1. Nicholas Cage
The only Oscar winner in this list, Nicholas Cage has become a joke in the movie world, continuously rattling off crappy thrillers and Ghost Rider sequels for the last several years. However, this is an actor about which Roger Ebert said "There are often lists of the great living male movie stars: De Niro, Pacino, Nicholson, usually. How often do you see the name of Nicolas Cage? He should always be up there. He's daring and fearless in his choice of roles, and unafraid to crawl out on a limb, saw it off and remain suspended in air. No one else can project inner trembling so effectively." Yep, until National Treasure, Nicholas Cage had been one of the better actors working in Hollywood. He won an Oscar in 1996 for Leaving Las Vegas. In Adaptation, he plays twin brothers who look alike, but in an incredibly nuanced performance he makes them both instantly recognisable as different people. While he has embarrassed himself in recent years, he still throws out the occasional gem such as Kick-Ass and Bad Lieutenant: Port Call of New Orleans. While he does deserve most of his recent criticism, his career as a whole is often overlooked and his skill as an actor is sadly dismissed.