* Sissy Spacek
* Anna Magnani
* Gong Li
* Natalie Portman
* Scarlett Johansson
* Kate Winslet
* Emma Stone
* Sigourney Weaver
* Helen Mirren
* Simone Signoret
* Laura Dern
* Maureen O’Hara
* Gwyneth Paltrow
* Tatyana Samoylova
* Susan Sarandon
* Anne Dorval
@Drake I love this site so much omg! Getting to learn a lot and discovered SO many movies.
I have to say this is such a unique way to look at top actors. Any reason why Jessica Chastain got removed? Especially over some other actresses here who do not have such a major performance in a top 50 of all time film (and the best of 21st century)? Nor the depth of Chastain’s filmography? As much as I adore Judi Dench, according to the criteria, she shouldn’t be in right?
Tree of Life (2011) – MP
Take Shelter (2011) – HR/MS
Coriolanus (2011) – R
The Help (2011) – R
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – R/HR
A Most Violent Year (2014) – HR/MS
Interstellar (2014) – HR/MS
Crimson Peak (2015) – HR
The Martian (2015) – R
Molly’s Game (2017) – R
The Good Nurse (2022) – R
Take Shelter, A Most Violent Year, Interstellar – all narrowly missed out on top 10. Crimson Peak was also top 15. I have personally have The Help and Molly’s Game too, but even without those it’s 9-10 films over 15 years. I know it’s been quiet over the past few years but her 2011-2015 is so tremendous. Is it cause she doesn’t have a clear lead performance in an MP/MS movie?
Yeah! I think cause she had such a concentrated set of years and her best movies aren’t spread out, it leads to an illusion that her filmography is slight. I think there’s an argument to be made that hers is the best performance in The Tree of Life (although debatable with Pitt and Hunter). There are shots of hers in this movie that are practically seared in my brain.
But anyhow, I very well know that my opinions are subjective, so all good! Btw I came across this article on Malick’s influence, it is so amazing and thought I should share:- https://yalereview.org/article/bilge-ebiri-terrence-malick
Andrew Dominik, David Lowery, Chloe Zhao, Ramell Ross, Trey Edward Shults…..Malick has influenced a generation of truly exceptional filmmakers.
Cate Blanchett
Meryl Streep
Barbara Stanwyck
Katharine Hepburn
Juliette Binoche
Bette Davis
Audrey Hepburn
Ingrid Bergman
Nicole Kidman
Julianne Moore
Jeanne Moreau
Catherine Deneuve
Marlene Dietrich
Isabelle Huppert
Setsuko Hara
Vivien Leigh
Susan Sarandon
Maggie Cheung
Jean Arthur
Thelma Ritter
@Malith- appreciate you compiling these. There are probably many more- I’m afraid I just do not have the bandwidth to find and update/fix them at this point. Perhaps I’ll save this list for a future date when I do. Thank you again
@Drake-What are the 10 archivable films for Kristin Scott Thomas? Is I’ve Loved You So Long(2008) among them? I’ve heard very good things about her performance in it.
@Anderson- haven’t had the opportunity to vette this yet:
1988- A Handful of Dust
1994- Four Weddings and A Funeral
1995- Richard III
1996- Mission Impossible
1996- The English Patient
2001- Gosford Park
2006- Tell No One
2011- The Woman in the Fifth
2013- Only God Forgives
2017- Darkest Hour
@Anderson She’s had a great career- fifteen (15) archiveable films – maybe missing that second performance after Hannah and Her Sisters to get her on the list
1984- Footloose
1985- The Purple Rose of Cairo
1986- Hannah And Her Sisters
1987- Radio Days
1987- September
1988- Bright Lights, Big City
1989- Parenthood
1990- Edward Scissorhands
1994- Bullets Over Broadway
1996- The Birdcage
2001- I Am Sam
2008- Synechdoche, New York
2010- Rabbit Hole
2020- I Care a Lot
2020- Let Them All Talk
Rosie Perez in Do the Right Thing is another one that comes to mind.
Marcella Hunyadi
September 27, 2024 at 11:06 pm - Reply
Greta Garbo should have remained on that list, replacing Rachel Weisz perhaps. And while Marilyn Monroe perhaps did not have the best range, in Misfits she transcended herself as well as the acting term “vulnerability.”
And I never understood the popularity of Natalie Portman. She always seems strained to me, occasionally even artificial.
Would add Leaving, Gosford Park and Tell No One to her best films/performances. I’ve Loved You So Long would be top of the list for me and would have her in my top 50.
1 Juliette Binoche
2 Katherine Hepburn
3 Ingrid Bergman
4 Catherine Deneuve
5 Isabelle Huppert
6 Barbara Stanwyck
7 Bette Davis
8 Liv Ullmann
9 Julianne Moore
10 Meryl Streep
11 Jeanne Moreau
12 Elizabeth Taylor
13 Marlene Dietrich
14 Frances McDormand
15 Sophia Loren
16 Cate Blanchett
17 Monica Vitti
18 Anna Karina
19 Deborah Kerr
20 Lauren Bacall
21 Diane Keaton
22 Maggie Cheung
23 Audrey Hepburn
24 Julie Christie
25 Kate Winslet
26 Mia Farrow
27 Jodie Foster
28 Sissy Spacek
29 Faye Dunaway
30 Emily Watson
31 Ellen Burstyn
32 Charlotte Rampling
33 Kristen Scott Thomas
34 Penelope Cruz
35 Setsuko Hara
36 Simone Signoret
37 Uma Thurman
38 Charlize Theron
39 Gong Li
40 Tilda Swinton
41 Susan Sarandon
42 Marion Cotillard
43 Nicole Kidman
44 Vanessa Redgrave
45 Helen Mirren
46 Geraldine Chaplin
47 Naomi Watts
48 Judi Dench
49 Delphine Seyrig
50 Emanuelle Beart
51 Emma Stone
52 Gena Rowlands
53 Natalie Portman
54 Grace Kelly
55 Holly Hunter
56 Vivien Leigh
57 Romy Schneider
58 Michelle Williams
59 Saoirse Ronan
60 Carey Mulligan
61 Isabelle Adjani
62 Patricia Arquette
63 Anna Magnani
64 Rachel Weisz
65 Julie Delpy
66 Scarlett Johannson
67 Amy Adams
68 Irene Jacob
69 Bibi Andersson
70 Greta Garbo
71 Joan Crawford
72 Laura Dern
73 Sigourney Weaver
74 Kay Francis
75 Jane Fonda
76 Kirsten Dunst
77 Samantha Morton
78 Zhang Ziyi
79 Kim Novak
80 Gene Tierney
81 Lea Seydoux
82 Sandrine Bonnaire
83 Brigitte Bardot
84 Anjelica Huston
85 Isabella Rossellini
86 Mia Wasikowska
87 Jessica Chastain
88 Marilyn Monroe
89 Stefania Sandrelli
90 Nina Hoss
91 Glenn Close
92 Jessica Lange
93 Helena Bonham Carter
94 Viola Davis
95 Jennifer Connelly
96 Linda Darnell
97 Kathy Bates
98 Winona Ryder
99 Kristen Stewart
100 Laura Linney
In contention
Ava Gardner
Carole Lombard
Marisa Tomei
Sally Field
Sandra Huller
Melanie Laurent
Maggie Smith
Tang Wei
Anne Hathaway
Michelle Pfeiffer
Audrey Tautou
Rachel McAdams
Annette Benning
Angelina Jolie
Shirley MacLaine
Natalie Wood
Emma Thompson
Judy Garland
Olivia Colman
Robin Wright
Jennifer Lawrence
1.Two Women(1960)
2.A Special Day(1977)
3.Marriage Italian Style(1963)
4.Sunflower(1970)
5.Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow(1963)
Regarded as one of the best Italian actresses for good reason. A lot of Mastroianni and De Sica collaborations. But not in Two Women and A Special Day respectively.
@Anderson – not 100% sure – but I believe this is the only Ettore Scola film I’ve seen. I do have some good notes on A Special Day – don’t have it quite ready to post here- but will be excited to share it in future updates if not on page for Scola, perhaps on a future updated 1977 page
Anderson
November 2, 2023 at 6:31 pm
The Pizza Triangle(1970) is good
Drake
November 2, 2023 at 6:59 pm
@Anderson- there you go- I was wrong- that one is in the archives – on the 1970 page and page for Marcello
@Anderson- Not at all- it is in the archives – solid film. Doesn’t quite qualify as that third big film for Kinski. Neither does One from the Heart for that matter – at least for her sort of resume trying to get on this list.
Anderson
November 2, 2023 at 2:56 pm
But Irene Jacob doesn’t have a third big performance and have even less archivable films than Kinski.
Drake
November 2, 2023 at 3:56 pm
@Anderson- correct, but Tess and Paris, Texas (and Kinski in them) are not The Double Life of Veronique and Three Colours: Red
Yeah the depth isn’t there. But still her top two performances are decent enough imo. Not sure how big of a role she has in Purple Noon and The Trial. As I haven’t seen them.
Agreed. Have you seen or archived any of her other French films other than The Woman in the Fifth? Like Tell No Tales(2006), I’ve Loved You So Long(2008), Leaving(2009), Sarah’s Key(2010). Especially I’ve Loved You So Long seems to be one of her most acclaimed performances.
@Anderson – it’s underrated because it won the Oscar, people hate it and it places very poorly on the TSPDT all time list compared to the other best films of 1996
It is underrated for sure. But there are worse MS or higher films who are not in the TSPDT top 1000, isn’t certified fresh on RT and didn’t get as much Oscar nominations, The English Patient got.
@Drake very nice to hear. Looking forward to the future updates. I still need to rewatch Jeanne Dielman (only viewing was in 2020). Hoping to get to it soon.
@Drake- These pages are not working.
* Sissy Spacek
* Anna Magnani
* Gong Li
* Natalie Portman
* Scarlett Johansson
* Kate Winslet
* Emma Stone
* Sigourney Weaver
* Helen Mirren
* Simone Signoret
* Laura Dern
* Maureen O’Hara
* Gwyneth Paltrow
* Tatyana Samoylova
* Susan Sarandon
* Anne Dorval
Others are fixed but the Gong Li and Sigourney Weaver pages are still not working.
@Drake I love this site so much omg! Getting to learn a lot and discovered SO many movies.
I have to say this is such a unique way to look at top actors. Any reason why Jessica Chastain got removed? Especially over some other actresses here who do not have such a major performance in a top 50 of all time film (and the best of 21st century)? Nor the depth of Chastain’s filmography? As much as I adore Judi Dench, according to the criteria, she shouldn’t be in right?
Tree of Life (2011) – MP
Take Shelter (2011) – HR/MS
Coriolanus (2011) – R
The Help (2011) – R
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) – R/HR
A Most Violent Year (2014) – HR/MS
Interstellar (2014) – HR/MS
Crimson Peak (2015) – HR
The Martian (2015) – R
Molly’s Game (2017) – R
The Good Nurse (2022) – R
Take Shelter, A Most Violent Year, Interstellar – all narrowly missed out on top 10. Crimson Peak was also top 15. I have personally have The Help and Molly’s Game too, but even without those it’s 9-10 films over 15 years. I know it’s been quiet over the past few years but her 2011-2015 is so tremendous. Is it cause she doesn’t have a clear lead performance in an MP/MS movie?
@Gregory- Thank you for the comment and for visiting the site- you make some really good points here on Chastain- very convincing.
Yeah! I think cause she had such a concentrated set of years and her best movies aren’t spread out, it leads to an illusion that her filmography is slight. I think there’s an argument to be made that hers is the best performance in The Tree of Life (although debatable with Pitt and Hunter). There are shots of hers in this movie that are practically seared in my brain.
But anyhow, I very well know that my opinions are subjective, so all good! Btw I came across this article on Malick’s influence, it is so amazing and thought I should share:- https://yalereview.org/article/bilge-ebiri-terrence-malick
Andrew Dominik, David Lowery, Chloe Zhao, Ramell Ross, Trey Edward Shults…..Malick has influenced a generation of truly exceptional filmmakers.
@Drake- How about Merle Oberon? I think she has a decent top 5.
1. Wuthering Heights
2. Lydia
3. These Three
4. The Scarlet Pimpenel
5. That Uncertain Feeling
top 20:
Cate Blanchett
Meryl Streep
Barbara Stanwyck
Katharine Hepburn
Juliette Binoche
Bette Davis
Audrey Hepburn
Ingrid Bergman
Nicole Kidman
Julianne Moore
Jeanne Moreau
Catherine Deneuve
Marlene Dietrich
Isabelle Huppert
Setsuko Hara
Vivien Leigh
Susan Sarandon
Maggie Cheung
Jean Arthur
Thelma Ritter
These pages are messed up.
*Susan Sarandon
*Scarlett Johansson
*Sigourney Weaver
*Kate Winslet
*Sissy Spacek
*Natalie Portman
*Anna Magnani
*Gong Li
*Emma Stone
*Helen Mirren
*Simone Signoret
*Laura Dern
*Gwyneth Paltrow
*Maureen O’Hara
*Tatyana Samoylova
*Anne Dorval
*Christopher Walken
*Tom Hanks
*Emil Jannings
*Buster Keaton
*Montgomery Clift
*Jean-Louis Trintignant
*Gunner Bjorstrand
*Anatoliy Solonitsyn
*Martin Sheen
*Jack Lemmon
*Timothee Chalamet
@Malith- appreciate you compiling these. There are probably many more- I’m afraid I just do not have the bandwidth to find and update/fix them at this point. Perhaps I’ll save this list for a future date when I do. Thank you again
I have always loved Kristin Scott Thomas’ work. Wasn’t she in consideration for this list? How many of her films are in the Cinema Archives?
@Anderson- I’m a big admirer of her work as well- ten (10) archiveable films for Scott Thomas by my count
@Drake-What are the 10 archivable films for Kristin Scott Thomas? Is I’ve Loved You So Long(2008) among them? I’ve heard very good things about her performance in it.
@Anderson- haven’t had the opportunity to vette this yet:
1988- A Handful of Dust
1994- Four Weddings and A Funeral
1995- Richard III
1996- Mission Impossible
1996- The English Patient
2001- Gosford Park
2006- Tell No One
2011- The Woman in the Fifth
2013- Only God Forgives
2017- Darkest Hour
If you love Thomas’ work, you should watch “I’ve loved you so long”, if you haven’t already. The film is okay, but she’s extraordinary in it.
@Drake-How about Dianne Wiest? What films of her do you have in the archives? A long and respected career.
@Anderson She’s had a great career- fifteen (15) archiveable films – maybe missing that second performance after Hannah and Her Sisters to get her on the list
1984- Footloose
1985- The Purple Rose of Cairo
1986- Hannah And Her Sisters
1987- Radio Days
1987- September
1988- Bright Lights, Big City
1989- Parenthood
1990- Edward Scissorhands
1994- Bullets Over Broadway
1996- The Birdcage
2001- I Am Sam
2008- Synechdoche, New York
2010- Rabbit Hole
2020- I Care a Lot
2020- Let Them All Talk
@Drake- Do you think A Special Day is Sophia Loren’s best work?
@M*A*S*H- What do you think? Either A Special Day or Two Women.
No Margaret Lockwood(The Lady Vanishes, Night Train to Munich, Cast a Dark Shadow)? Certainly a more talented actress than someone like Irene Jacob.
I find it shocking that no coloured actresses are included here. More of an eye opener actually.
@Drake-What are the instances where you have mentioned coloured actresses among the best of the year?
@Lionel – Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lupita Nyong’o off the top of my head
Rosie Perez in Do the Right Thing is another one that comes to mind.
Greta Garbo should have remained on that list, replacing Rachel Weisz perhaps. And while Marilyn Monroe perhaps did not have the best range, in Misfits she transcended herself as well as the acting term “vulnerability.”
And I never understood the popularity of Natalie Portman. She always seems strained to me, occasionally even artificial.
Female actors with the most archivable films:
1.Tilda Swinton-27
2.Cate Blanchett-24
3.Meryl Streep-23
4.Julianne Moore-23
5.Frances McDormand-22
All of them are still working and has multiple archivable films in the 2020’s!!
I was shocked as to why there was no Delphine Seyrig on this list.
No Kristin Scott Thomas?
Top Performances:
1.The English Patient
2.The Woman in the Fifth
3.I’ve Loved You So Long
4.A Handful of Dust
5.Only God Forgives
6.Darkest Hour
Do you have a list of films that she starred in which is in the Cinema Archives?
Would add Leaving, Gosford Park and Tell No One to her best films/performances. I’ve Loved You So Long would be top of the list for me and would have her in my top 50.
She deserves to be here. You forgot her Four Weddings and A Funeral Performance though. Even Marilyn Monroe needs to be here.
My personal list:
1 Juliette Binoche
2 Katherine Hepburn
3 Ingrid Bergman
4 Catherine Deneuve
5 Isabelle Huppert
6 Barbara Stanwyck
7 Bette Davis
8 Liv Ullmann
9 Julianne Moore
10 Meryl Streep
11 Jeanne Moreau
12 Elizabeth Taylor
13 Marlene Dietrich
14 Frances McDormand
15 Sophia Loren
16 Cate Blanchett
17 Monica Vitti
18 Anna Karina
19 Deborah Kerr
20 Lauren Bacall
21 Diane Keaton
22 Maggie Cheung
23 Audrey Hepburn
24 Julie Christie
25 Kate Winslet
26 Mia Farrow
27 Jodie Foster
28 Sissy Spacek
29 Faye Dunaway
30 Emily Watson
31 Ellen Burstyn
32 Charlotte Rampling
33 Kristen Scott Thomas
34 Penelope Cruz
35 Setsuko Hara
36 Simone Signoret
37 Uma Thurman
38 Charlize Theron
39 Gong Li
40 Tilda Swinton
41 Susan Sarandon
42 Marion Cotillard
43 Nicole Kidman
44 Vanessa Redgrave
45 Helen Mirren
46 Geraldine Chaplin
47 Naomi Watts
48 Judi Dench
49 Delphine Seyrig
50 Emanuelle Beart
51 Emma Stone
52 Gena Rowlands
53 Natalie Portman
54 Grace Kelly
55 Holly Hunter
56 Vivien Leigh
57 Romy Schneider
58 Michelle Williams
59 Saoirse Ronan
60 Carey Mulligan
61 Isabelle Adjani
62 Patricia Arquette
63 Anna Magnani
64 Rachel Weisz
65 Julie Delpy
66 Scarlett Johannson
67 Amy Adams
68 Irene Jacob
69 Bibi Andersson
70 Greta Garbo
71 Joan Crawford
72 Laura Dern
73 Sigourney Weaver
74 Kay Francis
75 Jane Fonda
76 Kirsten Dunst
77 Samantha Morton
78 Zhang Ziyi
79 Kim Novak
80 Gene Tierney
81 Lea Seydoux
82 Sandrine Bonnaire
83 Brigitte Bardot
84 Anjelica Huston
85 Isabella Rossellini
86 Mia Wasikowska
87 Jessica Chastain
88 Marilyn Monroe
89 Stefania Sandrelli
90 Nina Hoss
91 Glenn Close
92 Jessica Lange
93 Helena Bonham Carter
94 Viola Davis
95 Jennifer Connelly
96 Linda Darnell
97 Kathy Bates
98 Winona Ryder
99 Kristen Stewart
100 Laura Linney
In contention
Ava Gardner
Carole Lombard
Marisa Tomei
Sally Field
Sandra Huller
Melanie Laurent
Maggie Smith
Tang Wei
Anne Hathaway
Michelle Pfeiffer
Audrey Tautou
Rachel McAdams
Annette Benning
Angelina Jolie
Shirley MacLaine
Natalie Wood
Emma Thompson
Judy Garland
Olivia Colman
Robin Wright
Jennifer Lawrence
@Drake-How about Sophia Loren?
Top 5 performances:
1.Two Women(1960)
2.A Special Day(1977)
3.Marriage Italian Style(1963)
4.Sunflower(1970)
5.Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow(1963)
Regarded as one of the best Italian actresses for good reason. A lot of Mastroianni and De Sica collaborations. But not in Two Women and A Special Day respectively.
@Anderson – Certainly worthy of consideration after the A Special Day reappraisal
Have you seen any other Ettore Scola films? What is the main thing that makes A Special Day one of the best films of 1977?
@Anderson – not 100% sure – but I believe this is the only Ettore Scola film I’ve seen. I do have some good notes on A Special Day – don’t have it quite ready to post here- but will be excited to share it in future updates if not on page for Scola, perhaps on a future updated 1977 page
The Pizza Triangle(1970) is good
@Anderson- there you go- I was wrong- that one is in the archives – on the 1970 page and page for Marcello
@Drake-How about Natassja Kinski?
Top 2 performances:
1.Tess(1979)
2.Paris, Texas(1984)
Maybe the depth is lacking. But Irene Jacob is here. So.
@Anderson- feels like she is still missing one more big performance/film
Do you hate Schrader’s Cat People? Is it worth a look?
@Anderson- Not at all- it is in the archives – solid film. Doesn’t quite qualify as that third big film for Kinski. Neither does One from the Heart for that matter – at least for her sort of resume trying to get on this list.
But Irene Jacob doesn’t have a third big performance and have even less archivable films than Kinski.
@Anderson- correct, but Tess and Paris, Texas (and Kinski in them) are not The Double Life of Veronique and Three Colours: Red
@Drake-How about Romy Schneider?
Top 2 Performances:
1.The Most Important Thing:Love(1975)
2.Ludwig(1973)
@Anderson- a talent- but the resume seems a little light… she’s in Purple Noon and The Trial – but still a little light
Yeah the depth isn’t there. But still her top two performances are decent enough imo. Not sure how big of a role she has in Purple Noon and The Trial. As I haven’t seen them.
@Drake-What about Kristin Scott Thomas?
Top 5 Performances:
1.The English Patient(1996)
2.The Woman in the Fifth(2011)
3.A Handful of Dust(1988)
4.Only God Forgives(2013)
5.Darkest Hour(2017)
4.A
@Anderson – KST is a great actress- certainly a good argument to put here on one of those last 10-15 spots on the list
Agreed. Have you seen or archived any of her other French films other than The Woman in the Fifth? Like Tell No Tales(2006), I’ve Loved You So Long(2008), Leaving(2009), Sarah’s Key(2010). Especially I’ve Loved You So Long seems to be one of her most acclaimed performances.
@Anderson – depends on the film- Tell No One is in the archives – don’t believe I’ve caught the others
I’ve Loved You So Long(2008) especially seems like it’s worth a look.
I don’t think the Oscar winning English Patient(1996) is anyway near one of the most underrated films ever.
@Anderson – it’s underrated because it won the Oscar, people hate it and it places very poorly on the TSPDT all time list compared to the other best films of 1996
It is underrated for sure. But there are worse MS or higher films who are not in the TSPDT top 1000, isn’t certified fresh on RT and didn’t get as much Oscar nominations, The English Patient got.
@Drake-How about Kristin Scott Thomas?
Top 5 performances:
1.The English Patient(1996)
2.The Woman in the Fifth(2011)
3.Only God Forgives(2013)
4.Darkest Hour(2017)
5.Four Weddings and a Funeral(1994)
What do you think?
@Anderson – I think she is a very talented actress and that top three performances just happen to be in three of the most underrated films ever.
@Drake very nice to hear. Looking forward to the future updates. I still need to rewatch Jeanne Dielman (only viewing was in 2020). Hoping to get to it soon.