Originally by Ranker FilmList RulesMale actors from England, dead or alive. Vote based on their entire body of work.
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.26
589474Richard Harris
Gladiator, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneBirthplace: Limerick, Republic of Ireland
Nationality: Ireland
Richard St. John Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He... more on Wikipedia27
288111David Thewlis
The Big Lebowski, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanBirthplace: Blackpool, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
David Wheeler (born 20 March 1963), known as David Thewlis, is an English actor, director,... more on Wikipedia28
307201Richard Attenborough
Jurassic Park, The Great EscapeBirthplace: East of England, Eurasia, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, Cambridge
Nationality: England
Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough, (; 29 August 1923 – 24 August 2014) was an... more on Wikipedia29
681556Sean Bean
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingBirthplace: Handsworth, South Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, England
Shaun Mark Bean (born 17 April 1959), credited professionally as Sean Bean (), is an English... more on Wikipedia30
1,125973Daniel Day-Lewis
Gangs of New York, The Last of the MohicansBirthplace: Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, Ireland
Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is a retired English actor who holds... more on Wikipedia31
227140Stephen Fry
Alice in Wonderland, V for VendettaBirthplace: Hampstead, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He and Hugh... more on Wikipedia32
780651Ben Kingsley
Schindler's List, Iron Man 3Birthplace: Snainton, England
Nationality: United Kingdom
Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor with a... more on Wikipedia33
391314Richard Burton
The Longest Day, CleopatraBirthplace: Pontrhydyfen, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Richard Burton, (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a... more on Wikipedia34
526390Daniel Craig
Casino Royale, SkyfallBirthplace: Chester, England
Nationality: England
Daniel Wroughton Craig (born 2 March 1968) is an English actor. He trained at the National... more on Wikipedia35
822712Jeremy Irons
The Lion King, Die Hard with a VengeanceBirthplace: Cowes, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, England
Jeremy John Irons (born 19 September 1948) is an English actor. After receiving classical... more on Wikipedia36
747631Hugh Laurie
101 Dalmatians, Monsters vs. AliensBirthplace: Oxford, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
James Hugh Calum Laurie, (; born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, director, singer,... more on Wikipedia37
522410Jude Law
Hugo, A.I. Artificial IntelligenceBirthplace: Lewisham, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He has received... more on Wikipedia38
877755Ralph Fiennes
Schindler's List, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2Birthplace: East of England, Suffolk, Eurasia, Ipswich, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes (; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film... more on Wikipedia39
203138Bob Hoskins
Brazil, Who Framed Roger RabbitBirthplace: Bury St Edmunds, England
Nationality: England
Robert William Hoskins (26 October 1942 – 29 April 2014) was an English actor. His work... more on Wikipedia40
223139Jonathan Pryce
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, BrazilBirthplace: Carmel, Flintshire, United Kingdom
Nationality: Wales
Jonathan Pryce (born John Price; 1 June 1947) is a Welsh actor and singer. After studying at... more on Wikipedia41
622533John Cleese
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneBirthplace: Weston-super-Mare, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, England
John Marwood Cleese (; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, voice actor, comedian,... more on Wikipedia42
11646Michael Gambon
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2Birthplace: Cabra, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Nationality: Republic of Ireland
Sir Michael John Gambon (born 19 October 1940) is an Irish-born British character actor and... more on Wikipedia43
7330James Mason
North by Northwest, 20Birthplace: Huddersfield, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
James Neville Mason (; 15 May 1909 – 27 July 1984) was an English actor. Mason achieved... more on Wikipedia44
5510Trevor Howard
Superman, The Third ManBirthplace: Cliftonville, United Kingdom
Nationality: England
Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988), known as Trevor Howard, was... more on Wikipedia45
918816Christian Bale
The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight RisesBirthplace: Haverfordwest, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom,Wales
Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is a Welsh actor who is known for his... more on Wikipedia46
12675Malcolm McDowell
A Clockwork Orange, Easy ABirthplace: England, Horsforth
Nationality: England
Malcolm McDowell (born Malcolm John Taylor; 13 June 1943) is an English actor, known for his... more on Wikipedia47
348284Jim Broadbent
Gangs of New York, BrazilBirthplace: Holton cum Beckering, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom, England
James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden... more on Wikipedia48
292232Derek Jacobi
Gladiator, The King's SpeechBirthplace: Leytonstone, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor and stage director. A... more on Wikipedia49
616601Cary Grant
North by Northwest, Bringing Up BabyBirthplace: Horfield, United Kingdom
Nationality: United States of America, United Kingdom
Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904 – November 29, 1986) was an... more on Wikipedia50
812805Alec Guinness
Star Wars, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackBirthplace: Maida Vale, London, United Kingdom
Nationality: United Kingdom
Sir Alec Guinness, (born 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early... more on Wikipedia
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50