Best Actors in History: the ones who went to Acting School versus the ones who didn’t. What list do you prefer?

Submitted by Dry_Western_2342 t3_123adue in movies

Keep in mind that the ones who didn’t go to Acting School still took classes or had private coaching, it’s rare to find an actor who hasn’t received any kind of training. And everyone’s needs and wants are different when it comes to acting education, so if you feel pressured to major in acting in college or spend many years in a program just know that you don’t have to do that. Lastly, there is probably more actors who deserve to be in either list but I don’t want to make them very long.

Went to Acting School

  • Denzel Washington - American Conservatory Theater

  • Tom Hanks - Chabot College and California State University

  • Robert De Niro - HB Studio, Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio, and Stella Adler Conservatory

  • Al Pacino - HB Studio and Lee Strasberg’s Actors Studio

  • Daniel Day Lewis - Bristol Old Vic Theatre School

  • Marlon Brando - American Theatre Wing Professional School

  • Cate Blanchett - National Institute of Dramatic Art

  • Gene Hackman - Pasadena Playhouse

  • Dustin Hoffman - Pasadena Playhouse

  • Viola Davis - Rhode Island College and Juilliard School

  • Alec Guinness - Fay Compton Studio of Dramatic Art and the London Theatre Studio

  • Michael Caine - Westminster Repertory Company

  • Greta Garbo - Royal Dramatic Training Academy

  • Meryl Streep - Vassar College and Yale School of Drama

  • Philip Hoffman - NYU

  • Anthony Hopkins - Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

  • Frances McDormand - Bethany College and Yale School of Drama

  • Ingrid Bergman - Royal Dramatic Theatre School

  • Morgan Freeman - Pasadena Playhouse

  • Paul Newman - Kenyon College, Yale School of Drama, and the Actors Studio

  • Charles Laughton - Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

  • Laurence Oliver - Birmingham Repertory Company

  • Mahershala Ali - NYU’s Graduate Acting Program

  • Christoph Waltz - Max Reinhardt Seminar

  • Kevin Spacey - Juilliard School

  • Helen Hayes - Academy of the Sacred Heart Convent

  • Jack Lemmon - HB Studio

  • Jane Fonda - Actors Studio

  • Jessica Lange - HB Studio

  • Maggie Smith - Oxford Playhouse

  • Sally Field - Actors Studio

Did not go to Acting School

  • Bette Davis

  • Natalie Portman

  • Leonardo DiCaprio

  • Joaquin Phoenix

  • Heath Ledger

  • Katharine Hepburn

  • Tilda Swinton

  • Toshiro Mifune

  • Humphrey Bogart

  • Jack Nicholson

  • Christian Bale

  • James Stewart

  • Brad Pitt

  • Sean Penn

  • Russel Crowe

  • Jean Gabin

  • Sidney Poitier

  • Jodie Foster

  • Renee Zellweger

  • Anthony Quinn

  • Hilary Swank

  • Amy Adams

  • Julia Roberts

  • Tommy Lee Jones

  • Javier Bardem

  • Johnny Depp

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lostwanderer02 t1_jdtwnf1 wrote

I think Jack Nicholson and Bette Davis are the best of the actors with no schooling that didn't start out when they were kids or teenagers. Most of the actors on the list who are not trained at school started working as minors and already had a foot in the door by the time they achieved success as adults.

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Duel_Option t1_jdtzy1i wrote

Best to not go to acting school is Mifune, change my mind.

Not only a gifted actor, but also a great swordsmen and talented marital artist.

Watch “Throne of Blood” and see the range on full display,

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Hollow_Rant t1_jdu31vx wrote

The acting school crowd makes me more invested in whatever character they play.

The non acting school crowd is just cooler(mostly thanks to Toshiro Mifune and Humphrey Bogart).

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BeginningAppeal8599 t1_jdtym2d wrote

Both groups learnt a lot from watching films as well and I've liked many of them.

But there's just something impressive about the likes of Denzel, Hopkins and Olivier in the way they move in a scene and face other actors that you just know was cultivated on the stage in acting school and in theater.

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DrRexMorman t1_jdufrp5 wrote

Julia Roberts did study acting.

Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Katharine Hepburn, Tilda Swinton, Humphrey Bogart, Jack Nicholson, Jean Gabin, Sidney Poitier, Anthony Quinn, Amy Adams, and Tommy Jones all had apprenticeships as repertory players in theater companies.

Most of the rest were child stars or had family connections to industry.

Renee Zellweger (who acted in college) and Jonny Depp found their way to it.

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Reasonable-HB678 t1_jdv8lgh wrote

First thought: Amy Adams being on the "no acting school" list, I'm slightly dumbfounded. I'll bet anything she at least had drama class in high school.

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Dry_Western_2342 OP t1_jdv8vk0 wrote

Like I said, the ones who didnt go to acting school still had classes or private coaches. Almost every actor has whether they make it big or not

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