What makes an actor great? You’ve argued about this since at least 1995, probably louder after midnight. Awards help. Box office helps. But neither seals the deal. The greats convince you every single time. New role. New skin. No safety net. At 35 or 75, across decades and genres, they keep landing it. This list locks in the top 20 actors of all time (in no particular order), chosen for their range and performances that stuck with you long after the credits rolled.
1. Joaquin Phoenix
Joker: Folie à Deux aside, Joaquin Phoenix has given a long list of amazing performances in his filmography. Her, Gladiator, Walk The Line, Signs, I’m Still Here, The Village, and The Master are just a few of his amazing acting roles. He is one of the best actors of our generation and all time.
2. Clint Eastwood
While he spends most of his days directing now, Clint Eastwood is known for his performances in legendary Western films as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and For a Fistful of Dollars. He has had a long career of great films, with films like Million Dollar Baby and Cry Macho standing out.
3. Gene Hackman
Besides being the most popular Lex Luthor, Hackman was recognized as one of the finest actors of his time. Some of his best movies included The French Connection, The Conversation, Mississippi Burning, Crimson Tide, and of course, Superman.
4. William Hurt
Achieving fame in the 1980s through his performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman (for which he received an Academy Award), William Hurt built an illustrious career in tinsel town (where he nabbed three Best Actor Oscar nominations in succession), with the considerable bulk of his roles being those of tortured, conflicted sorts of characters.
5. Katharine Hepburn
Famous for portraying strong-willed characters with quick and clever retorts, Hepburn is the most Oscar-honored actress. She won the coveted gold statuette for her performances in: Morning Glory, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, The Lion in Winter, and On Golden Pond.
6. Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston is foremost recognized for portraying Biblical and epic heroic characters in films like Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, and The Planet of the Apes. Naturally, his unmistakable screen presence led to him winning a number of awards and accolades, including several Oscars, during his more than half a century-long career.
7. Meryl Streep
You cannot talk about acting without discussing the greatest actress in the world. Across four decades, Meryl Streep has amassed 21 Oscar nominations (winning 3 times). She is recognised for being a bit of a chameleon in Hollywood.
8. Charlie Chaplin
While the era of the silent film did not feature spoken words, the movements, expressions, and timing of the comedy in a Chaplin film always conveyed the right message to the audience. They either gasped at the unexpected plot twist or clutched their sides in rowdy, wall-shaking laughter. In a Chaplin film, comedy could always be found, even in dark times, as those who have seen The Kid and City Lights well know.
9. Sidney Poitier
This list naturally includes the first black actor ever to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, as Poitier won for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field. In 1974, Poitier was also honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with knighthood for his remarkable contributions to acting.
10. Humphrey Bogart
Following years of performing as gangsters and bad guys, Humphrey Bogart’s big break came as the private detective Sam Spade in 1941’s The Maltese Falcon. His caustic wit and underlying integrity made him irresistible in that part. He is most renowned, however, for his performance as Rick Blaine in Casablanca.
11. Sean Penn
A long time will pass before any actor comes close to matching what Sean Penn has done. With Mystic River and Milk, he’s given us performances that will be remembered and cited for many years. Penn is an actor who can turn it up and serve it down; the guy can act, winning two Oscars for his trouble. He’s never been an actor who is just happy to be nominated.
12. Robert De Niro
No actor knows how to add the finishing touch to a fine script like De Niro. The King of Comedy, Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, American Hustle, Taxi Driver, Awakenings, Cape Fear, Goodfellas, The Godfather Part II, and Heat are all classics. And he is still making classics today.
13. Dustin Hoffman
A performer who manages to immerse so deeply into his parts that you forget the performer and instead remember the person. Dustin Hoffman is a true craftsman with his palpable yet smooth reinvention of the characters he plays. The Graduate, Kramer vs. Kramer, Midnight Cowboy, Tootsie, Hook, Marathon Man, and Runaway Jury are some of his finest moments.
14. Denzel Washington
Training Day, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, The Equalizer, Macbeth, Fences… Denzel Washington has a long list of great films. His critical acclaim is well deserved, with two Oscars earned and ten nominations.
15. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks’ film performances have been nothing short of heartfelt, regardless of the genre. They are a testament to how an actor usually brings a little bit of themselves into a performance without deviating from the character’s core elements. Saving Private Ryan, Philadelphia, and Forrest Gump are all classics.
16. Daniel Day-Lewis
Method acting is best exemplified by Daniel Day-Lewis, a name that is synonymous with passion in a film performance. Whether it is a biopic or a Scorsese gangster flick, this English actor has the tools to embody a character. My Left Foot, Gangs of New York and There Will Be Blood are some of his best works.
17. Jack Nicholson
An undeniably Hollywood figure, Jack Nicholson has made some of the most indelible performances in the history of American cinema. While it’s equally hard and unfair to pick a single best Nicholson role, we might give the nod to some of the following performances, which represent some of our favorite and most iconic moments in Jack’s variegated filmography: Easy Rider (1969), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), A Few Good Men (1992), The Shining (1980), and, of course, Nicholson’s version of the Joker in 19889’s Batman.
18. Al Pacino
The name Al Pacino grew to be associated with some of the most well-liked crime films that Hollywood has ever produced. This is an actor who makes being bad look so good that you almost want to do it yourself. He has played some of the most iconic villainous roles in cinema history.
19. Leonardo DiCaprio
In 2015, thanks to The Revenant, Leonardo DiCaprio finally managed what some thought was impossible: winning the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role, an accolade he had pursued for quite some time. But his performances in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Great Gatsby, Django Unchained and Shutter Island all deserved praise.
20. Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando is widely thought to be one of the best actors ever. His powerful demeanor garnered him much respect and many accolades from his fellow performers. Besides his iconic role in The Godfather, Brando also filled the screen with his turn as the lead character in A Streetcar Named Desire, his riveting performance in On the Waterfront, his explosive presence in Apocalypse Now, his comic chops in The Teahouse of the August Moon and his portrayal of a true 50s rebel in The Wild One.
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