Best performance by an actor in history?

I think i would love to have copies of camera recording Hannibal Lecter in that cell for hours just so i can watch it ;p

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His acting was good but I thought he overdid it at times. The guy was supposed to have been a functioning psychiatrist yet he acted so insane at times one would wonder what kind of patient would not run screaming from his office.

Off the top of my head, I would rank F. Murray Abraham's performance as Salieri in "Amadeus" a notch higher. Greater emotional range, perfectly believable and fascinating as the older Salieri, a different category of "villain".

Brando in original godfather

Absolutely. But I want to put in votes for both Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher in Cuckoos Nest. Crazy good movie

He was very good, but the best performance ever is Gena Rowlands in 'A Woman Under the Influence'.

Or perhaps Toshiro Mifune in 'Throne of Blood'.

That's too high a bar.

I tire of GOAT arguments. There are people who excel above other professionals in any category (film, music, sports, etc.) and should be grouped accordingly as "the best of the best" and that's as far as I'll take it.

I would agree that Hopkins performance is one of the all-time greats. That should suffice.