2. Nathan Lane
A singer, a dancer, and an all-round mensch, Ive never come across anybody whos disliked Nathan Lane. I mean, why would you? Hes a big 'n bombastic Broadway veteran who hams it up at every opportunity. I, like every child, first became acquainted with Lane through his work as Timon in
The Lion King, and yes, when I first saw him in a live-action film (the truly great and underrated
Mouse Trap) I yelled out, THATS TIMON! Because you cant mistake Nathan Lanes voice its as rich as a chocolate pudding with extra fudge. And his acting is in a class all of its own. Loud then soft, joyous then cynical, wisecracking then gravely serious and thats just in a single scene. Of course his masterpiece (in my opinion, anyway) is
The Birdcage. Its not easy to trade zingers with Robin Williams and Hank Azaria and still come out on top, yet somehow Lane does it. Its even harder to take iconic theatre roles and make them your own, yet Lane has stamped his own distinctive style over the roles of Max Bialystock in
The Producers, Nathan Detroit in
Guys and Dolls, and Estragon in
Waiting for Godot. But for me, the most impressive thing about Nathan Lane is that hes a largely untrained actor. He missed out on a drama scholarship when he first left school, because it wasnt enough to cover the expenses of living out of home. Rather than sitting around moping, Lane pulled himself up by his bootstraps, and is now one of the most recognised and beloved stage and screen actors. Cheers to you, Nathan Lane pinkies up!