Top 10 Actors in Hollywood

Here are two of them

Compiling a list of the best actors in Hollywood is no easy task. New actors burst onto the scene, hot actors fade away. And let’s not forget the fact that as a whole, Hollywood is simply producing dumber movies.



Ranking the Top 10 Actors in Hollywood

Please mark this moment in time. It’s the end of June in 2007, and this is a list of who I think are the best actors in Hollywood. I ask you to mark this point in time because this is such a fluid list. So many things can change so quickly. New actors burst onto the scene, hot actors fade away. And let’s not forget the fact that as a whole, Hollywood is simply producing dumber movies. Tough to locate some strong performances between Saw 4 and Georgia Rule.

So without further adieu, here are my top actors in movies TODAY – not all time. The list is in no particular order:

Tom Hanks
Actually in danger of falling off the list. Began a brilliant 10 year run with consecutive Oscars for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Also been nominated for Saving Private Ryan and the underrated Cast Away. He’s in danger of falling off because of a few recent clunkers: The Da Vinci Code and The Terminal among them.

Clive Owen
Clive has some mo. Beginning in 2004, he’s on a very strong run, with an Oscar nom for Closer and strong performances in King Arthur, Derailed, and Inside Man. He got absolutely robbed for not getting a nomination for his superb work in Children of Men. And don’t forget Sin City. Look forward to more work from Clive.

Daniel Day-Lewis
Admittedly, Day-Lewis probably isn’t eligible for this list because he doesn’t work enough. Dude dropped out of acting to become a freaking COBBLER in Europe. But his ability is indisputable: He won an Oscar for My Left Foot, and was nominated for In the Name of the Father and for his spine-chilling turn as Bill the Butcher in the vastly underrated Gangs of New York. That’s 3 Oscar noms in 9 films, and many feel he should have been nominated for his work in The Boxer.

Sean Penn
It pains me to admit this because, in his private life, Penn is an idiot. But his acting skill is undeniable. He’s been nominated for 4 Oscars since 1996, for Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown, I Am Sam, and finally winning for his performance in Mystic River. And don’t forget his strong work in 21 Grams and The Assassination of Richard Nixon. Dude takes himself way too seriously, but hey, whatever works for you.

Ben Kingsley
Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Kingsley has been very good for a long time. Starting with a Best Actor statue for Ghandi, he’s also been nominated for his work in Bugsy, Sexy Beast (in the best villain performance since Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter, and the best since), and House of Sand and Fog. Sir Ben is the type of actor through which a movie receives instant credibility.

Johnny Depp
Has there been a more daring actor in the last 20 years? Depp’s choice in roles is downright strange, but it’s a tribute to his talent that he makes the roles work. It may surprise you that he’s only been nominated for two Oscars: Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of the Black Pearl) and Finding Neverland. But he seems to have escaped Oscar attention for so many other fine performances, including Ed Wood, Chocolat and Blow.

Charlize Theron
Proving she’s not just a pretty face, Theron has racked up the accolades in short time, including her Oscar win for Monster and another nom for North Country. Unfortunately, Aeon Flux is on the resume as well.

Judi Dench
Dame Dench is the best actor working today. Listen to this impressive list of Oscar noms: Mrs. Brown, Shakespeare in Love (she won), Chocolat, Iris, Mrs. Henderson Presents, and Notes on a Scandal. That’s 6 nominations – in 9 years. Wow.

Hilary Swank
An Oscar win for Boys Don’t Cry. Another one for her brilliant performance in Million Dollar Baby. A strong performance in The Gift and fun turns in The Core and Insomnia. Swank is always a threat to take home a statue, and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Leonardo DiCaprio
He started out as a precocious child actor but has since turned into one of the best thespians working today. He was nominated for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, The Aviator and Blood Diamond, but also turned in great performances in The Departed, Catch Me If You Can, and Gangs of New York. There’s plenty more to come from Leo.

Threatening to enter the Top 10:

Christian Bale
Bale is starting to put together a pretty strong resume. His work in American Psycho was brilliant and underrated. He was terrific in The Machinist, very good in The Prestige, and has easily been the best Batman.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman
Hoffman’s a newcomer to the list, but he’s been around a while. Everyone knows about his brilliant, Oscar winning turn in Capote. But he was also quite convincing in Mission Impossible: III, and did some underrated work in both Talented Mr. Ripley and Along Came Polly.