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Lists that rank the greatest performers to hit the large and small screens.

Popular Opinion

Dustin Hoffman

The&nbsp;best actors in film history are a great subject of debate. These are the greatest actors ever to appear on the silver screen - male only (to vote on both genders, check out this list of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time">the greatest film actors and actresses</a>). These gentlemen were part of some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movies-of-all-time">greatest movies of all time</a> (or were perhaps the reason they were the best movies ever), with countless <a href="http://www.ranker.com/tags/Oscars">Academy Awards</a> between them.

What are the qualities of the best actors of all time? Remember, this is not simply about the most famous actors of all time, or the most popular actors. Is it the raw emotion they show, the parts they choose, their acting methods, or simply their effortless charm and charisma? There&#39;s no denying some of these amazing actors belong on the list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/hottest-male-celebrities">hottest male celebrities</a>, but behind the 1000 watt smiles lies the talent that defines generations of top actors. An argument could be made for some on this list that they are the best actor in the world.

Who is the best actor of all time? Is it a classic actor like Marlon Brando, a comedic genius like Charlie Chaplin, a double-threat like Clint Eastwood, or a method actor like Daniel Day Lewis? There are so many choices for the greatest movie actor ever that you may have a hard time picking just one. Good thing you can vote for as many candidates for best actors ever as you&#39;d like. Then check back to see if your favorites have made it into the top ten actors.&nbsp;

Tom Hanks

The best actors working today include Hollywood legends, Academy Award winners and many of the top up and coming actors in the world right now. These talented and beautiful men grace the big and small screen with brilliant performances in our favorite movies and TV shows and do it really, really well. There&#39;s no question that many of these top current actors, if they aren&#39;t already, will long be remembered among the <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-actors" target="_blank">best actors of all time</a>.

For many of these <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-actors?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best male actors</a>, being part of Hollywood&#39;s elite is nothing new as they&#39;ve been starring in our favorite titles for many years. The likes of George Clooney, Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Christopher Walken, among other popular actors, have been around for decades and lost little of that spark that made them favorites.

Moving into a slightly younger crowd, many of these best current actors are quickly becoming legendary as they continue to see success. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/leonardo-dicaprio-movies-and-films-and-filmography/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Leonardo DiCaprio</a>, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Johnny Depp are not just all hot, but among the best Hollywood has to offer today. But there&#39;s another generation of young actors looking for their turn in the spotlight too with up and comers like Aaron Paul, Michael Fassbender, Chris Hemsworth and Henry Cavill all on track to be the next big thing.

How do you compare the newcomers and the veterans to the <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time" target="_blank">greatest actors of all time</a>? However you rank them, do so below on this list of the best actors working today!

poll

Katharine Hepburn

The best actors and actresses of all time, male and female, ranked by film fans worldwide. This list of greatest actors and actresses attempts to answer the question &quot;Who are the best actors of all time?&quot; by incorporating the views and opinions of all members of the Ranker Community. Keep in mind, as you vote or add a top actor or actress you see missing, that we are rating these actors on their body of work, not just what they have done recently! Some of the greatest actors of all time have not necessarily acted in a project in the past 5 years, but they still deserve to be on this greatest actresses and actors of all time list. Top actors and actresses in films are judged by their acting ability and their mastery of roles that they have played over the years. Many of these great actors have videos of their best roles for you to view so you can refresh yourself on the best works of your favorite actors as you consider your votes for top thespians of all time. Nominate your picks for the top actors &amp; actresses by making a list of your own. Then come back to the Master List and vote up your favorites!For lists separated by gender, check out our lists of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-actors">best actors of all time</a> and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-actresses-in-film-history">best actresses in film history</a>.

Actresses

Emma Thompson

The best actresses ever are ranked here in this list of the best actresses in film history. These are the greatest actresses ever to appear on the silver screen - female only (to vote on both genders, check out this list of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time">the greatest film actors and actresses</a>). These women were part of some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-movies-of-all-time">greatest movies of all time</a> (or were perhaps the reason they were the best movies ever), with countless <a href="http://www.ranker.com/tags/Oscars">Academy Awards</a> between them.What are the qualities of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-american-actresses-of-all-time/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best actresses of all time</a>? Is it the raw emotion they show, the parts they choose, their acting methods, or simply their effortless charm and charisma? There's no denying some of these amazing actresses belong on the list of the hottest celebrities of all time, but behind the 1000 watt smiles lies the talent that defines generations of actresses. Who is the best actor of all time? Is it a classic actor like Katharine Hepburn, a comedic genius like Tina Fey, a stunner like Catherine Zeta-Jones, or a method actor like Meryl Streep? There are so many choices for the greatest movie actress ever that you may have a hard time choosing just one (although you can vote for as many of the actresses on this list of the greatest actresses ever as you want). If your favorite leading lady isn't on the list, make sure to add her so others can vote for her to receive the title of best actress in film history.

Clint Eastwood

As movie fans, we like to think of our favorite actors as being larger than life. With all of the coverage that these stars get, these cool customers know how to function both on and off the screen. Often times we think of our favorite actors as being fairly close in personality to our favorite characters to whom which they portray. Obviously it's impossible for them to be a lot like their famous portrayals, but that doesn't mean that these guys aren't cool. In fact, most of these guys epitomize what cool is. Beginning with actors like Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant during the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-golden-age-of-horror-movies/ranker-horror?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Golden Age of Film</a>, the best leading men have had a certain aura about them. James Dean, Marlon Brando and Steve McQueen are other actors who are considered some of the coolest guys ever. More recently, tough guy actors like Bruce Willis and Daniel Craig mix brains with brawn in their iconic roles as John McClane and James Bond each. While they each exemplify a different kind of cool, people are still attracted to these actors because this coolness factor. These actors of the guys who you'd want to hang out with, talk shop and maybe down an adult beverage or two with.Vote for who you think is the coolest actor ever. If you don't see a name on this list and the actor is cool, feel free to add a name to the legendary list of the coolest people history.&nbsp;

Best Movies

Samuel L. Jackson

There are many actors who haven&#39;t won an Oscar. For 95 percent of the acting population, there is probably a good reason they haven&#39;t taken home one of film&#39;s most prestigious honors. Only two actors per year can win either the Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor Oscars, leaving eight other nominees with nothing. And all of the other actors in the biz out in the cold.

But does the Academy always get it right? There are plenty of actors who haven&#39;t won an Oscar despite the fact that they&rsquo;ve turned in amazing performances. Whether it&rsquo;s due to stellar competition, bad luck, or an out-and-out snub, some artists have never gotten the recognition they deserve. Of course, some actors - like the great <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/underrated-gary-oldman-movie-and-tv-roles/mike-mcgranaghan" target="_blank">shapeshifter Gary Oldman</a> - do finally get recognized after years without even a nomination, let alone a win.

Johnny Depp and&nbsp;Edward Norton&nbsp;are all big draws at the box office who haven&#39;t received the same respect of the Academy that they have from audiences. While they&#39;ve all been nominated for Oscars, they&#39;ve never taken home the big prize. Other top actors without acting Oscars include Liam Neeson, Robert Downey, Jr.. Matt Damon, and Michael Fassbender. This list of Hollywood celebrities who have no&nbsp;Academy Awards also includes Black actors, like Will Smith, and famous classic stars, like Peter O&#39;Toole and Cary Grant. How these people never won an Oscar will always be a mystery!&nbsp;

There are a surprising number of big name actors who haven&#39;t won an Oscar. It&#39;s up to you to determine which of these men is the greatest.

Here is the place to rank&nbsp;the best actresses working today. This list includes many of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-actresses-in-film-history">greatest actresses in film history</a>, but more importantly, focuses on modern <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-most-beautiful-women-in-hollywood?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">female movie stars</a> and TV actresses. Today, Hollywood features a new crop of popular and respected young actresses who command strong female roles that hold their own on the big and small screens. Current actresses are more talented than ever before.

While many of the talented women on this list are among familiar favorites (Meryl, Tilda, Glenn...), others are not quite yet household names, even if they have been nominated for - or even won! - Oscars for their performances. This list includes the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-famous-actresses-right-now/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">top female actors</a> who have had starring roles in the last few years, both in film and TV (like Homeland star / Emmy award winner Claire Danes) and should give you a good idea of the top 100 actresses who are in the business these days.&nbsp;

The recent performances of these women have been widely acclaimed, even if their individual films or works were otherwise ignored. Vote up those actresses who you believe have contributed the most to the presence of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/strong-female-characters/anncasano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">strong female characters</a> in film and TV.

Ralph Fiennes

<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-living-american-actors/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">List of actors</a> who you would watch do something as mundane as read the phone book. Some of these guys are leading men, considered some of the <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-actors">best actors of all time</a>, and other are <a href="&lt;span id="></a><a href="/list/famous-male-character-actors/reference">great character actors</a>, known for their ability to become completely different people each time they are on camera. A few are just charming, or maybe &quot;interesting,&quot; whatever that means. Others on this list are just quirky weirdos known for their off-screen antics as much as their actual acting. Maybe they would liven up the phonebook a bit? It's not always ads for fireworks and prostitutes.Vote for those actors you think would be fun to watch doing just about anything. If not read the phonebook, maybe they could do the news, or the weather. Be sure to add any who are missing, and click 'rerank' below to make a list of your own.

American People

Ed Harris

It takes a lot to make a movie great. There has to be excellent writing, production, direction, editing, and of course, acting. While the crew draws out the parameters for a movie, the actors are who color in the film to bring it to life, and without great acting, a great film can crumble.&nbsp;

These actors are the ones who deliver time and again, regardless of how good the script or the production of the film is. These are <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-americans-ever/jacariah?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the greatest American</a> actors who are alive today. Who are the best actors from the USA? Sure, you have your Oscar winners like Tom Hanks and Tommy Lee Jones. But what about those reliable, <a href="/list/underrated-vincent-donofrio-movie-and-tv-roles/mike-mcgranaghan" target="_blank">underrated guys like Vincent D&#39;Onofrio</a>? That&#39;s up to you to decide. This list is votable and rerankable, and if you don&#39;t see someone on here that deserves a spot, feel free to add them, but make sure they&#39;re still alive.&nbsp;

Patrick Stewart

This list of the greatest British actors of all time has been ranked by fans of the films and TV shows in which these men have starred. What is it about British men that makes them so magnetic on the screen? Is it their sexy accents? Their distinguished demeanors? Whatever the case, there are many top British actors and great English actors who have achieved fame, success, and won many awards worldwide.British actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Ben Kingsley are considered to be some of the greatest actors of all time. This list includes British male actors from the United Kingdom of Great Britain, including England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Who are your favorites among these <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-english-actors-working-today/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best British actors</a>? Vote them up, or click rerank below to make a list of your own.

There have been plenty of great English actors throughout film history, but which male English actors working today are the greatest? This list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-english-actors-of-all-time/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best English actors</a> working today ranks the top male Hollywood actors hailing from England, both from the big screen and on television. From Oscar winners to Emmy nominees, these great actors are killing it these days, turning in great performances in recent years.This list ranks the highest-rated English actors working today from best to worst. These great actors are all from somewhere in England, but are popular actors all over the world. Today's top actors go deep into their roles, perfecting their performances, whether comedic or dramatic, and many are handsome to boot!The greatest English actors working today who are ranked on this list include Michael Caine, Colin Firth, Ewan McGregor, Sean Connery, Jude Law, Christian Bale, Anthony Hopkins, Ralph Fiennes, Sean Bean, and Clive Owen. If there’s an actor listed here that you think is the absolute best in the movie industry today, vote him up. If the actors you think have been nailing it in theaters recently aren't listed, feel free to add them for a comprehensive list of the truly best actors from England who are currently working.

Judd Hirsch

The best living actors in their 80s are all seasoned veterans in Hollywood who were born in 1939&nbsp;or earlier. These men are multiple Academy Award winners, legends on the big screen and small and among the <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-actors" target="_blank">best actors in film history</a>. While not all have aged as well as others, in many cases, these older actors are still Hollywood greats.

To say that this <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-actors-working-today/bustermcdermott?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of male actors</a> over 80 is packed with superstars might be an understatement. Names like&nbsp;Kirk Douglas, William Shatner, and Clint Eastwood are among the greatest actors of the 20th century. Add in Dick Van Dyke, Carl Reiner, Gene Hackman, and Christopher Plummer, and you&#39;ve named some of the most talented men to ever act in a movie or television show. There are also amazing British actors over 80, like two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine.

But the list doesn&#39;t stop there. Actors such as Christopher Lee, <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/young-james-earl-jones/cari-fortier?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">James Earl Jones</a>, and Robert Duvall might be getting up there in age, but they are showing few signs of slowing down. Those and many other actors over 80 and still alive continue to star in movies and TV shows having not lost a beat with age.

So which of these best actors over 80 years of age are&nbsp;the absolute best? Which would rank the highest on the list of the <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-actors" target="_blank">greatest film actors of all time</a>? Vote for your favorites below, add any not ranked already or re-rank this list of the best living actors over 80 below!

Who are the young actresses that will take the places of stars like <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-miley-cyrus-stories/jacob-shelton?ref=nodelyrel&amp;pos=1&amp;a=0&amp;l=1588503&amp;ltype=n&amp;g=1" target="_blank">Miley Cyrus </a>and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/selena-gomez-loves-and-hookups/celebrityhookups?ref=nodelyrel&amp;pos=5&amp;a=0&amp;l=1999886&amp;ltype=n&amp;g=1" target="_blank">Selena Gomez</a>, who have since graduated from kids&#39; magazines to the covers of more grown-up publications? Here you&#39;ll find out as you peruse a list of up-and-coming actresses under 25. You&#39;ll recognize more names than you think of young actresses under 25 from shows like Shameless, The Goldbergs, and Stranger Things. These female&nbsp;actresses under 25 have already started to make a name for themselves in Hollywood at an incredibly early age.

Maya Hawke is one of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/hot-actress-under-30?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">young female actors</a> you will definitely recognize from the third season of Netflix hit&nbsp;Stranger Things. The daughter of actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke&nbsp;has also appeared in popular films such as&nbsp;Little Women&nbsp;and&nbsp;Once Upon a Time...In Hollywood. Millie Bobby Brown is also one of the noteworthy female celebrities under 25.&nbsp;

But which are the best Hollywood actresses under 25? This is where you get to decide. Vote up your favorite stars from this&nbsp;list of best actresses under 25 to help them rise through the ranks. If you can think of any other actresses in their 20s, or even younger stars who you think are super talented, then feel free to add them to the list.

Celebrities

Robert Downey Jr.

Great celebrity comebacks are rare – in a world ruled by fickle fame, it's not always easy for <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">actors and actresses</a> to recover from career misfortune. What are some of the best examples of impressive celebrity comebacks for actors and actresses of the past 30 years? The world of Hollywood actors is riddled with disappointment and overbearing egos, but what about stars who once had it all, fell out of favor, then rose from the wreckage and transformed their prior misfortunes into renewed successes? Below is a list of the best film actor comebacks of all time. These celebrities made major comebacks even when the world didn't think they could do it. Vote up which celebrities you think have had the greatest comeback to their career, and let's welcome everyone back into the game.

America

Eddie Murphy

From any era and genre, these are the greatest African American actors in film history, ranked by the community to determine who is the best African American actor of all time. These top Black actors are the best of the best and many are also among the best living actors today. From those who have portrayed classic B<a href="/list/greatest-black-characters-in-film-history/ranker-film" target="_blank">lack&nbsp;characters</a>, to award winning actors, only the best African American male actors are on this list. (Click here to vote on the <a href="/list/best-black-actresses/ranker-film" target="_blank">best Black actresses</a>.)

Who are the greatest African American actors in film? Including Oscar winners, like Denzel Washington, classic actors, like Sidney Poitier, and movie stars, like Will Smith, each of the famous Black actors on this list has earned his place with an excellent body of work and memorable performances.&nbsp;Some African-American comedians and rappers are also on this list, having found success in a movie, or two.&nbsp;

From young to old, the popular <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/hot-black-male-actors/sammie-b?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Black male actors</a> that are featured on this list include some of the best actors of all time including, Morgan Freeman, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover, and Eddie Murphy. Of course, you&#39;ll also find young Black actors who&#39;ve recently risen to the top. Is the African American actor you think is best not on the list? Add him to make a truly comprehensive list to determine the best African American leading Hollywood men.

Michael Caine

Some of the best actors of all time hail from England, and whether you love these English men for their acting talents or just their accents, there's no denying that many of these English actors are among some of the best actors in film history. Whether living or dead, these men made England a top source for acting talent in Hollywood and will go down in history as the best.Who are the all-time top English actors in film history? Some of these actors from England became famous for roles as Americans, as Jedi (hi, Alec Guinness!), as detectives, and any number of other memorable characters. There's just something about these English gentlemen that movie audiences love, and their fantastic acting abilities have made many of them award winners as well.This list features the greatest English actors of all time including Charlie Chaplin, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, Cary Grant, David Niven, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Ewan McGregor. Don't see your favorite actor from England? Add him below so other film fans can vote. Then, be sure to vote and rerank the list according to who you think are the best English actors to have ever graced the screen.

Hugh Jackman

Most working stars in the film industry are just going from paycheck to paycheck; taking any job just to earn a living. Regardless of talent, these <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-greatest-film-actors-and-actresses-of-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">actors and actresses</a> sometimes luck out and make a few good movies, but just as often are forced to appear in less-than-stellar works... (And let's not even mention the dozens of movie stars who have the uncanny ability to make any movie suck.) But that's not the case for the talents on this list! Here you will find a collection of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-actors">best actors</a> who refuse to appear in bad movies or otherwise lift a mediocre movie to prominence just by gracing it with their presence. These stars are so charismatic that even the ones that may have made a subpar film or two have long since put it behind them. For instance, remember that time George Clooney starred in a Batman sequel opposite&nbsp;Arnold Schwarzenegger? No? That's because Hollywood called a mulligan and all is forgiven, George!Vote up or add your favorite film star that consistently makes good movies. And, no, making four <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-american-pie-movies/ranker-film?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">American Pie movies</a> doesn't count, Jason Biggs!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

List of Hollywood kids: actors who grew up on the big screen and child stars you recognize working today. While there are many child stars, it takes someone special to make it from kid to adult in the entertainment industry. There are lots of pitfalls a former child star can succumb to, like drug use, gambling, and other addictions. It&#39;s also hard to overcome the fact that, in many cases, you simply cannot just &#39;get by&#39; on your cute kid looks.

Who are the most successful <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/child-actors-who-work-behind-the-scenes-now/eric-vega" target="_blank">former child stars</a>? Some young actors actually do make the crossover into adulthood. These former child stars are some of the few that have made it over the hurdle of adolescence and into adulthood in tact - people like Jason Bateman, Natalie Portman, <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/neil-patrick-harris-facts/jacob-shelton?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Neil Patrick Harris</a> and even Ron Howard. They not only made it out of the former child star pit unscathed, but have florished as adult working actors, writers and directors.

Robert Redford

There have been plenty of great American actors throughout film history, but which are the greatest working today? This list ranks the best current leading men in Hollywood, both from the big screen and on television. From Oscar winners to Emmy nominees, these great actors are killing it these days, turning in great performances in recent years. Who are the greatest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-actors-working-today/bustermcdermott?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">current male actors</a> from the USA? These talented men are all from all over the country, though they might be popular with international film lovers as well. Today's top US actors go deep into their roles, perfecting their performances, whether comedic or dramatic, and many are handsome to boot!Some of the top actors from the United States right now include Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Robert de Niro, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Downey, Jr., Kevin Spacey, and Ben Affleck. If there’s an actor listed here that you think is the absolute best of the moment in the movie industry today, vote him up. If the actors you think have been nailing it in theaters recently aren't listed, feel free to add them for a comprehensive list of the truly best US actors currently working.

Natalie Portman

With 20 Academy Awards nominations, two&nbsp;Best Actress Oscars, and one Best Supporting Actress Oscar, Meryl Streep&nbsp;undeniably stands as the best actress of her generation and one of the greatest actresses of all time. Her immersive and versatile acting style allowed her <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/meryl-streep_s-greatest-performances-as-real-people/oscar-grouch">to embody characters</a> ranging from a bitter divorcee to a frosty magazine editor to the former Prime Minister of the UK, lending her a reel like no other. Since Streep occupies such a large niche within pop culture, it begs the question: who is the next Meryl Streep?&nbsp;Several young actresses on their way to becoming the next Meryl Streep include Academy Award winners Jennifer Lawrence, Brie Larson, Anne Hathaway, and Emma Stone. Non-American actresses, like Carey Mulligan, Alicia Vikander, and Margot Robbie, quickly became Hollywood A-listers&nbsp;for their critically acclaimed performances. Which of these talented leading ladies fit the bill as the&nbsp;future Meryl Streep?&nbsp;Vote up the young actresses you think will be the next Meryl Streep.

The Best Actors and Actresses

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The greatest TV actors of all time. Some of these actors have been in movies, some of them are even more well known at this point for their work in films rather than on TV but all of these actors have really shown off some impressive chops on the small screen.

From Bryan Cranston to Hugh Laurie and beyond, these are the best TV actors ever. From Emmy winners to simply fan favorites. Don&#39;t see your favorite <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/classic-television-actors-first-vs-last-tv-roles/anncasano" target="_blank">actor from a TV show</a> on this list? Add them! And make sure to vote for all of your favorites. Vote up who you think deserves the top spot, and vote down anyone that you think is overrated.

The Best TV Actors of All-Time

The Best TV Actors of All Time

Best TV Actors Lists, Top 10 TV Actresses- Find any People in TV List at Ranker

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International

James Gandolfini

James Joseph Gandolfini Jr. (Italian: [ɡandolˈfiːni]; September 18, 1961 – June 19, 2013) was an American actor best known for his role as Tony Soprano, the Italian-American crime boss in HBO's television series The Sopranos. He won three Emmy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Golden Globe Award. Gandolfini's performance as Tony Soprano is widely regarded as among the greatest performances in television history.His notable film roles include mob henchman Virgil in True Romance (1993), Lt. Bobby Dougherty in Crimson Tide (1995), Colonel Winter in The Last Castle (2001) and Mayor of New York in The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). Other roles are enforcer and stuntman Bear in Get Shorty (1995) and impulsive "Wild Thing" Carol in Where the Wild Things Are  (2010). For his performance as Albert in Enough Said (2013), Gandolfini posthumously received much critical praise and several accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In 2007, Gandolfini produced Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq, a documentary in which he interviewed injured Iraq War veterans and in 2010, Wartorn: 1861–2010 examining the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on soldiers and families throughout several wars in U.S. history from 1861 to 2010.

Bryan Cranston

Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director. He played Walter White on the AMC series Breaking Bad (2008–2013), Hal on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006), and Dr. Tim Whatley on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998). His performance on Breaking Bad is widely regarded as one of the best performances in television history.
For Breaking Bad, Cranston won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series four times (2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014), the first three of which were consecutive wins—the second time in television history after Bill Cosby in I Spy during the 1960s. After becoming a producer of the show in 2011, he also won the award for Outstanding Drama Series twice. He was previously nominated three times for the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in Malcolm in the Middle. Breaking Bad earned Cranston five Golden Globe nominations (with one win), nine Screen Actors Guild Award nominations (with four wins), and six Satellite Award nominations (with four wins).
In June 2014, Cranston won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his portrayal of president Lyndon B. Johnson in the play All the Way on Broadway, a role he reprised in HBO's 2016 television film of the same name. In April 2018, he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Howard Beale in Network at London's National Theatre, later winning his second Tony Award for playing the role on Broadway. For the film Trumbo (2015), he received widespread acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Cranston has directed episodes of Malcolm in the Middle, Breaking Bad, Modern Family, and The Office. He has also appeared in several acclaimed films, such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), Little Miss Sunshine (2006), Drive (2011), Argo (2012), and Godzilla (2014). In 2015, Cranston and David Shore created, executive produced, and wrote the story for the Amazon Studios original crime drama Sneaky Pete.

Peter Dinklage

Peter Hayden Dinklage (; born June 11, 1969) is an American actor and producer. Dinklage studied acting at Bennington College, starring in a number of amateur stage productions. His film debut was in Living in Oblivion (1995) and his breakthrough came with the comedy-drama The Station Agent (2003). He has since appeared in Elf (2003), Find Me Guilty (2006), Underdog (2007), Death at a Funeral (2007), Penelope (2008), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), Pixels (2015), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), which earned him his first Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2018, he appeared as Eitri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Avengers: Infinity War and Hervé Villechaize in the biopic film My Dinner with Hervé.
Dinklage received universal acclaim for portraying Tyrion Lannister on the HBO television series Game of Thrones, for which he won three Primetime Emmys from seven nominations. He also received a Golden Globe for the role in 2011.

Betty White

Betty Marion White Ludden (born January 17, 1922) is an American actress and comedian, with the longest television career of any entertainer, spanning 80 years. Regarded as a pioneer of television, she is one of the first women to have control both in front of and behind the camera and is recognized as the first woman to produce a sitcom (Life with Elizabeth), which contributed to her receiving the honorary title Mayor of Hollywood in 1955.She is known for her award-winning roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973–77) and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls (1985–92) – the Writers Guild of America has included both sitcoms in its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time – and Elka Ostrovsky on Hot in Cleveland (2010–15).
A staple guest of many American game shows such as Password, Match Game, Hollywood Squares and The $25,000 Pyramid, White has been dubbed the 'First Lady of Game Shows' and became the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host in 1983 for the show Just Men! She is also known for her appearances on Boston Legal, Mama's Family, and Saturday Night Live.
She has received eight Emmy Awards in various categories, three American Comedy Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Grammy Award.  She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a Television Hall of Fame inductee (class of 1995), and a Disney Legend (class of 2009).

Dick Van Dyke

Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer, whose entertainment career has spanned seven decades.
He first gained recognition on radio and Broadway, then he became known for his role as Rob Petrie on the CBS television sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. He also gained significant popularity for roles in the musical films Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). His other prominent film appearances include roles in The Comic (1969), Dick Tracy (1990), Curious George (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Other prominent TV roles include the leads in The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–74), Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001), and Murder 101 (2006–08) which both co-starred his son Barry.
Van Dyke is the recipient of five Primetime Emmys, a Tony, and a Grammy Award, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, in 2013. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard and has also been recognized as a Disney Legend.

Andy Griffith

Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, Southern Gospel singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his southern drawl, his characters with a folksy-friendly personality, and his gruff, gregarious voice, Griffith was a Tony Award nominee for two roles, and gained prominence in the starring role in director Elia Kazan's film A Face in the Crowd (1957) before he became better known for his television roles, playing the lead roles of Andy Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) and Ben Matlock in the legal drama Matlock (1986–1995).

Alan Alda

Alan Alda (born January 28, 1936) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, comedian and author. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he played Hawkeye Pierce in the war television series M*A*S*H (1972–1983). He has also appeared on television programs such as Scientific American Frontiers, The West Wing, and 30 Rock, and in films such as Same Time, Next Year (1978) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989). He also experienced success as a director with 1981's The Four Seasons. In 2004, Alda was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in The Aviator.

Steve Carell

Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor, comedian, producer, writer, and director. He is well known for his portrayal of boss Michael Scott on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), on which he also worked as an occasional producer, writer and director.
Carell was a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart from 1999 to 2005. He has starred in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) and its 2013 sequel, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Evan Almighty (2007), Get Smart (2008), Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and The Way, Way Back (both 2013). He has also voice acted in Over the Hedge (2006), Horton Hears a Who! (2008) and the Despicable Me franchise (2010–present). In 2016, Carell co-created the TBS comedy series Angie Tribeca with his wife, Nancy Carell. 
Carell was nominated as "America's funniest man" in Life magazine, and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy for his work on the first season of The Office. In the 2010s, Carell received attention for more dramatic roles. His role as wrestling coach and convicted murderer John Eleuthère du Pont in the drama film Foxcatcher (2014) earned him, among various honors, nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama and the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. He also received acclaim for his roles in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), The Big Short (2015), and Battle of the Sexes (2017), the latter two earning him his eighth and ninth Golden Globe Award nominations, respectively. In 2018, he re-teamed with Anchorman and The Big Short director Adam McKay for the Dick Cheney biopic Vice, in which he portrayed Donald Rumsfeld, and played journalist David Sheff in the drama Beautiful Boy.

Mary Tyler Moore

Mary Tyler Moore is an American actress, primarily known for her roles in television sitcoms. Moore is best known for The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which she starred as Mary Richards, a 30-something single woman who worked as a local news producer in Minneapolis, and for her earlier role as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She also appeared in a number of films, most notably 1967's Thoroughly Modern Millie and 1980's Ordinary People, in which she played a role that was very different from the television characters she had portrayed, and for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. 

Robin Williams

Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951 – August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Born in Chicago, Williams began performing stand-up comedy in San Francisco and Los Angeles during the mid-1970s, After rising to fame playing the alien Mork in the sitcom Mork & Mindy, Williams established a career in both stand-up comedy and feature film acting. He was known for his improvisation skills and the wide variety of memorable character voices he created. Many critics have lauded Williams as one of the funniest comedians of all time.After his first starring film role in Popeye (1980), Williams starred in numerous films that achieved critical and commercial success, including The World According to Garp (1982), Moscow on the Hudson (1984), Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Awakenings (1990), The Fisher King (1991), Patch Adams (1998), One Hour Photo (2002) and World's Greatest Dad (2009), as well as box office hits, such as Hook (1991), Aladdin (1992),  Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Jumanji (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Good Will Hunting (1997) and the Night at the Museum trilogy (2006–2014).
Williams was nominated four times for Academy Awards, winning Best Supporting Actor for his performance as psychologist Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. He also received two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Grammy Awards.
On August 11, 2014, Williams committed suicide in his Paradise Cay, California home at age 63. His wife attributed his suicide to his struggle with Lewy body disease.

Ted Danson

Edward Bridge Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor and producer who played the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers, Jack Holden in the films Three Men and a Baby and Three Men and a Little Lady, and Dr. John Becker on the CBS sitcom Becker. He also starred in the CBS dramas CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and CSI: Cyber as D.B. Russell. Additionally, he plays a recurring role on Larry David's HBO sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm, starred alongside Glenn Close in legal drama Damages, and was a regular on the HBO comedy series Bored to Death. In 2015 he starred as Hank Larsson in the second season of FX's black comedy-crime drama anthology Fargo. Since 2016, he has played the afterlife architect Michael in the NBC sitcom The Good Place.
During his career, Danson has been nominated for 17 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two; ten Golden Globe Awards nominations, winning three; one Screen Actors Guild Award; and one American Comedy Award and has been awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. He was ranked second in TV Guide's list of the top 25 television stars. Danson has also been a longtime activist in ocean conservation. In March 2011, he published his first book, Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them, written with journalist Michael D'Orso.

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Carol Burnett

Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer and writer, whose career spans seven decades of television. She is best known for her groundbreaking comedy variety show, The Carol Burnett Show, originally aired on CBS. It was the first of its kind to be hosted by a woman. She has achieved success on stage, television and film in varying genres including dramatic and comedic roles. She has also appeared on various talk shows and as a panelist on game shows.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Burnett moved with her grandmother to Hollywood, where she attended Hollywood High School and eventually studied theater and musical comedy at UCLA. Later she performed in nightclubs in New York City and had a breakout success on Broadway in 1959 in Once Upon a Mattress, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. She soon made her television debut, regularly appearing on The Garry Moore Show for the next three years, and won her first Emmy Award in 1962. Burnett had her television special debut in 1963 when she starred as Calamity Jane in the Dallas State Fair Musicals production of Calamity Jane on CBS. Burnett moved to Los Angeles, California, and began an 11-year run as star of The Carol Burnett Show on CBS television from 1967 to 1978. With its vaudeville roots, The Carol Burnett Show was a variety show that combined comedy sketches with song and dance. The comedy sketches included film parodies and character pieces. Burnett created many memorable characters during the show's run, and both she and the show won numerous Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.
During and after her variety show, Burnett appeared in many television and film projects. Her film roles include Pete 'n' Tillie (1972),  The Front Page (1974), The Four Seasons (1981), Annie (1982), Noises Off (1992), and Horton Hears a Who! (2008). On television, she has appeared in other sketch shows; in dramatic roles in 6 Rms Riv Vu (1974) and Friendly Fire (1979); in various well-regarded guest roles, such as in Mad About You, for which she won an Emmy Award; and in specials with Julie Andrews, Dolly Parton, Beverly Sills, and others. She returned to the Broadway stage in 1995 in Moon Over Buffalo, for which she was again nominated for a Tony Award.
Burnett has written and narrated several memoirs, earning Grammy nominations for almost all of them, and a win for In Such Good Company: Eleven Years Of Laughter, Mayhem, And Fun In The Sandbox.In 2005, she was recognized as "one of America's most cherished entertainers" and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom "for enhancing the lives of millions of Americans and for her extraordinary contributions to American entertainment."

Sir Patrick Stewart  (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor whose work has included roles on stage, television, and film in a career spanning almost six decades. He has been nominated for Olivier, Golden Globe, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild, and Saturn Awards throughout his career.
Beginning his career with a long run with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart received the 1979 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in Antony and Cleopatra in the West End. Stewart's first major screen roles were in BBC-broadcast television productions during the mid-late 1970s, including Hedda, and the I, Claudius miniseries.
From the 1980s onward, Stewart began working in American television and film, with prominent leading roles such as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation and its subsequent films, as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men series of superhero films, the lead of the Starz TV series Blunt Talk, and voice roles such as CIA Deputy Director Avery Bullock in American Dad! and the narrator in Ted. Having remained with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in 2008 Stewart played King Claudius in Hamlet in the West End and won a second Olivier Award.
In 1993, TV Guide named Stewart the Best Dramatic Television Actor of the 1980s. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 16 December 1996. In 2010, Stewart was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama.

Caroll O'Connor

Carroll O'Connor

John Carroll O'Connor (August 2, 1924 – June 21, 2001) was an American actor, producer, and director whose television career spanned four decades. A lifelong member of the Actors Studio, in 1970 O'Connor found widespread fame as bigoted working man Archie Bunker, the main character in the CBS television sitcoms All in the Family (1971-79) and its spinoff, Archie Bunker's Place (1979-83). O'Connor later starred in the NBC/CBS television crime drama In the Heat of the Night (1988-95), where he played the role of Sparta, Mississippi police chief William (Bill) Gillespie. At the end of his career in the late 1990s, he played the father of Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) on Mad About You.
In 1996, O'Connor was ranked number 38 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Woody Harrelson

Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. His breakout role came in 1985 as bartender Woody Boyd in the television sitcom Cheers. He later became known for his portrayals of Billy Hoyle in White Men Can't Jump (1992), Mickey Knox in Natural Born Killers (1994), and Larry Flynt in The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996). More recent roles include Tallahassee in Zombieland (2009), Capt. Tony Stone in The Messenger (2009), Dave Brown in Rampart (2011), Charlie Frost in 2012 (2009), Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015), Merritt McKinney in the Now You See Me film series (2013–2016), the Colonel in War for the Planet of the Apes (2017), Rex Walls in The Glass Castle (2017), Bill Willoughby in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Tobias Beckett in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), and Maney Gault in The Highwaymen (2019).
Harrelson has been nominated for an Academy Award three times; he was nominated for Best Actor for The People vs. Larry Flynt and Best Supporting Actor for The Messenger and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. For his role in Cheers, he earned five Emmy Award nominations and won one in 1989.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus Hall (; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian, producer, and singer. She is known for her work in the television comedy series Saturday Night Live (1982–1985), Seinfeld (1989–1998), The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), and Veep (2012–2019). She is one of the most awarded actresses in American television history, winning more Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer (eight of the Emmy Awards were for acting, tying Cloris Leachman for the most acting wins).
Louis-Dreyfus broke into comedy as a performer in The Practical Theatre Company in Chicago, Illinois, which led to her casting in the sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985. Her breakthrough came in 1989 with a nine-season run playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld, one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time. Other notable television roles include Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine, which had a five-season run on CBS, and her role as Selina Meyer in Veep, which ran for seven seasons on HBO. Her notable film roles have included Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and Enough Said (2013). She also voiced roles in the animated films A Bug's Life (1998), Planes (2013) and the upcoming Onward.
Louis-Dreyfus has received eleven Emmy Awards, eight for acting and three for producing, with a total of 24 nominations throughout her career. She has also received a Golden Globe Award, nine Screen Actors Guild Awards, five American Comedy Awards, and two Critics' Choice Television Awards. Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010, and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2016, Time named Louis-Dreyfus as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. In 2018, she received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, presented by the Kennedy Center as America's highest comedy honor.

Danny DeVito

Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor, director, producer, and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series Taxi (1978–1983), which won him a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy Award. He currently plays Frank Reynolds on the FX and FXX sitcom It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2006–present).
He is known for his film roles in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983) Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Twins (1988), The War of the Roses (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Get Shorty (1995), Matilda (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), L.A. Confidential (1997), Man on the Moon (1999), Wiener-Dog (2016) and most recently Dumbo (2019). He is also known for his voiceovers in such films as Space Jam (1996), Hercules (1997)  and The Lorax (2012).
DeVito and Michael Shamberg founded Jersey Films. Soon afterwards, Stacey Sher became an equal partner. The production company is known for films such as Pulp Fiction, Garden State, and Freedom Writers. DeVito also owned Jersey Television, which produced the Comedy Central series Reno 911!. DeVito and wife Rhea Perlman starred together in his 1996 film Matilda, based on Roald Dahl's children's novel. DeVito was also one of the producers nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for Erin Brockovich.
DeVito's short stature is the result of multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (Fairbank's disease), a rare genetic disorder that affects bone growth.

Matthew Perry

Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and playwright who gained worldwide recognition for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004. By 2002, due to the vast popularity of the sitcom, the cast, including Perry, was each making $1 million per episode.
Along with starring in the short-lived television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Perry has appeared in a number of films, including Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), and 17 Again (2009). In 2010, he expanded his resume to include both video games and voice-over work when he voiced Benny in the video game Fallout: New Vegas.Perry was the co-creator, co-writer, executive producer, and star of the ABC sitcom Mr. Sunshine, which ran from February to April 2011. In August 2012, Perry began starring as Ryan King, a sportscaster, on the NBC sitcom Go On. The series was canceled on May 10, 2013. Perry co-developed and starred in the 2015 CBS sitcom The Odd Couple portraying Oscar Madison. The series was renewed for a second season on May 11, 2015 and for a third season on May 16, 2016.

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Tom Selleck

Thomas William Selleck (born January 29, 1945) is an American actor, film producer, and California Army National Guard veteran. He is most known for starring as private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988), as Peter Mitchell in Three Men and a Baby, and as NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods on CBS since 2010.  
Selleck also had a recurring role as Lance White, the likeable and naive partner of Jim Rockford (played by James Garner) on The Rockford Files and also played Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on Robert B. Parker novels. Selleck has appeared in more than 50 film and television roles since Magnum, P.I., including Three Men and a Baby, Quigley Down Under, Mr. Baseball, and Lassiter. He appeared as Dr. Richard Burke on Friends and as A.J. Cooper on the TV series Las Vegas. He also had a lead role in the television western movie The Sacketts, based on two of Louis L'Amour's books.

Kelsey Grammer

Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, singer, producer, director, writer and activist, best known for his two-decade-long portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier. He has won five Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and one Tony Award, and has also worked as a television producer, director, and writer.

Lucille Ball

Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, model, entertainment studio executive and producer. She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.Ball's career began in 1929 when she landed work as a model. Shortly thereafter, she began her performing career on Broadway using the stage names Diane Belmont and Dianne Belmont. She later appeared in several minor film roles in the 1930s and 1940s as a contract player for RKO Radio Pictures, being cast as a chorus girl or in similar roles. During this time, she met Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz, and the two eloped in November 1940. In the 1950s, Ball ventured into television. In 1951, she and Arnaz created the sitcom I Love Lucy, a series that became one of the most beloved programs in television history. The same year, Ball gave birth to their first child, Lucie Arnaz, followed by  Desi Arnaz Jr. in 1953. Ball and Arnaz divorced in May 1960, and she married comedian Gary Morton in 1961.Following the end of I Love Lucy, Ball would go on to appear in a Broadway musical, Wildcat, for a year from 1960 to 1961, although the show received lukewarm reviews and had to be shut down permanently when Ball became ill for a brief time. After Wildcat, Ball reunited with I Love Lucy co-star Vivian Vance for the aforementioned Lucy Show, which Vance departed in 1965 but which was to continue for three years with longtime friend of Ball's Gale Gordon who already had a recurring role on the program.
In 1962, Ball became the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu Productions, which produced many popular television series, including Mission: Impossible and Star Trek. Ball did not back away from acting completely. In 1985, Ball took on a dramatic role in a television film, Stone Pillow. The next year she starred in Life with Lucy, which was, unlike her other sitcoms, not well-received; the show was cancelled after three months. She appeared in film and television roles for the rest of her career until her death in April 1989 from an abdominal aortic dissection at the age of 77.Ball was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning four times. In 1960, she received two stars for her work in film and television on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1977, Ball was among the first recipients of the Women in Film Crystal Award. She was also the recipient of the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1979, was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1984, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986, and the Governors Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in 1989.

Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch  (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor who has performed in film, television, theatre and radio. A graduate of the Victoria University of Manchester, he continued his training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, obtaining a Master of Arts in Classical Acting. He first performed at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in Shakespearean productions and made his West End debut in Richard Eyre's revival of Hedda Gabler in 2005. Since then he has starred in the Royal National Theatre productions After the Dance (2010) and Frankenstein (2011). In 2015, he played William Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Barbican Theatre.
Cumberbatch's television work includes appearances in Silent Witness (2002) and Fortysomething (2003) before playing Stephen Hawking in the television film Hawking in 2004. He has starred as Sherlock Holmes in the series Sherlock since 2010. He has also headlined Tom Stoppard's adaptation of Parade's End (2012), The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (2016) and Patrick Melrose (2018). In film, Cumberbatch has starred in Amazing Grace (2006) as William Pitt the Younger, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) as Khan, 12 Years a Slave (2013) as William Prince Ford, The Fifth Estate (2013) as Julian Assange and The Imitation Game (2014) as Alan Turing. From 2012 to 2014, through voice and motion capture, he played the characters of Smaug and the Necromancer in The Hobbit film series. In superhero films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he has played Dr. Stephen Strange in Doctor Strange (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
Cumberbatch has received numerous accolades, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for Frankenstein and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Sherlock. His performance in The Imitation Game earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. In 2014 Time magazine included him in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2015 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Ed O'Neill

Edward Leonard O'Neill (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. His roles include Al Bundy on the Fox Network sitcom Married... with Children, for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes, and Jay Pritchett on the award-winning ABC sitcom Modern Family, a role for which he has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and won four Screen Actors Guild Awards, all for being part of a best Ensemble in a Comedy Series. He has also appeared in the Wayne's World film series, Little Giants, Prefontaine, The Bone Collector and Sun Dogs, and has done voice-work for the Wreck It Ralph franchise and Finding Dory.

Will Smith

Willard Carroll  Smith Jr. (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper and media personality. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards.
In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the NBC television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for six seasons until 1996. After the series ended, Smith transitioned from television to film and went on to star in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, eleven consecutive films gross over $150 million internationally, and eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the number one spot in the domestic box office tally.Smith has been ranked as the most bankable star worldwide by Forbes. As of 2014, 17 of the 21 films in which he has had leading roles have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, with five taking in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. As of 2016, his films have grossed $7.5 billion at the global box office. 
For his performances as boxer Muhammad Ali in Ali (2001) and stockbroker Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), Smith received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Jackie Gleason

John Herbert Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, composer and conductor. Developing a style and characters from growing up in Brooklyn, New York, he was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy, exemplified by his bus driver Ralph Kramden character in the television series The Honeymooners. He also developed The Jackie Gleason Show, which maintained high ratings from the mid-1950s through 1970. After originating in New York City, filming moved to Miami Beach, Florida, in 1964 after Gleason took up permanent residence there.
Among his notable film roles were Minnesota Fats in 1961's The Hustler (co-starring with Paul Newman), and Buford T. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit series from 1977 into the early 1980s (co-starring  Burt Reynolds).
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Gleason enjoyed a prominent secondary music career, producing a series of best-selling "mood music" albums. His first album, Music for Lovers Only, still holds the record for the longest stay on the Billboard Top Ten Charts (153 weeks), and his first 10 albums sold over a million copies each.  To date his output spans some 20-plus singles, nearly 60 long-playing record albums, and over 40 CDs.

The greatest TV actors of all time. Some of these actors have been in movies, some of them are even more well known at this point for their work in films ...