Christopher Walken
[ranking: 1]
In real life: If Christopher Walken isn??t, you know, Christopher Walken, does anyone really want to know? He certainly comes across as being the same on screen in interviews. "More cowbell." You did your Walken impression as you read that, didn??t you? In film and TV roles: Walken is the king of kooky, playing offbeat characters that fill audiences (and other characters) with dread and wonder (usually at the same time). And they're always drenched in Walkenness. He's...you know, just...kind of...wee-erd. Notable quote: ??You know, there's nothing you can do about your public image. It is what it is. I just try to do things honestly. I guess honesty is what you would call subjective: if you feel good about what you're doing, yourself, if you figure you're doing the right thing.??
More Christopher Walken
#34 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History #13 of 126 on The Best Living American Actors featuring The Best Christopher Walken Movies Incredible Performances To Remind You That Christopher Walken Is More Than A Guy Who Talks Funny
Bill Murray
[ranking: 2]
In real life: Capable of anything, Bill Murray is living his best life. He??s crashed a kickball game and bachelor parties, done the dishes at a stranger??s house, bartended, eaten random people's French fries, conducted a school marching band, read poetry to construction workers, and sang karaoke with people he just met. In film and TV roles: Bill Murray always seems to be playing slightly altered versions of himself. Lost in Translation (an aging movie star) and Zombieland (himself as a zombie) are obvious examples, but there's always some Bill poking out in any role he's playing. Even if he??s morphed into the skin of a former president and is getting a handy from his cousin, he??s still Bill Murray. He's especially Bill Murray. Notable quote: ??There aren't many downsides to being rich, other than paying taxes and having relatives asking for money. But being famous, that's a 24-hour job right there.??
More Bill Murray
#23 of 296 on The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World #6 of 363 on The Funniest People of All Time featuring 12 Horrible Stories You've Never Heard About Bill Murray The Best Bill Murray Movies
Morgan Freeman
[ranking: 3]
In real life: He's wise, funny, kind, chock full of style, and intelligent. Please let Morgan Freeman actually turn out to be God. Also, he always talks like he's prophesying divine truth, even if he's having a normal conversation. In film and TV roles: Same. Like, more or less exactly the same, whether the movie is a cynical, grotesque treatise against humanity (Se7en), a superhero blockbuster (The Dark Knight), or a goofball comedy (RED). Notable quote: ??People need to start to think about the messages that they send in the movies.??
More Morgan Freeman
#4 of 296 on The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World #8 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History featuring The Best Morgan Freeman Movies The Greatest Characters Played by Morgan Freeman, Ranked
Robert Downey Jr.
[ranking: 4]
In real life: (Formerly) Reckless, suave, and charmingly irreverent. Robery Downey Jr. is a smart, smartass motor mouth who is as quick to be your friend as he is to shut you down being a dick. In film and TV roles: Same. Downey is known for bringing himself to the role, with some minor tweaks. Although Downey is capable of disappearing into his part (see Chaplin), he??s mostly asked to play roles that mirror his snarky charm. Tony Stark is Downey is Tony Stark. Notable quote: ??I think I've been lucky, being my frequent appearances on Court TV have brought to me another level than just the actor guy.??
More Robert Downey Jr.
#63 of 296 on The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World #1 of 35 on Actors Who Are Having Their Best Year In 2019 featuring Stories From Robert Downey Jr.??s Childhood 13 Facts You Never Knew About Robert Downey Jr.'s Time In Prison
Adam Sandler
[ranking: 5]
In real life: Adam Sandler has made a career playing a regular, uncomplicated guy, because he??s never forgotten his roots. He came from a working class family and set his sights on being a comedian. Once he achieved his goals, he??s been content with maintaining a career playing regular Joes. He just wants to make people laugh. In film and TV roles: Uncomplicated and not impressed with the trappings of fame, Sandler is just fine making one silly film after the other. Audiences love them. The box office proves it at a collective revenue of $2 billion and counting. He??s had his moments of playing opposite of his usual lovable schlubs in Reign Over Me and Punch Drunk Love, but it seems as though he??s still just playing a more existentially fraught version of himself. Exhibit A: Funny People. Notable quote: ??My name is Adam Sandler. I'm not particularly talented. I'm not particularly good-looking. And yet I'm a multi-millionaire.??
More Adam Sandler
#36 of 363 on The Funniest People of All Time #13 of 116 on The Best SNL Cast Members of All Time featuring Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Adam Sandler 50 First Dates Isn't Romantic - It's About A Guy Who Takes Advantage Of A Disabled Woman
Samuel L. Jackson
[ranking: 6]
In real life: Samuel L Jackson tells it like it is. He??ll never be accused of taking the back seat or riding b*tch. In film and TV roles: Jackson seems exactly like he is on screen, sans the violence. He??s the reason audiences buy the ticket. No need to hide that. Notable quote: ??I??m a good son, a good father, a good husband - I've been married to the same woman for 30 years. I'm a good friend. I finished college, I have my education, I donate money anonymously. So when people criticize the kind of characters that I play on screen, I go, 'You know, that's part of history.????
More Samuel L. Jackson
#27 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History #11 of 339 on The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting) featuring The Best Samuel L. Jackson Movies, Ranked List The Best Samuel L. Jackson Characters
Jack Nicholson
[ranking: 7]
In real life: Born to a showgirl, raised by his grandparents while his real mother had to pretend to be his sister, and blessed with movie star good looks, Jack Nicholson was made for the silver screen. Until he was cast in Easy Rider, Nicholson struggled to find his place as an actor and writer. The role of George Hanson was the beginning of a long career playing iconic anti-heroes. In film and TV roles: No matter the role, Jack is still Jack. Whether he??s busting out of an asylum or hacking down a door with an axe, Nicholson can be counted on for that oh- so-Nicholson essence. He has skittered off the path with some surprising performances, such as About Schmidt, but the Jackness is strong with this one. Notable quote: ??When I come up against a director who has a concept that I don't agree with, or maybe I just haven't thought of it or whatever, I'd be more prone to go with them than my own because I want to be out of control as an actor, I want them to have the control, otherwise it's going to become predictably my work, and that's not fun.??
More Jack Nicholson
#3 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History #3 of 126 on The Best Living American Actors featuring The Best Jack Nicholson Movies The Greatest Characters Played by Jack Nicholson, Ranked
Bruce Willis
[ranking: 8]
John Malkovich
[ranking: 9]
In real life: Learned, sharp, wry, and dry, John Malkovich is a serious man who is not afraid to lay down some serious comedy on the way to a point. In film and TV roles: Malkovich is so Malkovich it??s difficult for him not to be Malkovich. Case in point, Being John Malkovich, an entire movie based on the premise that Malkovich basically is in real life who he is in movies. As much as he delves into a character, there??s no getting away from his Malkovichness. Notable quote: ??Some directors expect you to do everything; write, be producer, psychiatrist. Some just want you to die in a tragic accident during the shooting so they can get the insurance.??
More John Malkovich
#64 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History #32 of 339 on The Greatest Actors Who Have Never Won an Oscar (for Acting) featuring The Best John Malkovich Movies 14 Bizarre Facts About John Malkovich, A Brilliant And Eccentric Fellow
Matthew McConaughey
[ranking: 10]
In real life: Let??s put it this way - naked bongo playing is the one of the more normal things Matthew McConaughey has done. He??s dancing to his own beat, played by Martian ghosts surfing the debris of comets. Or he's smoking a boatload of weed. In film and TV roles: There hasn't been a role yet that can make Matthew McConaughey disappear completely. He may lose tons of weight or slip on a bald cap, but he can??t mask who he is. All right all right all right. Notable quote: ??There aren't many things that are universally cool, and it's cool not to litter. I'd never do it.??
More Matthew McConaughey
#54 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History #18 of 126 on The Best Living American Actors featuring The 20+ Best Matthew McConaughey Movies of All Time The Best Matthew McConaughey Characters
Seth Rogen
[ranking: 11]
In real life: Loves weed, has a strangled Muppet laugh, enjoys his friends, and has probably been shopping at the same place since 7th grade. Seth Rogen seems like an all around good dude. In film and TV roles: One imagines Rogen walks from his real life right onto the screen, sans make up or costume changes. His persona has resonated with audiences since his debut in Freaks and Geeks. The average guy with hilarious and real world reactions to myriad situations. Notable quote: ??I don't make the best movies in the world, but at times, I do feel like I'm adding something to the cinematic community.??
More Seth Rogen
#74 of 363 on The Funniest People of All Time #22 of 35 on Actors Who Are Having Their Best Year In 2019 featuring Surprising Things Seth Rogen Revealed About Himself On You Made It Weird Seth Rogen's Best Movie & TV Characters
Will Smith
[ranking: 12]
In real life: Will Smith was born in West Philadelphia and launched his rap career while still in high school. In his early 20s, he moved to Hollywood to be an actor. He's an affable, charming man who would rather compliment you than take praise for himself.
In film and TV: In movies like Independence Day and Men in Black, Smith comes across as slightly more arrogant than he is in real life, but his charisma and kindness translate more or less directly from real life to the silver screen. As for his television roles, well, to quote the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song: "In west Philadelphia born and raised..." You know the rest.
Notable quote: "In my mind, I've always been an A-list Hollywood superstar. Y'all just didn't know yet."
More Will Smith
#8 of 35 on Actors Who Are Having Their Best Year In 2019 #89 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History featuring Rank Will's Freshest Outfits from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The Best Will Smith Movies
Ricky Gervais
[ranking: 13]
In real life: Ricky Gervais broke into the industry at nearly 40 and, from the start, he wasn??t impressed. As with a lot of top comedians, he basically just is who he is, regardless of the context (even if the context is pretending to be someone else). In film and TV roles: If you wanted to know what Gervais thought of show business before the Golden Globes, look no further than his series Extras, in which he takes the piss out of everyone and everything, including himself. Gervais??s bread and butter is taking down the very industry he works in. Notable quote: ??People confuse the subject of the joke with the target of the joke, and they're very rarely the same.??
More Ricky Gervais
#57 of 363 on The Funniest People of All Time #7 of 185 on The Funniest British and Irish Comedians of all Time #13 of 408 on The Funniest Stand Up Comedians of All Time featuring The Best Ricky Gervais Shows and TV Series
Michael Cera
[ranking: 14]
In real life: Michael Cera is the sweet, shy, awkward psuedo-hipster geek we all want to get a flu shot with. At least that??s how he comes off. In film and TV roles: Cera may have a Keyser S?ze moment in store for us, but so far we've mostly seen hin play characters who seem very close to his real personality, in Arrested Development, Super Bad, and Scott Pilgrim.
Yet Cera is obviously aware of his image, and lampoons it as a narcissistic troll in A Very Murray Christmas and a coke-snorting, sexually-out-of-control version of himself in This Is the End. Notable quote: ??Since I was 15 I've felt kinda like...an old man.??
More Michael Cera
#17 of 22 on The Saddest (Real) Celebrity Encounters #22 of 102 on The Funniest Canadian Comics & Actors of All Time featuring The Best Michael Cera Movies The Best Michael Cera Characters
Zach Galifianakis
[ranking: 15]
In real life: Sincerely offbeat and squirm-inducing, Zach Galifianakis is a strange person who gravitates between random acts of kindness and admitting to hating children. Like if Andy Kaufman had lived. In film and TV roles: He is Baskets the Clown (Baskets). And it can be impossible to tell how Zach Galifianakis the actor and Zach Galifianakis the awkward, moronic host of Between Two Ferns differ from one another. Notable quote: ??Inappropriateness is funny to me. Rudeness is hilarious.??
More Zach Galifianakis
#29 of 363 on The Funniest People of All Time #31 of 408 on The Funniest Stand Up Comedians of All Time featuring The Best Episodes of Between Two Ferns The Best Zach Galifianakis Movies
George Clooney
[ranking: 16]
In real life: George Clooney is made of golden sun rays, right? He's also a committed political activist and a lot of people who know him really seem to love him. In film and TV roles: At his most serious and at his most goofy, the characters he??s played seem like Clooney at different times of the day or night, with different levels of intoxication. Notable quote: ??I can't give you 150 takes. I can't even give you 30 different ways of doing it! I don't have the talent or the range for it.??
More George Clooney
#68 of 296 on The Most Trustworthy Celebrities in the World #80 of 1169 on The Best Actors in Film History featuring The Best George Clooney Movies 18 Photos of Young George Clooney
Larry David
[ranking: 17]
In real life: Larry David is a malcontent who enjoys watching the world burn. If you need further proof that he is in real life who he plays on screen, see this article entitled "Larry David really is the same in real life as he is on TV." In film and TV roles: On Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David is Larry David, playing out exaggerated versions of things that happened to him in real life. For Seinfeld, David and Jerry Seinfeld based the titular character on David??s life, and the duo??s way of seeing the world. David is known for dry musings about the small things that snowball into big things. He will probably morph into Bernie Sanders in a few years. Notable quote: ??Well, I always think the worst things are going to happen here, because I'm - basically inside, I'm a bad person, and so the bad kind of takes over.??
More Larry David
#81 of 363 on The Funniest People of All Time #21 of 22 on The Saddest (Real) Celebrity Encounters #58 of 408 on The Funniest Stand Up Comedians of All Time featuring The Best Seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm
Mickey Rourke
[ranking: 18]
In real life: Mickey Rourke??s career seems to have mirrored his life and vice versa. Raised rough and street smart, directors saw raw talent in Rourke, but he sabotaged his career with wild behavior and a predilection for drugs and violence. In film and TV roles: Rourke trained as a boxer before he began acting. In the early ??90s, he took a break from the business and boxed professionally. He retired a few years later, in 1994, and returned to acting with Sin City. His major comeback, 2008??s The Wrestler, revealed Rourke??s talent to a new generation. And also he was basically playing himself. The film captures the rise and fall of a once-great wrestler battling for a shot at redemption. Notable quote: ??Where I come from, being a hard man is being able to take a good beating and then get back up again and carry on fighting.??
More Mickey Rourke
#12 of 15 on The Greatest Hollywood Comebacks of All Time #93 of 161 on The All-Time Greatest Action Stars featuring The Rise, Fall, And Return Of Mickey Rourke's Face 24 Pictures of Young Mickey Rourke
New Random Display Show all by ranking(19 items)