The following list you’re all about to engage with is at least a year in the making. 200 actors (and 10 honorable mentions) make up the foundation. However, I went what a doctor would describe as chronically insane and made a comprehensive list of somewhere north of 2,500 actors, trying to obtain any actor or actress with multiple film credits. The entirety of that list will get posted…eventually, but for now, let’s focus on the top 200 actors.
The criteria of the ranking factored in a number of points, including number of credits in highly rated films, number of films where the actor is the most memorable piece of the ensemble or among the most, and intuition. Among other factors, this is merely a complicated way of saying I graded actors based primarily on: the strength of their best performances, the top 3 or 4 best, the consistency of work, and the longevity of career. Type of film star, whether that be genre, action, character actor, or leading man, are all weighed the same. The important element is impact and credits. With this elongated explanation out of the way, let’s advance into the honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
For the list of Honorable Mentions, I decided to stick with 10 names and in no particular order. Keep in mind, with this type of ranking many actors that I love and that you love will be left off. Starting with a number of these beloved actors, many all-time greats didn’t land a spot in the top 200. It’s the nature of the game and with that in mind, it’s time.
The first name to kick off this adventure would be Toni Collette, who in recent years, has gained notoriety as the poisoned mother in Hereditary (2018). Originally, Collette was known for her role in M. Night Shyamalan’s Sixth Sense (1999) and has always had a knack for the cursed characters. On top of that, she had a varied career with voice acting work in Mary and Max (2009) and even played in a Kuafman, I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020). Frenetic and outrageous actress that has become a household name in horror.
Next, the striking fox-like eyes on Lana Turner, as one of history’s great femme fatales in the noir genre. Known primarily for The Postman Rings Twice (1946), Turner turned heads and kept them staring with the Cora Smith character. John Garfield and Turner lit up the screen. She played in all types of noir films, and was memorable in each one. Similarly to Turner, Gloria Grahame grew up in that era of filmmaking, and played many iconic noir fetales. The Big Heat (1953) chief among them, with Grahame getting major screentime in the film’s final act. For the large part of her career, Grahame played many noir heroines and helped define the tropes of women performance within the genre.
For our next actress, Ann Sheridan, was a key cog in the wheel of the studio system. She made plenty of films with Humphrey Bogart and was a major player at Warner Bros, Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) being her most memorable performance, but Sheridan made many films in a 33 year span. Elsa Lanchester, as the revived monster in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), is arguably the best depiction of Frankenstein ever put to screen. In every sense of the word, it’s a brilliant performance and one that matched her style magnificently. James Whale was a great director, no less, and understood Elsa’s humor. Overall, a strong career with many strong credits.
Again, I need to reiterate, it’s hard keeping icons off like Angela Lansbury and Shirley MacLaine, but the wealth of acting talent is infinite, and the best actors will be left off. McClaine comes alive in WIlder’s The Apartment (1960) as Jack Lemmon’s muse and side piece to the executive level bosses (Fred McMurray). On top of Wilder’s domesticated little drama, she played heavier stories in The Children’s Hour (1961), and delivered character complexity within the themes of Wyler’s tragic angle of misunderstanding. As for Lansbury, there’s only one performance that matters to me – The Manchurian Candidate (1962). The mastermind in the narrative is masterminded of Frankenheimer’s best film by Lansbury herself.
The last two on the bubble actors could easily be included in the top 200. However, I have to make tough decisions and Johnny Depp and Holly Hunter barely missed. Depp has become much larger than his movie star persona. He’s become a discussion point worldwide for his unsavory and frankly embarrassing public trial and indecent behavior. Regardless, his work speaks for itself. His role as Ed Wood in Tim Burton’s love letter to the B-movie director, Ed Wood (1994), is such a sensational piece of character work. For casual moviegoers, Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow in The Pirates of the Caribbean (2004) is what put his name on the map. With the influence of that performance continuing into modern TikTok trends. Depp was always at his best when playing characters with strange mannerisms or quirky personalities.
As for Holly Hunter, she’s beloved for her work with the Coen brothers and the 1992 award winning drama from Jane CampionThe Piano. With her throaty voice, Hunter commands screen attention with her physicality and intensity. Unbelievable convincing, Hunter is a marvel with the necessary range.
Honorable Mentions
Emmanuelle Riva
Toni Collette
Lana Turner
Gloria Grahame
Ann Sheridan
Elsa Lanchester
Angela Lansbury
Shirley McClaine
Holly Hunter
Johnny Depp
The next part will be the start of a long four-piece featurette counting down to zero. 50 actors at a time.
Weird Cinema 