Directors How would you rate the following comedians? (1 Viewer)

Tell what you think of them only based on their comedic abilities, because obviously they are not in the league of Pacino or Deniro etc as they lack the range.

Bill Murray
Bill Cosby
John Cleese
Jim Carrey
Steve Martin
Eddie Murphy
Richard Pryor
Robin Williams
Mike Myers
George Carlin

1)Steve Martin
2)Eddie Murphy
3)Jim Carrey
4)Bill Cosby
5)Bill Murray
6)Mike Myers
7)Robin Williams
8)John Cleese
9)Richard Pryor
10)George Carlin

Bill Murray -- Flawless timing. A great comedic performer.

Bill Cosby -- Inarguably one of the finest comedians of the last half-century. Sure, he's done plenty of lousy movies, and overstayed his welcome in the sitcom genre, but the man is a master of the stand-up form.

John Cleese -- Removed from the genius of Monty Python, he's proved to be a very clever writer, and a (mostly) superb performer.

Jim Carrey -- A gifted physical comedian. Out of his depth in this group, however.

Steve Martin -- A true wit. Writing, performing, acting... the guy can do it all. Still vital even after BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE.

Eddie Murphy -- A tremendous comedic talent, particularly in performance. His nuanced character work as the entire family in the NUTTY PROFESSOR movies is vastly underrated. As a stand-up, we all laughed at his shit as kids, but it's hardly brilliant. But the guy knows funny.

Richard Pryor -- Maybe the greatest stand-up comic of all time. Really short-changed his virtuoso performance talents with his movie choices.

Robin Williams -- A popular game amongst working veteran comedians: "Has Robin ever bought a bit from you?" "One or two, but he's stolen maybe five." Undeniably funny, if only through the sheer overpowering energy of his act, but not in the class of the best comics due to the weightlessness of his material. Probably the best dramatic actor of this group.

Mike Myers -- Funny guy. A cut-rate Peter Sellers, but funny nonetheless.

George Carlin -- Great stand-up comic. He might be running out of steam nowadays, but his comedy albums are absolute must-owns. Hundreds of great bits to his credit. Massively influential. Not much of a performer in movies, but who cares?

I ment something like this.
Don't just put them in order.

Imbi- You seem to have a lot of in-depth knowledge about these guys- their writing, off stage influence, etc. But here is my much less in-depth opinion on these gents...

Bill Murray-Funny, but only in a narrow range. He's great in supporting roles(Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, Caddyshack). More visual, in a droll sort of way. Great facial expression.

Bill Cosby- Comedians(as opposed to actors in this poll) should study him to see how to be funny without being vulgar. I am talking his 60's comedy albums that I grew up with- his sitcom days did not do it for me.

John Cleese- Not my style- the pratfall, physical comedic style does not appeal to me. Nor the over the top style.

Jim Carrey- Ditto(except for when he was on 'In Living Color'- what a great Captain Kirk)

Steve Martin- Great standup comic. Don't enjoy his movies nearly as much. Was a great guest on SNL

Eddie Murphy- He should pay someone LOTS of money to pick scripts for him. He is a victim of poor scripts more thn any actor I can think of(at least right now). Can be enormously funny with the right material.

Richard Pryor- See Bill Cosby comments

Robin Williams- I never found his frenetic comedy very funny. Just not my style. He's found his niche in dramatic, creepy roles(Insomnia, One Hour Photo). Hate his sappy stuff.

Mike Myers- I like his style. Able to poke fun at his own work. Insightful without any hint of arrogance. I hate arrogant comedy.

George Carlin- Very funny and insightful. See comments about Bill Cosby and toss them out the window. He is the Cosby Anti-Christ.

I used to feel the same way until I saw his comedy special (HBO?) - laughed my ass off.

Andrew

Bill Murray - The funniest man alive and the best comic actor of any time.

Bill Cosby - Very funny in a warm kind of way; really pulled off the sitcom dad well.

John Cleese - I just don't find him very funny at all.

Jim Carrey - The way-over-the-top physical humor doesn't do much for me, but some of his work has a likeable intelligence to it.

Steve Martin - I guess My Blue Heaven is the last movie he's been funny in. At his height, his sarcasm and delivery is tough to beat.

Eddie Murphy - He hasn't been funny in nearly two decades now, but something like Trading Places is quite a hoot.

Richard Pryor - Honestly, I haven't seen too much of hi stuff. Brewster's Millions is a good comedy, and he certainly has charisma.

Robin Williams - I used to be a big fan of his, but maybe I've grown out of that stage. Seems like a percentage of his comedy actually works, and because he's rapid-paced and quick-witted, that still allows him to create a good amount of comedy. He seems very capable in dramatic roles, too, and it's somewhat nice to see him branch out. Although something like Mrs. Doubtfire is the comic perfect vehicle for him.

Mike Myers - The Austin Powers movies are painfully unfunny and he seems pretty set on using the same characters again and again in all appearances and brands of his humor. Wayne's World was somewhat inspired a sketch, and the movie is reasonably funny, but post-SNL, he's been anything but.

George Carlin - I've heard some very funny things from him, but he doesn't sound like a very cool person.

Bill Murray - Stripes, Caddyshack, Meatballs, Ghostbusters, Scrooged, What About Bob?, Quick Change, Groundhog Day: He's great in all of 'em. Also keep in mind his supporting/cameo roles in stuff like Little Shop of Horrors, The Royal Tenenbaums, Charlie's Angels, Wild Things, Rushmore, Tootsie, Ed Wood, Kingpin and Mad Dog and Glory. Sure he's done his share of turkeys, but damn if this guy doesn't always put a smile on my face.

Bill Cosby - My parents had nearly all of his early comedy albums. My sister and I used to listen to our favorites over and over and over... (The "Chicken Heart" material is nothing short of brilliant.) His standup movie Bill Cosby: Himself is a clear precursor to his success on The Cosby Show - only funnier. Plus he went to my alma mater; Cos is a king.

John Cleese - I vaguely remember Cleese being named "the world's funniest man" sometime back by some comedy organization and I don't think I'd argue too strongly that he's not. Monty Python brilliance aside, the guy's made himself a solid career by stealing movies like the brilliant A Fish Called Wanda, the periodically very funny Fierce Creatures, the underseen Clockwise, and several others. Plus he's the only funny thing in that awful Out of Towners remake, and he's also in the James Bond AND Harry Potter movies. Heck, even his old Schweppes TV commercials were funny!!

Jim Carrey - Obviously this guy was built for physical comedy. Some of the contortions he twists himself into defy human physiology. Proved himself a fairly decent dramatic actor to boot. I've been a big fan since In Living Color and I hope to see a lot more laughs from this guy over the years. (And less Majestics please.)

Steve Martin - Where to begin? The guy's a genius. He broke my heart with the atrocious Bringing Down the House but I forgive him. Here's another comedian who raised me on his old record albums. Anyone who's forgotten about Steve's hilarious beginnings needs to get copies of A Wild and Crazy Guy and Let's Get Small immediately. (Feel free to avoid the Comedy is not Pretty and The Steve Martin Brothers CDs. ) Movie-wise, the guy's had very few "hits" but if you recall his work in stuff like The Jerk, Parenthood, Roxanne, L.A. Story, All of Me, Little Shop of Horrors, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, My Blue Heaven, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, and Bowfinger you realize that box office isn't everything. Plus how many comedians can steal scenes whole from the immortal Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy?

Eddie Murphy - Despite the fact that he hasn't made a good movie in several years, I still consider myself a big Eddie Murphy fan. That's an indication of how funny I consider most of his early work. His SNL and standup material is the stuff of legends, his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs., Coming to America, Boomerang and especially Trading Places speak for themselves, and there's lots of fun to be had in several of his 'family flicks'. Still, the guy currently churns out much more crap than quality these days. For every one Bowfinger, we're subjected to a Pluto Nash or a Daddy Day Care. I just hope he can keep a balance between Family Flicks and something a bit more grown-up. I think Eddie Murphy has large untapped talents; maybe he'll let us see some of 'em soon.

Richard Pryor - One of the finest standup comedians who ever lived. The guy mixed an admirable and angry social conscience into his expletive-laden and very colorful concerts, and the guy parlayed his talents into MANY funny movies: big studio comedies like Stir Crazy and Silver Streak, plus a large roster of grass-roots indie flicks like Blue Collar and Car Wash. The guy starred in many more BAD movies than good, but people will remember the quality stuff. So sad to see him sick these days.

Robin Williams - A big hero of mine and one of the true comedy originals. I love his manic, rapid-fire delivery, his willingness to utilize silly humor for easy laughs, and his obvious intelligence. His best movies (Good Morning Vietnam, The World According to Garp, Dead Poets Society, The Birdcage, The Fisher King) somehow shoehorn some real heart from the lunatic, plus he's done great little movies like The Best of Times, The Survivors, One Hour Photo, Dead Again and the movie everyone but me loves to hate: Popeye. Plus his schtick in Aladdin ranks among the funniest animated performances ever recorded. I love the guy.

Mike Myers - Myers knows what's funny and is clearly willing to do ANYthing for a laugh. I respect that. I thought his early SNL schtick was a bit overrated but I knew the guy was a funny man. So I Married an Axe Murderer is funnier than you remember, and his turn in 54 was pretty impressive. Of course Austin Powers and Dr. Evil are hilarious creations, but I don't really expect much from his upcoming Cat in the Hat flick. Still, the guy is supremely funny so I eagerly anticipate what he does a few years down the road.

George Carlin - Judging purely on stand-up material, this guy knows no equal. Profane, silly and brilliant at the same time, full of insightful observations and clever concepts, and his onstage delivery is the work of a master. His movie career consists mainly of colorful cameos and supporting roles (check him out in Outrageous Fortune!), but those are just paychecks in between his regular HBO concerts. Plus I hear his performance in Kevin Smith's Jersey Girl is some sort of a revelation. Looking forward to that.

How come you didn't ask about Nipsey Russell?