100 Greatest Male Acting
Performances 1920-1969
Criteria: These perfomances are based on characterization, charisma, intensity, and mainly on how well the actor portrayed the role. The genre of the role has no affect on its placement. Comedy, drama, and action, as well as both leading roles and supporting roles were all given a fair consideration.
Movie Title - Movie Actor (Year)
1. On The Waterfront
Marlon Brando - 1954
2. Dr. Strangelove
Peter Sellers - 1964
3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
James Stewart - 1939
4. The Bridge On The River Kwai
Alec Guinness - 1957
5. Hamlet
Laurence Olivier - 1948
6. Rebel Without a Cause
James Dean - 1955
7. Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart - 1942
8. High Noon
Gary Cooper - 1952
9. Citizen Kane
Orson Wells - 1941
10. North by Northwest
Cary Grant - 1959
11. To Kill a Mockingbird
Gregory Peck - 1962
12. Once Upon a Time in the West
Henry Fonda - 1968
13. A Streetcar Named Desire
Marlon Brando -1951
14. City Lights
Charles Chaplin - 1931
15. The Maltese Falcon
Humphrey Bogart - 1941
16. Stalag 17
William Holden - 1953
17. Night of the Hunter
Robert Mitchum - 1955
18. From Here to Eternity
Montgomery Clift - 1953
19. Psycho
Anthony Perkins - 1960
20. From Here To Eternity
Burt Lancaster - 1953
21. 12 Angry Men
Henry Fonda - 1957
22. It's a Wonderful Life
James Stewart - 1946
23. White Heat
James Cagney - 1949
24. The Great Dictator
Charles Chaplin - 1940
25. Boys Town
Spencer Tracy - 1938
26. The Philadelphia Story
James Stewart - 1940
27. Kind Hearts and Coronets
Alec Guinness - 1949
28. The African Queen
Humphrey Bogart - 1951
29. Yankee Doodle Dandy
James Cagney - 1942
30. Lawrence of Arabia
Peter O'Toole - 1962
31. Touch of Evil
Orson Wells - 1958
32. On The Waterfront
Rod Steiger - 1954
33. The Third Man
Orson Welles - 1949
34. The Lost Weekend
Ray Milland - 1945
35. Rear Window
James Stewart - 1954
36. His Girl Friday
Cary Grant - 1940
37. The Apartment
Jack Lemmon - 1960
38. Mutiny On The Bounty
Charles Laughton - 1935
39. Notorius
Claude Rains - 1946
40. M
Peter Lorre - 1931
41. Elmer Gantry
Burt Lancaster - 1960
42. Some Like It Hot
Jack Lemmon - 1959
43. The Searchers
John Wayne - 1956
44. Gone With The Wind
Clarke Gable - 1939
45. A Place in the Sun
Montgomery Clift - 1951
46. Wuthering Heights
Laurence Olivier - 1939
47. The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman - 1967
48. Death of a Salesman
Frederic March - 1951
49. The Grapes of Wrath
Henry Fonda - 1940
50. In the Heat of the Night
Sydney Portier - 1967
51. Cape Fear
Robert Mitchum - 1962
52. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Gary Cooper - 1936
53. The Gold Rush
Charlie Chaplin - 1925
54. Sunset Boulevard
William Holden - 1950
55. It Happened One Night
Clarke Gable - 1934
56. Vertigo
James Stewart - 1958
57. East of Eden
James Dean - 1955
58. Rashomon
Toshiro Mifune - 1950
59. Notorius
Cary Grant - 1946
60. Shadow Of A Doubt
Joseph Cotten - 1943
61. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Claude Rains - 1939
62. Viva Zapata
Marlon Brando - 1952
63. Bonnie and Clyde
Warren Beatty - 1967
64. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Humphrey Bogart - 1948
65. Dr. Strangelove
George C. Scott - 1964
66. Spartacus
Kirk Douglas - 1960
67. Birdman of Alcatraz
Burt Lancaster - 1962
68. Bullitt
Steve McQueen - 1968
69. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Clint Eastwood - 1966
70. 12 Angry Men
Lee J. Cobb - 1957
71. From Russia With Love
Sean Connery - 1964
72. The Manchurian Candidate
Frank Sinatra - 1962
73. Strangers On A Train
Robert Walker - 1951
74. Casablanca
Claude Rains - 1942
75. Arsenic And Old Lace
Cary Grant - 1944
76. The Maltese Falcon
Peter Lorre - 1941
77. Spellbound
Gregory Peck - 1945
78. None But The Lonely Heart
Cary Grant - 1944
79. On The Waterfront
Karl Malden - 1954
80. Rebecca
Laurence Olivier - 1940
81. The Defiant Ones
Sydney Poitier - 1958
82. Marty
Ernest Borgnine - 1955
83. The Entertainer
Laurence Olivier - 1960
84. Days of Wine and Roses
Jack Lemmon - 1962
85. Henry V
Laurence Olivier - 1944
86. The Band Wagon
Fred Astaire - 1953
87. Lilies of the Field
Sydney Poitier - 1963
88. True Grit
John Wayne - 1969
89. Hud
Paul Newman - 1963
90. The Wizard of Oz
Ray Bulger - 1939
91. Captains Courageous
Spencer Tracy - 1937
92. Little Ceaser
Edward G. Robinson - 1930
93. Othello
Laurence Olivier - 1965
94. Harvey
James Stewart - 1950
95. Cyrano de Bergerac
Jose Ferrer - 1950
96. Sayonara
Marlon Brando - 1957
97. The Best Years of Our Lives
Frederic March - 1946
98. Sergeant York
Gary Cooper - 1941
99. Duck Soup
Groucho Marx - 1932
100. Gigot
Jackie Gleason - 1962
1. On The Waterfront
Marlon Brando - 1954
2. Dr. Strangelove
Peter Sellers - 1964
3. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
James Stewart - 1939
4. The Bridge On The River Kwai
Alec Guinness - 1957
5. Hamlet
Laurence Olivier - 1948
6. Rebel Without a Cause
James Dean - 1955
7. Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart - 1942
8. High Noon
Gary Cooper - 1952
9. Citizen Kane
Orson Wells - 1941
10. North by Northwest
Cary Grant - 1959
11. To Kill a Mockingbird
Gregory Peck - 1962
12. Once Upon a Time in the West
Henry Fonda - 1968
13. A Streetcar Named Desire
Marlon Brando -1951
14. City Lights
Charles Chaplin - 1931
15. The Maltese Falcon
Humphrey Bogart - 1941
16. Stalag 17
William Holden - 1953
17. Night of the Hunter
Robert Mitchum - 1955
18. From Here to Eternity
Montgomery Clift - 1953
19. Psycho
Anthony Perkins - 1960
20. From Here To Eternity
Burt Lancaster - 1953
21. 12 Angry Men
Henry Fonda - 1957
22. It's a Wonderful Life
James Stewart - 1946
23. White Heat
James Cagney - 1949
24. The Great Dictator
Charles Chaplin - 1940
25. Boys Town
Spencer Tracy - 1938
26. The Philadelphia Story
James Stewart - 1940
27. Kind Hearts and Coronets
Alec Guinness - 1949
28. The African Queen
Humphrey Bogart - 1951
29. Yankee Doodle Dandy
James Cagney - 1942
30. Lawrence of Arabia
Peter O'Toole - 1962
31. Touch of Evil
Orson Wells - 1958
32. On The Waterfront
Rod Steiger - 1954
33. The Third Man
Orson Welles - 1949
34. The Lost Weekend
Ray Milland - 1945
35. Rear Window
James Stewart - 1954
36. His Girl Friday
Cary Grant - 1940
37. The Apartment
Jack Lemmon - 1960
38. Mutiny On The Bounty
Charles Laughton - 1935
39. Notorius
Claude Rains - 1946
40. M
Peter Lorre - 1931
41. Elmer Gantry
Burt Lancaster - 1960
42. Some Like It Hot
Jack Lemmon - 1959
43. The Searchers
John Wayne - 1956
44. Gone With The Wind
Clarke Gable - 1939
45. A Place in the Sun
Montgomery Clift - 1951
46. Wuthering Heights
Laurence Olivier - 1939
47. The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman - 1967
48. Death of a Salesman
Frederic March - 1951
49. The Grapes of Wrath
Henry Fonda - 1940
50. In the Heat of the Night
Sydney Portier - 1967
51. Cape Fear
Robert Mitchum - 1962
52. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
Gary Cooper - 1936
53. The Gold Rush
Charlie Chaplin - 1925
54. Sunset Boulevard
William Holden - 1950
55. It Happened One Night
Clarke Gable - 1934
56. Vertigo
James Stewart - 1958
57. East of Eden
James Dean - 1955
58. Rashomon
Toshiro Mifune - 1950
59. Notorius
Cary Grant - 1946
60. Shadow Of A Doubt
Joseph Cotten - 1943
61. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Claude Rains - 1939
62. Viva Zapata
Marlon Brando - 1952
63. Bonnie and Clyde
Warren Beatty - 1967
64. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Humphrey Bogart - 1948
65. Dr. Strangelove
George C. Scott - 1964
66. Spartacus
Kirk Douglas - 1960
67. Birdman of Alcatraz
Burt Lancaster - 1962
68. Bullitt
Steve McQueen - 1968
69. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
Clint Eastwood - 1966
70. 12 Angry Men
Lee J. Cobb - 1957
71. From Russia With Love
Sean Connery - 1964
72. The Manchurian Candidate
Frank Sinatra - 1962
73. Strangers On A Train
Robert Walker - 1951
74. Casablanca
Claude Rains - 1942
75. Arsenic And Old Lace
Cary Grant - 1944
76. The Maltese Falcon
Peter Lorre - 1941
77. Spellbound
Gregory Peck - 1945
78. None But The Lonely Heart
Cary Grant - 1944
79. On The Waterfront
Karl Malden - 1954
80. Rebecca
Laurence Olivier - 1940
81. The Defiant Ones
Sydney Poitier - 1958
82. Marty
Ernest Borgnine - 1955
83. The Entertainer
Laurence Olivier - 1960
84. Days of Wine and Roses
Jack Lemmon - 1962
85. Henry V
Laurence Olivier - 1944
86. The Band Wagon
Fred Astaire - 1953
87. Lilies of the Field
Sydney Poitier - 1963
88. True Grit
John Wayne - 1969
89. Hud
Paul Newman - 1963
90. The Wizard of Oz
Ray Bulger - 1939
91. Captains Courageous
Spencer Tracy - 1937
92. Little Ceaser
Edward G. Robinson - 1930
93. Othello
Laurence Olivier - 1965
94. Harvey
James Stewart - 1950
95. Cyrano de Bergerac
Jose Ferrer - 1950
96. Sayonara
Marlon Brando - 1957
97. The Best Years of Our Lives
Frederic March - 1946
98. Sergeant York
Gary Cooper - 1941
99. Duck Soup
Groucho Marx - 1932
100. Gigot
Jackie Gleason - 1962
Honorable Mentions
The Awful Truth
Cary Grant - 1937
A Man for All Seasons
Paul Scofield - 1966
A Night at the Opera
Groucho Marx - 1935
Ball of Fire
Gary Cooper - 1941
Becket
Peter O'Toole - 1964
Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston - 1959
Bringing Up Baby
Cary Grant - 1938
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Paul Newman - 1958
Champion
Kirk Douglas - 1949
Cool Hand Luke
Paul Newman - 1967
Dr. Strangelove
Sterling Hayden - 1964
The Fortune Cookie
Walter Matthau - 1966
The Fortune Cookie
Jack Lemmon - 1966
Giant
Rock Hudson - 1956
The General
Buster Keaton - 1927
The Great Escape
Steve McQueen - 1963
High Sierra
Humphrey Bogart - 1941
Its a Gift
W.C. Fields - 1934
Key Largo
Edward G. Robinson - 1948
The King and I
Yul Brynner - 1956
The Ladykillers
Alec Guinness - 1955
Watch On The Rhine
Paul Lukas -1943
The Lion in Winter
Peter O'Toole - 1968
The Man in the White Suit
Alec Guinness - 1951
Midnight Cowboy
Dustin Hoffman - 1969
Monsieur Verdoux
Charles Chaplin - 1947
Oliver Twist
Alec Guinness - 1948
Out of the Past
Robert Mitchum - 1947
Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson - 1959
Planet of the Apes
Roddy McDowell - 1968
The Public Enemy
James Cagney - 1931
The Quiet Man
John Wayne - 1952
Richard III
Laurence Olivier - 1955
Singin' in the Rain
Gene Kelly - 1952
Singin' in the Rain
Donald O'Connor - 1952
Spartacus
Laurence Olivier - 1960
Top Hat
Fred Astaire - 1935
Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
Richard Burton - 1966
The Wild One
Marlon Brando - 1953
Yojimbo
Toshiro Mifune - 1961
Cary Grant - 1937
A Man for All Seasons
Paul Scofield - 1966
A Night at the Opera
Groucho Marx - 1935
Ball of Fire
Gary Cooper - 1941
Becket
Peter O'Toole - 1964
Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston - 1959
Bringing Up Baby
Cary Grant - 1938
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Paul Newman - 1958
Champion
Kirk Douglas - 1949
Cool Hand Luke
Paul Newman - 1967
Dr. Strangelove
Sterling Hayden - 1964
The Fortune Cookie
Walter Matthau - 1966
The Fortune Cookie
Jack Lemmon - 1966
Giant
Rock Hudson - 1956
The General
Buster Keaton - 1927
The Great Escape
Steve McQueen - 1963
High Sierra
Humphrey Bogart - 1941
Its a Gift
W.C. Fields - 1934
Key Largo
Edward G. Robinson - 1948
The King and I
Yul Brynner - 1956
The Ladykillers
Alec Guinness - 1955
Watch On The Rhine
Paul Lukas -1943
The Lion in Winter
Peter O'Toole - 1968
The Man in the White Suit
Alec Guinness - 1951
Midnight Cowboy
Dustin Hoffman - 1969
Monsieur Verdoux
Charles Chaplin - 1947
Oliver Twist
Alec Guinness - 1948
Out of the Past
Robert Mitchum - 1947
Pillow Talk
Rock Hudson - 1959
Planet of the Apes
Roddy McDowell - 1968
The Public Enemy
James Cagney - 1931
The Quiet Man
John Wayne - 1952
Richard III
Laurence Olivier - 1955
Singin' in the Rain
Gene Kelly - 1952
Singin' in the Rain
Donald O'Connor - 1952
Spartacus
Laurence Olivier - 1960
Top Hat
Fred Astaire - 1935
Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?
Richard Burton - 1966
The Wild One
Marlon Brando - 1953
Yojimbo
Toshiro Mifune - 1961
Edited By: Devin, Lew
Last Updated: 2017-10-02Newly added names are in Red