A great actor can either make or break a film. They must be able to breathe life into a fictional character and make it believable for audiences. Many actors, nowadays, opt for the Stanislavski method, which allows them to “experience” the characters they are portraying to give a more authentic rendition of the character.

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Several actors have mastered this method and have become great character actors in the process. While some are sadly gone, there are still many greats that continue to bless the screen with their presence. Fans on Ranker have weighed in on who are the best of all time.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Every Movie Leonardo DiCaprio Has Died In dont look up django unchained blood diamond

A successful actor from a young age, Leonardo DiCaprio started his acting career in commercials and soon worked his way up to sitcoms, culminating with his starring role in the epic film Titanic, the highest-grossing film at the time, which skyrocketed DiCaprio to international stardom.

DiCaprio is also well known for his work portraying Howard Hughes in The Aviator and his starring role in the science fiction film, Inception. He has cited James Dean as one of his biggest acting influences, especially in the movie East of Eden, where DiCaprio was impressed with Dean's raw and powerful performance, as mentioned by Deadline. DiCaprio mentioned that the best part of acting is that he gets to live multiple lives and that when you make a movie you go off to different places and live amongst different cultures (Parade).

Gene Hackman

Gene Hackman looking melancholic in The Royal Tenenbaums

Winner of two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes, Gene Hackman is known for his no-nonsense tough characters, especially in films like The French Connection, Bonnie and Clyde, and A Bridge Too Far. The Golden Age of Hackman's career was the 1970s when he was nominated for several Oscars, as he was known for his intuitive and instinctive acting.

Famed English filmmaker, Alan Parker, described in the book The Films of Alan Parker by David F. Gonthier, Jr. and Timothy M. O’Brien that Hackman could look at a scene, cut through to what is necessary, and figure out what is essential for the part and the charter he is portraying After several decades of acting, Hackman decided to retire and pursue a career as a novelist and he has since published several historical novels.

Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington boxing in The Hurricane

Both an accomplished screen and stage actor, Denzel Washington started his career off-Broadway as a Shakespearean actor. After several years of supporting roles, Washington rose to fame for his striking and realistic portrayal of Malcolm X, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award.

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In 1999, Washington portrayed boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter in the film The Hurricane. Through his portrayal of the real-life boxer who spent 20 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, Washington garnered much praise, including from the famed film critic Roger Ebert, who compared it to his work on Malcolm X. In 2021, Washington returned to his Shakesperian roots in the film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which received universal acclaim as well.

Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando in The Godfather

One of the early pioneers of the Stanislavski method in the United States, Brando perfected it through his various character roles of the '50s, '60s, and into the '70s. Seen as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, Brando was also a notable activist for many causes including Native American and civil rights.

Brando is perhaps best known for his portrayal of legendary mafia boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Although he was a challenging actor to work with, according to Far Out, Brando still gained the appreciation and admiration of many of his contemporaries for his unapologetic acting style. Years after his death, Brando is still seen as an enigma to both audiences and fellow actors alike.

Paul Newman

Fast Eddie playing pool in The Hustler

A contemporary of Marlon Brando and fellow pioneer of the Stanislavski method, Paul Newman cultivated his own brand centered around his racing career, political activism, no-nonsense anti-hero roles, and famous blue eyes.

No role best exemplified Newman’s bad-boy brand than of the pool shark, “Fast” Eddie Felson in the film The Hustler. He is better known for the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where he portrayed the famous Wild West bank robber, Butch Cassidy. The film garnered seven Academy Award nominations.

Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis in The Last of the Mochians.

Arguably the greatest English method actor, Daniel Day-Lewis has won three Academy Awards and six nominations as well as four BAFTA Awards with six nominations. Also getting his start in theater, Daniel Day-Lewis perfected his unique method acting style known for his meticulous research and unwavering devotion to authenticity. He was known to stay in character throughout the entire shooting of a film, even to the point of affecting his health negatively, according to The Guardian.

First becoming known to American audiences with his starring role in The Last of the Mohicans, Daniel Day-Lewis later starred opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York. During filming, Daniel Day-Lewis contracted pneumonia, as reported by The Telegraph, because he refused to wear a coat or get medical treatment as he considered it not accurate to the time period. Audiences will also know Daniel Day-Lewis from his other great starring roles in There Will Be Blood and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, for which he received the Oscar for Best Actor.

Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voigt in Midnight Cowboy

A true Renaissance Man in terms of acting portrayals, Dustin Hoffman could just as easily portray a jaded anti-hero as a fresh-faced idealist. He became a household name after he starred in the coming of age film The Graduate, and the film was later inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry as being culturally historically and aesthetically significant.

Hoffman went on to star in such classic films as Midnight Cowboy, All the President's Men, Kramer vs Kramer, and Tootsie. His wide array of acting roles, often portraying marginalized anti-heroes, allowed him to try out a variety of creative directions in an attempt to portray complex characters in a realistic light.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption

Known for his booming God-like voice and flexibility in a variety of movie roles and genres, Morgan Freeman has been an acting icon for an entire generation of filmgoers. Another great actor who got his start in Shakespearean plays, Freeman's breakout role was in the film Street Smart, opposite Christopher Reeve, for which he was nominated for an Oscar.

Freeman then went on to star in many big-name dramas, including Driving Miss Daisy, for which he won the Academy Award, Unforgiven, opposite Clint Eastwood, and probably his most famous role in the prison drama The Shawshank Redemption. Freeman's trademark voice provides a deep and reassuring presence that every person can relate to and appreciate.

Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins as a smiling Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs

With a career spanning more than 60 years, Anthony Hopkins has seen various fellow actors and directors come and go, but stays iconic and very much in demand. He is a man of many talents outside of acting, as he is both a director and producer and outside the film world, he is also a successful composer and painter.

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Hopkins is best known for his portrayal of serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the film The Silence of the Lambs, for which he earned an Oscar for Best Actor. His acting style is renowned in Hollywood circles and he is especially known for his meticulous preparation for each role, as reported by The Guardian, to the point where they sound unmistakably natural. Hopkins is also near perfect at imitating different accents, according to the BBC, and uses them to great success in his various roles.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump

While not having as long of a career as some of his other colleagues on this list, Tom Hanks has nonetheless made an incredible impact on American cinema. Having great versatility in his acting style and being able to do both dramatic and comedic roles, Hank’s popularity transcends borders and languages and is arguably one of the most recognizable American actors of modern time.

Starting in the late 1980s, Hanks starred in hit film after hit film, receiving much praise for his humanistic acting style in movies such as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, and Saving Private Ryan. The box office take for all his movies hovers around $5 billion for just the North American box office alone, according to Yahoo Finance, making him the fifth-highest box office star of all time. Hanks shows no sign of slowing down and perhaps his best is yet to come.

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