Greatest Screen Performances per Film Actors

[Tim]

Al Pacino (1940–)
1. The Godfather Part ll (1974)
2. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
3. Serpico (1973)
4. The Godfather (1972)
5. Angels in America (2003)
6. Scarface (1983)
7. Scent of a Woman (1992)
8. ...And Justice for All (1979)
9. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
10. Dick Tracy (1990)

Heat, The Irishman?

I'd say everything on his list beats Heat in terms of award recognition clearly. Irishman is close to making it by that metric but it's also not as generously placed on 2019 list as Dick Tracey and Glengarry Glen Ross on their yearly lists. Donnie Brasco is another one which I would consider for addition before Heat.

[ManPerson]

Figured I'd make a list for someone whose work is generally more within the realm of television.

Giancarlo Esposito (1958-)
1. Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
2. Better Call Saul (2015-2022)
3. The Mandalorian (2019-2023)
4. Do the Right Thing (1989)
5. Godfather of Harlem (2019-)
6. Fresh (1995)
7. The Boys (2019-2026)
8. Revolution (2012-2014)
9. Homicide: Life On the Street (1993-1999)
10. Far Cry 6 (2021)

[Tim]

Put up on the first page except for changing the dates to specifically the seasons he appeared in.

[ManPerson]

Bigger Than Life seems like a big omission from Mason's list, I'd probably even have it at #1.

[Sherick]

Forgot to change Depp's list, how about this:

1. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
2. Ed Wood (1994)
3. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
4. Finding Neverland (2004)
5. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
6. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)
7. Black Mass (2015)
8. Donnie Brasco (1997)
9. Blow (2001)
10. Benny & Joon (1993)

Scissorhands still too high imo. I don’t really put much stock in”breakthrough roles”

[Tim]

Even leaving that aside, it's still one of Depp's signature roles. How about #5 for it?

[Tim]

Bigger Than Life seems like a big omission from Mason's list, I'd probably even have it at #1.

Added.

[ManPerson]

Edward Scissorhands always seems to show up in the top 3-4 Depp performances in lists I've seen while Finding Neverland's reputation doesn't seem as strong these days. It's also clearly his second most iconic performance after Pirates. Even putting aside how it was a breakthrough for his career, I'm pretty strongly against moving it down, personally.

[Tim]

Would you have Todd over Neverland as well?

[ManPerson]

I see them as being pretty close.

[Sherick]

That’s all I have to contribute then. Good list

[Dubrow555]

I'm fine with Depp's list as well, even though this is absent:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27541298/

[Tim]

Made some changes to the lists on the first page, including basically remaking Jackie Chan's list.

[Sherick]

Michael Fassbender:
1. Shame (2011)
2. Steve Jobs (2015)
3. 12 Years a Salve (2013)
4. Hunger (2008)
5. A Dangerous Method (2011)
6. X-Men: First Class (2011)
7. Fish Tank (2009)
8. Jane Eyre (2011)
9. Alien: Covenant (2017)
10. Macbeth (2015)

Michael B. Jordan:
1. Sinners (2025)
2. Black Panther (2018)
3. Fruitvale Station (2013)
4. Creed (2015)
5. Fahrenheit 451 (2018)
6. All My Children (2003-2006)
7. The Wire (2002)
8. Creed III (2023)
9. Just Mercy (2019)
10. Chronicle (2012)

Edward Norton:
1. American History X (1998)
2. Fight Club (1999)
3. Primal Fear (1996)
4. Birdman (2014)
5. 25th Hour (2002)
6. A Complete Unknown (2025)
7. Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
8. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
9. The People vs Larry Flynt (1996)
10. The Illusionist (2006)

Paul Giamatti:
1. John Adams (2008)
2. The Holdovers (2023)
3. American Splendor (2003)
4. Sideways (2003)
5. Cinderella Man (2005)
6. The Illusionist (2006)
7. Too Big to Fail (2011)
8. Barney's Version (2010)
9. Billions (2016-2023)
10. Man on the Moon (1999)

[Tim]

Nice picks for the lists, here's what I drafted for Norton and Fassbender.

Edward Norton (1969–)
1. American History X (1998)
2. Primal Fear (1996)
3. Fight Club (1999)
4. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
5. 25th Hour (2002)
6. A Complete Unknown (2024)
7. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
8. The Painted Veil (2006)
9. Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
10. The Score (2001)

Michael Fassbender (1977–)
1. Shame (2011)
2. Steve Jobs (2015)
3. Hunger (2008)
4. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
5. A Dangerous Method (2011)
6. Macbeth (2015)
7. X-Men: The First Class (2011)
8. Frank (2014)
9. Fish Tank (2009)
10. Prometheus (2012)

[Sherick]

Edward Norton (1969–)
1. American History X (1998)
2. Primal Fear (1996)
3. Fight Club (1999)
4. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
5. 25th Hour (2002)
6. A Complete Unknown (2024)
7. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
8. The Painted Veil (2006)
9. Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
10. The Score (2001)

Bottom three are pretty loose, but I see a good amount of awards for People v. Larry Flynt that far exceeds to the others. Primal Fear and Fight Club could go either way.

Michael Fassbender (1977–)
1. Shame (2011)
2. Steve Jobs (2015)
3. Hunger (2008)
4. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
5. A Dangerous Method (2011)
6. Macbeth (2015)
7. X-Men: The First Class (2011)
8. Frank (2014)
9. Fish Tank (2009)
10. Prometheus (2012)

That's a pretty high placement for Macbeth. I wasn't even totally sold on if it would be top 10 (though it should be). I get Prometheus was talked about more, but man Covenant is where he really shines.