Greatest Male Film Performances

Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront, Godfather

Robert DeNiro - Taxi Driver, Raging Bull

Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs, Nixon

Gary Cooper - High Noon, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

Daniel Day-Lewis - Gangs of New York, There Will be Blood

Cary Grant - Notorious

Peter O'Toole - Lawrence of Arabia

James Stewart - It's a Wonderful Life

Humphrey Bogart - The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Gregory Peck - To Kill a Mockingbird

Henry Fonda - 12 Angry Men

Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man

John Wayne - The Searchers

Joe Pesci - GoodFellas

Clint Eastwood - Unforgiven, Dirty Harry

Paul Newman - Cool Hand Luke

Robert Mitchum - The Night of the Hunter

Robert Walker - Strangers on a Train

Val Kilmer - The Doors

Johnny Depp - Edward Scissorhands



and last, but certainly not least:

Michael Keaton - Beetlejuice

Marlon Brando-On the Waterfront
Paul Schofield-A Man for all seasons
Sean Connery-The Hill
Humphrey Bogart-African Queen
Russell Crowe- L.A.Confidential
Michael Caine-The Man who would be King
Dustin Hoffman-Tootsie
Robert Di Nero-Raging Bull
Donald Sutherland-Ordinary People
Burt Lancaster-Sweet Smell of Success

Marlon Brando, Last Tango in Paris
Humphrey Bogart, In a Lonely Place
Paul Newman, Hud
Jack Nicholson, Five Easy Pieces (this maybe isn't his absolute best, but it's a phenomenal performance and it's my favorite)
Charlie Chaplin, City Lights
Cary Grant, His Girl Friday
James Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life
James Stewart, Vertigo
Henry Fonda, The Grapes of Wrath
Al Pacino, The Godfather Part II

I once did some unlicensed tree surgery. I foolishly performed an abortion on a peach tree.

1. Marlon Brando - Godfather
2. Ed Norton - American History X
3. Gregory Peck - To Kill a Mockingbird
4. Peter O' Toole - Lawrence of Arabia
5. Robert De Niro - Raging Bull
6. Ben Kinsley - Gandhi
7. Al Pachino - Dog Day Afternoon
8. Jack Nicolson – One flew over Cuckoo’s Nest
9. Denzel Washington - Malcolm X
10. Daniel Day Lewis - My Left Foot


"Get busy living or Get busy dying "

Some great choices, although for me, Pacino's performance in 'Dog Day Afternoon' is my fave, almost too real!

01. Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront
02. Marlon Brando - The Godfather
03. Robert DeNiro - Raging Bull
04. Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
05. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
06. Joe Pesci - Goodfellas
07. Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs
08. Peter O'Toole - Lawrence of Arabia
09. Kevin Spacey - American Beauty
10. Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump

Robert DeNiro - Taxi Driver
Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon
Jack Nicholson - As Good as it Gets
Jack Lemmon - Days of Wine and Roses
Willem Dafoe - The Last Temptation of Christ
Anthony Hopkins - The Remains of the Day
Gary Oldman - Leon
Malcolm McDowell - A Clockwork Orange
Ulrich Mühe - The Lives of Others

Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Incredibly raw and real performance - almost transcends acting.
Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon
Pacino at his best.
James Stewart - It's a Wonderful Life
Incredibly touching and heart-breaking to watch.
Marlon Brando - On the Waterfront
Brando gives a very masculine and unforgettable performance.
Robert Deniro - Raging Bull
Deniro, when at his best, is a frightening presence on the screen.
Roberto Benigni - Life is Beautiful
Unforgettable film with an unforgettable performance.
Henry Fonda - The Grapes of Wrath
His delivery of the final lines is haunting.
Anthony Perkins - Psycho
Few have portrayed insanity as well (besides someone else on the list)
Donald Sutherland - Ordinary People
Very subtle performance as a broken man.
Lee J. Cobb - 12 Angry Men
He has such energy and raw masculinity; he drives much of the film.
Anthony Hopkins - Silence of the Lambs
THE Greatest 16 minute performance there could ever be.
Don Cheadle - Hotel Rwanda
Often overlooked but incredibly noteworthy.
Daniel Day Lewis - There Will be Blood
Already considered one of the great performances in cinema.
Klaus Kinski - Fitzcarraldo
Also a lesser known but worthy entry.
Robert Shaw - Jaws
Not only did he write some of his dialogue - he burned it into our minds.
Paul Newman - Cool Hand Luke
It would be tough to find another performance quite like that.
Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter
That academy award was well-deserved.
Jack Lemmon - Glengarry GlenRoss
Hard to choose from the ensemble cast, but Lemmon stands out for sure.
Takashi Shimura - Seven Samurai
Stoic and powerful actor.
Ralph Fiennes - Schindler's List
Arguably the best portrayal of pure evil to date.