The Film Experience

by Nathaniel R

We last updated the male version of this list (see the actress list here) just after Leonardo DiCaprio was finally crowned for The Revenant (2015) but it's time for some adjustments. What follows is a list of Oscar's 34 All Time Favorite Actors. The only brand new addition to the list is Anthony Hopkins who enters the exclusive club due to two new consecutive nominations (including this year's bid The Father) significantly changing his previous 4/1 record. But there are other big changes. Actors who improved their standing since the last update five seasons ago are Denzel Washington (up several notches and a tier due to Fences and Roman Israel Esq), Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio (up a handful of notches each due to recent nominations), Jeff Bridges and Al Pacino (up a couple of notches each), and Daniel Day Lewis (up a tier with that Phantom Thread nomination but the same numeric placement -- the higher up you go the harder it is to rise much after all). A handful of other men are getting very close to joining this club after recent Oscar favor, too.

This royal club is restricted to men with 5 or more nominations. Only the acting statistics are accounted for so George Clooney, for example, is not (yet) ranked...

Now that many major stars are involved in producing these types of extra nominations stats are likely to make Oscar lists of the future progressively murkier so we're opting not to include them since this is a discussion of response to what happens in front of the camera by way of movie stars. (If you'd like to see how the ranks were determined --it's not as simple as basic addition or there would be way too many ties -- that's at the bottom of the post.)

OSCAR'S FOUR KINGS
And 30 other Royals

(Their counterpart queens in Oscar's enamored eyes: Streep, Hepburn, Davis)

THE PRINCES

(Similarly celebrated women: Bergman, Page, Fonda)

DUKES

(Similarly celebrated women: Audrey Hepburn, Amy Adams, Frances McDormand)

COUNTS, KNIGHTS, AND BARONS

WHO IS NEXT?

What follows is NOT COMPREHENSIVE -- so don't complain that we missed anyone -- but merely a discussion prompt. Who is most likely to enter that very exclusive top 30+ to make it a top 40? Who will have to make due with the honors they've already received (which is of course far more than most actors ever could possibly dream of since even 1 nomination is a very very big deal and puts you in the history books)

Tantalizingly close to this list with 4 nominations...
🔺Christian Bale, 🔺 Bradley Cooper, 🔺 Willem Dafoe, 🔺 Joaquin Phoenix, 🔺 Brad Pitt (...and though they haven't been nominated for acting in a while you never know: George Clooney, Ed Harris, William Hurt)

3-timers that feel possible for a fourth...
Javier Bardem, Russell Crowe, 🔺 Woody Harrelson, 🔺 Gary Oldman, 🔺 Viggo Mortensen, Edward Norton, 🔺 Mark Ruffalo

2-Timers that feel possible for a third...
🔺Mahershala Ali, Benicio del Toro, 🔺 Adam Driver, 🔺 Ryan Gosling, Ethan Hawke, Jonah Hill, 🔺 Richard Jenkins, 🔺 Daniel Kaluuya, 🔺 Sam Rockwell, 🔺 Michael Shannon, and though they haven't been nominated in quite a while we can hope for Oscar comebacks for Michael Fassbender, Ralph Fiennes, and Jude Law since only two nominations for those careers feels vaguely cruel (hell, pointedly cruel in Fiennes case)

One nomination a long time ago. Seriously, when is the second one coming ?
Jake Gyllenhaal, Samuel L Jackson

Exciting and very talented actors that have never been nominated. What would it take?
Christopher Abbott, Jamie Bell, Colman Domingo, Idris Elba, Colin Farrell, Ben Foster, Hugh Grant, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicholas Hoult, Oscar Isaac, Michael B Jordan, Barry Keoghan, Tracy Letts, James McAvoy, Ben Mendelsohn, Alessandro Nivola, Robert Pattinson, Dan Stevens, and Michael Stuhlbarg

How the ranks were determined. Number of nominations determines general placement. Once that's established wins are most important. In the event that someone has the same exact stats in nominations and wins, the tiebreaker factor in rank is that leading roles count more than supporting. If the tie stubbornly remains the tie is broken by endurance (how many years your nomination spread includes). Further mitigating factors: Three statues is so uncommon that it gives the actor a phantom extra nomination in terms of ranking (thus Daniel Day-Lewis is higher than he otherwise would be) but this phantom nomination only helps to determine relative rank and they may only vault over those who have not won competitive Oscars. Honorary statues give the actor a phantom extra boost with the same affect as an additional nomination or win (thus Paul Newman trumps Spencer Tracy) to be determined by the gate keeper yours truly. In the event that someone has multiple wins they may vault over the next immediate rivals if said rivals have never won a competitive Oscar (which is why a few people beat Richard Burton). Honorary statues also account for four nomination men like Sir Alec Guiness and Warren Beatty making the list which otherwise requires five nominations to enter.