Greatest Film Performances by Year (US/UK) (Revision Version)

[Tim]

Think we can put it on the first page? Guess Man could still argue Leo v Penn & Stellan v MBJ.

1. Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
2. Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
3. Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
4. Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
5. Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
6. Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
7. Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
8. Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
9. Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
10. Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value

11. Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
12. Amy Madigan – Weapons
13. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
14. Lee Byung-hun – No Other Choice
15. Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
16. Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
17. Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
18. Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
19. Emma Stone – Bugonia
20. Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value

[ManPerson]

I'm fine with this list.

[Dubrow555]

Looks very "front page worthy" to me, thank you both.

[Sherick]

Man I really need to see If I Had Legs if the performance is better than Hamnet*.

*not what we're actually saying

[Dubrow555]

It is 100%

[Tim]

Out of curiousity, how I would rank the top 10 of the 2020s so far.

1. Anthony Hopkins - The Father (2020)
2. Cate Blanchett - Tár (2022)
3. Emma Stone - Poor Things (2023)
4. Cillian Murphy - Oppenheimer (2023)
5. Adrien Brody - The Brutalist (2024)
6. Fernanda Torres - I'm Still Here (2024)
7. Mikey Madison - Anora (2024)
8. Frances McDormand - Nomadland (2020)
9. Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme (2025)
10. Kristen Stewart - Spencer (2021)

[ManPerson]

Looks good.

[Dubrow555]

Caught a weird mistake on the main page: Maureen Stapleton is listed twice for "Reds" in 1981

[Tim]

Here's how I would update the top of 1990s decade list (which may be helpful for an all time performances list) using Man's yearly lists updates. 'Foreign' performances in bold.

1. Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump (1994)
2. Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
3. Denzel Washington - Malcolm X (1992)
4. Juliette Binoche - Three Colours: Blue (1993)
5. Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
6. Emily Watson - Breaking the Waves (1996)
7. Frances McDormand - Fargo (1996)
8. Holly Hunter - The Piano (1993)
9. Kevin Spacey - American Beauty (1999)
10. Daniel Day-Lewis - In the Name of the Father (1993)
11. Geoffrey Rush - Shine (1996)
12. Tom Hanks - Philadelphia (1993)
13. Ralph Fiennes - Schindler's List (1993)
14. Kathy Bates - Misery (1990)
15. Joe Pesci - Goodfellas (1990)
16. Gérard Depardieu - Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
17. Nicolas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
18. Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction (1994)
19. Johnny Depp - Ed Wood (1994)
20. Hilary Swank - Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
21. Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
22. Gene Hackman - The Unforgiven (1992)
23. Brad Pitt - Fight Club (1999)
24. Ian McKellen - Gods and Monsters (1998)
25. Edward Norton - American History X (1998)
26. Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune (1990)
27. Robin Williams - Good Will Hunting (1997)
28. Jack Nicholson - As Good as It Gets (1997)
29. Robert Duvall - The Apostle (1997)
30. Tim Robbins - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
31. Fernanda Montenegro - Central Station (1998)
32. Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth (1998)
33. Jeff Bridges - The Big Lebowski (1998)
34. Tom Hanks - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
35. Russell Crowe - The Insider (1999)
36. Anjelica Huston - The Grifters (1990)
37. Robert De Niro - Goodfellas (1990)
38. Johnny Depp - Edward Scissorhands (1990)
39. Robert Downey Jr. - Chaplin (1992)
40. Emma Thompson - Howard's End (1992)
41. Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman (1992)
42. Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects (1995)
43. Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking (1995)
44. Sean Penn - Dead Man Walking (1995)
45. Nicole Kidman - To Die For (1995)
46. John Travolta - Pulp Fiction (1994)
47. Clint Eastwood - The Unforgiven (1992)
48. Irene Jacob - The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
49. Robin Williams - The Fisher King (1991)
50. Nick Nolte - The Prince of Tides (1991)
51. Jim Carrey - The Truman Show (1998)
52. John Goodman - The Big Lebowski (1998)
53. Jessica Lange - Blue Sky (1994)

Old top 40:

1. Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump (1994)
2. Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
3. Denzel Washington - Malcolm X (1992)
4. Kevin Spacey - American Beauty (1999)
5. Emily Watson - Breaking the Waves (1996)
6. Daniel Day-Lewis - In the Name of the Father (1993)
7. Geoffrey Rush - Shine (1996)
8. Tom Hanks - Philadelphia (1993)
9. Holly Hunter - The Piano (1993)
10. Nicolas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
11. Frances McDormand - Fargo (1996)
12. Johnny Depp - Ed Wood (1994)
13. Hilary Swank - Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
14. Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune (1990)
15. Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
16. Ian McKellen - Gods and Monsters (1998)
17. Kathy Bates - Misery (1990)
18. Edward Norton - American History X (1998)
19. Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
20. Jack Nicholson - As Good as It Gets (1997)
21. Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth (1998)
22. Gene Hackman - The Unforgiven (1992)
23. Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction (1994)
24. Anjelica Huston - The Grifters (1990)
25. Jeff Bridges - The Big Lebowski (1998)
26. Joe Pesci - Goodfellas (1990)
27. Robert Downey Jr. - Chaplin (1992)
28. Emma Thompson - Howard's End (1992)
29. Robert De Niro - Goodfellas (1990)
30. Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman (1992)
31. Tom Hanks - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
32. Brad Pitt - Fight Club (1999)
33. Robert Duvall - The Apostle (1997)
34. Sean Penn - Dead Man Walking (1995)
35. Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking (1995)
36. Russell Crowe - The Insider (1999)
37. Robin Williams - Good Will Hunting (1997)
38. Jessica Lange - Blue Sky (1994)
39. Clint Eastwood - The Unforgiven (1992)
40. Nick Nolte - The Prince of Tides (1991)

[ManPerson]

Jessica Lange in Blue Sky seems high.

[Tim]

Moved her at #53 for now.

[Tim]

The 1980s update:

1. Robert De Niro - Raging Bull (1980)
2. Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice (1982)
3. Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot (1989)
4. Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man (1988)
5. Ben Kingsley - Gandhi (1982)
6. Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment (1983)
7. F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus (1984)
8. Kenneth Branagh - Henry V (1989)
9. Robert De Niro - The King of Comedy (1982)
10. Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie (1982)
11. Isabelle Adjani - Possession (1981)
12. Meryl Streep - The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
13. Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet (1986)
14. Jack Nicholson - The Shining (1980)
15. Sissy Spacek - The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
16. John Hurt - The Elephant Man (1980)
17. Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond (1981)
18. Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond (1981)
19. Willem Dafoe - Platoon (1986)
20. Michael Douglas - Wall Street (1987)
21. Al Pacino - Scarface (1983)
22. Meryl Streep - Silkwood (1983)
23. Catherine Deneuve - The Last Metro (1980)
24. Glenn Close - Fatal Attraction (1987)
25. Burt Lancaster - Atlantic City (1980)
26. Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies (1983)
27. Albert Finney - Under the Volcano (1984)
28. Sally Field - Places in the Heart (1984)
29. Robert De Niro - Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
30. Jodie Foster - The Accused (1988)
31. Tom Hanks - Big (1988)
32. Jeremy Irons - Dead Ringers (1988)
33. William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
34. Sandrine Bonnaire - Vagabond (1985)
35. Harry Dean Stanton - Paris, Texas (1984)
36. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple (1985)
37. Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
38. Daniel Auteuil - Jean de Florette (1986)
39. Gary Oldman - Sid & Nancy (1986)
40. Gérard Depardieu - Jean de Florette (1986)
41. Denzel Washington - Glory (1989)
42. Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
43. Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor (1985)
44. Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
45. Jack Nicholson - Terms of Endearment (1983)
46. Tom Courtenay - The Dresser (1983)
47. Paul Newman - The Verdict (1982)
48. Timothy Hutton - Ordinary People (1980)
49. Jack Lemmon - Missing (1982)
50. Klaus Kinski - Fitzcarraldo (1982)
51. Rutger Hauer - Blade Runner (1982)
52. Jon Voight - Runaway Train (1985)
53. Paul Newman - The Color of Money (1986)

Old list:

1. Robert De Niro - Raging Bull (1980)
2. Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice (1982)
3. Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot (1989)
4. Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man (1988)
5. Ben Kingsley - Gandhi (1982)
6. Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment (1983)
7. F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus (1984)
8. Kenneth Branagh - Henry V (1989)
9. Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie (1982)
10. Meryl Streep - The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
11. Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet (1986)
12. Sissy Spacek - The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
13. John Hurt - The Elephant Man (1980)
14. Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond (1981)
15. Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond (1981)
16. Robert De Niro - The King of Comedy (1982)
17. Willem Dafoe - Platoon (1986)
18. Michael Douglas - Wall Street (1987)
19. Meryl Streep - Silkwood (1983)
20. Burt Lancaster - Atlantic City (1980)
21. Jack Nicholson - The Shining (1980)
22. Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies (1983)
23. Albert Finney - Under the Volcano (1984)
24. Sally Field - Places in the Heart (1984)
25. Robert De Niro - Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
26. Al Pacino - Scarface (1983)
27. Jodie Foster - The Accused (1988)
28. William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
29. Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
30. Paul Newman - The Color of Money (1986)
31. Gary Oldman - Sid & Nancy (1986)
32. Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
33. Glenn Close - Fatal Attraction (1987)
34. Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor (1985)
35. Jack Nicholson - Terms of Endearment (1983)
36. Tom Courtenay - The Dresser (1983)
37. Paul Newman - The Verdict (1982)
38. Timothy Hutton - Ordinary People (1980)
39. Jack Lemmon - Missing (1982)
40. Jon Voight - Runaway Train (1985)

[ManPerson]

I'd add Bill Murray in Groundhog Day and David Thewlis in Naked to the 1990s list. I'd also move up Irene Jacob in The Double Life of Veronique.

I'd add Philippe Noiret in Cinema Paradiso (#2 on my 1988 list) to the 1980s list. Max Von Sydow in Pelle the Conqueror, Marcello Mastroianni in Dark Eyes, Aleksei Kravchenko in Come and See and Erland Josephson in The Sacrifice as well. I don't think Paul Newman in The Color of Money needs to be there either, it's not really considered one of his best performances, necessarily, despite the oscar win. I'd have Isabelle Adjani in Possession even higher.

[Tim]

1. Tom Hanks - Forrest Gump (1994)
2. Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
3. Denzel Washington - Malcolm X (1992)
4. Juliette Binoche - Three Colours: Blue (1993)
5. Jodie Foster - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
6. Emily Watson - Breaking the Waves (1996)
7. Frances McDormand - Fargo (1996)
8. Holly Hunter - The Piano (1993)
9. Kevin Spacey - American Beauty (1999)
10. Daniel Day-Lewis - In the Name of the Father (1993)
11. Geoffrey Rush - Shine (1996)
12. Tom Hanks - Philadelphia (1993)
13. Ralph Fiennes - Schindler's List (1993)
14. Kathy Bates - Misery (1990)
15. Joe Pesci - Goodfellas (1990)
16. Gérard Depardieu - Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)
17. Nicolas Cage - Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
18. Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction (1994)
19. Johnny Depp - Ed Wood (1994)
20. Hilary Swank - Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
21. Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
22. Gene Hackman - The Unforgiven (1992)
23. Brad Pitt - Fight Club (1999)
24. Ian McKellen - Gods and Monsters (1998)
25. Edward Norton - American History X (1998)
26. Jeremy Irons - Reversal of Fortune (1990)
27. Bill Murray - Groundhog Day (1993)
28. David Thewlis - Naked (1993)
29. Robin Williams - Good Will Hunting (1997)
30. Jack Nicholson - As Good as It Gets (1997)
31. Irene Jacob - The Double Life of Veronique (1991)
32. Robert Duvall - The Apostle (1997)
33. Tim Robbins - The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
34. Fernanda Montenegro - Central Station (1998)
35. Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth (1998)
36. Jeff Bridges - The Big Lebowski (1998)
37. Tom Hanks - Saving Private Ryan (1998)
38. Russell Crowe - The Insider (1999)
39. Anjelica Huston - The Grifters (1990)
40. Robert De Niro - Goodfellas (1990)
41. Johnny Depp - Edward Scissorhands (1990)
42. Robert Downey Jr. - Chaplin (1992)
43. Emma Thompson - Howard's End (1992)
44. Al Pacino - Scent of a Woman (1992)
45. Kevin Spacey - The Usual Suspects (1995)
46. Susan Sarandon - Dead Man Walking (1995)
47. Sean Penn - Dead Man Walking (1995)
48. Nicole Kidman - To Die For (1995)
49. John Travolta - Pulp Fiction (1994)
50. Clint Eastwood - The Unforgiven (1992)
51. Robin Williams - The Fisher King (1991)
52. Nick Nolte - The Prince of Tides (1991)
53. Jim Carrey - The Truman Show (1998)
54. John Goodman - The Big Lebowski (1998)

1. Robert De Niro - Raging Bull (1980)
2. Meryl Streep - Sophie's Choice (1982)
3. Daniel Day-Lewis - My Left Foot (1989)
4. Dustin Hoffman - Rain Man (1988)
5. Ben Kingsley - Gandhi (1982)
6. Isabelle Adjani - Possession (1981)
7. Shirley MacLaine - Terms of Endearment (1983)
8. F. Murray Abraham - Amadeus (1984)
9. Kenneth Branagh - Henry V (1989)
10. Robert De Niro - The King of Comedy (1982)
11. Dustin Hoffman - Tootsie (1982)
12. Meryl Streep - The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981)
13. Dennis Hopper - Blue Velvet (1986)
14. Jack Nicholson - The Shining (1980)
15. Sissy Spacek - The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
16. John Hurt - The Elephant Man (1980)
17. Henry Fonda - On Golden Pond (1981)
18. Katharine Hepburn - On Golden Pond (1981)
19. Willem Dafoe - Platoon (1986)
20. Michael Douglas - Wall Street (1987)
21. Al Pacino - Scarface (1983)
22. Meryl Streep - Silkwood (1983)
23. Catherine Deneuve - The Last Metro (1980)
24. Glenn Close - Fatal Attraction (1987)
25. Burt Lancaster - Atlantic City (1980)
26. Philippe Noiret - Cinema Paradiso (1988)
27. Max von Sydow - Pelle the Conqueror (1987)
28. Marcello Mastroianni - Dark Eyes (1987)
29. Robert Duvall - Tender Mercies (1983)
30. Albert Finney - Under the Volcano (1984)
31. Sally Field - Places in the Heart (1984)
32. Robert De Niro - Once Upon A Time In America (1984)
33. Jodie Foster - The Accused (1988)
34. Tom Hanks - Big (1988)
35. Jeremy Irons - Dead Ringers (1988)
36. William Hurt - Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
37. Sandrine Bonnaire - Vagabond (1985)
38. Harry Dean Stanton - Paris, Texas (1984)
39. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple (1985)
40. Geraldine Page - The Trip to Bountiful (1985)
41. Daniel Auteuil - Jean de Florette (1986)
42. Gary Oldman - Sid & Nancy (1986)
43. Gérard Depardieu - Jean de Florette (1986)
44. Erland Josephson - The Sacrifice (1986)
45. Denzel Washington - Glory (1989)
46. Morgan Freeman - Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
47. Anjelica Huston - Prizzi's Honor (1985)
48. Jessica Tandy - Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
49. Jack Nicholson - Terms of Endearment (1983)
50. Tom Courtenay - The Dresser (1983)
51. Paul Newman - The Verdict (1982)
52. Timothy Hutton - Ordinary People (1980)
53. Jack Lemmon - Missing (1982)
54. Klaus Kinski - Fitzcarraldo (1982)
55. Rutger Hauer - Blade Runner (1982)
56. Jon Voight - Runaway Train (1985)
57. Aleksei Kravchenko - Come and See (1985)

[Tim]

The 1970s update:

1. Marlon Brando - The Godfather (1972)
2. Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver (1976)
3. Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
4. Al Pacino - The Godfather Part II (1974)
5. Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
6. Gena Rowland - A Woman Under Influence (1974)
7. Liv Ullmann - Scenes from a Marriage (1974)
8. George C. Scott - Patton (1970)
9. Gene Hackman - The French Connection (1971)
10. Diane Keaton - Annie Hall (1977)
11. Jack Nicholson - Chinatown (1974)
12. Ellen Burstyn - Alice Don't Live Here Anymore (1974)
13. Al Pacino - Serpico (1973)
14. Jane Fonda - Klute (1971)
15. Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
16. Peter Finch - Network (1976)
17. Liv Ullmann - Face to Face (1976)
18. Klaus Kinski - Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972)
19. Al Pacino - The Godfather (1972)
20. Marlon Brando - Last Tango in Paris (1972)
21. Malcolm McDowell - A Clockwork Orange (1971)
22. Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
23. Peter Sellers - Being There (1979)
24. Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter (1978)
25. Jack Nicholson - The Last Detail (1973)
26. Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter (1978)
27. Gene Hackman - The Conversation (1974)
28. Isabelle Adjani - The Story of Adele H. (1975)
29. Delphine Seyrig - Jeanne Dielman (1975)
30. Faye Dunaway - Network (1976)
31. Sylvester Stallone - Rocky (1976)
32. Ingrid Bergman - Autumn Sonata (1978)
33. Jon Voight - Coming Home (1978)
34. Jane Fonda - Coming Home (1978)
35. Liv Ullmann - Autumn Sonata (1978)
36. Robert De Niro - The Godfather Part II (1974)
37. Robert De Niro - Mean Streets (1973)
38. Topol - Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
39. Gene Wilder - Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
40. Faye Dunaway - Chinatown (1974)
41. Gene Wilder - Young Frankenstein (1974)
42. Vittorio Gassman - Scent of a Woman (1974)
43. Robert Duvall - Apocalypse Now (1979)
44. Sally Field - Norma Rae (1979)
45. Meryl Streep - Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
46. Al Pacino - ...And Justice for All (1979)
47. Robert Duvall - The Great Santini (1979)
48. Liza Minneli - Cabaret (1972)
49. Stephane Audran - The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)
50. Liv Ullmann - Cries and Whispers (1972)
51. Laurence Olivier - Sleuth (1972)
52. Jack Nicholson - Five Easy Pieces (1970)
53. Jack Lemmon - Save the Tiger (1973)
54. Dustin Hoffman - Lenny (1974)
55. Gene Hackman - I Never Sang for My Father (1970)
56. Art Carney - Harry & Tonto (1974)

Old list:

1. Marlon Brando - The Godfather (1972)
2. Robert De Niro - Taxi Driver (1976)
3. Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
4. Al Pacino - The Godfather Part II (1974)
5. George C. Scott - Patton (1970)
6. Al Pacino - Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
7. Gene Hackman - The French Connection (1971)
8. Diane Keaton - Annie Hall (1977)
9. Jack Nicholson - Chinatown (1974)
10. Ellen Burstyn - Alice Don't Live Here Anymore (1974)
11. Gena Rowland - A Woman Under Influence (1974)
12. Al Pacino - Serpico (1973)
13. Jane Fonda - Klute (1971)
14. Dustin Hoffman - Kramer vs Kramer (1979)
15. Peter Finch - Network (1976)
16. Al Pacino - The Godfather (1972)
17. Marlon Brando - Last Tango in Paris (1972)
18. Malcolm McDowell - A Clockwork Orange (1971)
19. Peter Sellers - Being There (1979)
20. Robert De Niro - The Deer Hunter (1978)
21. Jack Nicholson - The Last Detail (1973)
22. Jon Voight - Coming Home (1978)
23. Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
24. Sylvester Stallone - Rocky (1976)
25. Christopher Walken - The Deer Hunter (1978)
26. Jane Fonda - Coming Home (1978)
27. Jack Lemmon - Save the Tiger (1973)
28. Robert De Niro - The Godfather Part II (1974)
29. Robert De Niro - Mean Streets (1973)
30. Gene Hackman - The Conversation (1974)
31. Dustin Hoffman - Lenny (1974)
32. Sally Field - Norma Rae (1979)
33. Robert Duvall - Apocalypse Now (1979)
34. Al Pacino - ...And Justice for All (1979)
35. Robert Duvall - The Great Santini (1979)
36. Laurence Olivier - Sleuth (1972)
37. Jack Nicholson - Five Easy Pieces (1970)
38. Gene Hackman - I Never Sang for My Father (1970)
39. Topol - Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
40. Art Carney - Harry & Tonto (1974)

[ManPerson]

Gene Hackman in The Conversation seems low. So does Klaus Kinski in Aguirre.