Hollywood actor Jon Voight, born on December 29, is remembered across the world as an artist whose acting style, far from being showy, has been shocking to the core.
This is the reason why critics compare him with veteran Indian actors Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri. The identity of the three actors has not been glamour, but the truth and emotional honesty of the characters.
When did Jon Voight get international recognition?
Jon Voight got international recognition from the 1969 film ‘Midnight Cowboy’. In this film, his character ‘Joe Buck’ is a young man who comes to New York with big dreams, but gradually starts struggling with loneliness, poverty and broken self-confidence.
A very famous scene of the film is when Joe Buck, while walking on the road, is seen breaking down from within due to the indifference of the people and the cruelty of the city. There are less dialogues in that scene, but the pain that Jon Voight shows through his eyes, movements and facial expressions is what makes him special.
This is why Naseer and Om Puri are compared
This style is also seen in the acting of Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri in Indian cinema. Like an honest but broken police officer in Naseeruddin Shah’s film ‘Ardh Satya’ or a farmer burning from within in Om Puri’s ‘Aakrosh’, in these characters silence and emotions have more impact than words. Jon Voight’s acting similarly seems to come from within, not from the surface.
Angelina Jolie’s father, Jon Voight, has shown different shades in his career in films like ‘Coming Home,’ ‘Heat’ and ‘Mission: Impossible’, but his identity has always been associated with such characters that tell the story of people standing on the margins of society. This is the reason why he is considered not just a Hollywood star but an example of a character actor.
