I judge performers on performance--talent, skill and versatility. I don't evaluate how an actor or musician does his job based on whether he or she is pro- or anti-gun.
If you don't agree with someone and decide not to support him financially by seeing his movies or buying his albums, that's certainly your prerogative. It's something I've done myself, a number of times. But that doesn't mean I can't admit that he's good at what he does.
Since we've apparently limited the scope of this thread to men, I'll have to nominate Pacino, DeNiro, Penn and Denzel Washington to the field. Hopkins, Spacey and McKellan are all terrific. Eastwood is even better as a director than as an actor, and that's saying something. Yes, Hanks belongs on the list. DeCaprio and Jamie Foxx will be up there soon.
But the best, most versatile actor in the business today, the one who simply becomes other people and is utterly convincing in any role, the one who can do any accent to perfection, is Meryl Streep.
