helmet, and instead of dropping to the floor in pain like a weakling, he channeled the pain in his acting and used it to show more emotion. Thats boss.

[–]Rapidity[S] 378 points379 points ago

Word. Bought a beloved horse for an Extra during LoTR.

[–]Novah11 178 points179 points ago

I believe he bought both his horse from LotR ("Brego") as well as the horse he rode in Hidalgo.

[–]LTxDuke 125 points126 points ago*

You forgot to mention that he is the mothafucking King of Gondor

EDIT: fixed it my bad

[–]Simmchen 13 points14 points ago*

C'mon man.....Theoden is king of Rohan until he dies. Eomer takes over.

[–]flashtastic 592 points593 points ago

Classically trained actors such as Anthony Hopkins, Geoffrey Rush, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan. They just play roles so well and everytime I watch a movie with any of them I see the character and not the actor and that's what makes them so good.

[–]buddha89 187 points188 points ago

this but with the addition of alan rickman, actors that are classic trained just seem to sink in to their roles, the actor disappears and you see the character, so much so that sometimes ill remember a movie i saw a long time ago and go dang, that was x, no way he wasnt in that movie.

[–]bemky 133 points134 points ago

gary oldman

[–]Duckylicious 44 points45 points ago

On that note, Anthony Hopkins is also a musician and composer, and is now releasing an album. But yes, I completely agree with that entire list, with the addition of Ralph Fiennes.

[–]hunkacheese 422 points423 points ago

Bryan Cranston.

Hal the goofy father to the bitter and harsh Walter White shows a serious commitment to acting in and creating one of the best shows on tv in a while. Totally blows my mind.

[–]mr_jellyneck 69 points70 points ago*

He also had a recurring role on Seinfeld as Tim Whatley, the dentist who converted to Judaism just for the jokes.

He also directs many of the episodes of Breaking Bad. *Edit: Two episodes. Thanks, Lmkt.

[–][deleted] 29 points30 points ago

Anti-dentite

[–]MagiesNoms 749 points750 points ago

Gary Oldman. He's simply the most talented actor in the world.

[–]apetresc 184 points185 points ago

I had Gary Oldman and Gary Coleman mixed up in my mind. I was thinking "Okay, this thread just jumped the shark right here"

[–]Dudeman5000 27 points28 points ago

Absolutely awesome in Leon The Professional.

[–]boilerroombandit 21 points22 points ago

Jean Baptist Emanual Zorg. Yes this guy is amazing.

[–]Rothulfossil 13 points14 points ago

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was bloody amazing.

[–]olliberallawyer 785 points786 points ago

Daniel Day Lewis. I am not an actor, and I admit that I have often accused "brilliant" actors of just playing roles that fit their personality, e.g. Jack Nicholson, but he was the first that made me respect the profession. Sure, there are plenty others, and I am far more impressed with method actors like him, Bale, Depp, etc., but he deserves every bit of praise he gets. I think even then, he is under-praised.

[–]grooveliketravolta 175 points176 points ago

YES. I cannot wait to see him portray Lincoln. That may be the role of a lifetime for him.

[–]fabioisonfire 113 points114 points ago

I already think Daniel Plainview was the role of a lifetime.

[–]AncientMarinade 87 points88 points ago

YOUR ACADEMY AWARD, ELI, I EARNED IT ALL UP

[–]probablynotaperv 82 points83 points ago

Him and Bale are definitely dedicated to their roles.

[–]manaworkin 1067 points1068 points ago

steve buscemi

[–]Boonsfarb 632 points633 points ago

One man we know didn't get where he is today based off of his good looks.

[–]ch33s3t0a5t 219 points220 points ago

I think Buscemi is rather attractive.. But I like creepy looking dudes, so..

[–]sprinkles123 919 points920 points ago

well hello there

[–][deleted] 342 points343 points ago

ch33s3t0a5t said "creepy looking," not "creepy."

[–]twistertrv 124 points125 points ago

Said StrapOnBoobies...

[–]manyya 27 points28 points ago

shut the fuck up Donnie

[–]chartreuse_chimay 384 points385 points ago

Why is this not higher? Check out his personal life. He was a firefighter and volunteered after the world trade center disaster.

[–]giggsy664 86 points87 points ago

And didn't make a fuss about it. He just went back and started helping. He didn't stop by the media on the way, he went straight back to the fire-station and got back to work.

The lad is a gent

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]iatwcidsyhdtahtac 22 points23 points ago

Don't tell that to r/conspiracy..

[–]OnAveryIsland 34 points35 points ago

Paul Giamatti seems to be one of the most humble people in Hollywood. Much respect to this man.

[–]I_CONQUER_VAGINA 482 points483 points ago

Jeff Bridges. It just seems like he works hard. Music, movies. Plus, he's The Dude.

[–]theoneleggedrooster 1212 points1213 points ago

Clint Eastwood.

[–]MrWhippy24 181 points182 points ago*

This - as well as many, many acting credits, Clint Eastwood has directed something like 30 films including some really, really good ones. He's also got a metric shitload of awards.

[–]Haloonefour 79 points80 points ago

Don't forget that he's also a Composer and a Musician.

[–]meraki14 445 points446 points ago

nathan fillion! he's a big promoter of kids reading and seems like a great guy, besides being majorly talented.

[–]IWatchWormsHaveSex 62 points63 points ago

From what it seems, he also genuinely enjoys the acting projects he takes on, instead of just doing it for the fame or money. He actually cares, and tries to do a good job.

[–]threep03k64 48 points49 points ago*

Needs more upvote. Loads of charity work, brilliant with the fans of Firefly even though he's found success with Castle. Projects such as Dr Horrible are also really cool and something he initially didn't get paid for.

Massive man crush. Absolutely huge.

Edit: Added 'initially'

[–]pissysissy 323 points324 points ago

Kevin Spacey.

[–]walkerism 148 points149 points ago

He showed his class when he asked to have his name not appear in the film "Se7en" credits and not show up to any of the pre-ceremonies in order to make his appearance more believable and more of a shock to the audience. On top of that there hasn't been a single acting role I've seen him in where he hasn't been brilliant.

[–]saltyspooge 27 points28 points ago

Plus he does great Impressions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKKDKAKNH-k

[–]nastyknuckle 645 points646 points ago

Mike Rowe

[–]Rapidity[S] 180 points181 points ago

I have a 6-year old son. I make him watch Dirty Jobs every week, because I think Mike is such a fantastic person and role-model.

[–]TheCocksmith 123 points124 points ago

I firmly believe that one needs to work at least some sort of difficult job once in their life. But if that's not possible, then watch this show, just so you have an appreciation for the blue collar worker.

[–]viz39 79 points80 points ago

This. This. A thousand times this. Best thing that ever happened to me was not getting a job right out of college because of the bad job market at the time. I had no choice but to take a job as a janitor at the place where I had previously worked over the summer. So not only did I know what it was like to be a college graduate who had to clean toilets to pay my bills, I had the added humiliation of having to do so for people with whom I had previously been an intern in the office and who had clearly been working towards a more "career" oriented job upon graduation.

It's been almost 20 some years since then and I have never forgotten what that was like and the experience still infuses every thing I do every single day at work and also how I treat every single person doing every single job that I encounter. And I know I can always go back to doing something like that if I need to, and other than the monetary adjustment, would not blink an eye or be the slightest bit humbled by it.

[–]holyice7 31 points32 points ago

I worked as an apprentice to a sewage enforcement officer before I was out of high school.

Let that sink in for a moment, because that's exactly what my boots did.

Some days I was literally digging ditches in the rain, and every moment of it was worthwhile. You can only have a real view of the world when you rise up through it.

[–]mintmarshall 513 points514 points ago

stephen fry

[–]helllomoto 37 points38 points ago

C'mon now, the man at least deserves some capital letters.

[–]Dr_ChimRichalds 64 points65 points ago

STEPHEN FRY

[–]empireants 456 points457 points ago

Will Arnett. He didn't get his breakthrough until he was 33 on Arrested Development.

[–]bvanman 199 points200 points ago

I'll add his on-air brother and best friend Jason Bateman for the opposite reason. I watched his "Inside the Actor's Studio" (with the Warden!) and he talks about how he's always tried to stay grounded even though he was a child actor. He's kept the same agent (might be manager, can't remember) for his whole career, which speaks to his loyalty. And just watch the way he speaks about his wife. Part 1 can be seen here.

[–]kousi 33 points34 points ago

Ah yeah it was Mr manager.

[–]bvanman 18 points19 points ago

Manager. We just say manager.

[–][deleted] 1273 points1274 points ago

It turns out the Justin Timberlake wrote almost every song for nsync. That's why his career continued while the others dwindled.

[–]isocline 756 points757 points ago

One of the most incredible examples of "Surprise! I'm actually awesome." celebrities.

[–]Umaro2k 316 points317 points ago

Everything he's ever done on SNL has cracked me up hard. Half the time he isn't even a guest and he just shows up for the hell of it.

He also did it on Ellen. Dude just likes having a good time.

[–]hatryd 37 points38 points ago

Bring it down to omeletteville!

[–]inyourowntime 245 points246 points ago*

Your username makes this hard to believe but I am too lazy to google...have an upvote for preying on my lethargy.

Edit: Spelling

[–]zjtihmm[!] 197 points198 points ago

As a former (ridiculously crazy) N Sync fan, I know he at least cowrote a good number of songs on their later albums, but the earlier ones were almost entirely major pop songwriters (Max Martin, etc).

I am not ashamed.

[–]lujanr32 494 points495 points ago

Scumbag inyourowntime,

too lazy to google goes back to edit spelling

[–]david76 1361 points1362 points ago

Matt Damon

[–]mickeytake 154 points155 points ago

The fact that he throws everything into his roles and how he never gave up on Good Will Hunting says it all. And he can take the piss out of himself.

[–]j8sadm632b 349 points350 points ago*

I'm not sure why this isn't higher up. I honestly feel like the only reason Matt Damon still acts is so that he can stay in the public eye to better advertise water.org. He just seems like such a good guy.

[–]SeamusRyan 212 points213 points ago

Tom Waits Just kept on making quality music, making it look so simple

[–]koshercowboy 40 points41 points ago

Aw I love you. Tom Waits' music and character changed my life in a way that few other artists have.

[–]gooniette 619 points620 points ago

Meryl Streep! When has she not been awesome in any role?

[–]raptorswithguns 110 points111 points ago

I was wondering why Meryl Streep hadn't been mentioned. Also, Heath Ledger. I haven't seen any love for him, either....the dude was AWESOME.

[–]reaganing 99 points100 points ago

If you're not sure yet whether or not you love Meryl Streep, read this article.

One of the coolest things she's done is donate her time and money (a million dollars) to a campaign to build a National Women's History Museum. Excerpt from that Vogue article (long, but worth reading!):

She says it’s extremely important symbolically to tell the story that hasn’t been told “because our history was written by the other team, basically. For instance,” she says, forking at a bread-crumbed oyster, “we are taught about Benedict Arnold, the first traitor in America, but I’ve never heard—until I went onto the museum Web site—about Deborah Sampson, the first woman to take a bullet for her nation. She was 21 years old in the Revolutionary War. She enlisted on the American side under a man’s name, wore boys’ clothing, was cut with a British saber across her forehead, and took a musket ball in her thigh.” She’s a good storyteller, with a warm, urgent voice. “And her compatriots carried her six miles to the doctor’s, and he stitched up her head and she wouldn’t let him take her pants off—because he would discover she was a woman!” So did she die of her wound? “No—she was very good with her needle, so she cut the musket ball out and sewed her own leg up and served another eighteen months. In 1783 she was discharged, went home and had three children.” Sampson was granted £34 by the state of Massachusetts for exhibiting “an extraordinary instance of feminine heroism by discharging the duties of a faithful, gallant soldier, and at the same time preserving the virtue and chastity of her sex unsuspected and unblemished.” Amazing story. “And I am 60 years old and I learn this story,” says Streep. “I should have learned that story in the fourth grade. Because it helps you as a child to know that it is not just Paul Revere riding a horse and calling, ‘The British are coming, the British are coming.’ It’s not just Benjamin Franklin and George Washington and the battles won, it’s the bravery of all these people that are undiscovered, unknown.”

[–]IPetCats 865 points866 points ago

I'm going to go ahead and say Jason Segel. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, he writes a kick ass script and he's funny to boot. I've never read/heard anything bad about him. A guy like that deserves some credit.

[–]bdubaya 222 points223 points ago

I wish I had the link to it, but I saw him talking in an interview about the way he writes material, particularly in the script for The Muppets. His philosophy of comedy is that you can write something that is truly hilarious without resorting to making fun of or belittling others. I have a ton of respect for that kind of attitude.

[–]mxt920 297 points298 points ago

I remember reading a bit of an interview with him where he talked about how he wanted to do full-frontal nudity in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. He actually made some pretty good points about how women are naked all the time, and that it was important to the scene where it happened because it showed how vulnerable he was. I was impressed.

And The Muppets is one of the best movies I have seen in years. Not in a campy, nostalgic way, either - it was a genuinely awesome movie.

[–]lavender_ 153 points154 points ago

He also said he wrote the women how they are in real life and the men how women are written in most rom-coms. I love him so much.

[–]roncapa 50 points51 points ago

I wish I could find the interview he did about Forgetting Sarah Marshall where he talks about the Dracula musical and how that was a real thing he wrote to try to get back in to show biz. He showed it to someone who laughed hysterically and told him to never show it to anyone. It than got its part in Sarah Marshall.

[–]Rapidity[S] 273 points274 points ago

Freaks and Geeks really did unearth some stars. And Seth Rogan.

[–]imacultclassic 36 points37 points ago

That show was a goldmine.

[–]Joevual 62 points63 points ago

Seth Rogan is an extremely hard-working individual.

[–]Subduction 140 points141 points ago

I'll pull out a little more obscure choice. Don't know why he popped into my head when the question was asked, but:

John Lithgow.

[–][deleted] 15 points16 points ago

Ever since Season 4 of Dexter...

shudder

[–]CafeSilver 750 points751 points ago

Daniel Craig. He worked stage and low budget movies in bit parts for two decades before he made it big. Now that he has made it big he seems to remain humbled.

[–]tenspeedscarab 457 points458 points ago

There was a great article in GQ a month ago featuring an interview with Daniel Craig - I though he was a good guy before, but he grew into one of the people I most respect after reading that.

If I can remember, he was talking about the decision to become James Bond, and how he was worried that he wouldn't have done the role justice, and what he eventually told himself was, quote, "I didn't want to be that guy at the bar who says "I could have been James Bond", and the other guy look at me and say "why didn't you, you twat?"

Honest, humble and self-deprecating... I wanted to hug him.

[–]CafeSilver 122 points123 points ago

I have a super man crush on him.

[–]SirEnt 197 points198 points ago

He looks like my dad, I can't take the films hes in seriously. Its just my dad running around, same mannerisms and everything.

[–]LostCrow 176 points177 points ago

I now have you tagged as "his dad is daniel craig". I will stumble upon this years later and hold actual belief that you are the son of James Bond.

[–]XcuseM3 1089 points1090 points ago

Leonardo Dicaprio, hard working actor, plays great roles in some great movies. I don't know much about his personal life or anything but seems to always play each role quite well.

[–]AUBeastmaster 357 points358 points ago

"Catch Me if You Can." 'nuff said.

[–]toothpastesandwiches 250 points251 points ago

I raise you 'Blood Diamond'. With the Zimbabwean accent

[–]ContraPositive 31 points32 points ago

I see your "Blood Diamond" and raise you one "Basketball Diaries." Fuck me if that wasn't a perfect portrayal of withdrawing from heroin.

[–]Bladelink 258 points259 points ago

I put DiCaprio in the same boat with Timberlake. Both were teen idols who carefully steered their careers toward badassery.

[–]HopeImNotAStalker 328 points329 points ago

Bad idea to put Leonardo DiCaprio on a boat.

[–]TheZad 394 points395 points ago

Same. I never liked him because of Titanic and all the girls that swooned over him. Never saw any of his movies really, until The Departed. I was fucking floored.

Not only did he pull off the accent (I'm from Boston, so I know a good Boston accent when I hear one), but he kicked Matt Damon's ass in that one scene. I like Matt Damon a lot, but I was cheering for Leo.

[–]ooyat 594 points595 points ago

Leo must have some of the best "people" in the business. Every male of my generation went from hating everything about him because of "Titanic" to thinking, "That movie has Leondardo Dicaprio in it. I should see it."

[–]Souliss 74 points75 points ago

He was relatively well known before Titanic b/c of Basketball Diaries and Whats Eating Gilbert Grape. He also took a large chance on the Romeo and Juliette Baz Lurman project. Leo/Leos management picked great projects over and over since he was 10. How does that happen?

[–]junkit33 329 points330 points ago

Because he's probably the best actor in the business today. He also doesn't take on crap roles for easy money like many other good actors. (cough De Niro cough)

Basically if he chose to be in a movie, you can bank on it being ambitious, and you at least know the acting will be good even if the story doesn't quite hold up.

Thus, it's kind of silly to not want to see his movies...

[–]mreiland 26 points27 points ago

I first encountered leonardo di caprio back when he did "What's eating Gilbert Grape", and I thought he was a fantastic actor, even then. I was disappointed with Titanic, it was a huge movie, but the role never really gave him a chance to shine, to really show his talents. It did thrust him into the limelight though.

And he's just gotten better as time goes on. I think saying he's probably the best actor in the business today is completely truthful. I can't really think of any other actor off the top of my head who has been able to play such a broad spectrum of characters, and do it well.

[–]LostCrow 94 points95 points ago

I love him because of how devoted he seems to the role that he is playing. I always feel like he becomes the character.

[–]Herborist 557 points558 points ago

Elijah Wood.

I've seen people bothering him on the street, asking all sorts of personal questions, and he's super nice to all of them and treats them like old friends. Best guy ever.

[–]bryguy894 336 points337 points ago

I heard he went crazy and has an imaginary talking dog for a friend.

[–]BrilliantHamologist 53 points54 points ago

I read an interview with one of his friends years ago talking about how he takes roles mainly for the experiences they offer. Yeah, he made Flipper--he also got to spend months swimming with dolphins. I'm happy that he's so successful now, but I also feel a twinge of sadness. Elijah Wood loves Comic Con, and back when he was just the kid from Flipper, he could roam the floor relatively unnoticed. Now he needs an entourage. Or a disguise.

[–]Sodagraph 87 points88 points ago

A disguise? At Comic Con? That'll never work.

[–]1niquity 76 points77 points ago

He should just dress up as Frodo and people will think it is just a really good costume.

[–]Rapidity[S] 127 points128 points ago

Word. Guy would have to deal with a lot growing up a child actor - he has pretty much nailed adult life. And He's Frodo.

[–]jamurp 655 points656 points ago

Brad Pitt. Could easily have become a 'Hollywood pretty boy' type. Instead worked hard on his acting, chose challenging films, and had a brilliant career.

[–]esotericish 83 points84 points ago

Not to mention, he's a hardcore philanthropist.

[–]honeybunny123 47 points48 points ago

I remember when I was younger and not very educated in the world movies, I thought Brad Pitt was nothing but a pretty boy actor that made the magazine cover every other week. But now, after watching his films, I can safely say he is in my top five favorite actors. Burn After Reading, True Romance (one of his earlier movies), Inglorious Basterds, Fight Club, Snatch... He has never ceased to impress me.

[–]schnookums13 21 points22 points ago

Don't forget 12 Monkeys.

[–]mcquackers 17 points18 points ago

What this man has been doing for the City of New Orleans would make you cry (I am a New Orleanian). He has no ties to this city, but came here and raised money, putting up plenty of his own to help rebuild one of the poorest parts of the lower 9th ward. And for nothing more than believing that it was the right thing to do. In interviews about it, he tried to make it more about the cause and not about how he was a big movie star helping out the city, as others had shamefully done. I think I would burst into tears if I ever met this man, not because of his fame, but because of the generous nature of his spirit.

[–]GingerMonster 69 points70 points ago

Steve Martin. He's a renaissance man!

[–]isocline 1160 points1161 points ago

Tom Hanks

[–]Herborist 370 points371 points ago

I have no evidence to support this, but he seems like the best guy in the world. There's got to be some kind of witchcraft at work here, but I'm too enamored to investigate.

[–]StreamOfThought 423 points424 points ago

I was backstage at a big fancy phone-donation thing in LA a year or so ago. Tom Hanks was one of the phone celebrities. Each celeb had a certain amount of time, and then they would trade off with another. They had to kick him off the phone so that the other scheduled celebs would get a turn, and he volunteered to keep answering phones all night if it would bring in more donations.

[–]Herborist 339 points340 points ago

That's it, I'm gonna find and marry Tom Hanks. I love breasts, but I'll take it up the ass if it makes that wonderful man happy.

[–]axelofevil 69 points70 points ago

I've got two buttholes, I'll take Leonardo and Tom.

[–]bdog2g2 157 points158 points ago

Not sure how Tom feels about sharing with a Ninja Turtle.

[–]chilltem 41 points42 points ago

Not sure how leonardo feels about sharing with a cat.

[–]IshotAbeLincoln 102 points103 points ago

I rememberhearing a quote one time about Tom hanks, I think it was Steve Martin. Tom hanks got to the top by taking short cuts. He only made great movies. I think that is so true, Larry Crowne wasn't great, but nearly everything else he has done has been gold.

[–]Lizzyb28 16 points17 points ago

I see your Larry Crowne and I raise you Mazes and Monsters. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084314/

[–]kalaidus 321 points322 points ago

Craig Ferguson. He always comes across as genuine to me, and an all around nice guy. Read his autobiography recently and like him even more now.

[–]SeshuanSteve 12 points13 points ago

I just recently trekked (drove) across America to go see a taping of his show. Glad to say that even when the cameras are off, he's really kind and actually listened a lot to what people wanted to say in the crowd.

[–]StreetMailbox 177 points178 points ago

How the fuck is Stephen Colbert not on this list?

Have you seen him during breaks on his show? He gathers with his writers for like 10 minutes to go over the script and make changes, which he then delivers without a studder in a continuous take until the next commercial. He is both an amazing actor, and a good writer, and was able to shape his character into something incredible.

[–]Illpackallama 150 points151 points ago*

Financial celebrity wise Warren Buffet. He's just an outstanding businessman, and as a result, he's one of the richest people in the world. And he's incredibly generous, he gives away 99% of his money every year to charity, and taking home only $100,000 US each year.

[–]BlizzardofOz 529 points530 points ago

Trent Reznor

[–]aroomacanvas 111 points112 points ago

In addition to Nine Inch Nails being my favorite band, I really respect and admire Trent's views on the music industry. He's a really smart guy and I wish that more of the industry would learn from his experience.

[–]Rothers 43 points44 points ago

Dustin Hoffman. If you've not seen it, then watch the Inside the Actors Studio with him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaVwKN8DdkI

[–]Ryusko 344 points345 points ago

Hugh Jackman. Any interview or second-hand report makes him seem like a great, humble guy who is also a great actor.

[–]kitteh-saur 78 points79 points ago

And he's super hot, so he's got that going for him as well.

[–]armedwithturtles 305 points306 points ago

i'd say dave grohl

[–]NotChainsawJuggler 43 points44 points ago

I have never heard a story about Dave Grohl that I didn't like. He just seems like the coolest dude.

[–]Cawrl 18 points19 points ago

Argh, You beat me to it! :) Nirvana, Foo fighters, QOTSA, Crooked Voltures. The dude is amazing. On top of that known as one of the nicest guys in the industry. Awesome guy!

[–]opensourcer 11 points12 points ago

We all remember what he did for the trapped miners. The miners asked for ipods with Foo Fighters songs and they fulfilled that request. Later Dave offered them for a show and some beer. Dave even recorded a song dedicated to these miners titled "Ballad of the Beaconsfield Miners"

Here's another classy moment. I remember when David Letterman had heart surgery, the Foo Fighters cancelled a South America tour to be back on Letterman's first show back to play Everlong. "My favorite band playing my favorite song" - David Letterman

Stories like that just warm your heart

Dave also helped out Tenacious D

[–]Cleardesign 18 points19 points ago

agree 100%

[–]Oafah 528 points529 points ago

Eddie Izzard. There's no comedian in the world like him, and being original in comedy is a challenge in itself, whether or not you're actually funny.

I like how you ended your post with "no homo". There's no shame in having a man crush on Justin Timberlake. I'd let him bum me.

[–]nat5an 43 points44 points ago

He was a street performer in Edinburgh for like 10 years before he made it big, too. If that's not hard working, I don't know what is.

[–]awkwardIRL 138 points139 points ago

He can perform his entire act in three languages. Asshole.

[–]Oafah 63 points64 points ago

I know. If he weren't so important to humanity, I'd kill him and steal his powers.

[–]hedonismbot89 99 points100 points ago

If I'm having a bad day, I'll watch some Eddie Izzard. He also ran over 1000 miles to raise over £200,000 for charity in two months. Good Guy Eddie is always a good choice.

[–]bkbr13 493 points494 points ago

Robert Downey Jr.

[–]koshercowboy 165 points166 points ago

This man has come a long...fucking...way, and deserves a shitload of respect. Most people don't know he spent a year in prison, quietly. Cheers

[–][deleted] ago

[deleted]

[–]z3ntropy 385 points386 points ago

Bill Gates

[–]jaylow17 161 points162 points ago

John Oliver. Hilarious, hardworking, awesome dude.

[–]siriusgrey 73 points74 points ago

Hugh Laurie!!

Awesome actor, hilarious, musician, boxer, motorcyclist, and starred in 2 of the best classic british comedies

[–]0_Khagan_0 266 points267 points ago

Dave Chapelle

[–]throw_away_me 41 points42 points ago

Fuck hollywood, I'm gonna live in Ohio.

[–]fraggelsmurf 244 points245 points ago

Jackie Chan. He works really hard.

[–]KingKazuma 37 points38 points ago

does all his own stunts, has broken countless bones filming his movies, and is classically trained in opera. guy's awesome.

[–]koshercowboy 25 points26 points ago

not only that, but this guy has managed to train a fucking fish.... in two languages.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTpKEyqUyP0

[–]AngryafricanRW 234 points235 points ago

George Carlin. I don't think I need to go into detail why.

[–]noisesolo 26 points27 points ago

[–][deleted] 499 points500 points ago

Jon Stewart

[–]rubes114 31 points32 points ago*

There are so many great actors that started off as correspondents on his show. Plus he writes a lot of stuff for the show himself, note how he was able to continue doing shows during the writers' strike.

EDIT: Spelling

[–]atait12 13 points14 points ago

I dont know why anyone hasnt comment on Jon Stewart yet, but hes the only news anchor on tv that isnt full of shit. Im a grown man and when he brought out the 9/11 first responders to tell their stories about their health problems from 9/11 and how the government has continually screwed them over, i got a little teary eyed. Jon Stewart may be on comedy central but that shouldnt take away from his hard work and his dedication to his fans.

[–]metwork 1174 points1175 points ago

Trey Parker/Matt Stone

[–]carbonetc 1012 points1013 points ago

Surprised I haven't seen Neil Patrick Harris mentioned. He seems to me like one of the most genuine and sane celebrities out there.

[–]Bettdicksin 1122 points1123 points ago

Tina Fey

[–]BangItUpLainey 185 points186 points ago

Tina Fey really is a genius of comedy, 30 Rock really inspired me to know more about her, so I bought and read her book and it was great and funny, and I also learned many of the SNL sketches before SNL started to suck were because of Tina. She sounds like just a hilarious person.

[–]mintpepper 33 points34 points ago

You read Dealbreaker?

[–]Rapidity[S] 81 points82 points ago

Agree 1000%

30 Rock is a great show. But its Tina Fey that makes it great.

[–]rbeezy 451 points452 points ago

Also Amy Poehler.

[–]Octal40 813 points814 points ago

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. That guy is just pure awesome.

[–]Hookerface 192 points193 points ago

He is a suave mother fucker.

[–]beeblesqueebs 39 points40 points ago

A great singer too.

[–]Rapidity[S] 219 points220 points ago

Im going to throw another name into the ring. From the bottom of my heart.

Joss Whedon.

[–]prongsy 79 points80 points ago

Daniel Radcliffe. Kid has such a good sense of humor about himself, level head, etc.

[–]damien6669 72 points73 points ago

Samuel L. Jackson. He doesn't say no, and therefore has been great and awful. It also goes to show you the power of a good script, director and supporting cast.

[–]Retortoise 140 points141 points ago

Jason Statham. He was a broke olympic diver who hustled the streets to stay afloat.

[–]EvilSpunge23 186 points187 points ago

But surely, if you're a diver, staying afloat isn't the best thing?

[–]HaterzGon_Hate 809 points810 points ago

BILL FUCKING MURRAY!

[–]TheDudePenguin 72 points73 points ago

The main reason I agree with you is because it is his personality to be such a funny and entertaining man. He doesn't need to really "act". He just delivers his lines. Also, I love watching him with fans or out on the golf course.

[–]Dino7813 277 points278 points ago

Keanu Reeves.

Granted not much talent, but he's a cool motherfucker. He gave tons of money that he made off of the Matrix to the crew on the movies. He had some kind of deal where he took a cut of the ticket sales, which turned out to be shit-ton of money. I don't know of any other star that has exhibited that kind of generosity to the people that worked hard to make his films a success.

Plus, once he found out about the Keanu meme, he thought it was cool.

[–]Soulfly37 53 points54 points ago

it was something like 110 million bucks that he gave to the 20ish people who worked on the movie. He said something to the effect of "I have enough money"

That's pretty fucking awesome imo

[–]cptncrnch 39 points40 points ago

He also donates a lot of money to cancer research. His sister was diagnosed with leukemia.

[–]SlayerConman 120 points121 points ago

Paul Giamatti

[–]implodedexplosion 214 points215 points ago

Joel McHale

[–]IDriveAVan 72 points73 points ago

One of the least true seeming bits of trivia out there is the fact that Joel McHale was briefly a tight end for the University of Washington.

[–]Rapidity[S] 113 points114 points ago

Wow. The dean is somewhere orgasming.

[–]sra6418 240 points241 points ago

Johnny Depp

[–]enkidu686 23 points24 points ago

One of the few actors I can't recognize in some roles. You don't see Johnny Depp on screen, you see the character he plays.

[–]Al_Scarface_Capone 12 points13 points ago

Quentin Tarantino: totally self made, with all sorts of stories of him replying to letters of young fans personally and stuff like that. Plus you gotta respect a man who hand-writes scripts that come in at hundreds of pages while dyslexic.

[–]allywood 146 points147 points ago

Conan O'Brien.

[–]Dakster11 246 points247 points ago*

Natalie Portman. She skipped movie premieres to study for exams, for god's sake!

edit: Not that it has to do with her being hard-working, but I'd also like to say that she's effing gorgeous.

[–]Willie_Main 314 points315 points ago

Donald Glover. He seems like an awesome dude and really talented. With the exception of a few of his Childish Gambino songs, there isn't much that he's done that I haven't been a fan of.

Howard Stern. Although it's gotten a bit out of proportion now, he went from a huge loser to super successful. I don't think there's much you can complain about when it comes to him. I just wish he'd do more with his power.

[–]Chastain86 136 points137 points ago

Looked through, didn't see, apologize if it's already been mentioned.

Seth Green. Genuinely funny, self-deprecating, not blessed with Hollywood-endorsed supermodel good looks or height, and still manages to get work. When he doesn't get work, he MAKES his own work.

[–]serfis 82 points83 points ago*

There's some great ones on here. One I haven't seen mentioned is Jonny Depp. IMO, he's an incredible actor who has played a wide variety of roles very well, and he seems to be a really nice guy overall, from what I've seen. Along those lines, I think Tim Burton has earned his success. His newer stuff isn't great, but he's made some classics, and making something like Nightmare Before Christmas was risky because of the time it takes to do something like that. I'm also a fan of his non-movie art. It's all pretty simple stuff, but I like it.

I'll also throw in Edward Norton and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Edit: I also want to throw in Zach Braff.

[–]Wynner3 19 points20 points ago

Finally someone mentions Edward Norton, I have been searching through all the posts hoping to find his name. I have always liked his acting and movies, he does seem to be a genuinely cool guy and good actor.