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?

Lots that have been mentioned: Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker; Emma Thompson in Love Actually; John Malkovich in Dangerous Liaisons; Brendan Gleeson in Banshees)

Adding Daniel Day Lewis and Paul Dano in There Will be Blood
Paul Dano, Jessie Buckley in War and Peace
Jared Harris in Chernobyl
Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer

Laurence Olivier as Archie Rice in "The Entertainer", proof he wasn't just an old ham. Richard Burton in "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" finally realising he's been set up in a triple cross and that the whole espionage business is very grubby.

Juliet Stephenson in Truly Madly Deeply.

Mark Rylance in Wolf of Wolf Hall

Maggie Smith in The Lady in the Van

Alan Rickman in Truly Madly Deeply and as Snape.

Toni Colette in Hereditary. I felt those screams and she acted the fuck out of the rest of it too.

While we're in Horror Movies and actresses who can scream-cry believably, Florence Pugh in Midsommar was also a fantastic performance.

Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin is gut wrenching and evocative.

Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl, managing to play both a character you hate and empathise with at the same time, stellar performance.

And for something a bit less depressing, Meryl Streep in the Devil Wears Prada is iconic.

Jodie Foster - The Accused
Kate Winslet - Mare of East town
Sarah Lancashire - Happy Valley
Pauline Quirk - Broadchurch
Clare Danes - Homeland

Ricky Shroeder in The Champ

John Lithgow in dexter

Most of these. I’d also like to nominate Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies.

E N also brilliant in The Painted Veil

Joaquin Phoenix in Joker

I always thought Tom Ellis cast aside Lucifer in the series of the same name was exceptional casting - I can’t think of anyone else who would have played the character so well.

recently watched a show called All Her Fault. The lead in that was phenomenal. I think her name was Sarah Snook or something like that.

Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy - when she portrayed heartbreak it was so raw and real.

Jack Lennon in The Days ofWbine and Roses. Stupendous betrayal of Alcoholism.

Richard Burton and Liz Taylor
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.
What more can l say?

John Hurt The Elephant Man
Amazing!!!

Adam Nagaitis is superb in series one of The Terror based on the true story of the ill fated 1845 journey through the Artic. https://www.itv.com/watch/the-terror/10a5495

My Left Foot, great performance by Brenda Fricker too

Olivia Colman in everything I've ever seen her in, but particularly in Tyranosaur - amazing film that has stayed with me for years

Alan Rickman as Snape. He stands out as head and shoulders above the rest of the cast.

Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard in Star Trek TNG (can you tell I have a think for older, masterful men 🤣)

Bruno Ganz in Downfall. I think it's the best performance I've seen anyone do, ever.

Adrien Brody in The Pianist.

Josh O'Connor in God's Own Country.

Andre Royo and Michael K Williams in The Wire.

Oprah Winfrey in The Butler.

Pierce Brosnan in The Greatest. Broke my heart.

Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs
Morgan Freeman in The Shawshank Redemption
Pauline Collins in Shirley Valentine

Whoopie Goldberg and Oprah Winfry in The Colour Purple.

And Kathy Bates in Misery

Celia Johnson in
Brief Encounter

Jared Harris in The Terror and Paul Ready.
Both Ciaran Hinds and Jacob Elordi were heartbreaking in The narrow passage to the deep north.
And Hear me out, Sean William Scott for Stifler, I don’t think anyone else could have played that character as well as he did 😂 should have had an Oscar.

Some of the ones I can remember …..
Timotheé Chalamet in Beautiful Boy and Call Me By Your Name ( Also Armie Hammer in this)
Joaquim Phoenix in The Joker
Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain
Anthony Hopkins in The Father, Silence of the Lambs, Remains of the Day
Emma Thompson in Sense and Sensibility
Andrew Scott and Claire Foy in All of Us Strangers
Adrien Brody in The Pianist