Top 100 Actors

20. Emile Hirsch
I first became aware of Hirsch in 2005 after his fantastic role in the hilarious and surprisingly touching film The Girl Next Next. He reached a wider audience in 2007 with his portrayal of the infamous Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild.
-Into the Wild
-The Girl Next Door
-Lords of Dogtown

19. Seth Rogen
Here's another young actor who got his start on Freaks and Geeks. It took him a few years to get a role that fitted him. It was in the raunchy comedy The 40-Year-Old Virgin that Rogen finally showcased his comedic talent.
-Observe and Report
-Pineapple Express
-The 40-Year-Old Virgin

18. Philip Seymour Hoffman
Oscar-winning director Paul Thomas Anderson helped Hoffman become the actor he is today. His roles in Hard Eight, Boogie Nights and Magnolia helped vault his career in the late 90's. Often used as a supporting actor, Hoffman finally hit it big with his hair-raising portrayal of Truman Capote in 2005's Capote.
-Capote
-Doubt
-Along Came Polly

17. Joaquin Phoenix
He technically hasn't starred in a film since 2008, but Casey Affleck's documentary (I'm Still Here) on Phoenix has has helped keep him around. Time will tell whether he will return to acting, but one thing is for certain, he was one of the best actors in Hollywood. His portrayal of Johnny Cash in Walk the Line was simply amazing. His final film Two Lovers was a beautiful and fitting goodbye to his acting career.
-Walk the Line
-The Village
-Two Lovers

16. John C. Reilly
He's been around since the late 80's, but he was an afterthought until his starring role in Paul Thomas Anderson's Hard Eight. Much like Hoffman, Reilly's relationship with P.T. Anderson helped his career blossom. His great singing voice was put on display in the hilarious Walk the Line/Ray spoof Walk Hard.
-Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
-Boogie Nights
-Step Brothers

15. Nicolas Cage
Cage is a fearless actor who doesn't shy from controversial or over-the-top roles. He's in a lot of bad movies, but he's always fun to watch. The good definitely outweigh the bad. 2005 was a terrific year for Cage (The Weather Man, Lord of War).
-The Weather Man
-Adaptation.
-The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans

14. Adam Sandler
His best years may be behind him, but he's had a huge impact on the comedy genre. He has proven numerous times that not only is he funny, but he can act too (Punch-Drunk Love, Reign Over Me, Funny People). The critics may not like his slap-stick immature comedies, but I grew up watching them. A few of them never get old (Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy, Anger Management).
-Happy Gilmore
-The Wedding Singer
-Punch-Drunk Love

13. Adrien Brody
His Oscar-winning performance in Roman Polanski's The Pianist is unforgettable. A lot of his films are small-budget features, but I have no problem with an actor going outside his comfort zone. His magnificent role in 2005's The Jacket opened my eyes, and he's now become one of my favorites.
-The Pianist
-The Darjeeling Limited
-The Village

12. Michael Cera
One of the two best young actors out there. He first worked sporadically on televison and finally found a role to showcase his talents on the underrated Arrested Development. When the show went under because of a lack of viewers (despite being an award-winning show), Cera found two career-altering roles in 2007 (Juno, Superbad). He dazzled viewers, and now all his films are must-sees.
-Superbad
-Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
-Juno

11. Sam Rockwell
His life-altering role came in 2002 when he played the role of controversial game show host Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. The 2009 cult-classic film Moon broadened his fan base.
-Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
-Moon
-Choke

10. Jesse Eisenberg
The best young actor in the business. If it was ever in question, his role in 2010's The Social Network solidified it. His characters are so interesting, complex and awkward. I'm eagerly waiting to see what he comes out with next.
-The Social Network
-Adventureland
-Holy Rollers

9. Matt Damon
Damon is a fierce actor with a terrific resume. He's so much more than just Jason Bourne. He was hilarious in The Informant!, he angered us in The Departed and he creeped us out in The Talented Mr. Ripley. He has three big films coming soon. One in December (True Grit) and two in 2011 (The Adjustment Bureau, Contagion).
-The Departed
-The Informant!
-The Talented Mr. Ripley

8. Will Ferrell
One of the three best comedic actors in the business. Although he will never top Ron Burgundy, Ferrell keeps truckin' along. Year after year he makes us laugh out loud, and I appreciate his contribution to the comedy genre.
-Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
-Step Brothers
-Old School

7. Jim Carrey
Mr. Carrey can not only make us laugh until we cry, but he can pull at our hearts with his serious acting skills. He's best known for his extreme personality disorders in films like The Cable Guy, Me, Myself & Irene and Dumb & Dumber. His performance in 1998's The Truman Show showcased a serious side to him that we hadn't seen yet. That role led to other serious roles (The Majestic, Eternal Sunshine).
-The Cable Guy
-Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
-The Truman Show

6. Christian Bale
A lot of people don't realize that this Bruce Wayne is actually British. You have to admire someone who constantly does American films and must alter his accent, film after film. His relationship with director Christopher Nolan has surely helped his career.
-The Prestige
-American Psycho
-3:10 to Yuma

5. Ben Stiller
My favorite comedic actor of all-time. He has also directed some fantastic films (The Cable Guy, Zoolander, Tropic Thunder). There's nothing Ben can't do. He has some terrific cameo appearances, some outstanding serious roles, and a long list of hilarious comedies he's starred in. For me, it doesn't get much better than Tony Perkis in Heavy Weights.
-Heavy Weights
-Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
-Envy

4. Jake Gyllenhaal
Jake burst onto the scene in Donnie Darko and hasn't looked back. He's still not 30 yet, and has a lot of great years ahead of him. He's on one heck of a streak since 2005 starting with his gritty performance in Jarhead.
-Donnie Darko
-Jarhead
-Zodiac

3. Tom Cruise
Say what you will about his crazy personal life, but Tommy boy is one of the best actors in the world. The last film he was in that I didn't enjoy was...never. True Story. A fourth Mission: Impossible is rumored for a 2011 release.
-Vanilla Sky
-Eyes Wide Shut
-The Last Samurai

2. George Clooney
George has gotten better with age. His extreme performance in 2007's Michael Clayton was the pinnacle of his career. Here's another actor who got his start on television, and it was 1998's Out of Sight that I believe put him in the top actor category.
-Michael Clayton
-Up in the Air
-Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

1. Leonardo DiCaprio
The top actor in the world is...Leonardo DiCaprio! When I put this list together it was actually rather easy to pick a best one. Leo was the obvious choice for me. He first began turning heads in 1995 when he was 20 (he looked 15) in The Basketball Diaries, opposite a young Mark Wahlberg. After his heart wrenching performance in the Oscar-winning Titanic, Leo has put together one of the best film resumes ever. Every film he's been in (with the exception of Body of Lies, which was just okay) from 2002 to the present day has been phenomenal. Congrats Leo! Thanks for tuning in folks!
-Inception
-Shutter Island
-Revolutionary Road

HONORABLE MENTIONS (Actors who just barely missed the list):
Jason Bateman, Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, Jamie Foxx, Andrew Garfield, Bill Hader, Tom Hardy, Ethan Hawke, Hugh Jackman, Val Kilmer, William H. Macy, Malcolm McDowell, Timothy Olyphant, Kurt Russell, Andy Samberg, Jason Schwartzman, Adam Scott, Charlie Sheen, Tom Wilkinson, Luke Wilson.