My Top 10 Favorite Actors of All-Time

Characters are what make movies great, and these characters are nothing without the men that bring them to life.  There will be a followup post about my top 10 favorite actresses of all time, so this will be exclusively males, and will feature actors predominantly made famous in movies, so prominent television actors will not appear.  Remember, these are my opinions, if your choices are different, that's great! Let me know who your favorites are and enjoy the read.

10. Chris Pine
Chris Pine doesn't have a huge array of important work under his belt yet, but he is young and charismatic, and he was able to make Star Trek cool.  My respect grew for him after seeing him in Into the Woods and Wet Hot American Summer, where in both roles he was able to show off his comedy and musical chops.  Between his versatility in the arts and his good sense for action, Pine is one of the more exciting actors to be making his name in Hollywood.




9. Idris Elba
The British actor has been doing important work for many years in both TV and film.  Most notably his role as Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and more recently as an African warlord in Netflix's Beasts of No Nation. In addition to these groundbreaking roles, he has done comedy, action, and appreciates being a part of a franchise through his involvement with Marvel.  Recent rumors suggest he could become the first black man to play the role of James Bond.  If these rumors come to fruition the character is in good hands.

8. Tom Cruise
I've said it in my reviews before, this guy is just a straight up movie star.  His charisma alone puts people in seats and it is men like him that keep the film industry thriving.  In addition to his personality, the guy can really act when he is given the opportunity.  It's unfortunate that he has been typecast as only really being able to do action, and issues in his personal life have affected his image. But Tom Cruise is and always will be one of the greatest of all time.



7. Bradley Cooper
There is an argument to be made that Bradley Cooper is the best working actor right now.  Starting with Silver Linings Playbook, followed by American Hustle and American Sniper, Cooper has received Oscar nominations three years in a row now for either leading or supporting actor.  Not to mention his comedy chops, which gave him his big break in Wedding Crashers and The Hangover.  Cooper has come a long way, and the accolades will continue to roll in as he stars in films like Burnt and Joy coming soon.




6. Daniel Craig
Craig belongs on this list for the sole reason that he revitalized one of the greatest film characters of all time.  He took the camp stereotypes of the Bond character and turned him into one of the most rugged badasses in film.  Beyond this, he is brilliant in films like Layercake and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and is such a classically trained presence on this list.  As much as I love him as Bond, I look forward to the work he'll be doing once he's free of that contract.









5. Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe is great because he's a lot like Mel Gibson, just not as much of an asshole.  They're both Australian, they're both masters of period pieces (i.e. Braveheart and Gladiator, The Patriot and Master and Commander, etc.), and they both seem kind of mean.  The difference is that Mel Gibson's trouble is his anti-semitic sentiments, while Crowe's is that he just gets pissed off when he works with amateurs.  The guy has a little bit of crazy in him which plays into his performances and makes him a great villain like in Les Miserables, or a flawed hero like L.A Confidential or A Beautiful Mind.




4. Robert Redford
The king of Sundance, the kid himself, the wonder boy, Robert Redford is one of the greatest actors who ever lived, and probably the actor who has given the most to the industry.  He's starred in classics like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting, dramas like The Natural and All the President's Men, and is still killing it as a 79 year old in movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and A Walk in the Woods.  But most importantly, he started the Sundance Film Festival, which gives up and coming filmmakers the opportunity to show their talents and pursue their dreams in the industry.










3. Kevin Spacey
I know mentioned above that this list was a culmination of my many opinions, but this next statement tis basically fact: Kevin Spacey is the most talented person in Hollywood. He makes a compelling hero, a menacing villain, a conniving supporter who is willing to undertake any form of a role.  He is hilarious, he can sing, dance, he is a master of impressions, and is classically trained as a Shakespearean actor fro Julliard. His roles in Se7en and The Usual Suspects easily put him on the map as one of the great villainous actors, not to mention his continued ownership of that title as Frank Underwood in House of Cards.  Spacey also owns and runs a theater in England that specializes in classic Shakespeare and Greek and Roman plays, which allows him to dip into directing, producing, and giving up and coming actors the opportunity to learn from him.




2. Viggo Mortenson
It would take some serious convincing to get me to watch a Danish foreign film, and yet to this day I've seen about five of them because Viggo Mortensen does them so well. I have no greater wish than to see Mortensen come back to Hollywood and take on a great American role, because he is one of the most underrated actors of the century.  After his perfect portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings and continued success in mainstream films like A History of Violence and Hidalgo, Mortensen has been fantastic in smaller films like Appaloosa and Good, but nothing would be more exciting than seeing him come back and take on a villainous role.  What makes Viggo such a great actor is his commitment to roles.  Rumor has it that he used to sleep with the horses during the filming of Lord of the Rings, and there are two scenes in the trilogy during which he broke a bone, and used the pain as part of his performance. This guy is the real deal.




1. Robert Downey Jr.
Robert Downey Jr. is the biggest actor in Hollywood right now thanks to his ownership of Tony Stark, he has always been fantastic in the Marvel movies and was born to be Iron Man.  But more important than this is his personal story of redemption.  His talent was never in question after his success in Chaplin and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but his drug use and erratic behavior caused his downfall.  Which is why his is a story that proves anyone can make a comeback.  In addition to returning to strong form as Tony Stark, he was brilliant in the comedic role of Tropic Thunder, and has started his own production studio with his wife, which produced the acclaimed film The Judge.  RDJ deserves his success, and he is spreading the wealth of his comeback to all who surround him, which makes the film industry a great one to be a part of.