Top 10 Best Performances by an Actor

Brando's Terry Malloy shattered the conventions of screen acting with raw, improvisational naturalism that had never been seen before. The "I coulda been a contender" scene remains the most iconic moment of Method acting on film.

Ledger's Joker obliterated every previous interpretation of the character with a performance of terrifying, anarchic intensity. His posthumous Oscar was not a sentimental gesture but recognition of a genuinely revolutionary turn.

De Niro gained 60 pounds and trained as a professional boxer to portray Jake LaMotta's self-destructive rage. Scorsese's film gave De Niro the canvas for what many consider the greatest physical transformation in acting history.

Mifune's wild, unhinged Kikuchiyo in Kurosawa's epic bridged the gap between classical Japanese acting and modern screen naturalism. His raw physicality and emotional volatility influenced action heroes for generations.

Blanchett's portrayal of a socialite in psychological freefall after her husband's Ponzi scheme collapses is a masterclass in controlled disintegration. She carries Woody Allen's film entirely on the strength of her devastating performance.

Hopkins appears on screen for barely 16 minutes yet dominates the entire film as Hannibal Lecter. His soft-spoken menace and penetrating stillness created the most terrifying villain in cinema with remarkably little screen time.

The Korean master actor's portrayal of the patriarch Kim Ki-taek navigates Bong Joon-ho's tonal shifts from comedy to thriller to tragedy with seamless grace. His performance anchors the most acclaimed international film of the 21st century.

Phoenix's Freddie Quell is a coiled spring of post-war trauma and animalistic impulse opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman's controlled charisma. Their scenes together represent the finest two-hander acting in modern cinema.

Collette's raw, unhinged portrayal of a mother consumed by grief and supernatural horror was criminally snubbed by the Academy. Her dinner table breakdown scene is the most viscerally powerful piece of acting in the horror genre.

Brando's Terry Malloy shattered the conventions of screen acting with raw, improvisational naturalism that had never been seen before. The "I coulda been a contender" scene remains the most iconic moment of Method acting on film.

Ledger's Joker obliterated every previous interpretation of the character with a performance of terrifying, anarchic intensity. His posthumous Oscar was not a sentimental gesture but recognition of a genuinely revolutionary turn.

De Niro gained 60 pounds and trained as a professional boxer to portray Jake LaMotta's self-destructive rage. Scorsese's film gave De Niro the canvas for what many consider the greatest physical transformation in acting history.

Mifune's wild, unhinged Kikuchiyo in Kurosawa's epic bridged the gap between classical Japanese acting and modern screen naturalism. His raw physicality and emotional volatility influenced action heroes for generations.

Blanchett's portrayal of a socialite in psychological freefall after her husband's Ponzi scheme collapses is a masterclass in controlled disintegration. She carries Woody Allen's film entirely on the strength of her devastating performance.

Hopkins appears on screen for barely 16 minutes yet dominates the entire film as Hannibal Lecter. His soft-spoken menace and penetrating stillness created the most terrifying villain in cinema with remarkably little screen time.

The Korean master actor's portrayal of the patriarch Kim Ki-taek navigates Bong Joon-ho's tonal shifts from comedy to thriller to tragedy with seamless grace. His performance anchors the most acclaimed international film of the 21st century.

Phoenix's Freddie Quell is a coiled spring of post-war trauma and animalistic impulse opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman's controlled charisma. Their scenes together represent the finest two-hander acting in modern cinema.

Collette's raw, unhinged portrayal of a mother consumed by grief and supernatural horror was criminally snubbed by the Academy. Her dinner table breakdown scene is the most viscerally powerful piece of acting in the horror genre.