Best American Actor and Actress

Fixed.

Seriously, I like Norton but Spacey is a fucking pro. Right after them comes Nicholson, Hanks & Denzel. I have a weird relationship with Nicholson - didnt care for him at all when I was a kid, find myself seeing everything he is in as an adult. Big fan now.

DeNiro and Pacino can both mark the end of their careers with Heat. It was the last good acting job either has done. It's a shame because I like them both so much.

It's sexist, but female actresses tend to be more transient - aka "flavor of the week". I don't know that we've had an archetypal female actress in the last two decades. From Larry's list - Moore is too much of a late bloomer, and Paltrow, while a classic beauy (i.e. staying power), is riding that as her shtick as much as Pacino now rides his Scent of a Woman persona.

 

Let's not forget Dustin Hoffman and Tim Robbins. Shawshank Redemption and Jacob's Ladder were awesome. I also agree Edward Norton is great.

Let's all notice for a second that tons of the great actors and actresses mentioned have done Woody Allen films at one time or another.