Through unforgettable performances, several actors have established themselves as the greatest of all time. After more than a century of cinematic history, there have been myriad actors and actresses who have enjoyed their fair share of the spotlight. A long list of stars from the industry’s past and present, ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Clint Eastwood, have achieved reputations as movie legends.
The diverse list of movie genres lends itself well to the massive pool of movie stars whom audiences have followed over the years. Some developed a mastery over a certain medium, withactors like John Wayne and James Cagney becoming synonymous with Westernsand gangster films respectively. Others tried to showcase their versatility by appearing in all sorts of different films. In one way or another, numerous actors have made enough contributions to movie history to earn their place among the best.
30Morgan Freeman
Notable Movies: The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Million Dollar Baby
Any movie looking to add gravitas to the production need only cast Morgan Freeman in a role. The actor is known for his commanding voice, which has made him a favorite narrator in umpteen projects, but his on-screen presence is even more impressive, as he has played everything from a convict to the President of the United States of America to God himself.
Breakout role and first Oscar nomination
Oscar nomination and beloved movie.
Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris
First Oscar win
After starting out on the children’s programThe Electric Company, Freeman got his big break and his first Oscar nomination in the crime dramaStreet Smart.Freeman earned four other Oscar nominations in his career for performances in The Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy, Invictus,andMillion Dollar Baby, the latter of which won him his first Oscar. Freeman has also shown him powerful range and elevated characters with his nuanced approach in movies likeUnforgiven, Se7en,andGlory.
29Gene Hackman
Notable Movies: The French Connection, Superman, Unforgiven
Though he has been retired for a number of years, Gene Hackman’s performances have stayed with audiences and left a lasting legacy as one of the greatest and most compelling actors in Hollywood history. Hackman emerged out of the auteur-driven era of Hollywood in the late 1960s and 1970s, which saw more complex and morally grey protagonists leading movies.Hackman had the skill and boldness to take on such challenging roles.
Box office hit
Sheriff Bill ‘Little Bill’ Daggett
Second Oscar win
After earning his first Oscar nomination for his supporting role inBonnie & Clyde, Hackman became a leading man with his Academy Award-winning turn as the determined but unethical New York City detective Popeye Doyle inThe French Connection. Hackman won his second Oscar for his chilling villainous turn as another brutal lawman in Clint Eastwood’sUnforgiven. As well-known as he was for his intense roles, Hackman also had great comedic skills, seen in movies likeSuperman, Young Frankenstein,andThe Royal Tenenbaums.
28Frances McDormand
Notable Movies: Fargo, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Nomadland
Frances McDormand is an actor who has remained a critical favorite throughout her career, earning at least one Oscar nomination in every decade since the 1980s.She is also one of the most awarded actors of all time with three Best Actress Oscars, a record only bested by Katharine Hepburn. McDormand first gained attention starring inthe Coen Brothers' debut movie,Blood Simple,and starting a long and fruitful collaboration with them (including marrying Joel Coen).
Fern
Third Oscar win
Each of McDormand’s Oscar wins showcases her incredible versatility as the lead of a story. InFargo, McDormand is hilarious and heartwarming as the caring yet determined police officer following a bloody trail of violence. InThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,she is aggressive, rageful, and heartbroken as a mourning mother pushed to drastic action.Nomadlandfinds her playing a quieter and nuanced character as a woman looking for her place in the world. They are stunning showcases of an actor who continues to wow the audience.
27Humphrey Bogart
Notable Movies: The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Humphrey Bogart is a perfect example of the marriage between a talented actor and a movie star. He is one of the most influential figures of the classic Hollywood tradition while also starring in several movies that are considered among the greatest of all time. He started out in supporting roles, usually playing gangsters, but he used that tough guy persona to his advantage, eventually leading to his breakout role in what is considered one of the greatest noir movies of all time,The Maltese Falcon.
Breakout role
Charlie Allnut
Bogart’s easy and suave performance instantly made him an icon and became a persona he would lean on throughout his career. However, he was also not afraid to play around with the audience’s perception of him, adding in a romantic angle with his legendary role inCasablanca, playing more comedic in his Oscar-winning turn inThe African Queen, and challenging heroic antics altogether with his role in the classic Western,The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
26Anthony Hopkins
Notable Movies: The Silence Of The Lambs, The Remains Of The Day, The Father
Anthony Hopkins remains a prolific and acclaimed actor despite having started his career in the theater back in the 1960s. He made his movie debut alongside acting legends like Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn inThe Lion in Winter,proving himself worthy of sharing the screen with acting royalty. After notable roles in movies likeThe Elephant ManandA Bridge Too Far,Hopkins became renowned with his Oscar-winning role as one of the greatest movie villains of all time,Hannibal Lecter inThe Silence of the Lambs.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Remains of the Day (1993)
Anthony Evans
Hopkins delivers an iconic performance as the cannibal serial killer, but fans need only look to his next nominated role to understand the versatility of the actor. He followed the chilling performance by playing the reserved and quiet butler inThe Remains of the Day, making an astonishing transformation. While many other peers have since retired or slowed down in their careers, Hopkins won his second Oscar in 2021 forThe Father,becoming the oldest person to win an acting Oscar at the age of 83.
25Viola Davis
Notable Movies: Doubt, The Help, Fences
While Viola Davis has been working steadily in Hollywood for decades now, it has only been in the last 15 years that she has really started to be recognized as one of the best actors working today. After years of supporting roles in which she delivered compelling performances, Davis earned her first Oscar nomination for her one-scene appearance inDoubt, in which she stole the entire scene from Meryl Streep — no easy task.
Nanisca
Box office hit.
That powerful performance led to her starring role inThe Help,for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Five years later, Davis once again proved that she could hold her own and steal scenes from some of the best actors in the world, acting opposite Denzel Washington inFences, for which she won her first Oscar. Davis continues to show new signs of her talents in movies likeWidowsandThe Woman King.Outside of movies, she is just as impressive,becoming an EGOT winner.
24Jack Nicholson
Notable Movies: Chinatown, Batman, Once Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Jack Nicholson holds the record as the male actor with the most Oscar nominations in his career — 12 nods with three wins. The level of stardom that Nicholson reached is even more impressive given the fact that he began his career in low-budget B-movies. However, that primed him to bepart of the New Hollywood movement in the late 1960s as he emerged as a new kind of leading manwho wasn’t interested in being stoic or likable, but rather only focused on delivering memorable performances.
First Oscar nomination and breakthrough role.
Melvin Udall
11th Oscar nomination and third win
Nicholson’s breakthrough role came inEasy Rider, where his irreverent and wild performance added to the counter-culture reputation of the film. He received his first Oscar nomination for that movie and followed it up with his amazing leading performance inFive Easy Pieces.Nicholson excelled at playing complex and flawed protagonists, such as inChinatownandOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but later in his career, he had a lot of fun with villain performances, such as inBatmanandA Few Good Men. Though retired now, Nicholson has left behind an unforgettable career.
23Nicole Kidman
Notable Movies: Moulin Rouge!, The Hours, Babygirl
While Nicole Kidman’s career has largely been focused on prestige television shows in recent years, for which she has delivered some of her best work,she continues to prove herself both a movie star and a brilliant character actor. Kidman’s breakthrough role came in the 1989 Australian thrillerDead Calm, which helped to launch her Hollywood career. With beauty and grace, Kidman balanced flashy movies with some that allowed her to show off her skills, includingTo Die For. This made for a busy and successful era of the ’90s for Kidman, but her talents shone in the early 2000s.
Being the Ricardos (2021)
Lucille Ball
Fifth Oscar nomination.
Kidman earned her first Oscar nomination while also showcasing her musical talents inMoulin Rouge!Since then, she has earned five Oscar nominations in total, with her latest forBeing the Ricardoscoming two decades after that first nomination. With her incredibly varied roles, including her Oscar-winning turn as Virginia Woolf inThe Hours, Kidman showcases the wide range of her talents she lends to projects both big and small.
22Philip Seymour Hoffman
Notable Movies: Capote, Boogie Nights, The Master
Few actors embodied the archetype of a character actor as effectively as Philip Seymour Hoffman. He was an actor who could disappear into any role, take on a character of any size, and play characters audiences could love or hate, and he would always be the most interesting part of the movie. Even with his career tragically cut short, Hoffman earned four Oscar nominations, showcasing his incredible versatility.
Breakout movie and second collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson.
First Oscar nomination and win.
Lancaster Dodd
Final Oscar nomination and final movie with Paul Thomas Anderson.
Hoffman won the Oscar for his performance as Truman Capote inCapote, completely transforming into the iconic writer. However, he can then take on a role like inCharlie Wilson’s War, playing a boisterous and volatile character, then turn around and give a reserved, compelling performance inMoneyball.Hoffman’s work on severalmovies with Paul Thomas Andersonis a perfect display of the fact that there was nothing he could not do and how his mere presence elevated a movie.
21Robert De Niro
Notable Movies: The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull
Along with being one of the best actors of all time, Robert De Niro is also one of the most influential. In an era of intense method actors taking on challenging roles in acclaimed movies,De Niro was seen as the pinnacle of American acting in the 1970s. He scored his first Oscar win in one of his earliest and most daunting roles, taking over the part of Don Vito Corleone from Marlon Brando inThe Godfather Part II.
First Oscar win and breakout role.
Second Oscar win and iconic role.
Jake LaMotta
Second Oscar win.
Of course, it is impossible to talk about De Niro’s career without discussing his work inMartin Scorsese movies. The actor-director pair made 11 movies to date, many being regarded among the best of all time, such asTaxi Driver, Goodfellas,andRaging Bull, the latter of which earned him a second Oscar. Though De Niro has focused more on comedic and supporting roles later in his career, movies likeThe IrishmanandKillers of the Flower Moonare a reminder of his amazing talents.
