Marlon Brando, arguably the best actor to appear on screen, said that we all act to survive. The difference is that professional actors have learned the craft to use it to tell a story. This might be true, but there are certainly various performances that have defined cinema.
In this article, we’ll address the 171 best acting performances of all time in a list that’s unconventional and made according to my tastes.
Let’s start.
Best Acting Performances in US Productions
Marlon Brando
Movie or TV Show: A Streetcar Named Desire
Character: Stanley Kowalski
Year: 1951
Accolades: Oscar nomination, NYFCC nomination, Photoplay Award winner, Jussi Award winner for Best Foreign Actor.
Why is this acting performance great? He transformed acting forever with this role. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t have seen the generations of excellent actors whom he inspired. This performance was like thunder from the sky, electrifying, and like nothing has ever been seen before in films. Undoubtedly, one of the best acting performances of the 21st century. Believe it or not, it was only his second role on screen, and the first time working with Elia Kazan.
Daniel Day-Lewis
Movie: There Will Be Blood
Character: Daniel Plainview
Year: 2007
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner, IFTA winner
Why is this acting performance great? He creates one of cinema’s most terrifying and magnetic characters, blending volcanic rage with chilling calculation.
Peter Sellers
Movie: Dr. Strangelove
Character: Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake / President Merkin Muffley / Dr. Strangelove
Year: 1964
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, OFTA Film Hall of Fame
Why is this acting performance great? He plays three wildly different characters with distinct voices, mannerisms, and comedic rhythms, pulling off satire with precision.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Movie: Capote
Character: Truman Capote
Year: 2005
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, CFCA winner, Golden Globe winner, NYFCC nomination, SAG winner, TFCA winner
Why is this acting performance great? Undoubtedly one of the best American actors, Hoffman inhabits Capote with uncanny precision, not just mimicking his voice and mannerisms but capturing his emotional contradictions.
Meryl Streep
Movie: Sophie’s Choice
Character: Sophie
Year: 1982
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe winner, David di Donatello Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? In this role, Streep delivers a multilayered portrayal, blending fragility with resilience. Also, her accent work proves why she’s one of the best actresses worldwide.
Dustin Hoffman
Movie: Rain Man
Character: Raymond Babbitt
Year: 1988
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA nomination, CFCA nomination, David winner, Golden Globe winner, NYFCC nomination
Why is this acting performance great? He crafts a sensitive, deeply researched portrayal of an autistic savant, avoiding caricature and instead offering dignity, warmth, and authenticity.
Sean Penn
Movie: Milk
Character: Harvey Milk
Year: 2008
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA nomination, Critics’ Choice winner, CFCA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, NYFCC winner
Why is this acting performance great? He embodies the activist with warmth, humor, and conviction, avoiding caricature while using charisma and vulnerability, honoring Milk’s spirit with authenticity.
Robert De Niro
Movie: Taxi Driver
Character: Travis Bickle
Year: 1976
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, NYFCC Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? Bob embodies alienation and rage with intensity, blending method acting with unsettling vulnerability to create an iconic antihero.
Al Pacino
Movie: Scent of a Woman
Character: Lt. Col. Frank Slade
Year: 1992
Accolades: Oscar winner, Golden Globe winner, CFCA Award nomination, NYFCC Award nomination
Why is this acting performance great? Al channels blind ex-colonel’s bitterness, charm, and eventual redemption with explosive energy, balancing swagger with humanity.
Robert DuVall
Movie: Apocalypse Now
Character: Lt. Colonel Kilgore
Year: 1979
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner, American Movie Awards winner
Why is this acting performance great? Undoubtedly one of the greatest supporting roles ever. DuVall steals each scene with bizarre calm amidst chaos, making an absurd and iconic character.
Heath Ledger
Movie: The Dark Knight
Character: Joker
Year: 2008
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner, AFI International Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? Ledger reinvents the Joker with anarchic menace, unpredictable energy, and chilling humor. His complete transformation creates a legendary performance.
Joaquin Phoenix
Movie: Joker
Character: Arthur Fleck / Joker
Year: 2019
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner, Critics’ Choice winner
Why is this acting performance great? Phoenix’s raw, transformative performance captures a descent into madness with disturbing realism, blending physicality, vulnerability, and explosive rage.
Anthony Hopkins
Movie: The Silence of the Lambs
Character: Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Year: 1991
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, CFCA winner, Golden Globe nomination, NYFCC winner
Why is this acting performance great? When it comes to greatest acting performances of all time, this one is certainly one of them. With only 16 minutes of screen time, Tony crafts an unforgettable villain who’s one of cinema’s most frightening figures.
Christoph Waltz
Movie: Inglourious Basterds
Character: Col. Hans Landa
Year: 2009
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Cannes Film Festival winner, Golden Globe winner
Why is this acting performance great? His polyglot charm masks sadistic menace, making Landa both captivating and terrifying. His balance of wit, politeness, and cruelty is a masterclass in controlled acting.
Dennis Hopper
Movie: Apocalypse Now
Character: Photo Journalist
Year: 1979
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? His manic, drug-fueled energy perfectly embodies the chaos and delirium of war, bringing an improvisational madness that feels frighteningly authentic.
Christian Bale
Movie: The Big Short
Character: Michael Burry
Year: 2015
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe nomination, Satellite winner, SAG nomination
Why is this acting performance great? He captures the eccentric genius with precision, from his awkward mannerisms to his obsessive intensity. He also balances humor and tragedy, showing how brilliance can isolate as much as it enlightens.
Gene Hackman
Movie: The Conversation
Character: Harry Caul
Year: 1974
Accolades: BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, NBR Award winner, NYFCC nomination, Sant Jordi winner
Why is this acting performance great? Hackman disappears into the paranoid, repressed surveillance expert, using quiet restraint and subtle physical detail to show how isolation destroys a man’s soul.
Christopher Walken
Movie: Pulp Fiction
Character: Captain Koons
Year: 1994
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? In just a single monologue, he creates an unforgettable presence. His mix of sincerity and absurdity, and ability to hold tension transform a brief scene into a memorable moment.
Johnny Depp
Movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Character: Jack Sparrow
Year: 2003
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Critics’ Choice nomination, Golden Globes nomination, CFCA nomination, IFTA winner
Why is this acting performance great? Depp turns a standard adventure role into something iconic with eccentric physicality, unpredictability, and comic genius, redefining blockbuster acting.
Javier Bardem
Movie: No Country for Old Men
Character: Anton Chigurh
Year: 2007
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, NYFCC winner, SAG winner
Why is this acting performance great? One of the scariest, but also best acting performances because of Bardem’s calm, methodical delivery and sinister detachment.
Condola Rashad
Movie: Bikini Moon
Character: Bikini
Year: 2017
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? Dola is an underrated actress who perfectly plays Bikini. She delivers a fearless performance, blurring fiction and reality while portraying a mentally unstable woman on the margins of society.
Edward Norton
Movie: Fight Club
Character: Narrator
Year: 1999
Accolades: OFCS nomination, Jupiter winner, ACCA nomination
Why is this acting performance great? Norton’s deadpan humor, growing instability, and shifting intensity create the film’s surreal chaos, making the audience complicit in his fractured psyche.
Penélope Cruz
Movie: Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Character: Maria Elena
Year: 2008
Accolades: Oscar winner, ALMA winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice nomination, Golden Globe nomination, NBR Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? Her unpredictable performance electrifies the screen, blending passion, volatility, and vulnerability in a role that feels both chaotic and irresistible.
Viola Davis
Movie: Fences
Character: Rose Maxson
Year: 2016
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globes winner, SAG winner
Why is this acting performance great? Davis brings impressive emotional power, balancing quiet strength with explosive heartbreak. Her raw delivery of grief and rage makes the role unforgettable. She’s arguably the best black actress so far.
Angelina Jolie
Movie: Girl, Interrupted
Character: Lisa
Year: 1999
Accolades: Oscar winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner
Why is this acting performance great? Jolie may be a sex symbol, but her acting talent and craft is undeniable. As Lisa, she radiates dangerous charisma, portraying her with manic unpredictability and emotional depth. She steals every scene, turning a supporting role into an electrifying force.
Denzel Washington
Movie: Training Day
Character: Alonzo
Year: 2001
Accolades: Oscar winner, Golden Globe nomination, CFCA nomination, NYFCC nomination, SAG nomination, AFI Actor of the Year
Russell Crowe
Movie: A Beautiful Mind
Character: John Nash
Year: 2001
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner
Emma Stone
Movie: Poor Things
Character: Bella Baxter
Year: 2023
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, Satellite winner, IFTA winner, SAG nomination
Vivien Leigh
Movie: A Streetcar Named Desire
Character: Blanche DuBois
Year: 1951
Accolades: Oscar winner, Volpi Award winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe nomination, NYFCC Award winner
Jack Nicholson
Movie: As Good as It Gets
Character: Melvin Udall
Year: 1997
Accolades: Oscar winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner
John Cazale
Movie: Dog Day Afternoon
Character: Sal
Year: 1975
Accolades: Golden Globe nomination
Robin Williams
Movie: Good Will Hunting
Character: Sean
Year: 1997
Accolades: Oscar winner, Golden Globe nomination, Satellite Award nomination, SAG winner, OFTA Film Award nomination
Benicio Del Toro
Movie: Che: Part One and Che: Part Two
Character: Ernesto Che Guevara
Year: 2008
Accolades: Cannes Film Festival Best Actor, CEC winner, Goya winner, OFCS nomination, VVFP Award winner
Jessica Chastain
TV Show: Scenes from a Marriage
Character: Mira
Year: 2021
Accolades: Golden Globe nomination, Jupiter Award winner, OFTA Television Award nomination, Gold Derby TV Award nomination
George C. Scott
Movie: Dr. Strangelove
Character: Gen. ‘Buck’ Turgidson
Year: 1964
Accolades: /
Mark Rylance
Movie: Bridge of Spies
Character: Rudolf Abel
Year: 2015
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe nomination, Critics’ Choice nomination, NYFCC winner, SAG nomination
Robert Downey Jr.
Movie: Chaplin
Character: Charles Spencer Chaplin
Year: 1992
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner, CFCA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, ALFS Award Actor of the Year
John Travolta
Movie: Pulp Fiction
Character: Vincent Vega
Year: 1994
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, CFCA nomination, David winner, Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination
Laura Linney
TV Show: Ozark
Character: Wendy Byrde
Year: 2017-2022
Accolades: Critics’ Choice nomination, Emmy nomination, Golden Globe nomination, Satellite nomination, SAG nomination, AACTA nomination
Mickey Rourke
Movie: The Wrestler
Character: Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson
Year: 2008
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice nomination, CFCA winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG nomination
Jamie Foxx
Movie: Ray
Character: Ray Charles
Year: 2004
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner
Leonardo DiCaprio
Movie: The Wolf of Wall Street
Character: Jordan Belfort
Year: 2013
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Seattle Film Critics Award winner
Ethan Hawke
Movie: Training Day
Character: Jake
Year: 2001
Accolades: Oscar nomination, SAG nomination, ACCA nomination
Willem Dafoe
Movie: The Florida Project
Character: Bobby
Year: 2017
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, Critics’ Choice nomination, CFCA winner, SAG nomination
Bradley Cooper
Movie: Maestro
Character: Leonard Bernstein
Year: 2023
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, IFTA nomination, SAG nomination
Billy Bob Thornton
Movie: Bad Santa
Character: Willie
Year: 2003
Accolades: Golden Globe nomination, Satellite nomination, COFCA nomination
Natalie Portman
Movie: Black Swan
Character: Nina Sayers / The Swan Queen
Year: 2010
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner, Critics’ Choice winner
Jodie Foster
Movie: The Silence of the Lambs
Character: Clarice Starling
Year: 1991
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA winner, Golden Globe winner, NYFCC winner
Jennifer Lawrence
Movie: Silver Linings Playbook
Character: Tiffany Maxwell
Year: 2012
Accolades: Oscar winner, BAFTA nomination, Critics’ Choice nomination, Golden Globe winner, SAG winner
Ray Liotta
Movie: Goodfellas
Character: Henry Hill
Year: 1990
Accolades: CFCA nomination, Felix nomination
Nicole Kidman
Movie: Eyes Wide Shut
Character: Alice Harford
Year: 1999
Accolades: Golden Satellite nomination, Empire Award nomination, OFTA Film Award nomination, ACCA nomination
Margot Robbie
Movie: Babylon
Character: Nellie LaRoy
Year: 2022
Accolades: Critics’ Choice nomination, Golden Globe nomination, Satellite nomination, SAG nomination, AACTAs nomination
Emily Watson
Movie: Punch-Drunk Love
Character: Lena Leonard
Year: 2002
Accolades: TFCA winner, VFCC nomination
Best Acting Performances in International Productions
Nebojsa Glogovac
Movie: Huddersfield
Character: Ivan
Year: 2007
Accolades: Grand Prix “Naisa” for Best Role
Why is this acting performance great? This phenomenal Serbian actor channels Ivan’s disillusionment and simmering anger with an amazing precision, making every scene unforgettable. It’s undoubtedly one of the most authentic and best acting performances.
Gary Oldman
Movie: Léon: The Professional
Character: Stansfield
Year: 1994
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? He turns a corrupt cop into one of cinema’s most unpredictable villains, swinging from quiet menace to explosive outbursts. His operatic madness elevates what could have been a stock role into a chilling classic.
Bruno Ganz
Movie: Downfall
Character: Adolf Hitler
Year: 2004
Accolades: Bavarian Film Awards winner, European Film Awards nomination, ALFS Award winner, Santa Barbara International Film Festival winner, German Film Awards nomination
Why is this acting performance great? Ganz has two best acting performances in Wings of Desire and Downfall. I decided to go with the latter because of the challenge of playing Hitler. It’s a performance of chilling realism that reshaped how the psychotic dictator could be portrayed on screen.
Cate Blanchett
Movie: Elizabeth
Character: Elizabeth I
Year: 1998
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA winner, Critics’ Choice winner, Golden Globe winner, TFCA Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? She captures Elizabeth’s transformation from insecure young woman to commanding monarch with intelligence and fire. Her mix of vulnerability and steel turned a historical figure into a living character.
Jean-Pierre Léaud
Movie: Masculin Féminin
Character: Paul
Year: 1966
Accolades: Silver Berlin Bear winner
Why is this acting performance great? People don’t always connect Léaud with best acting performances. However, no one can deny he’s arguably the most authentic European actor ever. In this role, he embodies youthful restlessness and political idealism with unstudied naturalism.
Marcello Mastroianni
Movie: La Dolce Vita
Character: Marcello Rubini
Year: 1960
Accolades: Silver Ribbon winner
Why is this acting performance great? Mastroianni plays disenchanted charm with a subtle melancholy that defines Fellini’s vision of modern emptiness. His performance balances charisma with quiet despair, making him both attractive and tragic.
Malcolm McDowell
Movie: A Clockwork Orange
Character: Alex
Year: 1971
Accolades: Evening Standard British Film Award winner, Golden Globe nomination, NSFC Award nomination, NYFCC Award nomination
Why is this acting performance great? Malcolm mixes brutality and charm in a performance that’s both magnetic and disturbing. Through playful cruelty and dark charisma he molded one of the most impressive yet frightening characters ever.
Toni Servillo
Movie: The Great Beauty
Character: Jep Gambardella
Year: 2013
Accolades: David winner, European Film Actor winner, Special Silver Ribbon winner, Golden Globe Italy nomination, CinEuphoria Award winner, Golden Ciak winner
Why is this acting performance great? With decadence and introspection with effortless grace, Toni turns Jep into a modern observer. His elegance makes this character both a critical observer and tragic participant.
Jodie Comer
TV Show: Killing Eve
Character: Villanelle
Year: 2018 – 2022
Accolades:
Why is this acting performance great? Comer’s Villanelle is dangerously playful, shifting accents, moods, and personas with precision. She makes a ruthless assassin irresistibly charismatic, blending menace with wicked humor. If you want to explore new European actresses, Comer is an excellent choice.
Catherine Deneuve
Movie: Belle de Jour
Character: Séverine Serizy
Year: 1967
Accolades: BAFTA nomination, Silver Goddess winner
Why is this acting performance great? She blends icy elegance with suppressed desire, creating a portrait of erotic repression that feels both enigmatic and vulnerable. Her controlled subtlety makes Séverine one of cinema’s most haunting studies of fantasy and shame.
Jean-Paul Belmondo
Movie: Breathless
Character: Michel Poiccard a.k.a. Laszlo Kovacs
Year: 1960
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? Belmondo redefined screen cool with his swagger, spontaneity, and unpredictable energy. His performance captures the spirit of the French New Wave: playful, raw, and existential.
Dragan Nikolić
Movie: Young and Healthy as a Rose
Character: Stiv
Year: 1971
Accolades: Banned for 35 years, so Gaga Nikolic couldn’t be seen, let alone win an award. However, later on it was declared a cultural heritage of great importance.
Why is this acting performance great? Gaga embodies dangerous charisma, channeling a rebellious antihero that still feels unsettling. His mix of charm and menace made Stiv a defining figure of Yugoslav counterculture cinema.
Sylvester Groth
Movie: Inglourious Basterds
Character: Joseph Goebbels
Year: 2009
Accolades: SDFCS ensemble performance winner, SAG ensemble winner, PFCS ensemble winner, COFCA ensemble winner, CinEuphoria ensemble winner
Why is this acting performance great? Groth avoids caricature by giving Goebbels a mix of vanity, arrogance, and nervous tension. His sly performance adds sharp texture to Tarantino’s alternate-history world.
Juliette Binoche
Movie: Three Colors: Blue
Character: Julie
Year: 1993
Accolades: César Award winner, Golden Globe nomination, Venice Film Festival Pasinetti Award winner, Sant Jordi Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? She conveys grief and gradual rebirth almost wordlessly, through glances and silences. Her restraint makes Julie’s emotional journey devastating and deeply human.
Mira Furlan
Movie: The Tour
Character: Sonja
Year: 2008
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? Mira embodies Sonja with a mix of weariness, wit, and deep compassion, grounding the absurdity of the troupe’s wartime journey. No wonder why she’s one of the greatest Croatian actresses.
Bekim Fehmiu
Movie: I Even Met Happy Gypsies
Character: Bora
Year: 1967
Accolades: Golden Arena for Best Leading Actor nomination, Car Konstantin Award for Best Actor winner
Why is this acting performance great? This legendary Yugoslav and Albanian actor brings intensity and vulnerability to a role that broke ground for Roma representation in cinema. His performance is both defiant and heartbreakingly tender.
Marion Cotillard
Movie: Two Days, One Night
Character: Sandra
Year: 2014
Accolades: Oscar nomination, Critics’ Choice nomination, César nomination, European Film Actress winner, NYFCC winner
Why is this acting performance great? Undoubtedly, one of the most complex and best acting performances. Marion gives a stripped-down, deeply empathetic performance as a woman fighting depression while pleading with her coworkers for her job.
Leon Lučev
Movie: Men Don’t Cry
Character: Valentin
Year: 2017
Accolades: Golden Mimosa Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? Lučev delivers a raw, understated performance as a war veteran struggling with guilt and fractured masculinity. His quiet intensity anchors the ensemble, making Valentin both wounded and profoundly human.
Darko Dameski
Movie: Black Seed
Character: Andon Sovicanov
Year: 1971
Accolades: Golden Arena winner for Best Leading Actor
Why is this acting performance great? This role shows why Dameski is one of the greatest Macedonian actors. His fierce, layered performance portrays a man’s dignity under oppression with striking realism. His intensity gives the film its moral backbone.
Sonja Savić
Movie: Life Is Beautiful
Character: Ana
Year: 1985
Accolades: Venice Film Festival Special Mention
Why is this acting performance great? Savić conveys youthful fragility and tragic yearning with naturalism. Her performance remains a touchstone Balkan and worldwide cinema.
Milena Dravić
Movie: Special Treatment
Character: Kaca
Year: 1980
Accolades: Cannes Film Festival Best Supporting Actress winner
Why is this acting performance great? She balances charisma, vulnerability, and wit, creating a critique of social norms. Her Cannes-winning turn remains one of her most fearless, especially regarding Yugoslav and Serbian actresses.
Tom Hardy
Movie: Bronson
Character: Charles Bronson
Year: 2008
Accolades: British Independent Film Awards winner, ALFS Award nomination, Evening Standard British Film Awards nomination
Why is this acting performance great? Hardy transforms himself into a theatrical, unpredictable force of nature. His mix of physical ferocity and humor makes Bronson unforgettable.
Cillian Murphy
Movie: Breakfast on Pluto
Character: Patrick ‘Kitten’ Braden
Year: 2005
Accolades: European Film Award nomination, Golden Globes nomination, IFTA winner, Satellite Award nomination
Why is this acting performance great? He plays Kitten with tenderness, flamboyance, and aching vulnerability. His identity and resilience makes the performance both brave and moving.
Anatoly Solonitsyn
Movie: Andrei Rublev
Character: Andrey Rublev
Year: 1966
Accolades: /
Why is this acting performance great? His performance radiates quiet spiritual depth, capturing an artist’s inner torment and redemption with haunting restraint and humanity.
Maria Falconetti
Movie: The Passion of Joan of Arc
Character: Jeanne d’Arc
Year: 1928
Accolades: Photoplay Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? Falconetti delivers one of cinema’s most transcendent performances, using only facial expressions and gestures to convey Joan’s anguish and faith.
Zlatko Buric
Movie: Pusher
Character: Milo
Year: 1996
Accolades: Bodil Award winner
Why is this acting performance great? Zlatko revolutionized acting taboos by bringing charm and menace to the role of a Balkan drug lord in a foreign country. This Croatian actor made Milo both terrifying and oddly sympathetic.
Meto Jovanovski
Movie: Tattoo
Character: Ilko
Year: 1991
Accolades: Surprisingly, when it was released Jovanovski didn’t get any awards. However, his role and the entire film became a cult classic.
Nada Šargin
Movie: Tomorrow Morning
Character: Sale
Year: 2006
Accolades: Critics’ Choice winner at the FIPRESCI Film Awards, Golden Mimosa winner for Best Leading Actress, Carica Teodora Award winner
Trine Dyrholm
Movie: Queen of Hearts
Character: Anne
Year: 2019
Accolades: Bodil winner, European Film Actress nomination, Robert winner, Dragon Award winner, Zurich Film Festival Best Actress winner, FEST Best Actress winner
Slobodan Cica Perovic
Movie: Men
Character: Zika Savic
Year: 1963
Accolades: Golden Arena for Best Leading Actor winner
Rade Serbedzija
Movie: Before the Rain
Character: Aleksandar Kirkov
Year: 1994
Accolades: Venice Film Festival Pasinetti Award winner
Sergej Trifunovic
Movie: The Tour
Character: Panthers leader
Year: 2008
Accolades: /
Zarko Lausevic
Movie: Better Than Escape
Character: Aleksa Radman
Year: 1993
Accolades: Golden Mimosa winner, Grand Prix “Cele kula” winner
Gael García Bernal
Movie: Y tu mamá también
Character: Julio Zapata
Year: 2001
Accolades: CFCA Award nomination, Marcello Mastroianni Award winner, Valdivia International Film Festival winner
Maribel Verdú
Movie: Y tu mamá también
Character: Luisa Cortés
Year: 2001
Accolades: Chlotrudis Award nomination
Diego Luna
Movie: Narcos: Mexico
Character: Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo
Year: 2018 – 2021
Accolades: Critics’ Choice nomination, Imagen Award winner, Platino Award winner
Roberto Benigni
Movie: Night on Earth
Character: Driver (segment “Rome”)
Year: 1991
Accolades: /
Mads Mikkelsen
Movie: Pusher II
Character: Tonny
Year: 2004
Accolades: Bodil winner, Robert winner, Zulu winner
Andrew Scott
TV Show: Sherlock
Character: Moriarty
Year: 2010 – 2017
Accolades: BAFTA winner, IFTA winner, Gold Derby TV Award Mini Supporting Actor of the Decade nomination
Olivia Colman
TV Show: Fleabag
Character: Godmother
Year: 2016 – 2019
Accolades: BAFTA nomination, Emmy nomination, Satellite winner, OFTA Television Award nomination
Svetozar Cvetković
Movie: Awakening from the Dead
Character: Miki
Year: 2005
Accolades: Milan Zmukic Award winner
Stephen Graham
Movie: Snatch
Character: Tommy
Year: 2000
Accolades: /
Zbigniew Zamachowski
Movie: Three Colors: White
Character: Karol Karol
Year: 1994
Accolades: /
Goran Bogdan
Movie: Father
Character: Nikola
Year: 2020
Accolades: European Film Actor nomination, Dublin Film Critics Award winner, FEST Best Actor winner, Filmski Susreti Best Foreign Actor winner, Chicago Serbian Film Fest Best Actor winner
Benedict Cumberbatch
Movie: The Imitation Game
Character: Alan Turing
Year: 2014
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Critics’ Choice nomination, Golden Globe nomination, IFTA winner
Ralph Fiennes
Movie: The English Patient
Character: Almásy
Year: 1996
Accolades: Oscar nomination, BAFTA nomination, Golden Globe nomination, SAG nomination
Kim Bodnia
Movie: Pusher
Character: Frank
Year: 1996
Accolades: /
Above, you have a list of 100 best acting performances. Now, let’s move on to 71 more, who didn’t make the list above, but still deserve praise.
- Sophia Loren – Cesira in Two Women
- Sofia Helin – Saga Noren in The Bridge
- Renate Reinsve – Julie in The Worst Person in the World
- Tom Cruise – Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia
- Vicky Krieps – Alma in Phantom Thread
- Aidan Gillen – Weiss in Blitz
- Alan Rickman – Professor Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Samuel L. Jackson – Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction
- Uma Thurman – Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction
- Jean Seberg – Patricia Franchini in Breathless
- Tony Shalhoub – Adrian Monk in Monk
- Carey Mulligan – Cassandra in Promising Young Woman
- Stellan Skarsgård – Lambeau in Good Will Hunting
- Charlotte Gainsbourg – Claire in Melancholia
- Ryan Gosling – Sebastian in La La Land
- August Diehl – Major Hellstrom in Inglourious Basterds
- Brad Pitt – Tyler Durden in Fight Club
- Wagner Moura – Pablo Escobar in Narcos
- Bibi Andersson – Sara / Hitchhiker in Wild Strawberries
- Victor Sjöström – Dr. Eberhard Isak Borg in Wild Strawberries
- Tihana Lazović – Jelena / Natasa / Marija – The High Sun
- Mark Strong – Hani in Body of Lies
- Bata Živojinović – Milos Bojanic in Three
- Nicolas Cage – Ben Sanderson in Leaving Las Vegas
- Jimmy Caan – Sonny in The Godfather
- James Franco – James Dean in James Dean
- J.K. Simmons – Fletcher in Whiplash
- Laurence Fishburne – Morpheus in The Matrix
- Tobey Maguire – James McKay in Babylon
- Ljuba Tadić – Otac in Awakening from the Dead
- Srđan Todorović – Dadan Karambolo in Black Cat, White Cat
- Filip Đurić – Robert in 12 Words
- Nataša Ninković – Marija in The Trap
- Bryan Cranston – Dalton Trumbo in Trumbo
- Jerzy Stuhr – Filip Mosz in Camera Buff
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag in Fleabag
- Branka Katić – Ida in Black Cat, White Cat
- Julia Garner – Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna
- Aleksandar Caminski – Ljubo Manijak in Tattoo
- Brendan Gleeson – Colm Doherty in The Banshees of Inisherin
- Renée Zellweger – Judy Garland in Judy
- Jessie Buckley – Lyudmilla Ignatenko in Chernobyl
- Jasna Đuričić – Jovanka in Withering
- Taško Načić – Pera Mitic in Strangler vs. Strangler
- Bata Stojković – Ilija Cvorovic in Balkan Spy
- Colin Firth – Bill Haydon in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Ian McKellen – Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code
- John Hurt – Control in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- Toby Jones – Uncle Hajský in Anthropoid
- Ricardo Darín – Simón in Wild Tales
- Valerio Mastandrea – Lele in Perfect Strangers
- Petar Božović – Milenko in Wait for Me and I Will Not Come
- Michael Keaton – Riggan in Birdman
- Mark Ruffalo – Mike Rezendes in Spotlight
- Noomi Rapace – Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Michael Caine – Alfie in Alfie
- Aco Jovanovski – Hristos in Black Seed
- Kiril Pop Hristov – Isus in Tattoo
- Rene Bitorajac – Krpa in ZG80
- Nenad Stojanovski – Goce Delchev in The Merchant from Thessaloniki
- Tom Hanks – Chuck Noland in Cast Away
- Will Smith – Ben in Seven Pounds
- Tommy Lee Jones – Ed Tom Bell in No Country for Old Men
- Matt Damon – Will in Good Will Hunting
- Ben Affleck – Doug MacRay in The Town
- Colin Farrell – Pádraic Súilleabháin in The Banshees of Inisherin
- Val Kilmer – Chris Shiherlis in Heat
- Ed Harris – Parcher in A Beautiful Mind
- Viggo Mortensen – Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
- Michael Shannon – Curtis in Take Shelter
- Vladimir Endrovski – Trajche in Before the Rain
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