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According to popular belief, acting is one of the second-oldest professions in our world. Together with, of course, pickpockets, pirates, spies, and gangsters, just to name a few. A fun bunch, indeed! And, of course, with such eon-spanning traditions of the craft and such respectability its professionals have gained in our society, there’s no wonder that we, as a human collective, decided to name who is the best of them all and who shall wear the pretend crown. Picking out the best is basic human nature! So, here we are, with our list of the best actors ever! And because we are pretty sure that our ranking will cause some discussion, don’t forget that we have that vote button if you’d like to change up the sequence in which these Hollywood stars are listed!

From the legends of the Golden Era of Hollywood to stars of the ‘70s to modern-day icons, this list has all the best actors in it. Not all of them have won the elusive Oscar or garnered a myriad of accolades, but we think that awards aren’t always the measure of success. What’s also interesting is that, say, in the top 20 of our actors, almost all of them started acting almost by accident, having worked a heap of odd jobs beforehand. So, if you still don’t know what talents you have, just remember that neither did they!

So, check out our list of the greatest actors just a bit further down and vote for your own favorites. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your movie-crazed friends too!  

#1

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks photo

Notable movies - Forrest Gump, Castaway, Saving Private Ryan
 

Interesting fact - Tom Hanks is a distant relative of President Abraham Lincoln.

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    #2

    Morgan Freeman

    Morgan Freeman photo

    Notable movies - The Shawshank Redemption, Unforgiven, Seven
     

    Interesting fact - mister Freeman is a unique persona, and there’s so much interesting stuff about him that we couldn’t decide on just one! So, from being an expert beekeeper just like Henry Fonda to writing a cookbook and breaking Academy Awards and golfing records, it seems like no day is boring in the world of Morgan Freeman. 

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    #4

    Gregory Peck

    black and white photo of Gregory Peck

    Notable movies - To Kill A Mockingbird, Cape Fear, The Omen
     

    Interesting fact - Peck probably had the most durable career of any Hollywood star as it spanned from as early as the 1940s and ended in the 2000s. During that time, he starred in at least 57 movies! 

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    #5

    Johnny Depp

    Johnny Depp with dreadlocks

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    Kipper
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gilbert Grape, Donnie Brasco, Benny & June, Jack Sparrow.......you couldn't come up with just one movie?

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    #6

    Anthony Hopkins

    photo of Anthony Hopkins in the mask

    Notable movies - The Silence Of The Lambs, Fracture, The Father

    Interesting fact - Anthony Hopkins is a real-life knight! He received his title from Queen Elizabeth II in 1993 for his services to the arts.

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    #8

    Michael Caine

    Michael Caine photo

    Notable movies - The Cider House Rules, The Italian Job, Batman Begins

    Interesting fact - Michael Caine isn’t his real name, it’s Maurice Micklewhite, and he never legally changed it out of respect for his family.

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    #9

    Robert Duvall

    Robert Duvall in a costume with gloves and a hat

    Notable movies - The Apostle, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather Part I and II 

    Interesting fact - before being discovered, Robert Duvall worked plenty of odd jobs, one of them being a post clerk. He left the position after half a year, fearing that if he stayed any longer, he’d never quit!

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    #10

    Sidney Poitier

    Sidney Poitier in a costume with a suitcase

    Notable movies - In The Heat Of The Night, A Raisin In The Sun, The Defiant Ones

    Interesting fact - besides being the first black person to win the title of Best Actor for his role in Lilies Of The Field, being a civil rights activist, and a real-life knight, Sidney Poitier was also a Bahamian ambassador to Japan, holding this title for ten consecutive years!

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    UpQuarkDownQuark
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    In the Heat of the Night is one my all-time favorite movies. He commands the screen every moment he’s in that picture.

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    #11

    Gene Hackman

    Gene Hackman in a hat

    Notable movies - The French Connection, Unforgiven, The Royal Tenenbaums
     

    Interesting fact - besides being a world-renowned actor, Gene Hackman is also a novelist, with his first book - Payback At Morning Peak - published in 2011.

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    Suzanne McHenry
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I like him. Met him once and he was really lovely in person, he took the time to chat. Great guy.

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    #12

    Keanu Reeves

    Keanu Reeves with scratches on his face sitting in an armchair

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    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unpopular opinion. I like him, honest, he is an icon, but.... his acting is not that great is it?

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    #13

    Paul Newman

    Paul Newman in a costume smoking

    Notable movies - The Sting, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cars

    Interesting fact - Paul Newman loved pranks, with his most notable being faking his own death. From lying under a wrecked car to dropping a look-alike dummy off of a 60-foot building, he sure did scare plenty of Hollywood directors.

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    Kookamunga
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Missing: Slapshot, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, The Long Hot Summer and so on......

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    #14

    Denzel Washington

    Denzel Washington in a black leather jacket

    Notable movies - Remember The Titans, Glory, Training Day
     

    Interesting fact - his fate of becoming a world-renowned actor was told to him by a fortune teller. That’s why he deems his fate a pulpit for doing the greater good!

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    #15

    Dustin Hoffman

    Dustin Hoffman looking in one point

    Notable movies - The Graduate, Being John Malkovich, Rain Man

    Interesting fact - before “catching the acting bug,” Dustin Lee Hoffman was studying to become a classical pianist. However, we’re not a tiny bit sad about his change in aspirations!

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    #16

    Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood with cigarette and in a hat

    Notable movies - Good, Unforgiven, Dirty Harry
     

    Interesting fact - in 1951, a then 21-year-old Eastwood survived a plane crash in shark-infested waters. Turns out, his action star roles also followed him into real life!

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    #17

    Charlie Chaplin

    Charlie Chaplin in a costume on the stage

    Notable movies - City Lights, The Gold Rush, Modern Times

     

    Interesting fact - Charlie once entered a “Charlie Chaplin look-alike” contest and… lost it!

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    Nathaniel
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The problem I have with him is his private life. He liked his ladies a bit too young.

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    #18

    Henry Fonda

    black and white photo of Henry Fonda with a knife in his hand

    Notable movies - Once Upon A Time In The West, 12 Angry Men, The Grapes Of Wrath

    Interesting fact - Henry Fonda had a quite unusual hobby of beekeeping. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he incorporated the practice into his movie Ulee’s God. Also, Henry is the father of two other Hollywood megastars - Jane Fonda and Peter Fonda.

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    #19

    Humphrey Bogart

    black and white photo of Humphrey Bogart playing chess

    Notable movies - Casablanca, The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen
     

    Interesting fact - ever wondered why mister Bogart speaks in an unusual way? Well, it isn’t really a fun story - his father, a surgeon, beat him up as a kid and split his lip. He stitched it up so badly that Bogart was left with a permanent lisp. 

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    #20

    James Stewart

    black and white photo of James Stewart in a hat

    Notable movies - Rear Window, Vertigo, It’s A Wonderful Life
     

    Interesting fact - James Stewart, besides being an iconic actor, also had a degree in architecture. But, because he had earned it during the time of the Great Depression, he thought there was no reason to chase this career. 

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    #21

    Robert De Niro

    Robert De Niro in a leather jacket

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    Kookamunga
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Godfather I and II, King of Comedy, Once Upon a Time in America, Midnight Run, Goodfellas, Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, Casino, Heat, Taxi Driver, Mean Streets - and there's plenty more.

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    #23

    Sean Connery

    Sean Connery in a costume sitting in the chair with a glass of lemonade

    Notable movies - Goldfinger, The Untouchables, Dr. No
     

    Interesting fact - before becoming an actor, Sean Connery had a job that we thought didn’t exist at all. You’d never guess, but he actually worked as a coffin polisher!

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    #25

    Leonardo DiCaprio

    Leonardo DiCaprio holding out the glass of beverage

    Notable movies - The Revenant, Titanic, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood
     

    Interesting fact - his mother named him Leonardo after he kicked her when she was looking at a Da Vinci painting. 

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    #27

    Steve Buscemi

    Steve Buscemi holding the bowling ball

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    Joel Hopkins
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Fun fact, Steve was a NYC fireman, and after 9/11 happened, he went back to his old firehouse and volunteered, working 12 hours days for weeks.

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    #30

    Cary Grant

    Cary Grant speaking by phone

    Notable movies - North By Northwest, Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday
     

    Interesting fact - here’s one - Cary Grant had a peculiar habit of cutting off his dress shirts’ buttons. Why did he do it? Well, to replace missing buttons on other shirts and because his housekeeper loved to use his old shirts as dust cloths!

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    #39

    Jeff Bridges

    Jeff Bridges in a sweater

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    Kookamunga
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Last Picture Show, The Fisher King, Big Lebowski, Tron and King Kong from 1976 are my faves.

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    #45

    Marlon Brando

    Marlon Brando telling something

    Notable movies - The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, On The Waterfront
     

    Interesting fact - Brando had no idea where he put or if someone stole the Oscar he won for his role in On The Waterfront. Now that’s a man who probably doesn’t care much about accolades and praises!

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    #47

    Jack Lemmon

    Jack Lemmon holding the key

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    Milady Blue
    Community Member
    2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He and Walter Matthau were fantastic in Grumpy Old Men. I love movies with those two.

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    #48

    Christian Bale

    Christian Bale sitting in the sofa in the sun glasses

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    Slainte
    Community Member
    10 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He should be rated much higher. He is an absolute chameleon as an actor. From Batman to Patrick Bateman, and from The Machinist to D**k Chaney. His talents are astounding.

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    #49

    Joaquin Phoenix

    Joaquin Phoenix as a clown dancing on the stair

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    Klopec
    Community Member
    1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Unbelievable actor, he is still untapped. He got me in Gladiator, he should have won the Oscar.

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