Here\u2019s a list of my favorite \u201cmanly\u201d actors from today\u2019s movies\u2014there\u2019s a whole different list from yesteryear.\u00a0 Most of the young actors today don\u2019t have the chops to compete with these guys in the acting or masculinity departments.\u00a0 Interestingly, most of these guys are known conservatives (what a coincidence).\u00a0 I intentionally left off Bobbie DeNiro because he\u2019s too obvious and he\u2019s been in too many bad movies lately.\u00a0 Although with classic movies like Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Goodfellas, A Bronx Tale, and Godfather part II, he definitely deserves to be on the list.<\/p>\n
Robert Duvall<\/strong>:\u00a0 Perhaps one of the best actors of all time\u2014he\u2019s been in a ton of movies.\u00a0 If he is in a movie you can just about bet it will be good.\u00a0 He\u2019s been in some of the greatest movies of all time.\u00a0 Coincidence\u2014I think not.<\/p>\n Movies: To Kill a Mocking Bird, Godfather parts I & II, True Grit, Apocalypse Now, The Natural, Lonesome Dove, The Great Santini, Tender Mercies, Secondhand Lions, and Open Range.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Liam Neeson<\/strong>:\u00a0 Another \u201cmanly\u201d guy who\u2019s been in some great movies.\u00a0 An Irishman, he\u2019s also got a great voice as evidenced by being the voice of Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia movies.\u00a0 Besides anyone who can make a great movie like Taken, deserves to be on this list.<\/p>\n Movies: Schindler\u2019s List, Rob Roy, Kingdom of Heaven, Taken, Star Wars Episode II, Batman Begins, Seraphim Falls, and The Grey.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Daniel Day-Lewis<\/strong>: I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve ever seen a movie where Daniel Day-Lewis didn\u2019t take over the screen.\u00a0 Also an Englishman\/Irishman.\u00a0 He\u2019s an intense guy, remaining in \u201ccharacter\u201d during filming.\u00a0 He\u2019s also probably pretty private as you never hear anything about him.\u00a0 Reportedly he\u2019s very selective in the films he makes, often waiting five years between roles.<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, Gangs of New York, Last of the Mohicans, The Crucible, and The Boxer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Pierce Brosnan<\/strong>:\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure why there are so many Irishmen on my list, but here\u2019s another.\u00a0 Earlier in his career (during his Remington Steele days) I was not that impressed with him, but as he\u2019s gotten older I find myself enjoying the range of acting he provides.\u00a0 He seems to have worked hard at his craft over the years to become better.\u00a0 He hasn\u2019t been in many great movies but I find myself enjoying him in small parts when I see him.\u00a0 He produced and acted in a little known film called, Evelyn, which was a wonderful movie\u2014catch it if you can find it.<\/p>\n Movies: The Thomas Crown Affair, four James Bond movies, Seraphim Falls, The Matador, and Bag of Bones.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Sam Elliott<\/strong>:\u00a0 Best voice in movies today hands down.\u00a0 Not since Robert Mitchum has an actor\u2019s voice been so distinctive.\u00a0 Great in any \u201cmanly\u201d role from cowboy to biker to soldier.\u00a0 Pretty good \u2018stache as well.\u00a0 Classic supporting performances in Mask and We Were Soldiers.\u00a0 Beef\u2014it\u2019s what\u2019s for dinner.<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 The Shadow Riders, Mask, the Quick and the Dead, Conagher, Tombstone, The Big Lebowski, and We Were Soldiers.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Tom Selleck<\/strong>:\u00a0 A former male model and beach volleyball player, but still a \u201cmanly\u201d guy.\u00a0 Never been afraid to sport facial hair either.\u00a0 Starred in the TV series Magnum P.I. before switching over to the big screen.\u00a0 He still does good TV work starring in the popular Jesse Stone series and Blue Bloods.\u00a0 He\u2019s also supportive of the National Rifle Association (NRA) which makes him a good guy in my eyes.<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 The Sacketts, Shadow Riders, Three Men and a Baby, Quigley Down Under, and Crossfire Trail.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Mel Gibson<\/strong>:\u00a0 I know, Mel has fallen out of favor with the Hollywood political correct crowd.\u00a0 He made some big mistakes, but who hasn\u2019t.\u00a0 But he\u2019s also made some of the greatest \u201cmanly\u201d movies of all time.\u00a0 Besides he\u2019s a big Three Stooges fan.\u00a0 So get your panties out of a bunch and just look at some of his work:<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 Mad Max (series), Lethal Weapon (series), Braveheart, Passion of the Christ, The Patriot, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Man Without a Face, We Were Soldiers, Signs, and What Women Want.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Russell Crowe<\/strong>:\u00a0 Russell Crowe is also out of favor with the Hollywood elites.\u00a0 Crowe like Gibson is an Aussie, which may have something to do with his unbreakable spirit which rubs people the wrong way.\u00a0 He\u2019s also in a rock band and owns a rugby team.\u00a0 The Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda<\/a> wanted to kidnap him.<\/p>\n Movies: Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, LA Confidential, Master and Commander, Cinderella Man, The Quick and the Dead, 3:10 to Yuma, and a surprisingly good Robin Hood.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bruce Willis<\/strong>:\u00a0 Bruce is always good for an enjoyable action flick where you don\u2019t have to think too hard.\u00a0 He\u2019s also not afraid or too vain to show off his bald dome.\u00a0 Became popular in a TV series called Moonlighting in the 80s.<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Sin City, Die Hard (series), The Story of Us, The Fifth Element, Grindhouse, 16 Blocks, and Tears of the Sun.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Gene Hackman<\/strong>:\u00a0 Perhaps my favorite all time actor (next to Clint).\u00a0 Any movie Hackman is in is a good film.\u00a0 Like all great actors he has longevity\u2014he\u2019s been consistently good for a long period of time.\u00a0 He\u2019s also a fiction writer with four novels under his belt.<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 Bonnie & Clyde, The French Connection, The Conversation, Young Frankenstein, Hoosiers, Unforgiven, Uncommon Valor, and Mississippi Burning.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Clint Eastwood<\/strong>:\u00a0 Okay, here\u2019s the bonus.\u00a0 The granddaddy of all \u201cmanly\u201d actors\u2014Clint!\u00a0 He\u2019s a masculine icon for generations of men.\u00a0 From Rawhide to spaghetti westerns to a tough cop, Clint\u2019s perhaps the most productive producer, director, and actor alive today.\u00a0 He works with the same crew every film and has great loyalty on the set.\u00a0 Besides that he was the mayor of Carmel, CA.\u00a0 If I\u2019m bored\u2014I\u2019m looking for a pizza and a Clint Eastwood movie.\u00a0 Go ahead\u2014make my day.<\/p>\n Movies:\u00a0 Sergio Leone<\/a>\u2018s \u00a0trilogy<\/a> of spaghetti westerns<\/a> (A Fistful of Dollars<\/em><\/a>, For a Few Dollars More<\/em><\/a>, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly<\/em><\/a>), Dirty Harry films (Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact, and the Dead Pool<\/em>), Kelly\u2019s Heroes, Play Misty for Me, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Pale Rider, Heartbreak Ridge, Unforgiven, The Bridges of Madison County, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n