The 136 Best Actors Working Today (According To Me)
In film and in TV, the biggest stars aren’t necessarily the most talented performers. As the ultimate authority on all culture, I’ve decided to list my 136 favourite actors working today. I may have forgotten some people. I have deliberately excluded others. Read, heed my recommendations and argue with me about who I did and didn’t include. (I also acknowledge an unfortunate gender disparity on this list; I hope this will improve in the future— more good roles for women = more women who make my list)
AMY ADAMS
Best role: Enchanted (2007) Honourable mention: Arrival (2016)
CASEY AFFLECK
Best role: Manchester by the Sea (2016)
RIZ AHMED
Best role: The Night Of (2016)
MAHERSHALA ALI
Best role: Moonlight (2016)
AZIZ ANSARI
Best role: Master of None (2015-)
WILL ARNETT
Best role: Bojack Horseman (2014-) Honourable mention: Arrested Development (2004-)
PATRICIA ARQUETTE
Best role: Boyhood (2014) Honourable mention: True Romance (1993)
ALEC BALDWIN
Best role: 30 Rock (2006–2013) Honourable mention: Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
JONATHAN BANKS
Best role: Better Call Saul (2015-)
JAVIER BARDEM
Best role: No Country for Old Men (2007) Honourable mention: Skyfall (2012)
JASON BATEMAN
Best role: Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007) Honourable mention: Juno (2007)
MELISSA BENOIST
Best role: Whiplash (2014)
EMILY BLUNT
Best role: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
ALISON BRIE
Best role: Community (2009–2015) Honourable mention: G.L.O.W. (2017-)
PIERCE BROSNAN
Best role: Mamma Mia! (2008)
STEVE BUSCEMI
Best role: Barton Fink (1991)
NICOLAS CAGE
Best role: Bringing Out The Dead (2001) Honourable mention: National Treasure (2004)
STEVE CARELL
Best role: Foxcatcher (2014) Honourable mention: Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
JIM CARREY
Best role: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Honourable mention: A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)
MICHAEL CERA
Best role: Twin Peaks (2017) Honourable mention: Arrested Development (2003-)
JESSICA CHASTAIN
Best role: Interstellar (2014) Honourable mention: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
GEORGE CLOONEY
Best role: The Descendants (2011)
ELLAR COLTRANE
Best role: Boyhood (2014)
CARRIE COON
Best role: The Leftovers (2014–2017)
CHRIS COOPER
Best role: American Beauty (1999) Honourable mention: Adaptation (2002)
BRYAN CRANSTON
Best role: Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
DAVID CROSS
Best role: The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret (2009–2016)
BILLY CRUDUP
Best role: Almost Famous (2000)
TOM CRUISE
Best role: Magnolia (1999) Honourable mention: Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)
WILLEM DAFOE
Best role: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
JEFF DANIELS
Best role: The Newsroom (2012–2014) Honourable mention: Something Wild (1986)
PAUL DANO
Best role: There Will Be Blood (2007) Honourable mention: War & Peace (2016)
ROBERT DE NIRO
Best role: The King of Comedy (1983) Honourable mention: The Godfather Part II (1974)
JULIE DELPY
Best role: Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight (1995/2004/2013)
BRUCE DERN
Best role: Silent Running (1972)
LAURA DERN
Best role: Inland Empire (2006) Honourable mention: Twin Peaks (2017)
ANN DOWD
Best role: The Leftovers (2014–2017)
ADAM DRIVER
Best role: Paterson (2016)
ALDEN EHRENREICH
Best role: Hail, Caesar! (2016)
COLIN FARRELL
Best role: In Bruges (2008)
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
Best role: Steve Jobs (2015)
RALPH FIENNES
Best role: The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
TINA FEY
Best role: 30 Rock (2006–2013)
COLIN FIRTH
Best role: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
JANE FONDA
Best role: Barefoot in the Park (1967)
HARRISON FORD
Best role: Star Wars/The Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi/The Force Awakens (1977/1981/1983/2015)
MACKENZIE FOY
Best role: Interstellar (2014)
JAMES FRANCO
Best role: The Deuce (2017-)
RICHARD GERE
Best role: Time Out of Mind (2015)
BRENDAN GLEESON
Best role: In Bruges (2008)
DOMHNALL GLEESON
Best role: About Time (2011)
DONALD GLOVER
Best role: Community (2009–2015) Honourable mention: Atlanta (2016-)
JEFF GOLDBLUM
Best role: Independence Day (1996)
JOHN GOODMAN
Best role: Barton Fink (1991)
RYAN GOSLING
Best role: La La Land (2016) Honourable mention: Drive (2011)
TOM HANKS
Best role: The Polar Express (2004) Honourable mention: Forrest Gump (1994)
WOODY HARRELSON
Best role: True Detective (2014)
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS
Best role: How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)
ANNE HATHAWAY
Best role: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Honourable mention: Les Miserables (2012)
ETHAN HAWKE
Best role: Boyhood (2014) Honourable mention: Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight (1995/2004/2013)
SALLY HAWKINS
Best role: Blue Jasmine (2013)
DUSTIN HOFFMAN
Best role: The Graduate (1967) Honourable mention: Tootsie (1982)
HOLLY HUNTER
Best role: The Incredibles (2004)
OSCAR ISAAC
Best role: A Most Violent Year (2014) Honourable mention: Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
HUGH JACKMAN
Best role: Les Miserables (2012) Honourable mention: The Wolverine/Logan (2013/2017)
LILY JAMES
Best role: War & Peace (2016)
ALISON JANNEY
Best role: The West Wing (1999–2006) Honourable mention: American Beauty (1999)
RICHARD JENKINS
Best role: Step Brothers (2008) Honourable mention: Olive Kitteridge (2014)
FELICITY JONES
Best role: Like Crazy (2011)
MICHAEL KEATON
Best role: Beetlejuice (1988)
RICHARD KIND
Best role: Inside Out (2015) Honourable mention: A Serious Man (2009)
PETER KRAUSE
Best role: Parenthood (2009–2015) Honourable mention: Six Feet Under (2001–2005)
ANGELA LANSBURY
Best role: Bedknobs & Broomsticks (1971)
BRIE LARSON
Best role: Room (2015)
JUDE LAW
Best role: The Young Pope (2016)
KYLE MACLACHLAN
Best role: Twin Peaks (2017)
TOBEY MAGUIRE
Best role: Spider-Man 2
JOHN MALKOVICH
Best role: Being John Malkovich (1999)
EDDIE MARSAN
Best role: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (2015)
JAMES MCAVOY
Best role: Split (2017)
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
Best role: Interstellar (2014)
FRANCES MCDORMAND
Best role: Olive Kitteridge (2014)
EWAN MCGREGOR
Best role: Trainspotting (1996)
MICHAEL MCKEAN
Best role: Better Call Saul (2015-)
BEN MENDELSOHN
Best role: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
T.J. MILLER
Best role: Silicon Valley (2014-)
TRACY MORGAN
Best role: 30 Rock (2006–2013)
BILL MURRAY
Best role: Lost in Translation (2003) Honourable mention: Groundhog Day (1993)
DEAN NORRIS
Best role: Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
EDWARD NORTON
Best role: Fight Club (1999) Honourable mention: Birdman (2014)
BOB ODENKIRK
Best role: Better Call Saul (2015-)
TERRY O’QUINN
Best role: Lost (2004–2010)
AL PACINO
Best role: The Godfather Part II (1974) Honourable mention: Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
SARAH PAULSON
Best role: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2007) Honourable mention: The People vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
AUBREY PLAZA
Best role: Parks & Recreation (2009–2015)
ZACHARY QUINTO
Best role: Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
JOSH RADNOR
Best role: How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014)
JIM RASH
Best role: Community (2009–2015)
ROBERT REDFORD
Best role: The Way We Were (1973) Honourable mention: Barefoot in the Park (1967)
JOHN C. REILLY
Best role: Magnolia (1999) Honourable mention: Step Brothers (2008)
BRITT ROBERTSON
Best role: Under the Dome (2013–2015)
SAM ROCKWELL
Best role: Moon (2009) Honourable mention: Iron Man 2 (2010)
RAY ROMANO
Best role: Parenthood (2009–2015)
MARK RUFFALO
Best role: Zodiac (2007) Honourable mention: The Avengers (2012)
MARK RYLANCE
Best role: Bridge of Spies (2015)
ADAM SANDLER
Best role: Funny People (2009) Honourable mention: Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
RICHARD SCHIFF
Best role: The West Wing (1999–2006)
JASON SCHWARTZMAN
Best role: Rushmore (1998)
ANDY SERKIS
Best role: The Lord of the Rings (2001/2002/2003) Honourable mention: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
MICHAEL SHANNON
Best role: Nocturnal Animals (2016)
MARTIN SHEEN
Best role: The West Wing (1999–2006) Honourable mention: Badlands (1973)
J.K. SIMMONS
Best role: Whiplash (2014)
STELLAN SKARSGARD
Best role: Good Will Hunting (1996)
COBIE SMULDERS
Best role: How I Met Your Mother (2005–2013)
SISSY SPACEK
Best role: Badlands (1973) Honourable mention: The Waltons (1971–1981)
KEVIN SPACEY
Best role: American Beauty (1999) Honourable mention: Se7en (1995)
TIMOTHY SPALL
Best role: Mr. Turner (2014) Honourable mention: Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
OCTAVIA SPENCER
Best role: The Help (2011)
HARRY DEAN STANTON
Best role: Paris, Texas (1984)
Harry Dean Stanton has died since this list was published.
EMMA STONE
Best role: La La Land (2016) Honourable mention: Easy A (2010)
MERYL STREEP
Best role: The Deer Hunter (1978)
MICHAEL STUHLBARG
Best role: A Serious Man (2009) Honourable mention: Steve Jobs (2015)
MILES TELLER
Best role: Whiplash (2014 Honourable mention: The Spectacular Now (2013)
CHARLIZE THERON
Best role: Young Adult (2011) Honourable mention: Atomic Blonde (2017)
JUSTIN THEROUX
Best role: The Leftovers (2014–2017) Honourable mention: Mulholland Dr. (2001)
RICHARD THOMAS
Best role: The Waltons (1971–1981)
EMMA THOMPSON
Best role: Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
STANLEY TUCCI
Best role: Easy A (2010) Honourable mention: The Hunger Games (2012)
JOHN TURTURRO
Best role: Barton Fink (1991) Honourable mention: The Night Of (2016)
DICK VAN DYKE
Best role: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) Honourable mention: Mary Poppins (1965)
SAM WATERSTON
Best role: The Newsroom (2012–2014)
BRADLEY WHITFORD
Best role: The West Wing (1999–2006) Honourable mention: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
MAE WHITMAN
Best role: Parenthood (2009–2015)
KRISTEN WIIG
Best role: Paul (2011)
BRUCE WILLIS
Best role: Moonrise Kingdom (2012) Honourable mention: Die Hard (1988)
SHAILENE WOODLEY
Best role: Big Little Lies (2016) Honourable mention: The Fault in Our Stars (2014)
