That is a weird goddamn situation. You’d never look at it and thinks it isn’t an American production. I guess as a rule it has to be consistent though.

So 1994
1. Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump
2. Johnny Depp - Ed Wood
3. Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption
4. Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction
5. Jessica Lange - Blue Sky
6. Tim Robbins - The Shawshank Redemption
7. John Travolta - Pulp Fiction
8. Jodie Foster - Nell
9. Mantin Landau - Ed Wood
10. Dianne Wiest - Bullets over Broadway

11. Nigel Hawthorne - The Madness of King George
12. Gary Sinise - Forrest Gump
13. John Turturro - Quiz Show
14. Hugh Grant - Four Wedding and a Funeral
15. Kate Winslet - Heavenly Creatures
16. Melanie Lynskey - Heavenly Creatures
17. Paul Scofield - Quiz Show
18. Paul Newman - Nobody's Foul
19. Helen Mirren - The Madness of King George
20. Ralph Fiennes - Quiz Show

And 1991
1. Anthony Hopkins – The Silence of the Lambs
2. Jodie Foster – The Silence of the Lambs
3. Nick Nolte – The Prince of Tides
4. Geena Davis – Thelma & Louise
5. Robin Williams – The Fisher King
6. Robert De Niro – Cape Fear
7. Susan Sarandon – Thelma & Louise
8. River Phoenix - My Own Private Idaho
9. Warren Beatty – Bugsy
10. Mercedes Ruehl – The Fisher King

11. Laura Dern – Rambling Rose
12. Bette Midler – For the Boys
13. Harvey Keitel – Bugsy
14. Jack Palance – City Slickers
15. John Turturro - Barton Fink
16. Val Kilmer - The Doors
17. Laurence Fishburne - Boyz n the Hood
18. Tommy Lee Jones - JFK
19. Gary Oldman - JFK
20. Anjelica Huston - The Addams Family

Keeping Bruno's #11-20 but playing with top ten.

Looks good.

So 1990?

Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune
Kevin Costner – Dances with Wolves
Robert De Niro – Awakenings
Robin Williams – Awakenings
Richard Harris – The Field
John Hurt - The Field
Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
Robert De Niro - Goodfellas
Ray Liotta - Goodfellas
Bruce Davison – Longtime Companion
Al Pacino - The Godfather Part III
Andy García – The Godfather Part III
Graham Greene – Dances with Wolves
Al Pacino – Dick Tracy
Nicolas Cage - Wild at Heart
Armand Assante - Q & A
Hector - Pretty Woman
Gérard Depardieu – Green Card
Macaulay Culkin – Home Alone
Johnny Depp – Edward Scissorhands
Richard Gere – Pretty Woman
Patrick Swayze – Ghost
Alan Rickman - Truly, Madly, Deeply
Anthony Minghella - Truly, Madly, Deeply

Glenn Close - Reversal of Fortune
Kathy Bates – Misery
Anjelica Huston – The Grifters
Julia Roberts – Pretty Woman
Shirley MacLaine - Postcards from the Edge
Meryl Streep – Postcards from the Edge
Joanne Woodward – Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
Whoopi Goldberg – Ghost
Annette Bening – The Grifters
Lorraine Bracco – Goodfellas
Diane Ladd – Wild at Heart
Mary McDonnell – Dances with Wolves
Michelle Pfeiffer – The Russia House
Susan Sarandon – White Palace
Mia Farrow – Alice
Andie MacDowell – Green Card
Demi Moore – Ghost

"Bruce Davison – Longtime Companion" is from '89.

1990 draft:

1. Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune
2. Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
3. Robert De Niro - Goodfellas
4. Kathy Bates – Misery
5. Kevin Costner – Dances with Wolves
6. Anjelica Huston – The Grifters
7. Julia Roberts – Pretty Woman
8. Robert De Niro – Awakenings
9. Al Pacino – Dick Tracy
10. Whoopi Goldberg – Ghost

11. Robin Williams – Awakenings
12. Johnny Depp – Edward Scissorhands
13. Ray Liotta - Goodfellas
14. Lorraine Bracco – Goodfellas
15. Meryl Streep – Postcards from the Edge
16. Al Pacino - The Godfather Part III
17. Andy García – The Godfather Part III
18. Macaulay Culkin – Home Alone
19. Richard Gere – Pretty Woman
20. Alan Rickman - Truly, Madly, Deeply

I really don’t think Goldberg makes the top 10, or Culkin the top 20. Costner’s high placement is questionable too.
Bates would be a strong #2 I think.

So:

1. Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune
2. Kathy Bates – Misery
3. Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
4. Robert De Niro - Goodfellas
5. Anjelica Huston – The Grifters
6. Julia Roberts – Pretty Woman
7. Robert De Niro – Awakenings
8. Al Pacino – Dick Tracy
9. Robin Williams – Awakenings
10. Johnny Depp – Edward Scissorhands

11. Ray Liotta - Goodfellas
12. Lorraine Bracco – Goodfellas
13. Kevin Costner – Dances with Wolves
14. Al Pacino - The Godfather Part III
15. Meryl Streep – Postcards from the Edge
16. Whoopi Goldberg – Ghost
17. Andy García – The Godfather Part III
18. Richard Gere – Pretty Woman
19. Alan Rickman - Truly, Madly, Deeply
20. Richard Harris – The Field

I'd go with something more like this:

1. Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune
2. Kathy Bates – Misery
3. Anjelica Huston – The Grifters
4. Joe Pesci – Goodfellas
5. Robert De Niro - Goodfellas
6. Julia Roberts – Pretty Woman
7. Robert De Niro – Awakenings
8. Al Pacino – Dick Tracy
9. Johnny Depp – Edward Scissorhands
10. Robin Williams – Awakenings

11. Ray Liotta - Goodfellas
12. Lorraine Bracco – Goodfellas
13. Kevin Costner – Dances with Wolves
14. Al Pacino - The Godfather Part III
15. Meryl Streep – Postcards from the Edge
16. Whoopi Goldberg – Ghost
17. Mia Farrow – Alice
18. Joanne Woodward – Mr. and Mrs. Bridge
19. Alan Rickman - Truly, Madly, Deeply
20. Richard Harris – The Field

I am kinda opposed to Gere being on here. Popularity is relatively small part of criteria plus he was an already established romantic leading man prior to that.

Good.

Most appearances so far (2018-1990):

10
Leonardo DiCaprio

8
Meryl Streep
Kate Winslet

7
Al Pacino
Denzel Washington

6
Tom Hanks
Johnny Depp
Julianne Moore
Ryan Gosling
Amy Adams
Cate Blanchett

5
Daniel Day-Lewis
Robin Williams
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Russel Crowe
Nicole Kidman
Christian Bale
Edward Norton
Viggo Mortensen

4
Robert De Niro
Jack Nicholson
Morgan Freeman
Anthony Hopkins
Sean Penn
Gary Oldman
Tom Cruise
Judi Dench
Jeff Bridges
Bill Murray
Tommy Lee Jones
Ralph Fiennes
Natalie Portman
Joaquin Phoenix
Michael Fassbender
Michelle Williams
Saoirse Ronan

Out of those 5 DDL was in the top 10 each time and only not #1 once, with another guaranteed #1 coming up. Imagine if he did films regularly.

1989

Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot
Kenneth Branagh - Henry V
Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy
Denzel Washington - Glory
Tom Cruise - Born on the Fourth of July
Robin Williams - Dead Poets Society
Marlon Brando - A Dry White Season
Danny Aiello - Do the Right Thing
Al Pacino - Sea of Love
Jack Nicholson - Batman
Jack Lemmon - Dad
Billy Crystal - When Harry Met Sally...
Michael Douglas - The War of the Roses
Steve Martin - Parenthood
Danny Aiello - Do the Right Thing
Dan Aykroyd - Driving Miss Daisy
Marlon Brando - A Dry White Season
Martin Landau - Crimes and Misdemeanors
Sean Connery - Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Ed Harris - Jacknife
Robert De Niro - Jacknife
Bruce Willis - In Country
Ray McAnally - My Left Foot

Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy
Pauline Collins - Shirley Valentine
Jessica Lange - Music Box
Michelle Pfeiffer - The Fabulous Baker Boys
Sally Field - Steel Magnolias
Andie MacDowell - Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Liv Ullmann - The Rose Garden
Meg Ryan - When Harry Met Sally...
Meryl Streep - She-Devil
Kathleen Turner - The War of the Roses
Glenn Close - Dangerous Liaisons
Jodie Foster - The Accused
Melanie Griffith - Working Girl
Brenda Fricker - My Left Foot
Anjelica Huston - Enemies, A Love Story
Lena Olin - Enemies, A Love Story
Julia Roberts - Steel Magnolias
Dianne Wiest - Parenthood
Bridget Fonda - Scandal
Laura San Giacomo - Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Peggy Ashcroft - Madame Sousatzka
Sigourney Weaver - Working Girl