Let’s check out the top famous actors in America and how they got so popular. These guys are really good at acting and can play all sorts of different roles. They’ve won lots of awards and made a big mark on movies.
We picked the actors on this list because they did awesome things in their careers. They made movies that tons of people liked and even critics thought were great. Some of them made a ton of money at the box office, while others are still remembered as important American actors many years later.
1. Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson was born in New Jersey in 1937 and started out in small movie and TV roles. He got his big break in 1969 with “Easy Rider”, which made him famous. After that, he became one of the top American actors in Hollywood during the 1970s.
Jack played some really well-known roles that people still talk about. He was great in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” as a guy in a mental hospital. Then he scared everyone in “The Shining” as a writer who loses it. He also did an awesome job in “As Good as It Gets” playing a grumpy old man. Jack got nominated for Oscars 12 times, more than any other actor ever.
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2. Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando changed how actors act in America. He helped make method acting popular, where actors try to really feel what their characters feel. Brando started out doing plays on Broadway and was really good at it.
In movies, Brando played some of the most famous actors roles ever. He was Stanley in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and people loved his acting. Then he won an Oscar for playing a boxer in “On the Waterfront”. But his most famous role was probably as Don Vito Corleone in “The Godfather”. Lots of actors who came after Brando tried to copy how he acted because he was so good.
3. Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro is an actor who teamed up a lot with director Martin Scorsese. They made some really good movies together. De Niro can handle all kinds of roles – he’s great at serious parts and funny ones too.
De Niro was amazing in movies like “Taxi Driver” where he played a crazy taxi driver. For “Raging Bull”, he put on a ton of weight to play a boxer, which was super impressive. He was also fantastic in “Goodfellas” as a gangster. De Niro won two Oscars and got nominated for lots more because he’s such a talented actor.
4. Al Pacino
Al Pacino started out in small roles, but then he got really big when he was in “The Godfather”. He plays characters that are complicated and he acts with a lot of intensity.
Pacino did some other great movies too. In “Serpico” he was a cop fighting corruption. In “Dog Day Afternoon” he robbed a bank. And in “Scent of a Woman” he played a blind guy, which was really tough to do. Pacino got nominated for lots of awards and he won an Oscar for Best Actor for “Scent of a Woman”. He’s definitely one of the best actors of all time.
5. Daniel Day-Lewis
Daniel Day-Lewis worked in both British and American movies. He’s known for really getting into his roles, sometimes staying in character even when he wasn’t filming. People say he’s one of the best method actors ever.
Day-Lewis did some incredible acting in movies that won him lots of awards. He played a guy with cerebral palsy in “My Left Foot” and it was amazing. Then he was a crazy oil man in “There Will Be Blood” that people still talk about. He also acted as Abraham Lincoln and looked just like him. He won three Oscars for Best Actor which no one else has done before. His way of acting has changed how other American actors try to do their jobs too.
6. Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman grew up in Los Angeles and became a big star when he was in “The Graduate” in 1967. He could play all kinds of different characters which made him special. Sometimes he was funny and other times he was serious.
Hoffman did some really famous acting jobs that people remember. He played a guy trying to make it in New York in “Midnight Cowboy”. Then he was a dad fighting for his kid in “Kramer vs. Kramer”. He also acted as a man with autism in “Rain Man” and it was really good. Hoffman won two Oscars for acting and got nominated many other times too. He’s definitely one of the best actors of all time from America.
7. Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks started out doing funny movies but then he did serious ones too. People like him because he seems like a regular guy in his movies. He can act in all kinds of different roles and is really good at it.
Hanks did some really famous acting jobs that won him lots of awards. He played a guy who lived through important events in America in “Forrest Gump”. Then he was a lawyer with AIDS in “Philadelphia” and it was very sad. He also acted as a soldier in “Saving Private Ryan” and it felt real. Hanks won two Oscars in a row which is really hard to do. Lots of people in Hollywood and fans really like him. He’s one of the most famous actors from the U.S.
8. Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins used to act in plays in England before he came to make movies in Hollywood. When he acts, he has a strong way of talking and moving that makes people pay attention. He can do many different types of roles too.
Hopkins is most famous for playing a scary killer named Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs”. It was so good that people still talk about it today. He won an Oscar for that role and got nominated for lots of other awards for other movies he did too. He’s definitely one of the best actors of all time, even though he’s not originally from America.
9. Paul Newman
Paul Newman was born in Ohio and became a big star in the 1950s and 1960s. People liked him because he was good-looking and a great actor. He also did lots of nice things for charity while he was acting.
Newman was in some really great movies that people still watch today. In “The Hustler” he played a pool player. Then in “Cool Hand Luke” he was a prisoner who didn’t follow the rules. And in “The Color of Money” he played an older pool player. He won an Oscar for that movie and got nominated for lots of others too. Newman is definitely one of the best actors of all time from America.
10. Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington started getting famous in the 1980s and 1990s. When he’s in a movie, you can’t help but watch him. He’s good at playing real people from history and made-up characters too.
Washington was amazing in some really famous movies. In “Glory” he played a soldier in the Civil War. Then in “Malcolm X” he became the real Malcolm X. And in “Training Day” he was a bad cop. He won two Oscars and got nominated for lots more. Washington is one of the most famous actors in Hollywood and he made it easier for other Black actors to get good roles.
Conclusion
These ten American actors changed movies in a big way. They all acted really well and made movies better. People will remember them for a long time because of how good they were in their films.
FAQs
What criteria were used to rank these actors?
We looked at how much critics liked them, how many awards they won, if their movies made lots of money, and how they changed movies and culture.
Are there any notable actors who didn’t make the top 10?
Yeah, there are some other really good actors who could be on this list too. Actors like Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, and James Stewart are all really great too.
How has the concept of great acting evolved over the decades represented by these actors?
The way actors act has changed over time. The older actors on this list acted different from the newer ones. What people think is good acting has changed too.
What impact have these actors had on the film industry beyond their performances?
These actors helped younger actors learn how to act better. Some of them also made movies and helped change how people think about movies.
How diverse is this list in terms of representing different eras and styles of American cinema?
This list has actors from different times in movie history. Some are from old Hollywood and some are more recent. They all have different ways of acting too.