Jack Nicholson vs. Robert De Niro

When an actor is considered to be extremely talented at his craft, more than average, he/she is considered to be the actor of his/her generation.
Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson, along with a few others, such as Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, are considered to be the actors of their generation. Today I will compare Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro, they both are considered to be some of the greatest actors ever by critics. I won't lie and say that I have seen every single movie that they have been in; however, I have seen enough to make a decent desicion regarding which of the two is better at his craft.

Jack Nicholson can do everything, he can make audiences laugh, like he did in the movie Anger Management, feel desperation like he did in the movie The Shining, or make one sympathize him like in the movie Something's Gotta Give. He is so observant and executes his roles so well that he can transmit many different emotions. His roles are diverse, from a dying man who regrets not living his life to the fullest in The Bucket List to a cowardly mob boss in The Departed. He has won three Oscars for best actor in a leading role (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Terms of Endearment, and As Good as it Gets).

Robert De Niro is also a great actor, he does the role of mobster better than anybody like in Casino and in Goodfellas. He has won two Oscars, one for best actor in a leading role (Raging Bull) and one for best supporting actor (The Godfather Part II). His roles, however, aren't as diverse, he usually plays a serious, cold character. In Meet the Parents, he is a jelous and suspicious father, in Analyze This he plays a disturbed mob boss, in 15 Minutes he plays a respectable detective. He hasn't made the best choices in the movies he is in though, Show Time was pretty bad and Stardust was even worse.

In conclusion, even though they are both great actors, Jack Nicholson dominates more genres than Robert De Niro does. Robert De Niro can be monotonous in his roles and Jack Nicholson is much broader in his roles. Even if Robert De Niro is the best mobster out there, Jack Nicholson does everything else better. Nicholson has been more selective, he has made better choices in the movies that he is in.