Favorite acting performances in a movie?

Tom Hanks - Castaway / Forrest Gump
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Departed
Micky Rourke - The Wrestler
Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects / American Beauty
Bill Murray - Stripes
Hugo Weaving - V for Vendetta
Jeff Bridges - Big Lebowski (Dude!)
Frances McDormand - Fargo
Robert Deniro (long list)
Al Pacino - Scarface (long list)
Christopher Walken - King of New York / Suicide Kings (long list)
Samuel Jackson - Pulp Fiction (say what one more time !)
Ewan McGregor - Trainspotting
Orlando Bloom - Lord of Rings
Ian McKellen - Lord of the Rings
Johhny Depp - Pirates of the Caribbean / Sleepy Hollow / From Hell
Tom Berenger - Platoon
Bill Nighy - Uderworld
Gary Oldman - (long list)
Anthony Hopkins - (long list)
Michael Cane - (long list)
Bryan Brown - F/X
Tim Robbins - Shawshank Redemption
Morgan Freeman - Batman
Brad Pitt - Fight Club / Se7en / 12 Monkeys
Billy Bob Thronton - Sling Blade
Bruce Willis - Fifth Element / Sixth Sense / Pulp Ficton / Die Hard
Kevin Costner - JFK / Postman
Jack Nicholson - (long list)
good lord I know I'm still missing some............must take break

No one for Shaq in Kazaam?

De Niro in Cape Fear

john cusack in high fidelity and runaway jury
liv tyler in empire records
gene hackman in runaway jury
marlon brando in the godfather
matt stone in BASEketball
joan cusack in grosse point blank
eugene levy in anything he does(such a funny akwardness about him)
anthony edwards in revenge of the nerds
ryan gossling in fracture
matt damon in good will hunting and all the bourne movies
ethan suplee in mall rats and remember the titans
sean astin in rudy
sam jackson in pulp fiction and coach carter

Classic... pre 1960

Bette Davis-The letter, Now Voyager

James Cagney -White Heat, The Public enemy

Humphrey Bogart-Casablanca, African Queen, Key Largo

Jimmy Stewart-Mr smith goes to Washington, It's a wonderful life, Philadelphia story

Eddie G Robinson-Little Ceasar, Key Largo

Paul Muni-Scarface, I am a fugitive from a chain gang

Henry Fonda-Grapes of wrath, Ox bow incident

Claudette Colbert-It happened one night

Clark Gable-It happened one night

Sidney Poitier-The defiant ones

Harold Russell-The best years of our lives


-----------------Modern post 1960

Tom Hanks-Philadelphia, Forest Gump

Henry Fonda-Once upon a time in the west, On golden pond

Lee Van Cleef-For a few dollars more

Morgan Freeman-Driving miss daisy

Gene Hackman-Mississippi burning, French connection

Samuel Jackson - Pulp Fiction

Jack Nicholson-Chinatown, One flew over the cuckoos nest

Robert Deniro-Godfather 2, Taxi driver

Paul Giamatti-Sideways

Roberto Benigni - Life is Beautiful

Yul Brynner as Chief Black Eagle in Kings Of The Sun
Cary Grant as Water Burns in His girl Friday;as John Robie in To Catch A Thief

david hyde pierce in the mating habits of the earthbound human

Dan Blocker as Waldo Gronsky in Lady In Cement

Hardly any screen time but his scenes were the best parts of the film.

Charles Bronson as Chaney in Hard Times
James Coburn as Spencer 'Speed' Weed in Hard Times
Steve McQueen as Henri 'Papillon' Charriere in Papillon
James Garner as Latigo in Support Your Local Gunfighter
Rod Taylor as HG Wells in The Time Machine
Burt Lancaster,Trapeze,Birdman of Alcatraz,The Crimson Pirate, all fantastic roles.
Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gogh in Lust for Life

I'll stop now but this has been a happy trip down memory lane for me.

Sean Penn in I Am Sam
Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven
Samuel L. Jackson in A Time to Kill
Alex Winter in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure:grrhee:

You guys have mentioned some great ones.