Best acting performances ever...

[LeoTheLion678]

I'll start. Hoping for inspiration as I'm running out of Saturday night choices!

Charlize Theron - Monster. Her acting and appearance were both absolutely mind blowing

Leonardo Di Caprio - What's Eating Gilbert Grape. How he didn't win every award under the sun makes me wonder who he fell out with in Hollywood!

Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips. Especially the end scene where he's gone into shock. But then he's my favourite actor in the solar system...

Elizabeth Debicky - The Crown. She was more like Diana... than Diana!

Who are your additions?

Benedict Cumberbatch in the opening scenes of ep 2 of Parade’s End in 2012. He doesn’t even speak but it’s a masterclass in complicated love and grief. Didn’t even get a bafta nomination and he should have won the damn thing for those few seconds.

Elisabeth Moss is absolutely outstanding in The Handmaid’s Tale. One of the most brilliant performances I’ve ever seen.

The entire cast was astonishing in that! I agree about the Branwell actor, but the Emily and Charlotte actors were brilliant too.

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in The Godfather.
In the scene in the restaurant when he meets Solozzo and McClusky, knowing he has to kill them to protect his father, you witness his realisation that he’s now part of that violent world and his dreams of living an independent life are gone. It’s a masterclass in tortured, understated emotion.

This. Incredible instinctive talent

I love most of the actors and performances in Hunt for the Wilderpeople, but probably Julian Dennison most; the haiku in the bunk bed and 'It was the best.'

Agree John Malkovich in Dangerous Liaisons, and Tom Hanks in everything 😂

I had kind of a visceral reaction of grief and love watching Mark Rylance in the latest Wolf Hall. I saw the Mirror being Anne's journey reflecting his own at the end, and the Light being his Lutheran faith until the last.

Yves Montand in Manon des Sources; 'Oui, vivant...mais bossu.'

Most of the cast of the most recent Emma film, but Miranda Hart and Bill Nighy most of all.

Fricking everyone in Little Miss Sunshine.

Timothée beautiful Chalamet in Call me by Your Name.

Daniel Day Lewis in ... I don't think I can narrow it down to just 1 performance!

Jacob Tremblay in Room

All of the cast of This is England (film and all the series)

Claire Danes in Fleishman Is in Trouble is just never talked about at all. Amazing.

Robbie Coltrane in Cracker.

Anthony Hopkins in the recentish film he was in about dementia

Jim royale and his daughter in the bathroom in the wedding episode of the royale family (I do know their real names but my perimenopausal brain has temporarily forgotten them)

Jessie Buckley in Wild Rose and Jessie Buckley in War and Peace - these performances show what range she has.

That just reminds me that my grandma used to refer to it as ‘I calvdivs’ because of how the title looked 😂 you’re right though he’s brilliant in that.

George C.Scott as Gen. Turgidson in Dr. Strangelove

Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Timothee Chalamet and Steve Carrell in Beautiful Boy

Stephen Graham in This is England and Vicky Mclure in the sequels. She just broke my heart.

Echoing the Al Pacino love. Not just in the Godfather films but Scarface, too… you literally can’t take your eyes off of him.
Also agreed with the Leonardo Di C love. He’s a brilliant actor.

Another amazing turn is Christopher Walken in The Deer Hunter. He and Robert De Niro are absolutely electrifying in the Russian Roulette scene. CW won an Oscar for this.

Olivia Colman in The Accused (Mo’s Story) was astounding.

Also Gary Oldman in Slow Horses. Or anything.

Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting

Julianne Moore in Still Alice - heartbreaking

Oh and Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds. He stole every scene

agree with lots of these. I’m going for Jodie Foster in the accused.

Carmela Soprano

She was just so believable

That Andrew Mountbatten Windsor as a misunderstood Prince in a Newsnight interview.

How he managd to deliver his responses with a straightface was superb.

His "...a straightforward shooting weekend..." still has our whole family in giggles and is now an oft repreated phrase to lighten a tense moment!

Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets.
(Or possibly Dennis Price in Kind Hearts and Coronets 😁)
For a controversial one I think Kevin Spacey is magnificent in The Usual Suspects.

How could I have failed to mention Ronnie Barker in Porridge?