Your favorite Western actors, and why?

[Captainkirk]

So speaking of Westerns, who were/are you favorite actors, and why? What is it about them that make or break a series or movie compared to others? For example; many think Clint Eastwood is top dog, while others find his terse, one-syllable lines boring and un-imaginitive.

#1 for me is, and always will be, The Duke. Nobody, but nobody can deliver a line and make it as believable as the great John Wayne. Or speak volumes with only a look.

[ShotgunDave]

Put me in the camp of both of those fine gentlemen. I love John Wayne for the same reasons you do, but I give the slight nod to Clint. I love his no nonsense way and even his sarcasm. He's a bad ass, and you know it. My kinda guy.

[Captainkirk]

Put me in the camp of both of those fine gentlemen. I love John Wayne for the same reasons you do, but I give the slight nod to Clint. I love his no nonsense way and even his sarcasm. He's a bad ass, and you know it. My kinda guy.

Dave, Clint is sort of an 'acquired taste', if you will. While many of the pundits totally ripped on the "Man With No Name" trilogy, once you've watched them a few times you start to "get" Eastwood's character and despite the (at times) annoying music, you can relax and enjoy the show.
I truly enjoy Josey Wales as well and own the DVD with the extras included of Eastwood and some of the other actors as well giving their input on this landmark Western.

[ShotgunDave]

Put me in the camp of both of those fine gentlemen. I love John Wayne for the same reasons you do, but I give the slight nod to Clint. I love his no nonsense way and even his sarcasm. He's a bad ass, and you know it. My kinda guy.

Dave, Clint is sort of an 'acquired taste', if you will. While many of the pundits totally ripped on the "Man With No Name" trilogy, once you've watched them a few times you start to "get" Eastwood's character and despite the (at times) annoying music, you can relax and enjoy the show.
I truly enjoy Josey Wales as well and own the DVD with the extras included of Eastwood and some of the other actors as well giving their input on this landmark Western.

I absolutely agree Capt. He has a very different way about him. Maybe that's what I like, he's not a "cookie cutter" cowboy. If you watch any of his other movie genres, you can see a lot of his western persona in those too. But Pale Rider, Hang Em' High, Unforgiven, all some of my favorite movies, along with Josie Wales and the Spaghetti Westerns.

[Yolla Bolly Brad]

My early impressionable days of movie watching go back before Clint Eastwood became a big movie star in westerns. Being some what twisted, I always liked the actors that could play a real despicable bad guy. Lee Marvin in movies like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" was my favorite. Richard Boone was pretty good too at playing bad guys in movies like "Hombre" and "The Shootist'.  My favorite John Wayne role was when he played a man consumed with hate and vengeance in the movie "The Searchers".

[Captainkirk]

My early impressionable days of movie watching go back before Clint Eastwood became a big movie star in westerns. Being some what twisted, I always liked the actors that could play a real despicable bad guy. Lee Marvin in movies like "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence" was my favorite. Richard Boone was pretty good too at playing bad guys in movies like "Hombre" and "The Shootist'.  My favorite John Wayne role was when he played a man consumed with hate and vengeance in the movie "The Searchers".

Yep. Marvin was tops in Liberty Valance as was Boone in Hombre. People you just loved to hate.
But there's that classic line..."I said you, Valance. You pick it up". As bad-ass as Marvin was, nobody but Wayne could have delivered that one better!

[G Dog]

Gabby Hayes, you bet.  By the time he was fifty he had learned to ride a horse, sort of.

[ssb73q]

Hi, my favorites are High Noon and Shane. I always enjoy the quiet competent heroes. My second is Quigley Down Under. The third is The Quick and the Dead (Sam Elliott). However, I love almost all westerns.

Regards,
Richard

[Len]

Hi, my favorites are High Noon and Shane. I always enjoy the quiet competent heroes........

Funny thing, I had a spell of nostalgia the other night, and watched Hi Noon & Shane on Youtube. Then there was a Gregory Peck of the same caliber,
So yes, the old quiet guys are a treat

[Hawg]

Clint Eastwood is number one. I like the sarcastic humor of his characters. John Wayne was another favorite. Bruce Dern made a hella bad guy. Loved Val Kilmer as Doc. Rory Calhoun in The Texan was a favorite. So many of them. One thing I never liked about the old westerns was the music. I like the new westerns better, what few of them there are but I don't try to keep up with names anymore.

[G Dog]

Shane was cringworthy, except for Palance.  Big +1 on Kilmer as Holliday - that was a great performance.

[ShotgunDave]

Oh man, can't forget William Holden in The Wild Bunch. He was a total bad ass. His character in that movie was very Clint Eastwood like. Same kind of quiet meanness and sarcasm.

[AntiqueSledMan]

Hey Capt.

I agree, Lee Marvin was pretty good as Liberty Valance, but I thought he was better as Kid Shelleen in Cat Ballou.



AntiqueSledMan.

[Yolla Bolly Brad]

Shane was cringworthy, except for Palance. 

Oh yeah, I forgot about Jack Palance playing bad guys. He made quite the psycho gun slinger. I saw an interview with him once, he was a strange guy in real life too.

[Captainkirk]

Oh yeah, I forgot about Jack Palance playing bad guys. He made quite the psycho gun slinger. I saw an interview with him once, he was a strange guy in real life too.

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