Greatest Black Actor Ever Is Danny Glover, Not Denzel Washington

When people talk about the best black actor ever, they usually feel compelled to say Denzel Washington right off the bat.  That’s the predictable and not entirely correct thing to say though.  There are other black actors better than Denzel Washington but here we’re going to discuss the best black actor ever and compare him to Denzel Washington simply because one is overrated and the other underrated.  Danny Glover is easily the better actor. But first to talk about Washington.  There’s no denying that Washington has a certain screen presence and charisma and he has appeared in some killer movies.  However the problem on my end is that Washington only plays himself in each movie.  With slight variations each time.  Kinda like Robert Duvall, another man with a certain screen presence yet only capable ultimately of playing Robert Duvall.

With Danny Glover I noticed just how good an actor the man really is by chance a while back after watching Bat*21 (1988), Predator 2 (1990) and one of the Lethal Weapon movies relatively close together.  It was apparent that each character Glover portrayed was distinctly different despite being limited to one loose genre (action).  That is the call sign of a great actor and comes before even thinking about towering performances   Another person who presents this kind of contrast is Al Pacino.  Yes, Glover is comparable with Pacino.  Watch The Godfather 2 (1974) and Scar Face (1983) back to back to fully appreciate Pacino’s ability to alternate, something that sets him apart from, for example and to comparde to a rival of his, Robert De Niro – another man guilty of playing ‘himself’ quite a bit.

One final example is probably each man (Glover and Washington) in the role’s of villains.  Compare Shooter (2007) and Training Day (2001) where each man, as a bad guy, sets up another man for a fall.  With Washington, there was a certain likeability and more ‘playing to the crowd’.  With Glover, I just didn’t like the guy he was playing.  At all.  He was a fucking asshole.  And that’s how it’s supposed to be.  That’s how real acting works.  So, is Denzel Washington the best black actor ever?  No, Danny Glover is in a different league, yet doesn’t get relative recognition.

Sad to see Danny Glover in shit like Bad Asses or Bad Asses 5, or whatever.  I can’t bring myself to watch that.