There are thousands of new movies released every week all over the world. Some of those movies have great actors while others lack this quality. Due to the long history of cinema, it is very difficult to determine who are the best actors of all time.
The difficulty is here because entertainment is subjective. It means one person can extremely enjoy a person’s acting while others may absolutely despise it, it is how it all works. However, there are a certain set of criteria that we can follow to determine who are the top 10 best actors of all time.
Before we start our list of top 10 best actors of all time, we would have to give you a disclaimer that it is highly possible that your favorite actor may not even make the list because it is our opinion and it is based on the following criteria.
- What is the overall range of an actor? How good a particular actor is in playing different types of roles? Is the particular person a great supporting actor as well?
- The number of iconic performances the person has delivered?
- How many nominations or awards has the actor bagged in their career?
The list is in ascending order which means it goes from the best in this list to the least impressive in this list.
Also Read: Top 10 Best Looking Actors
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando had a massive influence on the world of acting. He had delivered to many iconic performances that putting someone else as the best actor of all time would sound like a crime. Brando’s popularity started back in the 1950s and reached its maximum potential well into the 1970s.
The key qualities of Brando that made him stand out to include his bad boy sex appeal combined with raw intensity, which makes his performance in every movie that he has done feel emotional and more real.
- Number of Oscars: 2
- Key Performances: ‘Streetcar Named Desire’, ‘Apocalypse Now’, ‘On the Waterfront’, ‘The Godfather’
Robert DeNiro
DeNiro has mastered the art of acting as he is just perfect in his line delivery, mannerism, and body language. DeNiro is still active and is one of the most respected actors alive right now. However, he was at his peak in recent years just like Al Pacino.
Some of his best performances come from director Martin Scorsese who is easily one of the best directors alive right. He has also played a large range of characters including a Gangster, boxer, and a comedian.
- Number of Oscars: 2
- Key Performances: ‘Taxi Driver’, ‘Raging Bull’, ‘The Godfather: Part II’, ‘The Deer Hunter’
Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson is the most unpredictable actor of all time. This is the main reason why he is on this list and that too so high. He is one of the small numbers of actors that are not afraid of taking risky roles.
He also has a history of playing a lot of unlikeable or off-putting characters. He easily is one of the best movie actors of all time and deserves to be on this top 10 Actors list.
- Number of Oscars: 3
- Key Performances: ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest’, ‘The Shining’, ‘Chinatown’, ‘A Few Good Men’
Al Pacino
We all know how great of an actor Al Pacino is. He rose to fame from movies like the first two “Godfather” films, ‘Scarface’, ‘Serpico’, and Dog Day Afternoon’, but he didn’t stop there, he went on delivering iconic performances in movies like ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’, ‘Donnie Brasco’, ‘Heat’, and ‘The Insider’.
He is one of the few actors that can bring that level of intensity and naturalism on the cinema screen.
- Number of Oscars: 1
- Key Performances: ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, ‘The Godfather’ trilogy, ‘Carlito’s Way’, ‘Heat’
Daniel-day Lewis
Daniel day Lewis is easily one of the greatest movie actors of all time due to his commitment to art.
He may not have the largest number of hits under his belt like some others in this list as he is somewhat picky but still, his reputation of transforming into different characters with such precision has made him one of the best actors of all time.
- Number of Oscars: 3
- Key Performances: ‘My Left Foot’, ‘Gangs of New York’, ‘There Will Be Blood’, ‘Lincoln’
Lawrence Olivier
When we talk about Shakespeare’s stories presented in a cinema, the only name that pops up in our mind is of Lawrence Olivier. He has worked in a lot of Shakespeare’s adaptations during the golden age of Hollywood. There was no better actor than Lawrence ever in the scene.
- Key Performances: ‘Rebecca’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘Richard III’, ‘Hamlet’
James Stewart
Just like Lawrence, James Stewart was one of the best actors of the golden age of Hollywood. He has a quality of innocence that makes his characters highly relatable to the general public.
The claims of this Innocence are visible in movies like ‘The Philadelphia Story’, ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”, and most notably ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’.
- Number of Oscars: 1
- Key Performances: ‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’, ‘The Philadelphia Story’, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, ‘Vertigo’, ‘Rear Window’
Tom Hanks
If there is one actor in this list who is so great that his Charisma can single-handedly carry the entire film, it is Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks has played a wide variety of roles including drama, comedy, and romance and out of all of them, a single genre doesn’t define his talent. He excels in almost every single one.
- Number of Oscars: 2
- Key Performances: ‘Philadelphia’, ‘Forrest Gump’, ‘Sleepless in Seattle’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’, ‘Cast Away’
Dustin Hoffman
If you check out some of the best performances by Dustin Hoffman, you will easily notice that he has a sense of rawness and naturalism that is unmatched by anyone else on this list.
The reason why he is one of the best actors of all time is his versatility. He has done every single type of movie and delivered continuous iconic performances.
- Number of Oscars: 2
- Key Performances: ‘The Graduate’, ‘Midnight Cowboy’, ‘Tootsie’, ‘Rain Man’.
Denzel Washington
Unlike most of the actors in this top 10 greatest actors list, Denzel Washington is highly competitive. Every single movie that he is in, he is looking to be the best actor that is doing it right now.
This does not mean that he is just over-confident because he really is a talented actor who is both rich in dedication and charisma.
- Number of Oscars: 2
- Key Performances: ‘Glory’, ‘Malcolm X’, ‘Training Day’, ‘Flight’, ‘Fences’
Conclusion
These are the top 10 that have been awarded with the expertise and skills required to be a great actor.
Many people would say that the quality of acting differs based on the type of acting, say drama or comedy, but this is far from the truth. As in our opinion and in the opinion of many experts, no matter what the style of acting is, if a person is good at acting, he would thrive.
What do you think? Do you agree with our picks? Who is the best actor of all time according to you? Do let us know in the comment section down below.
