Charlton Heston

[Jack Daw]

One of my favorite westerns is "Big Country", which Heston joined in a secondary role to Gregory Peck. In this particular movie I perceived that Heston was still using stage theatre acting techniques that were misplaced and better suited for his epics. Later, he learned to curb the theatrics and was a very good movie actor, IMHO. Laurence Olivier was laughed at when he first transitioned from the stage to the movie set. Being a great actor, he caught on quickly.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Laurence Olivier was laughed at when he first transitioned from the stage to the movie set. Being a great actor, he caught on quickly.

If he did, he kept it to himself! Olivier is the guy who always put the HAM into the sandwich anytime he had to share the screen with another male actor. I never saw Olivier on the boards, but most other actors reckoned that Ian McKellan and Ken Brannagh are both better stage actors. Ditto Peter O'Toole and Richard Harris. Certainly on screen these guys put Olivier's shirt in the dirt time and time again. What Olivier WAS good at was nasty, arrogant, self promotion. No wonder one of his wives went nuts.

(sorry, just to stick on topic: I totally agree about THE BIG COUNTRY. Chuck Heston was a hellavan actor and wore kilts...)