People have debated who the greatest actor of our time, of all-time, and of other times for decades now. And it is this idea of decades which inspired this top ten.
Some parameters before you start reading: the top ten decades by an actor are just those, concrete decades from the “0-9” years, and not a random ten-year span in an actor’s career. Only one decade per actor, and the criteria for selecting “best decades” involved such things as critical success, quality of performances (subjective I know), sustained success, box office success and awards recognition. Volume, as in number of successful movies and performances, was also taken into consideration (sorry, Daniel Day-Lewis). This also only applies to actors in movies, not including any television appearances, meaning actors like McConaughey (True Detective season 1 is the greatest season of television ever crafted) and Pedro Pascal (literally too many credits to list in a column’s preface) won’t appear on the list.
Oh, and I also disqualified Meryl Streep from consideration because then it would just be a “Top 5 Meryl Streep Decades and Here Are 5 Decades Of Other Actors” and I didn’t want to do that. Also how do you judge any one of Meryl Streep’s decades being better than another? She’s simply fantastic and quite literally too good for a list like this.
So without further ado, here are the top ten decades by actors and actresses.
T-10. Jennifer Lawrence, 2010s
Highlights : Winter’s Bone, X-Men franchise, The Hunger Games series, American Hustle
Awards: won 1 Oscar (Silver Linings Playbook), nominated 3 more; won 3 Golden Globes, nominated one moreBetween her portrayal of Mystique in the X-Men franchise and her turn as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games, J-Law had the box office success of a bankable star. Put those franchise films alongside the performances in movies such as Winter’s Bone (her first true leading role, believe it or not), and Lawrence rapidly became one of the definitive actresses of the young century. Her every-woman qualities off the screen endeared her to millions and helped draw such big crowds to every movie she took on in this powerful decade. Even disappointing movies like Passengers and Red Sparrow featured solid performances by Lawrence.
T-10. Will Ferrell, 2000s
Highlights: Zoolander, Old School, Elf, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Wedding Crashers, Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby, Step Brothers
Awards: nominated 2 Golden Globes (yes, really)
Ferrell’s list of highlights from the 2000s made him synonymous with comedy in the first ten years of the new millennium. Bursting onto the scene as Frank the Tank in Old School as well as Buddy the Elf in Elf in 2003, Ferrell quickly became a household name amongst both families and frat boys, quickly ascending to the top of the comedy hierarchy in 2004 with the extremely quotable Anchorman. The Saturday Night Live alumnus maintained that momentum through the rest of the decade, and is still one of Hollywood’s most prominent and excellent comedic actors. He is also likely one of the most quoted actors of all time (From “Buddy the Elf, what’s your favourite colour?” to “We’re going streaking!” to “Hey Derek, sprechen sie dick!”).
9. Russell Crowe, 2000s
Highlights: Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 3:10 to Yuma, American Gangster, State of Play
Awards: won 1 Oscar (Gladiator), nominated 1 more; won 1 Golden Globe (A Beautiful Mind), nominated 3 more
Yes, I know there are probably only a couple of standout performances in this resume, among a whole lot of really good movies that had good Crowe performances, but there’s no doubt that Crowe was a very prominent actor in the decade. Kicking the decade off with an Oscar win in one of the best action movies ever (and the best sports movie of all-time *runs away*) definitely helps his cause, but other popular roles like 3:10 to Yuma and reuniting with Ridley Scott for American Gangster helped make Crowe one of the better actors critically and in the box office well into the 2010s as well.
8. Matt Damon, 2000s
Highlights: Ocean’s trilogy, Bourne trilogy, Syriana, The Departed, The Good Shepherd, Invictus
Awards: None
Damon might not be the most talented actor on this list, but good lord did he have a decade to remember in the 2000s. Hit after hit after hit, with two of the better trilogies of the century headlining a resume that also includes some more serious work and, dareisay, a decade-defining role as Colin Sullivan in the Oscar-winning movie The Departed. I have to think if Warner Bros. hadn’t decided to not push anyone from that movie in the Lead Actor category, Damon would have been a lock for a nomination. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention his incredible appearance in EuroTrip, perhaps the greatest cameo by an actor ever. Scotty doesn’t know, am I right? In any case, Damon could qualify for this list based on Bourne and Ocean alone, but the rest of his decade including The Departed and the much more subdued but equally stellar The Good Shepherd make it one of the better decades on record.
7. Tom Hardy, 2010s
Highlights: Inception, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises, Lawless, Locke, The Drop, Mad Max: Fury Road, Legend, The Revenant, Dunkirk, Venom
Awards: Nominated 1 Oscar
Consider this before you react negatively to this: I listed basically Hardy’s entire resume from the decade in his highlights (apologies to This Means War and Child 44 – both adequate movies). His versatility is awe-inspiring, from dramas to comedies to action-heavy visual operas and pretty much everything in between. Not only that but he had two of the best performances on television shows in the 2010s (I know this is breaking a rule but hey they’re my own rules to break) as Alfie Solomons in Peaky Blinders and James Keziah Delaney in his own creation, Taboo. Hardy has his fair share of haters out there, but he truly is one of the greatest living thespians, and he really doesn’t miss on any performance or movie. He’s also the only actor from the last ten years who had a movie written solely with him in mind where the premise was “he sits in a car on the phone for 90 minutes” and believe you me, if you haven’t seen Locke yet – watch it now. Just kidding, finish reading the list and then watch it.
6. Denzel Washington, 2000s
Highlights: Remember the Titans, Training Day, Man on Fire, Inside Man, American Gangster
Awards: Won 1 Oscar (Training Day), Nominated 2 Golden Globes
So, I’m not going to lie, I was kind of surprised to see Denzel only had the 1 Oscar nomination (and win) in the 2000s, but let’s remember awards aren’t the primary deciding factor here. The guy kind of transcends decades in a way, and he also is referred to mainly by one name. Denzel. How many others can say that? Picking out Denzel’s strongest decade wasn’t easy, and I will admit there was probably a good amount of subjectivity in doing so, but look at his top five from the decade and stack it up against any other actor’s top five movies ever, and I think Denzel’s 2000s are pretty freakin’ strong. I know I’m going against my volume rule here, but the only part of this that doesn’t feel right is how low Denzel is on this list. Disney football coach, dirty cop, hitman, sarcastic cop, crime boss. Yeah, that’s Denzel to me.
5. Jim Carrey, 1990s
Highlights: The Mask, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Dumb and Dumber, Batman Forever, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, The Cable Guy, Liar Liar, The Truman Show, Man on the Moon
Awards: Won 2 Golden Globes, Nominated 2 Golden Globes
Carrey could make this list based on his 1994 alone – those first three movies listed above all came out that year, and I would have to think that is among the greatest single years by any actor we’ve ever seen. Yes, they’re all in the same genre and even same category of performance, and you could make the argument for many movies from Carrey’s 90s resume, but I still think there is a large number of people who still have absolutely no idea how Carrey didn’t even earn an Oscar nomination for The Truman Show. One of the most beloved comedians of the past 30 years, Carrey earned that reputation with hit after hit after hit in the 90s before turning to a multitude of mediocre roles in the 00s. By far one of the better acting spans in recent memory, Carrey’s decade of work from the 90s could be put up against any comedian’s entire resume and still come out on top.
4. Amy Adams, 2010s
Highlights: The Fighter, The Muppets, Man of Steel, American Hustle, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Arrival, Nocturnal Animals, Justice League, Vice
Awards: Nominated 4 Oscars; Won 2 Golden Globes, Nominated 5 more
I don’t have much to say about Amy Adams other than her performance in Arrival is the greatest single performance by a female actor in at least the last ten years, perhaps longer, and the fact that she didn’t get nominated shows how little the Academy knows. I know I’m going against the volume rule I put in place for myself, but I essentially put her on this list for Arrival, Nocturnal Animals and American Hustle alone. In one decade she’s done it all – drama, comedy, parody, Muppets, Lois Lane (three times) and is the greatest actress of our generation even if she has no recognition to show for it. Bottom line: Amy Adams rocks.
3. Robert De Niro, 1970s
Highlights: Mean Streets, The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, New York New York, The Deer Hunter
Awards: Won 1 Oscar, Nominated 2 more; Nominated 3 Golden Globes
I mean, I know the sample size isn’t huge from De Niro’s decade of the ‘70s, but look at the hits – all critical smashes, and all super different performances. A tinderbox of a small-time gangster, literally the Godfather, a slow but imminent decline into fanaticism, a saxophonist, and a contemplative Vietnam war vet who undergoes horrifying circumstances during and after the war. De Niro has had many great performances since then, but no decade of his has been this resoundingly good from start to finish. And not only that, but he started off the 1980s with Raging Bull, the second greatest sports movie of all time. One of the truly greatest legends to ever grace the screen, it’s hard to definitively (or non-definitively) find a decade greater than the 1970s for De Niro.
2. Tom Hanks, 1990s
Highlights: A League of Their Own, Sleepless In Seattle, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, Toy Story, Saving Private Ryan, You’ve Got Mail, Toy Story 2, The Green Mile
Awards: Won 2 Oscars, Nominated 1 more; Won 2 Golden Globes, Nominated 2 more
When I brought the idea for the list up to a colleague of mine, I hadn’t even showed him the shortlist I had, and he said “Tom Hanks is the 90s” so of course Hanks had to be up near the top of the list. I mean, the guy made two of the best movies for people under the age of 15 and four or five of the best movies that shouldn’t ever be watched by someone under the age of 15 in the same decade. Not only does that take skill but it also leads to being arguably the most universally beloved man in Hollywood by pretty much everybody.
1. Harrison Ford, 1980s
Highlights: The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Blade Runner, Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Frantic, Working Girl, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Awards: Nominated 1 Oscar; Nominated 2 Golden Globes
Remember earlier when I had almost all of Tom Hardy’s movies in his highlights? Yeah, I literally listed every movie Harrison Ford made here in his highlights. Which is mind-boggling. The dude made two of the better Star Wars movies, created and completed the entire greatest action hero trilogy ever, starred in one of the best non-Star Wars science fiction movies ever made, and STILL MANAGED TO FIT IN 2 OF THE BEST DRAMATIC PERFORMANCES OF HIS ENTIRE CAREER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DECADE?? AND also made Frantic, which was an incredible combination of a bunch of his reluctant hero tropes in a totally unique way? And made Working Girl?! (I haven’t seen Working Girl). He’s one of the most legendary and iconic actors of all-time, and most of his work was done IN THIS DECADE. The fact that I’ve put so much of my reasoning in caps lock is enough to make Ford a lock for #1.
Talking Films 