With Sully (which I didn’t include because it’s too fresh) out and Denzel’s magnificent seven kicking off TIFF (weak reviews) a few weeks back thought I’d try to break down this generation of actors… denzel is 58 years old…hanks 60…Sean Penn is 56 and Daniel Day-Lewis is 59…

They all have multiple oscars (3 for DDL), 5 noms (except denzel who has 6) and all had their debut in the 80’s (not counting a child cameo by DDL in sunday bloody sunday in 1971

i think ultimately, if i had a gun to my head and had to rank them, and god they are close, i’d go:

  1. DDL
  2. Hanks
  3. Penn
  4. Denzel

10 best films (combined list)

  1. Tree of life (Penn)
  2. The Thin Red Line (Penn)
  3. There will be blood (DDL)
  4. Malcolm X (denzel)
  5. Saving Private Ryan (hanks)
  6. Mystic River (Penn)
  7. The Last of the Mohicans (DDL)
  8. The Age of Innocence (DDL)
  9. Forrest Gump (hanks)
  10. 21 Grams/The Road To Perdition (penn/hanks)

Top 10 films: Penn (4), DDL (3), Denzel (1), Hanks (3)

Top 25 performances (combined list)

  1. There Will Be Blood (DDL)- 25
  2. Malcolm X (Denzel)- 24
  3. In the Name of the Father (DDL)- 23
  4. Gangs of New York (DDL)- 22
  5. Mystic River (Penn)- 21-
  6. Philadelphia (Hanks)- 20
  7. Big  (Hanks)- 19
  8. The Thin Red Line (Penn)- 18
  9. Training Day (Denzel)- 17
  10. 21 Grams (Penn)- 16
  11. Cast Away (Hanks) (15
  12. Saving Private Ryan (Hanks)- 14
  13. MILK (Penn)- 13
  14. He Got Game (Denzel)- 12
  15. Lincoln (DDL)- 11
  16. Glory (Denzel)- 10
  17. My Left Foot (DDL)- 9
  18. Forrest Gump (Hanks)- 8
  19. Captain Phillips (Hanks)-7
  20. Carletto’s Way (Penn)-6
  21. Philadelphia (Denzel)- 5
  22. The Age of Innocence (DDL)- 4
  23. Apollo 13 (Hanks)- 3
  24. The Last of the Mohicans (DDL)- 2
  25. American Gangster (Denzel)- 1

Total films: DDL (7), Penn (5) Denzel (6), Hanks (7)

By points: DDL (96), Denzel (69), Penn (74), Hanks (86)

hanks

2 oscars

5 noms

16 archvies

Best performance: Philadelphia

Best film: saving private ryan

Top 10 films: 8

Masterpieces:1

 

Penn

2 oscars

5 noms

21 archives

Best performance: mystic river

Best film: thin red line

Top 10 films: 6

Masterpieces: 3

 

DDL

3 oscars

5 noms

14 archives

Best performance: there will be blood

Best film: there will be blood

Top 10 films: 7

Masterpieces: 1

 

 

Denzel

2 oscars

6 noms

17 archives

Best performance: Malcolm X

Best Film: Malcolm X

Top 10 films: 3

Masterpieces: 1

 

 

1971- Sunday, Bloody, Sunday
1982- Gandhi
1985- The Beautiful Laundrette
1986- A Room With a View
1988- The Unbearable Lightness of Being
1989- My Left Foot
1992- The Last of the Mohicans
1993- In the Name of the Father
1993- The Age of Innocence
1996- The Crucible
1997- The Boxer
2002- The Gangs of New York
2007- There Will Be Blood
2012- Lincoln

 

 

1981- Taps
1982- Fast Times at Ridgemont High
1985- The Falcon and the Snowman
1986- At Close Range
1988- Colors
1989- Casualties of War
1990- State of Grace
1993- Carletto’s Way
1995- Dead Man Walking
1997- The Game
1997- U-Turn
1998- Hurlyburly
1998- The Thin Red Line
1999- Sweet and Lowdown
2000- Before Night Falls
2001- I Am Sam
2003- 21 Grams
2003- Mystic River
2004- The Assassination of Richard Nixon
2008- Milk
2011- The Tree of Life

 

 

1988- Big
1990- Joe Versus the Volcano
1993- Philadelphia
1993- Sleepless in Seattle
1994- Forrest Gump
1995- Apollo 13
1998- Saving Private Ryan
1999- The Green Mile
2000- Cast Away
2002- Catch Me If You Can
2002- The Road to Perdition
2007- Charlie Wilson’s War
2012- Cloud Atlas
2013- Captain Phillips
2015- Bridge of Spies
2016- Sully

 

 

1984- A Soldier’s Story
1987- Cry Freedom
1989- Glory
1992- Malcolm X
1993- Much Ado About Nothing
1993- Philadelphia
1995- Crimson Tide
1995- Devil In a Blue Dress
1996- Courage Under Fire
1998- He Got Game
1999- The Hurricane
2001- Training Day
2004- The Manchurian Candidate
2006- Inside Man
2007- American Gangster
2010- Unstoppable
2012- Flight