Al Pacino Names His Pick for the Greatest American Actor

Al Pacino is known as one of the all-time greats in Hollywood, with legendary roles in films like The Godfather, Scarface, and Dog Day Afternoon. He’s been part of some of the most important movies in American cinema. So, when someone like him gives their opinion on acting, people tend to listen.

While many fans and critics would say Pacino himself is one of the best to ever do it, the actor has his own list of favorites. In an interview with Playboy back in 1979, Pacino talked about the actors he looked up to the most. He mentioned names like Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, Jack Nicholson, Robert Mitchum, and Lee Marvin. About Cooper, Pacino said, “Gary Cooper was kind of a phenomenon… his ability to take something and elevate it, give it such dignity. One of the great presences.”

But when he was asked who he believed was the best actor in America, Pacino gave a different answer. He said, “Among the post-Brando actors, I call it post-Brando, it was about ten years after Brando that a lot of actors… There are so many fine actors… I don’t know. George C. Scott.”

That may surprise some people. George C. Scott isn’t always brought up in today’s conversations about the greatest actors, especially when compared to names like Marlon Brando or Robert De Niro. But Scott was a powerful performer who had a massive impact. He won an Oscar for playing General Patton in the 1970 film Patton and also starred in Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove as the over-the-top General ‘Buck’ Turgidson. He worked with directors like Kubrick, Paul Schrader, and Otto Preminger.

Pacino clearly saw something special in Scott. Even though he didn’t go into too much detail, the fact that he mentioned him above others says a lot.

Pacino also gave a shoutout to some of his favorite filmmakers in that same interview. He said, “Mel Brooks will have these flashes in his films; you laugh for hours afterward. I wonder how he is, what he’s like. The same with Woody; I go to see all of his films.”

So while Pacino’s name is carved into the history of American film, it’s interesting to hear him give credit to someone like George C. Scott, a name that maybe deserves a little more love from modern audiences.

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