- Robert De Niro
- James Stewart
- Marlon Brando
- Humphrey Bogart
- Jack Nicholson
- Al Pacino
- Daniel Day-Lewis
- Toshiro Mifune
- Charlie Chaplin
- Cary Grant
- Marcello Mastroianni
- John Wayne
- Henry Fonda
- Paul Newman
- William Holden
- Klaus Kinski
- Dustin Hoffman
- Gene Hackman
- Clint Eastwood
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Max von Sydow
- Robert Mitchum
- Brad Pitt
- Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Burt Lancaster
- Jean-Paul Belmondo
- Buster Keaton
- Montgomery Clift
- Tony Leung
- Tom Cruise
- Jean Gabin
- James Cagney
- Kirk Douglas
- Bill Murray
- Sean Connery
- Tom Hanks
- Denzel Washington
- Clark Gable
- Sean Penn
- Joseph Cotton
- Jean-Louis Trintignant
- Edward Norton
- Harrison Ford
- Takashi Shimura
- Joe Pesci
- Laurence Olivier
- Emil Jannings
- Harvey Keitel
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Christian Bale
- Paul Muni
- Ryan Gosling
- Ralph Fiennes
- Chisu Ryu
- Peter O’Toole
- Heath Ledger
- Morgan Freeman
- Orson Welles
- Jeff Bridges
- Michael Caine
- James Dean
- Alain Delon
- Steve McQueen
- Martin Sheen
- Warren Beaty
- Anthony Hopkins
- Robert Duvall
- Johnny Depp
- Frank Sinatra
- Jack Lemmon
- Gary Cooper
- Peter Lorre
- Edward G. Robinson
- Bruce Willis
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Rod Steiger
- Matt Damon
- George C. Scott
- George Clooney
- John Cazale
- Christopher Walken
- Peter Sellers
- Gunnar Bjornstrand
- Robert Redford
- Alec Guinness
- John Hurt
- Jean- Pierre Leaud
- Robert Shaw
- Richard Burton
- John Goodman
- Casey Affleck
- Donald Sutherland
- Russell Crowe
- Roy Schieder
- Maurice Chevalier
- Ray Liotta
- Kevin Spacey
- Thomas Mitchell
- Anthony Quinn
- Willem Dafoe
Gary Oldman is around my top 25
Hi Leo,
I love Gary Oldman. Definitely one I thought hard about and lamented having to leave off. Again, the the list is more about accomplishments than acting talent or range- both of which i think Oldman has in abundance. Is there one here on the top 100 that you would point to as who you would leave off in exchange for Oldman?
I came here to say where is Gary Oldman?
@Mary- thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. As i told Leo I love Gary Oldman. I think the main obstacle for Oldman making the list is his best films (JFK, The Dark Knight) don’t align with his best performances (Sid and Nancy, The Darkest Hour).
Oldman as far as I am concerned is in the top 25, 50 at minimum. Anyone that watched “The Professional” would be challenged to name a more dramatic acting job than his as the deranged agent. Many can name parallel performances by actors, but can’t say the skills outdo Oldman. “Bring me EVERYONE” lol!
@Calvin — really appreciate you visiting the site and the comment here. Oldman is a popular one. He’s certainly skilled, such a range and a talent. However, that resume isn’t spectacular. Not a ton of great movies.
Yes I agree, I think maybe it’s because he doesn’t star in too many GREAT movies that he doesn’t deserve a very high spot that would match his pure talent. I would maybe switch out Willam Dafoe though I obviously love him too. This is a great list though I agree with most of it, especially the top 10, also maybe i would’ve very hesitantly switched out Mastroianni for Grant or Chaplin.
Hey man! No Charles Laughton? 😝😝
Hey Adam– it was tough to leave Laughton off– I have no beef if he’s on your list– similar to my comment here to Leo on Gary Oldman- I just don’t have Laughton in that many great films. Island of Lost Souls, Mutiny on the Bounty, Spartacus– I have 16 archiveable films for Laughton here below–
who would you take off to put Laughton on?
1932- If I Had a Million
1932- Island Of Lost Souls
1932- The Old Dark Horse
1933- The Private Life of Henry the VIII
1935- Les Miserable
1935- Mutiny On the Bounty
1935- Ruggles of Red Cap
1936- Rembrandt
1938- Sidewalks of London
1939- Jamacia Inn
1939- The Hunchback of Notre Dame
1948- The Big Clock
1954- Hobson’s Choice
1957- Witness For the Prosecution
1960- Spartacus
1962-Advise and Consent
Yes no Laughton no depardieu who should be no1
Hello Jean,
thanks for the comment– I’m fine if you think Gérard Depardieu should be on the list… but #1?!?!? haha wow. I’m sorry but that’s ridiculous. He’s a fine actor but his resume does not warrant top 50 consideration.
Nice ranking , and great website , thank you for all the great content your provide, however i think the best Actor of all time is Daniel Day Lewis with all due respect to Robert De niro
DDL is a fine choice. I still owe “Phantom Thread” another rewatch soon. What criteria are you using?
Ummmm… no johnny depp?
@ Quenton– Depp is #68
How the hell is Olivier not in top 10?
Hey Chipper- who would you move down in order to make room for Olivier? I love Olivier and admire his skill but also keep in mind i’m not considering, at all, his famous reputation as one of the best stage actors of the 20th century– i go on a little about it on his page but he didn’t make a lot of great films (relative to the others ahead of him on this list) and the auteur/director he worked with most often was…. himself— not a crazy-great artist behind the camera
“best film: It’s either Rebecca or Spartacus and this is Olivier’s problem. These films are with Kubrick and Hitchcock—the best two directors of all-time. But—and it’s a big but—I have these two films as Kubrick’s 10th best and Hitchcock’s 12th best film. Basically what I’m saying is if you were watching the greatest works of film art in order of greatness you’re going to go a very long time before you get to a Laurence Olivier movie sadly. I do not believe that’s totally coincidental despite Olivier’s obvious greatness as an actor”
It might not be entirely coincidental. Still, I think you are putting too much emphasis on participation in the absolute greatest films. Also, do bad films factor in at all? I was thinking about De Niro, but I guess almost every great actor has made a lot of bad films for long periods of time. Why is this list so heavily American by the way? I find that a little strange when comparing it to your list of directors.
Hey RK- Thanks for the comments. Many agree with you that I put too much emphasis on the greatest films. It’s impossible to calculate how many solid performances by Spencer Tracy, Gregory Peck or Charles Laughton (three guys not on the list) Ray Liotta’s performance in “Goodfellas” is worth. I’m up for the debate but I’m comfortable with my position.
I don’t really factor in bad films– that’s an interesting thought. De Niro obviously has a much lower “per film quality” average than Daniel Day-Lewis and many others. De Niro has been mostly awful since 1997 or 1998 if you want to count back from Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown” or Cuaron’s “Great Expectations” save a few David O. Russell films/performances. I think it’s like Michael Jordan in Washington or any great athlete who stays too long– i just think back to their glory days and better films. If you wanted to go strictly but “per film average” i think it would skew things too far the other way and you’d have like John Cazale and James Dean ahead of Brando
I don’t think it’s overly american– who do you want to move up, down or out? That’s too broad of a criticism for me to defend.
This is the first solid list I have come across. And the response of the author makes it even better. I do believe Tom Hanks should have been ranked higher. And Tom Cruise shouldn’t be as high. Is Tom Cruise really better than Peter O’toole, Clark Gable and a host of others.
HI Alexis- Thanks for the comment and your take here. I love O’Toole, Hanks and Gable. I think for O’Toole and Gable the depth of their career isn’t as strong as their best work (between the two of them this would be Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind and It Happened One Night). Cruise frankly has more depth there. I also admire so much what Cruise accomplished in 1999 with both Kubrick and P.T. Anderson– it’s just such a massive year. Hanks I like– but who would you move him above? Cruise? Most would say Brad Pitt but give me the work Pitt did with David Fincher over the work Hanks did with either Spielberg or Zemeckis.
I would have William Hurt in there. He had an impressive run in the 80s that included an Academy Award for Best Actor (Kiss of the Spiderwoman) and 2 other Best Actor nominations (Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News). He was also the lead Actor in the Accidental Tourist which was nominated for Best Picture. Other films that he did during that span were Body Heat, The Big Chill, and The Doctor. Over the last 20 years he’s been mostly a supporting actor and received another Academy Award nomination in 2005. That’s a strong body of work and an impressive resume imo.
Thanks for the William Hurt nomination here. I have 13 archiveable films with Hurt in it– and half of them really solid lead performances during that impressive run in the 80’s you mention here. When i did the best 5 or so performance of each year one by one I only came up with one Hurt performance though- his work in Body Heat from 81′– that just wasn’t enough with 100+ years of cinema.
Hey, so, I am really not very familiar with actors, since I have been studying actresses more thoroughly, recently. However, I cannot help but point out that Bruno Ganz is missing from the list. He is a personal favourite of mine, and a really talented and underrated actor. He has been in “Downfall” (outstanding performance, probably worth of an Oscar) and in “Wings of Desire”, both of which would be easily in the ” top 5 films of the year” list, for me. Then again, I am also very fond of his occasional work with Theo Angelopoulos (“Eternity and a Day”, “The Dust of Time”). Before ” Downfall” he seemed to me like an actor with distinct melancholic and cerebral qaulities, if you will, but when I came around to “Downfall” I was stunned by how utterly different Hitler was from any other role he played and how well he brought this notorious figure (putting it mildly) to life. So he would easily be a top 80 for me, maybe even a top 50, but I really ought to do an all-around better study of male actors.
@G – thanks for the comment– Bruno Ganz is an excellent choice. On top of the films you mention here he’s very good in Wenders 1977 film “The American Friend”
Thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely check it out!
I found your website recently, and I am loving the content over here. This list is great, I think Hoffman should be closer to the Top 10, Caine and Freeman are a bit too low for my taste. Seeing this list confirms to me that Heath Ledger is one of the great what ifs in recent cinematic history.
Two requests: A list of films with the Best starpower (Actor + Director+ Screen writer+ Musicians involved. Godfather would probably be the run away winner, but a list would be much appreciated.
Second, a list on the Greatest Acting performances. You mention it in your descriptions, but a standalone list would be great.
Hi AP-
Thanks for the note- Hoffman, Caine and Freeman are hard to argue with- I love all three. Anyone ahead of them specifically you’d move down to make room for them?
Yeah- Heath Ledger–so sad– would’ve been one of the all-time greats.
hmm- best star power—- I think this was a topic when “Dark Knight Rises” came out in 2012 or around then but it’s usually only concerning actors — you’re changing it up by combining director/writer/music director…. if we were just doing actors it may be like “a bridge too far” or “how the west was won” as those ensemble films seem to be like a murders’ row of acting talent…. maybe “the player” from altman? lots of cameos there though. I’m probably not the guy to ask on music or writing but “vertigo” has my #1 director of all-time, my #2 actor of all-time, and Bernard Herrmann has to be one of the best 5 on the music side of all-time.
thanks for the suggestion on best performances, too. i could tackle this one. If you go into my “archives by year” i always pick out the performance of the year and runners up on the male and female side. I could pull those apart and rank them.
Samuel Jackson deserves to be on this list!
He is E. he’s #75 and there’s a big fat picture of him. Samuel L. is a great actor
liam neeson and nicolas cage are both terrific, top at least 50-75 actors of all time. i know cage can be eccentric but he is a great actor and more importantly very passionate. adrien brody maybe 100 and id be okay putting ben kingsley or gregory peck (or even robin williams) as in the top 15. rutger hauer? IAN MCKELLEN Patrick Stewart? IAN MCKELLEN? now i know you dont include plays but if you did McKellen may be the #1 actor ever. i love bruce willis and samuel l jackson but i dont see them above any of the above mentioned actors except maybe cage.
one of the great performances in my opinion is neeson in Spielbergs Schindlers List.
also for actresses, where is sean young who in blade runner i believe gave an all time great performance.
also, id include woody allen for his all time great comedy performance in annie hall masterpiece.
Hi M– good stuff here- thanks for the comments. I like all the actors you mention but have various reasons for thinking they’re not superior to Samuel L and Willis. Good feedback though. thanks
liam neeson? id put him top 25
HI Michael– Neeson in the top 25 huh? What’s his second best performance after Schindler’s List? That’s where you lose me. And who in the top 25 are you moving out to put in Neeson?
ok maybe not 25 but i think that he is top 100. even in films that arent the best, like phantom menace or the cheesy action flick taken he is still great i think. taken is a funny one, because that film is not very good, and without neesons acting and facial expressions and delivery it would be unwatchable. also, i think you should do a top performances thing, top 100 all time acting performances. neeson in Schindlers list would be top 40 or so for me. thank you
@michael- thanks again for the comment. I think i agree with you on Neeson in Schindler’s list– if it’s not top 40 it’s close. and i don’t really factor in how good actors are in bad or even mediocre movies. If they’re slaying it in a bad movie, doing theater in the park or on a stage— it doesn’t factor in. To use a sports analogy it’s like scoring a lot of points in an exhibition or preseason game. It doesn’t do much for me except wish they had done it for real in an a good, great or masterpiece-level movie
1.Jack Nicholson should be number #1
2.leonardo DiCaprio
3.robert de niro
4.morgan Freeman
5.denzel Washington
I don’t see Liam neeson, Jim Carrey,tom hardy🤔??
solid top 5 but where’s everybody before Jack? 100+ years of cinema and the 5 best are all from the last 50? Liam Neeson is great in Schindler’s List but missing a strong #2 film where he gives one of the year’s best performances — even someone like Ray Liotta has that with “Something Wild”. I love Tom Hardy but i’m ready for him to give the best performance in a really good movie. His best movies “inception”, “mad max” “the revenant” someone else is giving the best performance in those films– and the movies where he’s giving the best performance are “warrior”, “bronson” “locke” are all about the 29th best film of their respective years…. Jim Carrey wouldn’t make my top 250. Needs a lot more work like “Eternal Sunshine” or “Truman Show”
Robin Williams?
DiCaprio is not better than DeNiro or Denzel neither is Morgan Freeman Who is Top 25 not top 5.
As much as I love Denzel and DeNiro, I have a funny feeling that if DiCaprio continues making movies of the quality he is at the moment and consistently giving tour-de-force performances… he might end up being able to lay claim to being the greatest actor of all-time. His performance in The Wolf Of Wall Street is a performance that is bound to end up being considered in the same realm as DeNiro in Raging Bull and Brando in On The Waterfront. And that’s without mentioning his portrayal in The Departed – which is about as far as you can go from The Wolf Of Wall Street. I’ve only mentioned two of his performances in two of the most fondly-remembered movies from the 21st century thus far. I have a funny feeling that he will end up being the greatest
@Jeff– while I’m not with you on the Dicaprio in Wolf of Wall Street is on par with De Niro’s Raging Bull or Brando’s On the Waterfront performance— I am with you on the statement you make here — “if DiCaprio continues making movies of the quality he is at the moment and consistently giving tour-de-force performances… he might end up being able to lay claim to being the greatest actor of all-time.” — that’s a big if. I hope he can keep going.
Sorry but when you are making a list of actors who you would state are the greatest of all time to not have such giant figures as Tracy, Laughton or Peck I find really hard to take, not to mention amazing actors such as Fredric March.
What’s the methodology you are using? Don’t get me wrong I love parts of your list and the sheer work you have put in j to each entry is amazing, I just read the Mitchum entry and am full of admiration.
Just curious to know how you came up with it?
@ Dean day — thanks for the comment — Tracy, Laughton and Peck are great actors– but i’d argue so are all of the actors I have on the list above. What separates them is probably the quality of the films they are in. These three are in a lot of very good films, but i’m pretty confident they are in a combined total of 0 of the top 500 films of all-time. What’s missing from all three is the continued pairing with a great auteur.
My criteria for this list was going year by year and selecting the best 3-8 or so performances (depending on merit) on both the male and female side and then awarding points to them and then adding them all up (De Niro in Raging Bull worth more than Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday or John Hurt in The Elephant Man if we’re looking at 1980 say). But even to get mentioned as one of the 3-8 you couldn’t be very good in the 17th best films of the year which was often the case with say Spencer Tracy.
I understand your system I think, but would it give a wider more balanced result if you put more performances in the mix? Remember an actors performance is not only considered great just because of the overall film, in fact their are many examples of the opposite, that an actor has given an unremarkable performance in a great movie. Remember Tracy for example was widely considered by his own peers as the outstanding movie actor of his generation.
His performance in say the seventh cross was considered stunning although the movie itself was not a classic. Tyrone Powers best performance by far is now commonly agreed to be Nightmare Alley.
West Side Story is considered one of the best movies of 61 but does that mean Richard Breymer gave a great performance?
Would you be interested if I came up with another points system? Again your work here is stunning, it’s just a subject I am quite passionate about.
@ Dean day. Really good stuff here- thanks again for sharing and commenting. I think my points system is the best (which is why i picked it). Doing great work in bad or mediocre movies is common and frankly not of much interest to me. i mostly just feel regret they didn’t do it in better movie– sort of a waste. It’s like scoring a lot of points in a preseason or exhibition game in sports… meh
… Needless to say what Ray Liotta does in “Goodfellas” is worth 5 or 10 solid Spencer Tracy performances in the 24th best movie of their respective year
…. as for West Side Story and 1961 i didn’t award any points to Beymer. I don’t just select the lead actor of great films. The actor has to be great- that goes without saying. Beymer is fine and does some good work but the 4 actors/performances i singled out from 1961 are Paul Newman (The Hustler), Mastroianni (La Notte), Mifune (Yojimbo) and Franco Citti (Accatone)
Aamir Khan is a top 100 actor.
nah
A great site. No Omar Sheriff in top list?
@Uday — appreciate the comment– here are the archiveable films for Sharif — a great actor and a really solid run there in the 60’s but a little light for the top 100 and i don’t think any one of the single performances here are overwhelmingly brilliant.
1962- Lawrence of Arabia
1965- Doctor Zhivago
1968- Funny Girl
1974- Juggernaut
Denzel Washington should be top 3. Keanu Reeves should be on the list.
@Cheryl — thanks for the comments. Denzel hasn’t been in enough great films– or worked with enough great auteurs -to be top 3. That’s interesting about Keanu. I think there are points in his career would i would just outwardly call him a bad actor and laugh at the suggestion here but i’m not laughing anymore. I would still need a few times during his career where i say “wow he gave one of the best performances of the year” and i just don’t have that with Keanu.
I think the list is pretty solid but Sam Jackson should definitely be higher up as well as Jeff Bridges and Robert Redford. James Franco should be somewhere on the list too.
@Sage— thanks for the comment. moving up 4 guys here— which 4 are you moving down? James Franco, huh? I haven’t heard that one. “127 Hours”, “Milk”– great in those– “Spring Breakers” is an interesting film. i just don’t quite think the resume is there yet.
Tom hanks on 36 lol ?! R u serious rn ?!
@ayman– appreciate the comment. Very serious. Are you lol’ing because you think I’m underrating him or overrating him? i can’t tell
Hanks is overrated. A top 10-15 in people’s mind. 36# is a good spot.
Denzel way to Low.. I’m out.
@Tirrellx– thanks for the comment. I get that one a lot on Denzel. I just wish he had worked with more auteurs and great directors. A really nice run with Spike but not much beyond that. Denzel has been in a shockingly low # of really great films.
Is this list serious or satire? I can’t tell. It’s almost like a lot of legit actors were put in here, and then some “funny funny, haha” choices are thrown in for comic relief. Tom Cruise?? Dude is the same guy in. Every. F’ing. Movie. What’s your barometer for measuring this? Blockbuster movies? You forgot Nick Cage. Maybe Hayden Christensen too? Jason Stratham? The Rock?
You also include Casey Affleck, Ray Liotta, Bruce Willis and you leave off legends like Viggo Mortensen, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, just to name a few.
I’m seriously asking. It’s like you were serious through #29 then just decided to make a joke out of the rest.
@JediMasterEkim69 .. thanks for the comment– even if its a little unnecessarily mean-spirited. I like how you gave me three you’d take off (Willis, Casey Affleck, Liotta) and then gave me three you’d add (Ed Harris, Viggo, Gary Oldman)– totally fair. I don’t want to go into all 6 actors here and their case individually but could if you have one you’d like me to explain further. All three you added here are great actors and would be somewhere between 101-150 for me so i don’t have a big problem with you making the switch.
Your Tom Cruise take needs correcting though. If you don’t think he should be #30- that’s fine. But you’re making mistakes here that need to be cleaned up. 1. I don’t agree with the idea that he plays the same person in every movie. His roles in “Magnolia”, “Collateral”, “Eyes Wide Shut”, “Born on the 4th of July”–different. 2. Even if he is the same guy in every movie your idea that “acting range” is somehow synonymous with “great actor” is just plainly false. It is a factor. But so is screen presence and resume. Paul Muni, Laurence Olivier Willem Dafoe, Alec Guinness and John Hurt all have greater range than Cary Grant, Charlie Chaplin, Toshiro Mifune, Humphrey Bogart and yes… Tom Cruise. I love all ten actors but you can’t make range the only criteria or that slippery slope would push off some of the greatest actors of all-time.
I don’t know much about technology and such, but there should be a way in which I can click on the actor’s name and it takes me to the page where you discuss the select artist in detail. Would be much appreciated if you can do it.
I expect The Irishman and The Joker to make a difference for Pesci and Phoenix. Think they can both creep into the Top 40 if their respective films deliver. On second thought, it could also make a difference for Pacino as well. Let’s see.
@AP – haha yeah- i can’t tell if you’re making fun of the website or not but yeah I can, and should, be able to hyperlink the connected films and actors on a page. It’ll happen eventually i’m just not sure when i’ll have the time. For now if you want to find the individual pages you’ll have to search for them.
I hope you’re right about “The Irishman” and “The Joker”. Though Todd Phillips (The Joker) is no Scorsese– I have more faith in Phoenix at this point. i hope i’m wrong but it’s been a long time since Pacino, Pesci and De Niro have been at the top of their game. Hopefully they can really bring it here– one last time. It would be awesome.
Of all the actors on this list, where is the great John Garfield??? Why is is forgoton? Whys is Joe Pesci on here…he couldnt shine Garfields shoes on his best day! And that goes for many others!! And Dinero is not # 1!
@Dennis George – thank you very much for visiting the site and the comment. Hmm- John Garfield. I think John Garfield is a fantastic actor and certainly is in my top 150 (so just missing the list). He has range, certainly has power– a screen presence for sure. The knock against him is he’s in 12 archiveable films (below) and none of them are in the top 500 of all-time. Zero. He’s in some very good films– and he’s great in them. But Pesci is simply magnificent in both “Raging Bull” and especially “Goodfellas” and they have to be in the top 50 of all-time for anyone who truly appreciates cinema…. and i haven’t even mentioned his work in “JFK” or “Casino”. So, sadly when comparing Pesci and John Garfield we have Pesci “winning” quite easily.
1933- Footlight Parade
1938- Four Daughters
1939- Juarez
1939- They Made Me a Criminal
1941- The Sea Wolf
1943- Air Force
1946- The Postman Always Rings Twice
1947- Body and Soul
1947- Gentlemen’s Agreement
1948- Force of Evil
1949- We Were Strangers
1950- The Breaking Point
I would like to see Gérard Depardieu. En France,it’s a monstre sacré. Maybe,i can recommande you movies :
Les Valseuses (1974) – Bertrand Blier
1900 (1976) – Bernardo Bertolucci
Buffet Froid (1979) – Bertrand Blier
Mon oncle d’Amérique (1980) – Alain Resnais
Loulou (1980) – Maurice Pialat
Le Dernier Métro (1980) – François Truffaut
Tenue de soirée (1986) – Bertrand Blier
Jean de Florette (1986) – Claude Berri
Sous le soleil de Satan (1987) – Maurice Pialat
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) – Jean-Paul Rappeneau
Germinal (1993) – Claude Berri
Mammuth (2010) – Gustave Kervern & Benoit Delepine
12 movies & i stopped myself. His pairing with Pialat (4) & Blier (8) are essential.
@ KidCharlemagne — Thanks again for the comment. In the archives year-by-year i note the archiveable debut of Depardieu in my summary of 1976 and the great year for him in 1980 with both the Last Metro and Mon Oncle d’Amérique but i don’t have a single year where i think he gives one of the best 4-5 performances of the year. Do you? These are the 10 movies I have with him in it in my archives and it’s a strong resume- but without a year where he gives a top 5 performance it’s sort of a non-starter for me to make this list. I’m sure i have work to do and will continue to update my list as I watch, and rewatch, more Depardieu. I’ll also make an effort to study Pialat and Blier- I’ve seen a few films here and there but not enough to have much to say on them yet. Thanks again for the recommendations
1976- 1900
1980- Mon Oncle d’Amérique
1980- The Last Metro
1981- The Woman Next Door
1983- Danton
1986- Jean de Florette
1990- Cyrano de Bergenac
1996- Hamlet
2007- La Vie en Rose
2012- Life of Pi
Hi ! Thanks for the reply.
I think he gives a top 5 performances in :
1980 maybe. (5-6#)
1983 sure with Danton,great performance.
1986 maybe. (4-5#).
1990 sure. His greatest performance,academy award nomination (dosnt win because of a rape scandal).
@KidCharlemagne — thanks again— i look forward to revisiting some of Depardieu’s work to see if I lean more towards your thinking on him
Fred Astaire? He’s synonymous with the 30s 40s.
@ Hugo– thanks for the comment. Yeah- more 30’s than 40’s. He actually had a better 50’s arguably than both– his archiveable films are below– I admire Astaire’s talent (a bit more as a dancer than an actor) but there’s no year when I think he gives one of the best performances of the year is there? Do you think? i don’t think so and I don’t have any of his films in the top 500 of all-time. It’s tough to make the case for him in the top 100.
1934- The Gay Divorce
1935- Top Hat
1936- Follow the Fleet
1936- Swing Time
1937- Shall We Dance
1940- Broadway Melody of 1940
1942- You Were Never Lovelier
1948- Easter Parade
1951- Royal Wedding
1953- The Band Wagon
1957- Silk Stalkings
1959- On the Beach
1974- The Towering Inferno
Usually when I read lists like this I’m disappointed, this one was pretty good I thought. I also feel like this has to be a hard list to make, there are lot of actors on here who at one time or another I considered one of the greatest of all time. Like other people on here, I’m now going to give you my “Why did you snub these guys?” comment. Three actors I didn’t see on here, maybe I missed them but I scanned it twice- are Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy and Nick Nolte. Nick Nolte is the man! Great list on your part still!
@Eddie C– thank you for the comment here and praise of the list. It was fun but yeah it did take a long time and it’s a difficult task to make this list and try to do it justice. I’m fine if you have your snubbed guys— many have already mentioned Tracy. It was tough to leave him, Poitier and Nolte off- they’re all great actors. I will say that I made a list of the top 500 films of all-time and I don’t think i have a single Tracy or Poitier film http://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/04/10/the-best-500-films-of-all-time/ . To me that’s telling. That makes it really tough. They are strong actors but so are the actors who were in the best movies of all-time. It makes me regret Tracy and Poitier didn’t work with the best auteurs more often. Nolte is a new one- i’m an admirer. He is in “The Thin Red Line” (easily in my top 500, in fact in my top 100) and he’s sensational in it. That’s really the only year though, 1998, where i think Nolte gives one of the best 5-6 performances of the year… do you have another year where you think he is one of the best? which year? With only one year it it makes it hard to compare him favorably with my top 100 actors who show up, mostly at least 2-3 times if not more.
If you have one hit wonders, then where is malcolm mcdowell?
@Jorge— thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. I don’t have any actor I’d classify as a “one hit wonder” on the list on the male side. All 100 I believe I mention at least twice as I go year-by-year an mention the best performances of the year. McDowell is more of a straight one-hit wonder (which is why he’s left off). I think he’s transcendent in “A Clockwork Orange” but I don’t think as highly as his work in “If…” or “Oh Lucky Man!” as many and his resume is really light after that– perhaps with another viewing of those two films i’ll reconsider.
No Michael Landon or Bill Bixby? Two actors who would strive for perfection regardless of not needing to. The cameras loved them, their audience adired them. Both more than deserving to be on this list.
I agree with 90% of this list, but see some actors on here that either due to untimely deaths or have had only 1 key role, placed on a mantle not rightfully earned.
@rocco Thanks for the comment and for coming to the sight. Glad we agree 90% of the time on the list. So who do you want to take off for Michael Landon or Bill Bixby? I do not believe I have any actors on here with 1 key role. I don’t really watch much tv (or theater, etc) and don’t have a desire to so I never considered Michael Landon or Bixby.
In my Opinion ths big one that should be off the list is Health Ledger had 2 roles Breakback Mountain and Dark Knight and most of his recognition came for the Dark Knight in which he only filmed half of it before passing, and once again in my opinion he wouldn’t have gotten as much recognition if he didn’t pass.
@Rocco— Interesting. Thanks again for sharing your opinion. I’d argue Heath Ledger had two of the strongest performances of the 2000’s decade. He’s strong in “Monster’s Ball” and “I’m Not There” but yeah he’s here because of “The Dark Knight” and “Brokeback” and that is one hell of a 1-2. I think you’re wrong about his work as Joker in “The Dark Knight”. He’s mesmerizing- such a special role/performance/actor.
Well that’s dumb even if he didn’t pass he would still would have gotten the same recognition and he would have gotten even more Fame and Recognition due to all the great movies he would have been in life The Tree Of Life And Mad Max Fury Road
Drake, I totally see where your coming from, and and also glad we can agree to disagree without disrespect lol it is the interwebs…
I wish to not sound as though I’m taking away from his acting ability nor his dedication to become the character he’s playing not just play it, a trait not seen enough in today’s cinema. Honestly one of my favorite performances of his and as corny as it is was him in A Knights Tale.
Bixby was more known as a television star than a movie star so often overlooked he was a known perfectionist and showed this in 3 pivotal roles in The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, My Favorite Martians and later in Incredible Hulk.
Landon same thing well known television star not so much the movies. He became his characters made you believe he was really who he was playing such as his roles in Bonanza, Little House on the Praire and Highway to Heaven.
Too bad there isnt more room on the list so many great actors so hard to name a perfect 100. But once again very good list overall. Names I haven’t heard in years and made me remember so iconic movies I kinda forgot over the years.
@Rocco- thanks again- and yes- I’m glad we can disagree without getting nasty or mean-spirited.
Robin Williams? Second time I’m sending this. Don’t know if the other went through. Sorry if it did.
@Swatta– Robin Williams is a really good one. He’s superb in many films including “Good Will Hunter” and “The Fisher King”– he’s right there for me. Here’s the list of archiveable films for Williams. Ultimately I had to take the 100 I had here ahead of him. For say Liotta I’ll take “Goodfellas” and “Something Wild” over any 1-2 punch for Williams.
1982- The World According To Garp
1988- The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
1989- Dead Poet’s Society
1990- Awakenings
1991- Dead Again
1991- The Fisher King
1996- Hamlet
1997- Deconstructing Harry
1997- Good Will Hunting
2002- Insomnia
Without Charles Laughton, Frederic March, Paul Muni, and Lon Chaney (man of a thousand faces) high on this very good list, it loses credibility. I love Joe Pesci but he’s not top 100 all time. Alain Delon, Heath Ledger and Roy Schieder don’t have enough great work to make it either.
@ W. Thomas– thanks for visiting the site and the comment. I love that you have not only good suggestions (Laughton, March, Muni and Chaney) but you have an actual suggestion for the 4 you’d take off or move down to make room for them (Pesci, Delon, Ledger and Schieder) even if i disagree with it. It’s easy to complain but very few people have thoughtful suggestions for alternative so thank you.
I have Muni at #51 just as a heads up….
The problem with your suggestions are that you aren’t taking into account the quality of the films enough. Pesci, Delon, Ledger and Schieder are doing fantastic work in masterpieces for Scorsese, Nolan, Melville/Visconti, and Spielberg.
Laughton/March/Muni and Chaney never hit those heights even if they had a more balanced career. Which one March or Laughton performance are you pitting against Ledger’s role as The Joker or Pesci’s work in Goodfellas? March and Laughton would get slaughtered.
Your argument ultimately falls flat when you talk about how my 4 choices don’t have “enough great work” and then throw in Muni who really only had a short stint where he was a top actor (8 years from 1932-1939). He has 7 archiveable films (Chaney even less) and that’s less than Schieder and Pesci (8) and tied with Delon (7).
I got to give you credit. You got some really inane ones but your responses are measured and respectful. Kudos. I’d like to ring in, huge movie fan for 45 years. I think overall it’s a good list. Off the top of my head I’d say Sean Penn should be top 20 at worst. I agree that Cage should be on here for a bold, daring body of work that while filled with over the top crap, theres just too many great performances to ignore. Nice to see you include Gosling and Casey Affleck. Alec Baldwin almost always good to great, and his 7 minutes in Glengary alone…
@Kent — Thanks for visiting the site and the comment here. I usually find myself defending Nic Cage (many think he’s an outright bad actor) and Sean Penn to other cinephiles so this is a weird spot for me here. I like both actors a great deal and they have impressive resumes. For the purposes of this list I just don’t have a year where Cage gives one of the best 5 performances for a male actor. He’s close in 2002 and 1995 with “Adaptation” and “Leaving Las Vegas” but— well—yeah isn’t one of the 5 best. If you can’t give one of the 5 best performances of the year in the 100 year history of cinema I can’t find a spot for you on the list.
Sean Penn is a brilliant actor with a strong resume and #39 is no insult. If you were going to put him in your top 20 I’d have to hear who you were moving down on my list to make room for him. I just hope Penn isn’t done. He’s only 59 years old but from 2009-2019 I have one archiveable film for Penn. Even though that film is Tree of Life, probably the best film during that stretch, it isn’t a film that leans too heavily on Penn’s performance for its greatness.
Thanks for responding. I think Cage in Leaving Las Vegas one of the 5 best performance of the decade let alone 1995. As for Penn, to answer your question I’d say he’s definitely better actor than John Wayne, Holden, and Klaus. Also forgot to mention Mcconahey. Other than his rom- com period, always makes cool choices. So good even going back to Lone Star. Then recent history w Buyers club, Killer Joe, Mud, and one of the great all-time television performances in True Detective season 1. I’d ague him as much as Cage.
@Kent. Really good stuff here. At least we located the disconnect for Nic Cage. I do not believe his performance in “Leaving Las Vegas” is one of the 5 best of the decade. I think it’s a fine film but didn’t make my top 100 of the 1990’s and I wouldn’t leave my top 100 films of the decade to pick the best performances of the decade.
Matthew McConaughey has had a great run — The McConaissance!! haha. I don’t have a big problem with you if you have him in your top 100. He was close for me, too. Great pick.
I’m going to piggy-back on @KidCharlemagne below when talking about Penn being better than Wayne. Penn is the more talented actor– but Wayne has the better resume. Also, Wayne (and this goes for Kinski and Holden, too) have higher highs. Their best work (The Searchers, Aguirre Wrath of God, and The Wild Bunch) top Penn’s best.
A better actor than Wayne maybe but Wayne « outwork » him.
I really appreciate your input. It’s cool to hear the process you go through. I guess I’m feeling like I’m trying to make my way through your selection process and what went into it. I guess we look at the selection process different. that’s not a criticism, it’s just interesting. For instance, you mention highest highs. I’m not going to argue that Penn’s best performance is better than the three you mentioned, and that would include Carlito’s way, milk, Dead Man Walking, Sweet and lowdown, mystic River, casualties of war, hurly-burly, bad boys, etcetera etcetera. I’m sure you can see where I’m going here, which is that highest highs or not, Penn has has been great way more often than the other three. To me that’s way more important. I guess I’m still trying to figure out a talking about Cage, well I totally understand you don’t agree it’s one of the best performances the decade, you would also said earlier you didn’t have is one of the five best performances of 1995. That’s shocking Drake. I’d really like to know, which five of that year you think we’re better than cage in leaving Las Vegas. But overall, I really appreciate the dialogue. You really know your stuff. Like that you have Philip Seymour Hoffman so high as well.
@Kent – Honestly this type of back and forth is one of the main reasons I enjoy doing this site. Thank you. You’re correct here. We’ve got some different criteria and that’s fine. Two of my closest film/cinema buddies complain that I put too much on the quality of the film when evaluating actors and performances. The analogy I always use is sports. To me, a great performance in a masterpiece, or even better, a top 100 film. Is like an athlete having a great game in the title game, or playoffs. To me, the inverse is true and a great acting performance in the 27th best film of 1998 is like someone having a great game in the regular season— and if they’re good in an even worse movie- that’s like doing it in an exhibition game or preseason. I almost can’t even enjoy the performance even if it, in a vacuum, is awesome, because I’m just so sad that it’s wasted in such a weak movie.
I will say that the depth of great performances argument here with Penn isn’t a sweep over those three actors like you think it is. It’s a sweep over Kinski– I’ll give you that. Kinski is on the list that high mainly because of his big 2-3 films with Herzog. However, Holden and Wayne have a lot of depth. Wayne is superb in Red River, Liberty Valance and many others. He has over 30 archiveable films. I just don’t think I can compare Penn in Casualties to Wayne in The Quiet Man or Fort Apache and say it’s an easy win for Penn. Ditto for Holden with work in Network, Sunset Boulevard, Stalag 17, River Kwai– that’s depth that matches Penn so we’re left with the difference, which is at the top.
As for your comment on 1995 and Cage in “Leaving Las Vegas”– the skeleton for my best actors list is my archives by year. I go year by year and pick the best performances (again usually using that year’s top 10 films to pick from — but not always). and then award points based on how good it is (Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood gets more points than say Mark Ruffalo in Zodiac both because it’s a better film and because he’s more important to the film’s quality though they’re both great) Here’s my page for 1995 and my explanation on the best male actor below http://thecinemaarchives.com/2017/11/13/1995/
best performance male: Robert De Niro is lights out in the first and third best movies of the year. I don’t even really want to pick one—I think he clearly had the edge on Pacino if you’re ranking performances in this film and he’s in virtually every scene of Scorsese’s three hour gangster opus (and virtual remake of Goodfellas—not a complaint, a compliment). The answer to this category in 1995 is De Niro. He has strong contenders behind him. Johnny Depp gives the best performance of his career in Dead Man. His comedic blank stare is perfect for the jarmuscian style. I wish they’d worked more together…maybe they still will. Brad Pitt gets a joint nominee here for his work in both seven and twelve monkeys. Kevin Spacey very much deserved the best supporting oscar for his work in usual suspects. Sean Penn gives his pest performance to date in 1995 in dead man walking and Vincent Cassel arrives like a bat out of hell in la haine. All of these actors are mesmerizing in their work here in 1995—as I said- a very strong year for this category.
Wow. I don’t agree but your poi t is well taken. Excellent argument. Man, I’ve met my match. 😊. Ok. Well I think Pacino was better than Deniro in Heat although only by a hair. You and I are going to talk Zodiac more as I feel it’s the best film in a quarter century but I know u hold it in high regard too so it will be fun. Is it ok if I send you a couple Top 10, 20 or at most 50 lists so you can see where I’m coming from. Trust me , my sister, m( my movie buddy) would laugh if she knew I was looking for outside opinions on my list as I am adamantly supportive of what I like? Thanks Drake.
@Kent. That would be great if you share a list or two. I’m always looking for films that I’ve missed completely or haven’t seen in too long to rewatch. Please- share.
What’s your top 10 best French actors ever ?
My top :
1} Gérard Depardieu
2} Alain Delon
3} Jean-Paul Belmondo
4} Jean Gabin
5} Jean-Louis Trintignant
6} Yves Montand
7} Lino Ventura
8} Phillips Noiret
9} Michel Piccoli
10} Michel Simon
Honorables Mentions : Jean-Pierre Léaud,Jean Marais,Patrick Dewaere,Gérard Philippe,Charles Boyer,Maurice Chevalier,Matthieu Amalric,Vincent Cassel & Jean Dujardin.
@KidCharlemagne . Sorry for my absence here. Here’s the 6 french actors that are in my top 100 (I believe) and in order. I will say that Cassel, Simon, Piccoli were all close in the next 50.
1. Jean-Paul Belmondo
2. Jean Gabin
3. Jean-Louis Trintignant
4. Alain Delon
5. Jean- Pierre Leaud
6. Maurice Chevalier
50 best films of the 21rst century 50 Carol
49 Tropic Thunder
48 oceans 11
47 Yes Man
46 Lone Survivor
45 Last house on the Left ( so much better than Cravens)
44 Brawl in Cell Block 99
43 Good Dick
42 John Wick ( the reinvention of the action film)
41 Lost in Translation
40 Mystic River
39 Collateral
38 American Psycho
37 Under the Skin
36. Snowpiercer
35 Paranormal Activity ( a Perfect, I mean perfect way to use low budget and make a masterpiece)
34 The Invitation
33 Session 9. ( These last 2 a perfect example of the slow burn, and the economy of great direction)
32 A Quiet Place
31 Requiem for a Dream
30 Hereditary
29 Before Sunrise
28 Open Water ( stayed w me for weeks)
27 Donnie Darko
26 Social Network
25 The Revenant
24 Bourne Ultimatum
23 Signs ( one of only 2 movies in my life I saw on the same day twice in the theater)
22 Whiplash
21 Nightcrawler
20. Tree of Life
19 Silver Linings Playbook
18 Inglorious Bastards
17 Kill Bill 2
16 Gone baby Gone
15 The Pledge ( the 2nd most underrated film of the modern era)
14 The Departed
13 La La Land
12 Moonlight
11 Out of the Furnace. ( 5 great actors at the top of their form..The most underrated film of all time..Richard Roeper the only one who got it giving it the 2 ND best film of the year)
10 Into the Wild
9 Wedding Crashers
8. Drive
7 Monneyball ( greatest sports movie ever)
6 Mulholland Drive
5 Sideways
4 25th Hour ( a masterpiece)
3 Michael Clayton ( Brad Pitt who I was fortunate to meet and talk film, said it was the only FLAWLESS film he’d ever seen
2. No Country for old men
1. Zodiac
@Kent — really great list! thank you for sharing. We share so many in common- if you go to the “rankings” page I do a top 100 for every decade (I haven’t done one that combines the 00’s and 10’s) but you’ll notice so many we share in common.
Likes: I love Bourne Ultimatum there. It’s a great genre film for sure but Greengrasss clearly has an identifiable aesthetic with this camera style right? Good choice! I’m also happy to see The Departed as your greatest Scorsese of the 21st century. There’s been so much buzz for Wolf of Wall Street recently but I’m with you here. I’m also happy to see La La Land and The Revenant so close to the top. I feel like they’re not both really underrated now. Back to back winners for best director/cinematography and boy did they earn it. They aren’t about social issues so they lost at the oscars to Moonlight (also an excellent stylistic film) and Spotlight (not so much) but I think they’re the superior films.
dislikes: Of course don’t take it personal but I have some issues here. Paranormal Activity– are you praising the effect it had on you and the audience? Or the artistic craftsmanship involved? I’m just not sure there’s much there to rewatch and study/praise/admire.
Also- Ok and this is bigger. I think these 4 auteurs may be the greatest of the 21st century (not in order necessarily): PT Anderson, Wes Anderson, Cuaron, and Christopher Nolan. I don’t see them anywhere on your list? You aren’t a fan? Did i miss one? What gives?
curious: I’m curious about the idea of Sean Penn as top auteur/director. You have two films he directed in the top 15. No other director does. Wow. Can you say more about him? What makes you feel that way that he’s really one of the best?
Thanks again for sharing the list
Hey Drake. Yeah. I’m gonna post some Top 10, 20 and 50 lists here. I’d really appreciate the feedback. Yeah, just alone, Brawl in Cell Block 99 was CLEARLY one of the best films of 2017. And the Invitation is one of the best films of the 2000’s. But let’s start with my lists and let the dialogue begin!!
@Kent- thanks again for the comment here. Sorry I was traveling for a few days and didn’t have a chance to catch up on the site. Yes- please share some lists and I’ll give it a look after some thought on it/them. Ok- You gotta give me more than “clearly one of the best films of 2017”. Why was it so clear? I’d like to think I know what I’m talking about (which doesn’t mean I can’t get a film wrong or miss something) but it wasn’t “clear” at all to me. What was so superior about it? Here are my thoughts on it– I’d need something more specific on what I missed. http://thecinemaarchives.com/2018/01/24/brawl-in-cell-block-99-2017-zahler/
Hey Drake 🙂. Sorry took a minute to respond. I was in the hospital. All’s good now. I have lots I want to respond to. I sent you my top 50 from memory. I have some additions I will send tomorrow. Forgot some Big Ones. Also while u have a chance also noticed no Woody Harrelson on your list shud be there. Like ur feedback on that, Out Of The Furnace, and I will get back to u on Paranormal Activity.. Thanks. Ur Awesome
@Kent– I’m sorry to hear you were in the hospital. I hope all is well/better. As for Woody Harrelson– he’s a great actor– has been for such a long time. I’ve got him marked down here with 15 archiveable films. However, what keeps him from cracking my top 100 is that, although he’s excellent in everything, I don’t have a single year where I think he gives one of the 4-5 best male performances. Do you? If there’s 100 years of movies and 5 best male performances each year that means Woody doesn’t have one of the top 500 single male performances. And that’s a knockout for me to make a list like this.
1989- Casualties of War
1994- Natural Born Killers
1996- The People Versus Larry Flynt
1997- Wag the Dog
1998- The Thin Red Line
2006- A Prairie Home Companion
2006- A Scanner Darkly
2007- No Country For Old Men
2009- The Messenger
2009- Zombieland
2012- Seven Psychopaths
2013- Out of the Furnace
2014- True Detective
2017- Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri
2017- War for the Planet of the Apes
Hey Drake. I just wanted you to know I posted my top 50 films of the 21st Century but for some reason they got posted in the middle of our dialogue. I’m sure you’ll find it. I’m dying to know your response.
Have you seen The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford ?
One of the best underrated movie ever.
@KidCharlemagne– The Assassination of Jesse James is an amazing film. I’ve got it all over the place here. Here’s the link to my notes on it. http://thecinemaarchives.com/2018/01/12/the-assassination-of-jesse-james-by-the-coward-robert-ford-2007-dominik/ . I’ve got it as Pitt’s best single performance here http://thecinemaarchives.com/2018/06/27/the-23rd-best-actor-of-all-time-brad-pitt/ #9 of the 2000’s decade here http://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/03/25/the-best-films-of-the-decade-the-2000s/ and #112 of all-time here http://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/04/10/the-best-500-films-of-all-time/
I think it’s becoming less and less “underrated” though as a ton of cinema lovers appreciate this film and champion it. Happy to hear you are one of them!
Come on! No John Malkovich?!
@ D-Mart— Thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. I love Malkovich- a great actor- I’ve got 18 movies for him in the archives (below). Only in 1988 with Dangerous Liaisons does he give one of the best male performances of the year. You need 2 or 3 if your year isn’t going to be an all-timer performance/film.
1984- Places in the Heart
1984- The Killing Fields
1985- Death of a Salesman
1987- Empire of the Sun
1988- Dangerous Liaisons
1990- The Sheltering Sky
1991- Shadows and Fog
1993- In the Line of Fire
1996- Portrait of a Lady
1998- Rounders
1999- Time Regained
1999-Being John Malkovich
2000- Shadow of a Vampire
2001- I’m Going Home
2002- Ripley’s Game
2008- Burn After Reading
2008- Changeling
2019- Velvet Buzzsaw
I would say the people versus Larry flynt top five that year, and once again our criteria is different. When I see an actor, that to your own admission is pretty much great in everything he does, to me that holds much more weight than whether or not he was the top five in any given year. You look at rampart hey, Out of the Furnace, the messenger, natural Born Killers, his death scene in the Thin redline alone is a masterwork. Really want to get your feedback, on Out of the Furnace, to me that is a great, great film
@Kent. I’m a big admirer of Out of the Furnace. Scott Cooper isn’t PT Anderson but has made several really strong films now– great acting in every one of them.
You won’t hear me say a word against Woody- again- a great actor. But I disagree with Larry Flynt being one of the best performances of 1996. There are 6+ that are better from that year along. He is good in everything, and has been so for a long time but so are a lot of great actors. How about Melvin Douglas (not on my list and good in everything with 15 archiveable films), Peter Finch, Richard Widmark, Tom Wilkinson, etc). These are actors that are great in everything they do- just like Woody. To me that’s just not enough to make the list.
I want to tell you Drake n I will be writing more later tonight but I want you to get your props, cuz even tho some of your opinions infuriate me ( n I’m sure vice versa). I’ve checked into many movie sites/ opinions etc. But I’ve never felt obliged to post anything more than once. You have a great site!! N once I educate u on why ur wrong about so much 😅😅. It will be even better😅😅. By the way. Not in too 100 but isn’t it interesting to see Keanu Reeves actually making me think about his work. John Wick Trilogy is great, and with unbelievable innovative direction his performance in all 3 films plus , in my opinion , one of the best no nonsense action performances of all time in Speed. Rivals Wiilis in Die Hard n Schwarzenegger in Predator. Plus his unexpected turn as a wife beating racist in The Gift. He’s one of 2 Major stars I’ve ever met- I’ve met many as I was a health club mgr in LA for 15 years- I’m not a star struck guy just find people how I find them- but he and Brad Pitt the most kind, down to earth actors I’ve ever met. Funny, in my experience it’s the B or C list actors that are more dueche. 😅. Anyway, Keanu n Brad Pitt … awesome!! Keanus knowledge of film history blew me away..
@Kent– thanks again. I’m so pleased to hear you enjoy the site and I love having the dialogue here with you as a frequent commenter. Thank you.
Very cool on Keanu Reeves– knowledge on film history?– so cool. That’s always great to hear they’re a decent person, too. Do you want him on the top 100 list here? I’m not opposed to the idea just because he isn’t a really gifted thespian. He has presence and is in a fair amount of good movies. I’m just not there yet. Even in the Wick’s or The Matrix in 1999 I’m not sure he’s as good as so many of his peers and contemporaries.
Hey Drake. This is what happens when someone’s recovering from the hospital. You start obsessing about Drake’s top 100 actors. When you first posted this, I remember sending you messages about a few things, but now I’m starting to notice after the fact I need to look at your list harder. I just realized on top of the fact you don’t have Woody Harrelson your top 100 you have Russell Crowe 93. Brother. 🙂. You’re better than that. For some reason I missed the fact where he was on your list. He’s better then at least 45 to 50 actors on your list. His performance in the Insider or alone, in the year where there was many great performances. Sean Penn in Sweet and lowdown, Spacey in American beauty. 1999 in my adulthood is the second greatest film year. I’m sure you’ve seen there’s a whole book now stating it’s the best film year in film history. Three Kings, American beauty, The matrix, election, magnolia,… I agree it’s great. But to me the best film year since I was an adult is 2007. Zodiac. No country for old men. Michael Clayton. Into the wild. Gone Baby Gone. Bourne ultimatum.etc..
@Kent. Thanks once again. My brother bought me the “Best. Movie. Year. Ever”- Brian Raftery book I just haven’t had time to read it yet. 1999 is an incredible year and 2007, too. Both are years that come along once in a decade or so– among the best. I think 1960 may be the best single year ever. http://thecinemaarchives.com/2017/09/14/1960/
as for Russell Crowe– i mean I think 93 is a really got slot. There are so many great actors. I single out his 1999 in The Insider (ahead of Keanu Reeves I may add). LA Confidential he’s superb, Gladiator, and Master and Commander… What an amazing 7-8 year run. He’s been really quiet since then. He’ll need to rebound with another big year or two to get much higher on the list here.
Great comments Drake! It’s nice to have somebody but even if I disagree with him a lot, I have a high regard for in their opinion. A lot of times when I get into film conversations I get frustrated because so many of my friends, while smart, their opinion seems to run what’s the hottest at the Box office. As to some of your comments, as far as Keanu, I’m never going to argue he should be in the top 100 actors of all time, but he’s a personal favorite. I’m really glad you liked Out of the Furnace. That alone lets me know I found a kindred spirit in film. :-). As far as your comments about the best Auteurs of the 21st Century I will respond to that more thoroughly later today, but I will say I think Nolan’s inception is a bloated overrated mess, however I agree with you on Dunkirk it would be on my top 50 of the new century. One of those that I will send to you in my Caveat list to those that I forgot when I sent you my top 50 from memory. As far as Wes Anderson, Timmy is 2 best films are bottle rocket and Rushmore. Which is my third favorite supporting performance of all time in Bill Murray behind Tom Cruise in magnolia and John Goodman in The Big Lebowski. But I will add to this later. I really appreciate the dialogue. I’m having kind of a hard time in my life right now. This is a nice things to look forward to.
@Kent– awesome stuff here. Again- really appreciate the back and forth. I really only think about box office as “will this help this director get his next movie made?”- I root for the good artists/auteurs.
Hi Drake,
Just wondering… What system do you use for this website to figure out the best actors? Just curious as this is very intricately and well-done here, it would seem lol.
@Jeff– thanks for the comment an question. Yeah- I try to be as painstakingly detailed as possible. Basically I go year by year (archive by year link) and compile the best 3-10 performances for males and females that year. I typically only look at the top 10 films of that year to pull the actor from and then take into account 1. how good the performance is 2. how good the film is and 3. how important the actor is to that film’s greatness. Then I award points. Then I go on to the next year and keep a running tally for 200+ actors. It’s not a perfect system by any stretch and there can be debates, this is art, not math– but this is my system.
Oldman for Clooney. Woody Allen? I know he won’t win any year but the sheer filmography should get him in, close to Damon.
@AP. Oldman is a popular one – other film enthusiasts like yourself agree with you. Fair enough– he’s a great actor with terrific skill set. I only have one year (1986 with Sid and Nancy) where I think Oldman gives one of the best male performances of the year. Do you have more? Clooney I have two years– 1998 with Out of Sight and 2007 with Michael Clayton.
Woody Allen is an interesting idea– I’ve thought about it and I’ve gone back and forth on him. He’s certainly a strong screen presence and has been in so many great films.
Thanks for the feedback!
yeah i agree on woody allen. him in annie hall is the best performance in the movie and it is groucho from duck soup. amazing performance.
Eh don’t get me wrong Woody was great in Annie Hall but Diane Keaton clearly gives the superior performance in the film.
@AP, M and Randy— I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer here. I praised them both when I went by year by year– here’s 1977 and my blurbs on both http://thecinemaarchives.com/2017/10/05/1977/
best performance male: It’s not a strong year here either. There have been several years (1976 included) where’d I’d have at least 2-3 options better than any single one here but given my choices I’m going to go with Richard Dreyfuss’s strong work in close encounters as my performance of the year. His possessed every man is imaginative and energetic but has enough sympathy to stick it out with him when he abandons rationality (and his family)—it’s a tough role and dreyfuss is perfect for it. Behind him I’m definitely going with Woody Allen. Diane Keaton won the oscar and she’s great- but Allen carries the film. Bruno Ganz does some superb work in wenders’ American friend so he’s my third choice and my last choice here is the charasmatic turn by Harrison Ford as Han Solo. Alec Guinness received the oscar nom but I think Harrison Ford’s turn is clearly superior and it’d hate to see how dry this film could be without him.
best performance female: I am going to agree with the academy and give the best performance to keaton in annie hall. She’s great at playing naïve and awkward—she’s funny– but clearly she goes through a transformation throughout the film and is more than just an allen foil. Behind her I think Liza is very good in scorsese’s new york, new york and the two performances in altman’s three women by Shelley Duvall and Sissy Spacek (another mention for spacek which gives her 3 in 5 years) round out my choices here.
What about HUGH LAURIE?!!
He does a MAGNIFICENT job on HOUSE!!
To top it off, he is a very talented multi-instrumentalist!!
Super talented guy. Not really what this list is about though.
I am not sure why you say this Matt.
Just because he is multi-talented does not mean that he cannot be compared to all the other actors on this list.
For a British actor, his American accent is unbelievably accurate.
@Christopher – I do not have Hugh Laurie in my current working list of top 500 male actors of all-time
This is too bad Drake. I think that he should be there.
He is very unique in combining comedy and serious matters.
His lines in HOUSE would usually take the average actor a lifetime to memorise!!
I think that some readers know that HUGH LAURIE wrote a song called I’M IN LOVE WITH STEFFI GRAF.
Just like Hugh, I am a dreamer as well.
I think that I might write a song called I’M IN LOVE WITH JULIA GOERGES!!
With his 2019 year, I think Brad Pitt deserves the 13#-19# tier. I would put him in the 19# seed, juste after Eastwood (now 20#). What do you think Drake ?
He had 22 movies in the Archives. 8 top 5 of the year movie (Seven,12 Monkeys,Fight Club,Jesse James,Inglourious Basterds,ToL,Ad Astra & Once Upon a Time…).
If I’m correct, he also had one of the 5 best performances in 5 years (3# in 1995,2# in 1999,3# in 2007,2# in 2011 & 2# in 2019).
@KidCharlemagne — I think you’re probably right about Pitt jumping up into that range this year. It can get lost in the moment but having a 2019 like Brad Pitt had doesn’t come along often. I’m not going to update this list quite yet- I have a few other projects/lists/updates I want to do but I feel confident saying that when I do update it– Pitt will ascend to reflect his tremendous 2019.
I understand. Thanks for the reply
With the Tarantino, I think LDC also desserves the 13#-19# tier. I don’t know where I’ll put him. He had 6 top 5 BP (2004,2006,2010,2013,2015 & 2019) & 8 top 5 movies of the Tear (Titanic,Aviator,The Departed,Shutter Island,Inception,Django,The Revenant & OUTH). Also 15 AM.
Maybe the 17# or 16# spot for him ?
I think Pacino should stay in the 6# seed & Pecsi could be in the 40-44# Tier (maybe 41# ?)
Phoenix should remain in his position.
@KidCharlemagne — ditto here for Leo. I don’t think Leo has done enough yet (he’s like 45) to crack the top 15 but I think both he and Pitt have pretty interchangeable resumes with those just slightly higher than them. Again, Leo is awesome the #2 movie of the year directed by Tarantino– wow!
That’s true. I hesitate because Pitt-DiCaprio have the same resume but I put LDC above because I think that he’s a better actor.
Thanks for the reply @ good luck with these projects 🙂
@ KidCharlemagne @Drake. This is a fun one. I will move Pesci big, case in point he eclipses Cruise and moves into the Top 30. Phoenix takes the Pesci spot at 45.
Pitt moves inside the Top 15. Just behind Newman, Leo gets 17th just above Hackman and Hoffman.
De Niro is indisputable, I think 2 to 6 is all up for debate. I will stick with Pacino at 6, but not a lot separates him and the 4 above him.
The problem with Pesci is :
1 – He’s in 9 movies on the Archives.
2. He gives one of the best 5 performances of the year only 3 times (1980,1990 & 2019).
For me, a jump into the top 30 is too much.
@ AP and KidCharlemagne– appreciate the comments- really good stuff here. I love the conversation and debate. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer on Pesci. If you take out his two early cameo performances, Daniel Day-Lewis only has 13 archiveable films, Klaus Kinski only has 10 and Chaplin has 11 so there are others that are in the top 20 that are close to his total number of archiveable films. Now to further complicate things I mean Pesci isn’t even the “lead” in any of his 3 performances where he gives one of the 5 best performances of the year (does that matter? I dunno). The counter would be his 1-3 is probably better than many ahead of him (including Cruise). Tough call. There are so many moving parts that I won’t update the list until I can sit through and go through the entire process and that’ll take a week and right now I’m putting together my “best of the decade” stuff- so it’ll be a bit before I can update this list.
I think that Pesci is in better movies but his top 3 is as good as Cruise’s top 3.
It’s difficult to rank the performances but Cruise is not bad in what he does (don’t know if we have understood each other).
Clearly, Pesci played in better movies but it seems like he’s carry by Scorsese (not a bad thing) but he lacks of depth.
Cruise’s been good with Scorsese (R),Mann (HR),Spielberg (HR),Kubrick (MP),Anderson (MP). 1999 shows some versatility (It’s not the same character in these 2 masterpieces).
He’s great in Comedy (Tropic Thunder),Drama (Rain Man),Action (MI),Romcom (Jerry Maguire). As a vilain (Collateral) or Hero (A Few Good Men).
That’s just my opinion, may be wrong.
No Vincent Price or Claude Rains hm.
@Frank Story– thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. I like both Price and Rains– talented character actors who often played villains and did a great job of it. I have 14 archiveable films for Rains and 11 for Price but I do not have a single year where I think one of them gives the best 5 or so male performances of the year. Do you? Without that it is hard to make the case for any actor. There have been 100+ years of cinema so that’s 500 performances as a starting point.
Claude Rains most definitely gave one of the top 5 Male performances of 1942 in both Casablanca and Now Voyager.
@Randy– what are your other top 4 male performances of 1942 ?
Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandey, Monty Woolley in the pied Paper, and Gary scooper in the pride of the Yankees.
I meant Gary Cooper instead of Scooper.
@Randy– thanks for sharing- Yeah I have Errol Flynn in Gentleman Jim above Woolley and Cooper
Drake, how does someone earn the #1 spot, in terms of being the best male Actor of all time?
If you could let me know, I’d appreciate it.
Thank you.
@John— sure- i think the easiest way would be to check out the de niro page- i’ve copied it here http://thecinemaarchives.com/2018/07/16/the-best-actor-of-all-time-robert-de-niro/
Ok, that’s pathetic. There’s no Spencer Tracy and Laughton, who were considered the greatest actors in the world back in the day, but there’s Ray Liotta, Heath Ledger… Funny.
@Maulder– thanks for visiting the site and the comment. Very few people have seen as many Spencer Tracy and Charles Laughton films as I have– so I’m not ignoring them. They simply don’t have a Goodfellas or The Dark Knight-level performance on their resume sadly (and both Liotta and Ledger back it up with very solid #2 performances like Brokeback and Something Wild).
No Billy Bob Thornton? Versatility at it’s best slingblade, friday night lights, and bad Santa. Just saying top 100 fir sure, hmm-mmm
@ Dakota— haha I like the “hmm-mmm”— I love Billy Bob– throw in A Simple Plan and The Man Who Wasn’t There. It is a strong resume– not as strong as any of the top 100 above– but still- I don’t hate the choice. Thanks for your comment and idea here.
What about Geoffrey Rush?
@Paul– Geoffrey Rush is great. I have 9 archiveable films Rush here below. He’s good in everything right? But his best work is probably in Shine or King’s Speech. I can’t say I considered him for the top 100 though because I think it’s very possible that he isn’t in any of the best 1000 films of all-time— and I only have one year where he could realistically be considered for giving one of the best 5-10 male performances and that is in Shine in 1996– and that film is fine, but nothing too special
1996- Shine
1998- Elizabeth
1998- Shakespeare In Love
2000- Quills
2001- Lantana
2003- Intolerable Cruelty
2003- Pirates of the Caribbean
2005- Munich
2010- The King’s Speech
speaking of actors where is Jeremy Irons. He gave two of the best acting performances in one film (Dead Ringers)
@m — Dead Ringers is brilliant and Irons is brilliant in it. Here’s the 7 archiveable performances from Irons. I just needed one more year/performance where Irons was among the best. If you look at like Liotta…. Liotta’s work in Goodfellas/Something Wild certainly bests the Dead Ringers/Reversal of Fortune 1-2 punch.
1981- The French Lieutenant’s Woman
1986- The Mission
1988- Dead Ringers
1990- Reversal of Fortune
2005- Kingdom of Heaven
2006- Inland Empire
2011- Margin Call
Well, being an actor isnt easy I can tell you that. My uncle always talks about how difficult the profession is. And even if you do have talent, there are other factors too. Are you good looking(VEry important), charismatic, easy to work with?
Also I dont want to say this in a bad way but no one can come close to De Niro (especially not in Raging Bull) or Brando (On the Waterfront, godfather ) or Day Lewis (Age of Innocence) or even Kinski (aguirre).
Cage? Seriously?😂😂😂😂😂😂. He doesnt deserve to be mentioned alongside the other actors. You will most certainly be able to be as good as him.
@Azman
I’d disagree with you. First, yes an actor should be charismatic and I can’t think of too many counter examples. but Kinski was neither good looking nor easy to work with. also, yes i do believe any actor could surpass the greats. I/m sure de niro looked at brando and cary grant and stewart and said there’s no way i could be that good. as for cage, he is as good as any. he might not have as memeorable a performance but he is an auteur-acor, very consistent and unique. great actor.
Kinski wasnt good looking?😂😂. Blue eyes, sharp jawline ,big lips etc. Look at Eberts review of Aguirre. Also you look at most actors from the 30s 40s 50s and they were all quite tall. (The average height of the top 100 actors would be quite high)Stewart, Grant etc. Nearly all of them were taller than 5 foot 7. Pacino was even consider too short and ugly for The Godfather by Paramount until George Lucas’s wife convinced Coppola and Paramount.
Thankfully today it’s a bit easier for short actors to make it with many of Hollywood’s leading men being short. However most of them are still ridiculously good looking (plastic surgery, photoshop etc). Sure you have Woody Allen and a few others but they are clearly the exception.
I’m an aspiring actor, my goal is to be the number one actor of all time, when my career is all said and done. I believe I can pull it off and I am determined, passionate and will not give up until I reach my goal. I know the craft of acting has changed over time, so what will I have to do in order to take the number one spot, and when it’s all said and done for me to be the best male Actor of all time.
Thank you.
@Johnny– thanks for visiting the site. Good luck. Who are some are your favorite actors?
johnny. same here i am an aspiring actor and a drama student and i hope to be the greatest film actor in history. to even top brando, day lewis, klinski, de niro, and nicolas cage (probably in that order). i used to want to be director/writer when i first got into film back at the end of 2018 due to tarantino, but i am no good as a writer and i also would rather act and be part of the great scenes. Good luck to you.
on second thought, perhaps john wayne over cage. other greats are travolta irons harrison ford, hoffman, chaplin, too many to list
Way too low: Robert Redford, John Cazale, Jack Lemmon, Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall
Way too high: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio
No reputable critic in the world would argue Tom Cruise is a better actor than probably half the guys listed beneath him.
@Doug— thanks for visiting the site and the comment. I like that you provide both options— those that are too low and too high. Most just do one or the other and I think that’s a cheap way out so I appreciate you giving me both sides here. Take a look around the site– I think I’ve seen enough to know enough to be called “reputable critic in the world”. I’m not sure what you have against Cruise, Pitt and DiCaprio. Just because they are good looking and big box office? That can’t be it because you have Redford here as way too low. Cruise, Pitt and DiCaprio have been damn good for decades now, in the best films, and working with the best directors. I’m good with their spot on the list. It checks out when you really dig into it.
Also, not having William Hurt anywhere on the list is a garish omission.
He should be somewhere in the top 20.
@Doug… Thanks again. I like William Hurt — he’s a very good actor–13 archiveable films, four-time oscar nominee, had a great run in the 80’s and supporting work after but if you have him as top 20 well that just puts him in a class he plainly isn’t in… the resume isn’t there for that. There’s really only one year where Hurt gives one of the best 5-6 male performances of the year and that’s 1981 with Body Heat. Guys in the top 20 have 5-10 years where they give one of the best performances of the year.
Ok, the favorite actors of a random cinephile. I’m ok with it.
@Jennygo — thanks for visiting the site and the comment. haha glad you’re ok with it. I wouldn’t use the word favorite or random at all.