Greatest Film Performances by Year 1980 ‑ 1989
Criteria: Film Performances are ranked based on initial and lasting acclaim, popular and cultural recognition, plus influence. In order to qualify for a list the performance has to come from a predominately English-language film produced or co-produced by American or British production companies.
1989 |
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1. Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot 2. Kenneth Branagh - Henry V 3. Denzel Washington - Glory 4. Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy 5. Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy 6. Tom Cruise - Born on the Fourth of July 7. Robin Williams - Dead Poets Society 8. Michelle Pfeiffer - The Fabulous Baker Boys 9. Pauline Collins - Shirley Valentine 10. Andie MacDowell - Sex, Lies, and Videotape 11. Danny Aiello - Do the Right Thing 12. Morgan Freeman - Glory 13. Meg Ryan - When Harry Met Sally… 14. Gary Oldman - The FIrm 15. Bruce Davison - Longtime Companion 16. Jessica Lange - Music Box 17. Brenda Fricker - My Left Foot 18. Marlon Brando - A Dry White Season 19. Chen Sung-Young - A City of Sadness 20. Julia Roberts - Steel Magnolias |
1988 |
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1. Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man 2. Philippe Noiret - Cinema Paradiso 3. Jodie Foster - The Accused 4. Tom Hanks - Big 5. Jeremy Irons - Dead Ringers 6. Glenn Close - Dangerous Liaisons 7. Kevin Kline - A Fish Called Wanda 8. Gene Hackman - Mississippi Burning 9. Carmen Maura - Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown 10. Isabelle Adjani - Camille Claudel 11. Alan Rickman - Die Hard 12. Edward James Olmos - Stand and Deliver 13. Isabelle Huppert - The Story of Women 14. Michelle Pfeiffer - Dangerous Liaisons 15. Meryl Streep - A Cry in the Dark 16. Susan Sarandon - Bull Durham 17. Sigourney Weaver - Gorillas in the Mist 18. Forest Whitaker - Bird 19. Stefania Sandrelli - Mignon Has Come To Stay 20. Melanie Griffith - Working Girl |
1987 |
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1. Michael Douglas - Wall Street 2. Glenn Close - Fatal Attraction 3. Max Von Sydow - Pelle the Conqueror 4. Marcello Mastroianni - Dark Eyes 5. Sean Connery - The Untouchables 6. Morgan Freeman - Street Smart 7. Cher - Moonstruck 8. Robert Downey Jr. - Less Than Zero 9. Holly Hunter - Broadcast News 10. Jack Nicholson - Ironweed 11. Albert Brooks - Broadcast News 12. Robin Williams - Good Morning Vietnam 13. R. Lee Ermey - Full Metal Jacket 14. Richard E. Grant- Withnail & I 15. Sally Kirkland - Anna 16. Olympia Dukakis - Moonstruck 17. Christian Bale - Empire of the Sun 18. Bruno Ganz - Wings of Desire 19. Meryl Streep - Ironweed 20. Vincent D’onofrio - Full Metal Jacket |
1986 |
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1. Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet 2. Willem Dafoe - Platoon 3. Daniel Auteuil - Jean de Florette 4. Gary Oldman - Sid & Nancy 5. Gérard Depardieu - Jean de Florette 6. Erland Josephson - The Sacrifice 7. James Woods - Salvador 8. Paul Newman - The Color of Money 9. Marlee Matlin- Children of a Lesser God 10. Sigourney Weaver - Aliens 11. Yves Montand - Jean de Florette 12. Bob Hoskins - Mona Lisa 13. Dianne Wiest - Hannah and Her Sisters 14. Matthew Broderick - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off 15. Sissy Spacek - Crimes of the Heart 16. Kathleen Turner - Peggy Sue Got Married 17. Chow Yun-Fat - A Better Tomorrow 18. Jeff Goldblum - The Fly 19. Michael Rooker - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 20. Michael Caine - Hannah and Her Sisters |
1985 |
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1. William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman 2. Sandrine Bonnaire - Vagabond 3. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple 4. Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful 5. Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor 6. Jon Voight - Runaway Train 7. Aleksei Kravchenko - Come and See 8. Raúl Juliá - Kiss of the Spider Woman 9. Harrison Ford - Witness 10. Tatsuya Nakadai - Ran 11. Robert Redford - Out Of África 12. Meryl Streep - Out of África 13. Norma Aleandro - The Official Story 14. Jackie Chan - Police Story 15. Christopher Lloyd - Back to the Future 16. Gerard Depardieu - Police 17. Ken Ogata - Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters 18. Jack Nicholson - Prizzi's Honor 19. Klaus Maria Brandauer - Out of África 20. Mieko Harada - Ran |
1984 |
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1. F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus 2. Albert Finney - Under the Volcano 3. Sally Field - Places in the Heart 4. Robert De Niro - Once Upon A Time In America 5. Harry Dean Stanton - Paris, Texas 6. Haing S. Ngor - The Killing Fields 7. Peggy Ashcroft - A Passage to India 8. John Malkovich - Places in the Heart 9. James Woods - Once Upon A Time In America 10. Jeff Bridges - Starman 11. Tom Hulce - Amadeus 12. Vanessa Redgrave - The Bostonians 13. Nastassja Kinski - Paris, Texas 14. Claudia Cardinale - Claretta 15. Bill Murray - Ghostbusters 16. Arnold Schwarzenegger - The Terminator 17. Robert Redford - The Natural 18. Alain Delon - Notre Histoire 19. Eddie Murphy - Beverly Hills Cop 20. Robin Williams - Moscow on the Hudson |
1983 |
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1. Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment 2. Al Pacino - Scarface 3. Meryl Streep - Silkwood 4. Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies 5. Jack Nicholson - Terms of Endearment 6. Tom Courtenay - The Dresser 7. Christopher Walken - The Dead Zone 8. Albert Finney - The Dresser 9. Jane Alexander - Testament 10. Cher - Silkwood 11. Debra Winger - Terms of Endearment 12. Gerard Depardieu - Danton 13. David Bowie - Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence 14. Michael Caine - Educating Rita 15. Tom Conti - Reuben, Reuben 16. Julie Walters - Educating Rita 17. James Woods - Videodrome 18. Jackie Chan - Project A 19. Eric Roberts - Star 80 20. Charles Durning - To Be or Not to Be |
1982 |
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1. Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice 2. Ben Kingsley - Gandhi 3. Robert De Niro - The King of Comedy 4. Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie 5. Paul Newman - The Verdict 6. Jack Lemmon - Missing 7. Klaus Kinski - Fitzcarraldo 8. Rutger Hauer - Blade Runner 9. Jessica Lange - Frances 10. Peter O'Toole - My Favourite Year 11. Julie Andrews - Victor/Victoria 12. Diane Keaton - Shoot the Moon 13. Jan Malmsjo - Fanny and Alexander 14. Sissy Spacek - Missing 15. Glenn Close - The World According to Garp 16. Robert Preston - Victor/Victoria 17. Linda Hunt - The Year of Living Dangerously 18. Harrison Ford - Blade Runner 19. Louis Gossett Jr. - An Officer and a Gentleman 20. Claudia Cardinale - Fitzcarraldo |
1981 |
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1. Isabelle Adjani - Possession 2. Meryl Streep - The French Lieutenant's Woman 3. Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond 4. Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond 5. Harrison Ford - Raiders of the Lost Ark 6. John Gielgud - Arthur 7. Diane Keaton - Reds 8. Paul Newman - Absence of Malice 9. Jack Nicholson - Reds 10. Dudley Moore - Arthur 11. Jeremy Irons - The French Lieutenant's Woman 12. Bernadette Peters - Pennies from Heaven 13. Howard E. Rollins - Ragtime 13. Maureen Stapleton - Reds 14. Michel Piccoli - Strange Affair 15. Maureen Stapleton - Reds 16. Ian Holm - Chariots of Fire 17. Warren Beatty - Reds 18. Melinda Dillon - Absence of Malice 19. Ben Cross - Chariots of Fire 20. Ian Charleson - Chariots of Fire |
1980 |
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1. Robert De Niro - Raging Bull 2. Jack Nicholson - The Shining 3. Sissy Spacek - The Coal Miner's Daughter 4. John Hurt - The Elephant Man 5. Catherine Deneuve - The Last Metro 6. Burt Lancaster - Atlantic City 7. Timothy Hutton - Ordinary People 8. Gerard Depardieu - The Last Metro 9. Tatsuya Nakadai - Kagemusha 10. Joe Pesci - Raging Bull 11. Mary Tyler Moore - Ordinary People 12. Gena Rowlands - Gloria 13. Peter O'Toole - The Stunt Man 14. Leslie Nielsen - Airplane! 15. Marilia Pera - Pixote 16. Michel Piccoli - A Leap in the Dark 17. Anouk Aimee - A Leap in the Dark 18. Donald Sutherland - Ordinary People 19. Anthony Hopkins - The Elephant Man 20. Bob Hoskins - The Long Good Friday |
Edited By: Tim, Bruno, Luuk, Sherick
Last Updated: 2026-04-17
Last Updated: 2026-04-17

