Actor's Legacy Quotes

Every other species of talent carries with it its eternity; we enjoy the work of the poet, the painter, the sculptor, only as thousands will do after us; but the actor - his memory is with his generation, and that passes away.

It's a part of most actors to want to be in an animated feature; to extend the legacy of your career.

No actor has a flawless career, but in the long term, I'd like my name to be synonymous with good quality.

Rest in peace to Heath Ledger but I'm no joker

Eventually, before I die, I hope to have written about every part I've played.

I would be lucky to be remembered as Harry Crane. That being said, I think it's a goal for most actors to have the opportunity to play a variety of characters, so I hope any non-'Mad Men' role feels as separate as possible from Harry.

My father - I have grown up with him being a respected actor, and I have taken a lot with me from home, like his way of always treating everybody the same, that everybody has equal value.

In 'Rocky' and 'Paradise Alley,' my dad played very expressive characters, and he was out there.

An audience gets to hang onto the characters for the rest of their lives if they want. I think it's great that the fans do that. It's just not too practical for a man like myself because I have to move on.

I never met Peter O'Toole, but he one was of those rare actors whose success was defined by a single role. His incandescent performance in David Lean's 'Lawrence of Arabia' is one that nobody who saw it will ever forget.

I hold the record for the maximum number of obituaries written for an actor's career.

If you look back on my career, I scared a lot of people with my villainous role in 'Naam.'

I think if you're able to do over the course of your career 20, 30, 50 very wonderful rich characters, you'd rather have that than an Oscar.

People will consider me a part of their lives for however long 'Downton Abbey' lasts. It's a lovely thing to feel as an actor.

I try to do other characters that are different from Monk, obviously, because I'd like to be remembered for more than just that.

We will not be recasting J.J. Murphy. He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended.

You leave part of yourself on every stage you're on. How could you not live in the air somehow?

Most people who'll remember me, if at all, will remember me as an action guy, which is okay. There's nothing wrong with that. But there will be a certain group which will remember me for the other films, the ones where I took a few chances. At least, I like to think so.