Best actor?

[TheHeartist]

I'm talking ACTOR/ACTRESS here, not character. Who do you guys think had the best acting chops on Buffy and Angel? (I'm limiting this vote to the main cast and some of the longer serving supporting characters, I'd be here all day with the poll listing otherwise) I'd say it was a tie between David Boreanez and James Marsters, but I'd a push, even though Spike is my favourite character, I'd have to say David. The way he can switch from Angel to Angelus in the blink of an eye is so entertaining to see, plus all the other facets of Angel's character that he can pull off (think Carpe Noctem, David behaving like a biggotted old man. He changes speech patterns, mannerisms, body language, everything!)

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

David Boreanaz, definitely. Like you already said, the way he could play both brooding Angel and cruel Angelus was just amazing.
And Charisma Carpenter. Just remember how great she was at bitchy cheerleader. And on Angel.

Okay, I admit, favourite characters shining through 😛

 

[TrueVengeance]

Oooh there all such great actors (witch the exception of one, but lets not go there)!

It depends what your looking for. Best at drama or whatever, I'd had to say Sarah Michelle Gellar. Who's best at humor though? I'd say Emma Caulfield, Alyson Hannigan, or James Marsters.

Overall, probably Sarah Michelle Gellar for me, though I do think Emma Caulfield is a terrific actress, but I dunno if thats my liking for the character saying that or not. It is very hard to play a bllunt humorous character like that though.

I was never to fond of David in the start. He really improved once he got onto his own show I think.

 

[Hello Cutie]

You know what, I'm voting Anthony Stewart Head. Who'd have thought that they guy who coffee commercials had all that acting talent behind him?!
But seriously, I think he did a great job in Buffy, and to me Giles was the best portrayed character there- Head brought all his sides to the audience's view, and I just think he did a terrific job.

A close second has to be Mercedes McNab though.. I think Harmony was another brilliantly portrayed character- and okay, she didn't really have layers etc, but she didn't need to- she was consistently brilliant in everything she did and absolute props to Mercedes for that, because I think she was a much undervalued character and actress!!

Other actor/actresses I loved and though were brilliant were Alyson Hannigan and Juliet Landau, for the depth, and craziness (respectively) that they brought their characters.

 

[Lily]

choosing between Sarah and David was really difficult - but I went with Sarah in the end, mainly because of the way i NEVER doubted that she was Buffy onscreen all the time, whereas sometimes I think we saw David come out (especially on Angel) and also the way she could play emotions so well I'd be riding the emotional rollercoaster right along with her 😀

 

[Blondie Bear]

Argh! What a choice! I considered ASH and Eliza (him because he's just freaking cool and her because of her ability to steal a scene) but finally settled on Amy Acker because of her switch to Illyria. To go from a bouncy, happy math nerd to an arrogant, self-absorbed god like that . . . she was amazing.

 

[Joyce Summers]

I'd say Alyson Hannigan. She is so moving in every scene and funny in all the right ones. And her acting style completely changes in whatever she is in, just to suit the character she is playing. She's one of those that if you only heard her on audio you wouldn't know all those different characters were played by the same person.

And although she wasn't listed I'm going to give a (perhaps predictable) mention to Kristine Sutherland who is just a fabulous, yet sadly underrated actress. And I'm so glad Joss has agreed with me on numerous occasions. Not that he knows he's agreeing with me but still...haha. She's another actress who completely transforms into whatever role she's playing and just goes into the moment. And she's good at accents which always impresses me no matter who the person is, haha.

But on this list- yes, I voted Alyson.

As for the Angel world- definitely Amy. For the exact reasons Blondie Bear has already stated

 

[Canon]

I voted for Alyson Hannigan because we've seen her play the many aspects and range of emotions of her character, from funny to anger to love to grief to evil, and I thought she did it brilliantly.

 

[Gachnar]

I went for Anthony Stewart Head, that is mainly because I don't think I have ever seen him be unconvincing in anything I've watched.

 

[November]

I voted SMG - I think she is a terrific actress in all that she does (well from what I have seen anyway). I always believed everything that she did in BtVS. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing the character.
Kudos also to Amy Acker and Anthony Stewart Head. Amy Acker cos of her Illyria portrayal. She was scary in the way she switched from sweet Fred to scary Illyria! And Anthony Steward Head is great too- In BtVS and Little Britain LOL! 😀
I actually didn't always believe David Boreanaz in his Angel role - especially the dodgy Irish accent - sorry but I didn't buy it. He is a much better actor in Bones.
I don't think that any of them did a bad job but Sarah Michelle Geller, definitely my fave!

 

[Rowan Hawthorn]

Alyson overall. If we're talking strictly dramatic, then I'd have to go with Sarah.

 

[palabravampiress]

It took me two pages of eliminating people, but I eventually got it down to Amy Acker, Alexis Denisof, and James Marsters. In the end, James won by a hair. He had that lock-step physicality with Dru that I always admired so much, and, for me, that gave him the slightest bit of an edge over Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker.

 

[Bangelxx]

I said .....
SMG,she has so many talents that girl does!
Alyson Hannigan, wow she's great being willow
and David Boreanaz for being so talented at switching from angel to angelus!

 

[Angelic Slayer]

I said Amy Acker, personally...

There were a lot of really EXCELLENT actors on both shows, it's a really tough call. But I think that she really showed off her talents with the role of Illyria (in addition to how much she grew in her role as Fred). I almost wish that the show had gone on longer simply so that we could see her in more roles, she definitely strikes me as the type of actress that could fall into any role almost seemlessly (as we saw in season 5, when she transferred from Fred to Illyria and back-- she even acted as Illyria in Fred's persona, which I think just proved that she didn't need makeup to fall back on).

Again, there are many noteable actors on both shows (Tony Head, Emma Caulfield and Marc Blucas being some of my other faves) but I think I have to really give Amy props-- I really wasn't expecting that kind of acting out of her.

 

[Allycat]

I can't believe nobody's mentioned Seth Green yet, he has played such a wide variety of different roles, that he at least earns an honourable mention on this list.

One Buffyverse (or more accurately Whedonverse) actor I think should be on this list, but isn't, is Nathan Fillion.... he's really talented. Also Gina Torres has played a lot of different roles convincingly.

I think that once Dollhouse starts airing, Eliza might score lots higher.

The other obvious picks have been mentioned before, Sarah, James, Tony, David, and Amy... in the end, I have to pick Sarah.

PS: Where's Amber Benson?

 

[Lou]

That was a tough one!
I had to pass on SMG and AH, just because of what I've seen of their acting. Not that both weren't good on the show, they were. But turn on American Pie or Scooby Doo and it's still Buffy and Willow that I see.
Granted AH and the change of hair color has kind of dulled it down on HIMYM, but it's still the same. Smart, kind of goofy, kind of dorky.
SMG...good at looking scared and being a bit of an air head.
Seen David in a few things too and they all seem quite similar. He's quite capable of being sweet and lovable...with a dark side.

I'm not sure that says much about their acting ability vs what they've been cast as.

The two that have always impressed me were Amy Acker and James Marsters. And I had to go with James in the end, because I had to watch the episode of Saving Grace TWICE because I didn't even realize it WAS him the first time. I figure, if you can change characters and voices so effortlessly that people see the character and NOT YOU...that says something.

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Wow, this is really tough. I'm torn between James, Amy, and Alyson.

James was just spot-on in every scene he was in. He could do a scene that was funny, sad, moving, or anything in between and never seem unconvincing. And he was able to completely switch personas without skipping a beat, which is crucial when playing a character like Spike who has frequent spurts of anger. He was incredible as evil Spike and good Spike. Also, his British accent was flawless. Who would have ever guessed he was an American?

Amy is just...wow. She was 100% believable earlier in Angel, when she was just a nervous, shy girl who had just moved from Pylea, and I always thought it was amazing how she could ramble through her lines without stumbling once. But she was able to really show what a good actress she was when Fred turned into Illyria. My God, you couldn't even tell it was the same actress! Her personality and voice were completely different from Fred's, and still, she was always convincing. And it was amazing in The Girl In Question, when she was able to shift from Fred to Illyria in an instant. I'm surprised she hasn't been in more stuff since then.

Alyson...okay, I may be just a bit biased, 'cause I'm pretty much one of the world's biggest Willow freaks, but her acting was still undeniably great. Whether she was nerdy Willow, fuzzy Willow, witchy Willow, or evil Willow, her acting was always convincing. Also, even though most other gay/lesbian relationships on TV seem awkward, forced, or both, her relationship with Tara was always completely believable. Plus, there's something about her that just gives you total sympathy for her; when she's sad, so are you. Oh, and, as Joss has mentioned quite a few times, she's a great crier.

Then again, I'd also be happy to vote for Sarah, Tony, Eliza, or Alexis...God, there's so many great Buffyverse actors! I'm not even sure if I should vote. *wishes she could pick multiple people*

By the way, I agree with whoever said they didn't think David was all that great. I mean, he's definitely a good actor, but he's not quite as good as a lot of his Buffy/Angel counterparts. His acting as Angelus seemed very forced, and his Irish accent was 100% cringe-worthy. And sure, he could lead his own show, but that's only because Angel had a great ensemble cast.

 

[caitaintdead]

I ended up voting for SMG because she really made the show, I don't know how successful the show would have been without Sarah's undeniable talent for finding Buffy in herself, her acting just seems to mature so much throughout the series. When you compare her acting in the pilot episode to her breathtakingly real performance in The Body, you can hardly see the same skills coming through.

To me David was possibly one of the weaker actors, sure he could do the broody guy well, but so can any teenager! He didn't make Angel into his own character, he read a script. When he's playing Angelus he sometimes reminds me of a little kid playing cops and robbers! But, granted I haven't seen a lot of Angel the series so my opinion on his acting skills is limited.

I'm surprised Emma Caulfield hasn't had many votes, as I believe she does a fantastic job with Anya, I think i would take a lot of effort to stay in a character so (for lack of better word) un-human. She's effortless hilarious in comic scenes and it breaks hearts when her heart has been broken.

 

[Senior Watcher]

man. i could write a novel on this thread. i have so much to say about each and every character.

however, i have to choose just one and i vote for nick brendan. my reason is that he really understood xander and how his character had no super powers what-so-ever, but still stood tall against evil.

i know xander gets a bad wrap from people here on the boards, but i think he is a very influential character. i also think nick knows that.

 

[TrueVengeance]

i know xander gets a bad wrap from people here on the boards, but i think he is a very influential character. i also think nick knows that.

Why does the Xandman get a bad wrap? ::huh1:: I've never noticed lol (though its a huge possibilty that I'm just rather dense here haha)

Back on topic: There's way too much to be said about almost every actor 🙂