Film Thespians Who Can Portray Smart Characters

Bluntly put, a dullard actor or actress cannot play an intelligent character, but a canny thespian can portray personalities both dim and brilliant. Jodie Foster is my favorite example of this. She is equally convincing playing characters with cognitive or cultural disadvantages in films like The Accused, Nell and Little Man Tate, and at inhabiting exceptionally intelligent parts, as she did in Flightplan, Contact and Panic Room.

Others that come to mind, off the top of my head, are Edward Norton, John Cusack, John's sister Joan, John Malkovich, Meryl Streep and Saiorce Ronan. There are many others. Which would you select?

An example of an idiot trying to play smart is Denise Richards as Christmas Jones, Ph.D., in The World Is Not Enough.

PS It is impossible for a screenwriter who is stupid to write a convincing role for an intelligent character.