For a long time, male-driven narratives have dominated the world of movie fan culture and criticism. Movies have often been thought of as stereotypically featuring a male lead with a female co-star–or even just a female supporting actor who isn't playing a lead role. In fact, most movies that are considered to be "the best" in mainstream discourse are those that specifically have largely male actors playing main roles.
This bias is, of course, reflected on IMDb's Top 250 List, which displays the highest-rated movies according to regular viewers. When looking at IMDb's list, it's impossible to find even a single female actor who has the same number of highly-rated movies as their male colleagues. This balance looks to hopefully shift in the future but, for now, here are the actors with the most movies on the list.
Brad Pitt - 5 Movies
Brad Pitt has been an A-lister for quite some time now, but even though he is more concerned with producing at the moment than he is with acting, his acting filmography remains one of the strongest even among his peers.
His movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are Fight Club, Se7en, Inglourious Basterds, Snatch, and 12 Years a Slave.
Christian Bale - 6 Movies
Christian Bale is mostly known for being a chameleon when it comes to transforming himself for different roles, but it's his acting skills and his charisma that have really helped him land the roles that he did.
Bale's movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, The Prestige, Ford v Ferrari and, Howl's Moving Castle (for which he voiced Howl in the dub).
Charlie Chaplin - 6 Movies
Charlie Chaplin is an iconic filmmaker whose talent helped him become not just one of the greatest directors of all time, but also one of the most well-known actors, who was amazing both in comedic and in dramatic roles.
Chaplin's acting credits that earned him movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are Modern Times, City Lights, The Great Dictator, The Kid, The Gold Rush, and The Circus.
Hugo Weaving - 6 Movies
Hugo Weaving is probably not an actor that anyone can name immediately. And yet, Weaving's unique appearance has made him a memorable person even if he appears in prominent roles only from time to time and often plays villains.
His movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Matrix, V for Vendetta, and Hacksaw Ridge.
Michael Caine - 6 Movies
In recent years, Michael Caine has been mostly known for regularly starring in Christopher Nolan's movies. And while he did have amazing works in his filmography even before that, Nolan's movies did help him become a more recognizable actor among the general public.
No wonder that his movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are all Nolan's creations, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Interstellar, and The Prestige.
Tom Hanks - 6 Movies
Tom Hanks is probably one of the most universally beloved actors with a lengthy career that is still going strong. His roles range from dramatic to comedic to the ones that fall somewhere in-between and never fail to amaze and excite audiences as well as earn him multiple award nominations and wins.
Hanks' movies on the IMDb Top 250 List are Forrest Gump, The Green Mile, Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story, Toy Story 3, and Catch Me If You Can.
Leonardo DiCaprio - 6 Movies
Known as much for his looks as for his race for the Oscar and his environmentalism, Leonardo DiCaprio has remained an icon for generations and is still landing some of the best roles in his career. Even as a teenager, he was praised for his talent and considered to be a promising young actor that would go on to quickly rise to stardom.
DiCaprio has six movies on IMDb's Top 250 List which are Inception, The Departed, Django Unchained, The Wolf of Wall Street, Shutter Island, and Catch Me If You Can.
Morgan Freeman - 7 Movies
Morgan Freeman is one of those actors whose appearance stays consistent through the years. But while some may know him as eternally old-looking, others remember him for his distinctive voice that has narrated so many exceptional movies.
Freeman's movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Rises, Unforgiven, and Million Dollar Baby.
Samuel L. Jackson - 7 Movies
Considered to be the highest-grossing actor of all time, it's unsurprising that Samuel L. Jackson has so many highly-rated movies. From crime classics to superhero movies to animation - his filmography seems to have it all with the actor playing one iconic role after the other.
Jackson's movies on IMDb's Top 250 List include Pulp Fiction, Goodfellas, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, Django Unchained, Inglourious Basterds, and Jurassic Park.
Robert De Niro - 9 Movies
It's unsurprising yet still surprising that Robert De Niro is the one with the most movies on the list. His lengthy career has given him quite a few iconic roles and numerous nominations and wins on all the major award shows while audiences love him endlessly.
De Niro's movies on IMDb's Top 250 List are The Godfather: Part II, Goodfellas, Joker, Once Upon a Time in America, Taxi Driver, Heat, Casino, Raging Bull, and The Deer Hunter.