In the US, people hold movie stars on pretty high pedestals, but how do they really stack up? While we’re sure that this list won’t be universally loved and agreed upon, it represents what we think are the 10 greatest American actors of all time. Some of these guys are household names and others are more cult favorites, but each one has made an indelible mark on the film industry that will never be forgotten. Oh, and you might notice that there are no women on here – we’re still debating that point amongst ourselves!
1) Marlon Brando
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Marlon Brando was an American actor who is often cited as one of the greatest actors in Hollywood history. He was born on April 3, 1924, and died on July 1, 2004. He became a Hollywood star with his first major film roles in The Wild One, Guys and Dolls, On the Waterfront and A Streetcar Named Desire. He is best known for his Academy Award-winning performances as Terry Malloy in On the Waterfront, Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Mark Antony in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s 1953 film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.
2) Robert De Niro
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Robert De Niro is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in the history of American cinema. He has been nominated for 16 Academy Awards and honored with two awards: a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. De Niro's long career includes leading roles in iconic films such as Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), The Deer Hunter (1978), Raging Bull (1980), Cape Fear (1991) and Casino (1995). He has earned three nominations for Best Supporting Actor, winning once. He is also known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, The King of Comedy (1982), and Goodfellas.
3) Leonardo DiCaprio
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Leonardo DiCaprio is an award-winning actor and producer. He first gained recognition for his role in the movie What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993). In 1994, he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor—Motion Picture Drama and won a Screen Actors Guild Award. His breakthrough performance came in the box office smash Titanic (1997), which became one of the highest-grossing movies ever made and won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. After that success, DiCaprio starred in Gangs of New York (2002) and received his second nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
4) Al Pacino
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Al Pacino is an award-winning actor, best known for roles such as Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy and Tony Montana in Scarface. He has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Scent of a Woman (1992). His other notable films include Dog Day Afternoon (1975), Heat (1995), and Glengarry Glen Ross (1992). Born Alfredo James Pacino on April 25, 1940, to Italian-American parents Salvatore, who was a shoemaker, and mother Rose, a bookkeeper.
5) Dustin Hoffman
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Dustin Hoffman is a Jewish-American actor and director who has an Oscar, three Golden Globes, four BAFTAs, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, nine Academy Award nominations, and two Tony Awards. He is one of the most versatile and talented actors in the world. Hoffman was born on August 8th, 1937 in Los Angeles to Lillian (née Gold) and Harry Hoffman. His mother was a homemaker who later became a real estate agent; his father worked as a supervisor at Columbia Pictures before becoming a furniture salesman. He has been married three times.
Hoffman studied acting at Pasadena Playhouse College of Theater Arts in California, before graduating from New York's High School for the Performing Arts in 1955.
6) Tom Hanks
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Tom Hanks is an award-winning actor, director, and producer. Hanks was born in Concord, California, and attended Sierra High School in Tollhouse. He is best known for his roles as the title character in Big (1988), Forest Gump (1994), Captain Phillips (2013), Apollo 13 (1995), and Saving Private Ryan (1998). In 1994 Hanks won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Philadelphia. He has also won five Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards,, and one Grammy Award.
7) Jack Nicholson
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Jack Nicholson is one of the most iconic actors in American film history. He has starred in many critically acclaimed and commercially successful films, including One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Terms Of Endearment, and the controversial Chinatown. Nicholson's 12 Academy Award nominations make him one of the most nominated male actors in Oscar history. In addition to his acting career, he is also a respected filmmaker, having directed three movies.
8) Daniel Day-Lewis
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Sean Penn is one of the most powerful actors in Hollywood and has been nominated for four Academy Awards, winning two. He's starred in a range of roles from Mystic River to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In 1987 he was arrested for assaulting his then-wife Madonna during an argument about their marriage. The following year, he starred as Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which grossed over $200 million. His next role came as the lead actor in 1989's Dead Man Walking alongside Susan Sarandon, which earned him his first Oscar nomination.
9) Sean Penn
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Sean Penn, also known as the Actor's Actor, is one of the most versatile and talented actors in Hollywood. He has won two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and three Best Actor awards from the Cannes Film Festival. In 1984 he was named one of the best actors under 30 by Truffaut. His performance in Mystic River was ranked by many critics as one of his best roles ever. In 2008 he made his directorial debut with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.
10) Paul Newman
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| The Top 10 Greatest American Actors of All Time |
Paul Newman was born in 1925 and died in 2008. He was a philanthropist, race car driver, and actor. Newman is best known for his role as Rocky Balboa in the movie series Rocky (1976-2006). His other notable roles include Butch Cassidy in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and Cool Hand Luke (1967).
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