list those people who tend to churn out incredible work, but who never seem to be recognized for their performances- not just by the award committees, but by the public in general.

save your fuck lists for another thread.

wanting to do lewd things to him/her in the back of your parents buick =/= great actor.

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when that bitch breathes, the air comes out crooked.

aaron eckhart
sarah polley

she doesn't need recognition as an actress, everyone loves her as a director now.

cool about the riot police knocking her teeth out though

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they made soup out of my research turtles.

I really rate him. He could be the Bryan Adams of Hollywood!

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Time is the distance that you can't return by miles.

I escaped somehow. Let's go

actualy [sic] I have quite a blessed life if I'm honest. I have many people to love, hate few and have few money problem's [sic].... What more does a person need? Oh yeah and I have some kind of humbleness unlike you of course ^_^ ~ CarefulCarpenter

Fairuza Balk...

whatever happened to her

and Helena Bonham Carter, I think she should get more credit for her acting and she's only acting on burton movies lately

harry dean stanton

vincent d'onofrio

Kurt Russell

I know he just died, but Brad Renfro was pretty unnoticed by the public at large. His performance in 'Bully' was pretty great.

Joseph Gordon Levitt is incredible. Watch 'mysterious skin' and you will see.

Carley Pope & Emily Corrie and that guy who's in the BT ad's and in Funland .. hes awesome

I second this. He was great in Brick also.

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The city lights are cold and violent.

I was going to say this. He's great. I reckon he'll be winning awards in a few years.

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"I go through life like a Karate Kid"

Most definitely, such a talent and capable of so much. He's really blossomed since the third rock from the sun days which never really allowed him to fully showcase his brilliance. His performance in Mysterious skin is just so fucking powerful, I still feel awestruck whenever I watch it,almost like I'm seeing it for the first time.
I've always thought he shared a similar rawness to Heath Ledger, in that there's kind of a youthful vulnerability there despite having such a mature approach.
Also I know it's kind of 1990's of me but I always thought Michael Pitt was wonderful. He's got such a sweet sincerity about the way he delivers lines.
Whilst I'm at it, I'm also going to say edward furlong, because actually he's subtly excellent. Everything he's ever done is portrayed with such honesty and conviction.

Maggie Gyllenhaal

she is SO fucking good in Secretary. I don't think alot of the more Hollywood (which really means "notable" with most audiences.) actresses would have been comfortable doing that character.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

uh, Mysterious Skin. jeez. ditto my above comment

Charlie Hunnam

Green Street Elite/Hooligans, Cold Mountain
oh man, I love him

James Marsters

how the hell is this guy not getting work after Buffy the vampire slayer? I think he showed a hell of a lot of talent playing the same character from seasons 2 - 7 but making Spike very very different through those seasons. he goes through like 4 changes or so.

there's Drusilla and Spike Spike, the Spike that's missing Drusilla and with Harmony who's a bit more humorous, the Spike that is creepily obsessed with Buffy and suddenly very passionate and more eccentric, the Spike in Season 6 that is fucking Buffy and then tries to rape her and then the Spike in season 7 that has a soul...and it's amazing whenever they show flashbacks of William the Bloody (the non-vampire.) oh! and I love him in the episode Lies My Mother Told Me.

oh yes, I forgot to mention that I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Brick. and he was my favourite in 10 Things I Hate About You, which was quite a different character from Brendan in Brick and whats-his-face in Mysterious Skin. ...only downside is that my asshole ex boyfriend resembled him quite a bit. so now I'm all bitter thinking about both of their faces.

Ewan McGregor could be more appreciated than he is. Shallow Grave, A Life Less Ordinary...oh man, he is SO funny in those. and he's really great in a more comic-book type role as Obi Wan (in Star Wars, obvi) whereas a lot of people in those films were REALLY corny and shitty. Trainspotting is my favourite film of all time so I love him in that. and Velvet Goldmine. I felt very bad for Curt Wylde's character because of...well, I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone who's not seen it. And of course Christian in Moulin Rouge is a sweet heart but very genuine.

Colin Farrell. I think he pulls off a hell of an American accent (like in Swat and Minority Report) and I loved his performances in A Home at the End of the World and Intermission. He also did an interesting portrayal of Alexander the Great. If only he wasn't wearing that awful wig in that film...

Jake Gyllenhaal. It seems that people STILL don't get it. Donnie Darko is my favourite male character in any film I have ever seen. I think Jake played him perfectly. And I love Jake in Brokeback Mountain and Jarhead.

Peter Sarsgaard. I ended up with a lot of sympathy for his character in Jarhead, and he's SO funny in a really offhanded way in Garden State.

Gary Oldman. I wish he did bigger projects. he is SO great as Sirius Black, Sid Vicious, Dracula and Zorg from Fifth Element. And I loved seeing him in True Romance as the insane pimp.

I have a feeling he's much more notable in Britain.

Something I've been paying attention to more and more is the fact that Brad Dourif is fucking amazing. Dune has been run on the Encore channels rather frequently, and I couldn't help but watch it for him. Usually, I'll sit through it for Kyle and yes, even Sting, but now I'm watching it for Brad. When my insomnia was reaching levels of chaos a few years ago, I ended up watching a made-for-television movie with Brad playing the seedy cellmate to imprisoned Brad Davis.

He's been in countless films, many you'd probably see late night on cable, some relegated to forgotten vhs status; bit parts to starring roles, from low-budget to blockbusters. It doesn't matter how obscure or awful it may be, Dourif makes it watchable. He's extremely soft-spoken, yet extremely intense. He has a strong charisma, but he seems so relaxed, so mellowed (which has come with his age, I think). He entertains me, yet puts me on edge.

Dourif is one of the major reasons I like Rob Zombie's Halloween remake.

Hmmm, dunno about some of your choices PrincessTrae. Most of the people you've picked aren't very underrated at all. Especially both Gyllenhaals. They get plenty of recognition and rightly so, but I wouldn't say they were underrated.

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"I go through life like a Karate Kid"

Peter Stormare, John Turturro, Josh Brolin. I guess I'm on a Cohen kick.

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You must live on land and I must live at sea.