Latest update: November 2026 | Adrian Țofei

These are the acting performances on film that I believe impressed and/or inspired me and/or my work the most, from childhood till recently. They’re not necessarily the ones I consider to be the greatest or most realistic ever recorded, it’s a highly subjective list of the performances that marked my life and/or career. Check out also the Top 100 Films and Top 100 Songs that impressed and inspired me and my work.

Top 10:

(ordered from newest to oldest)

Anthony Hopkins directed by Florian Zeller in The Father (2020)
Anne Hathaway directed by Tom Hooper in Les Miserables (2012)
Christoph Waltz directed by Quentin Tarantino in Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Mo’Nique directed by Lee Daniels in Precious (2009)
Javier Bardem directed by Joel & Ethan Coen in No Country for Old Men (2007)
Viggo Mortensen directed by David Cronenberg in Eastern Promises (2007)
Joe Pesci directed by Martin Scorsese in GoodFellas (1990)
Kathy Bates directed by Rob Reiner in Misery (1990)
Rowan Atkinson in Mr. Bean (1990-1995) and Bean (1997)
Robert Powell directed by Franco Zeffirelli in Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
Sissy Spacek directed by Brian De Palma in Carrie (1976)

Top 100:

(ordered from newest to oldest)

Carey Mulligan directed by Emerald Fennell in Promising Young Woman (2020)
Brad Pitt directed by James Gray in Ad Astra (2019)
Robert De Niro directed by Martin Scorsese in The Irishman (2019)
Lady Gaga directed by Bradley Cooper in A Star Is Born (2018)
Alicia Vikander directed by Tom Hooper in The Danish Girl (2015)
Alex Essoe directed by Kevin Kolsch & Dennis Widmyer in Starry Eyes (2014)
J.K. Simmons directed by Damien Chazelle in Whiplash (2014)
Jake Gyllenhaal directed by Dan Gilroy in Nightcrawler (2014)
Julianne Moore directed by Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland in Still Alice (2014)
Matthew McConaughey directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga in True Detective: Season 1 (2014)
Rosamund Pike directed by David Fincher in Gone Girl (2014)
Michael Eklund directed by Brad Anderson in The Call (2013)
Octavia Spencer directed by Ryan Coogler in Fruitvale Station (2013)
Anne Hathaway directed by Christopher Nolan in The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Hugh Jackman directed by Tom Hooper in Les Miserables (2012)
Jessica Lange in American Horror Story: Asylum (2012)
Nick Nolte directed by Gavin O’Connor in Warrior (2011)
Ashley Bell directed by Daniel Stamm in The Last Exorcism (2010)
Jeff Bridges directed by Scott Cooper in Crazy Heart (2009)
Stanley Tucci directed by Peter Jackson in The Lovely Bones (2009)
Victor Rebengiuc directed by Calin Peter Netzer in Medal of Honor (2009)
Angelina Jolie directed by Clint Eastwood in Changeling (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman directed by John Patrick Shanley in Doubt (2008)
John Jarratt directed by Greg McLean in Wolf Creek (2005)
Matt Dillon directed by Paul Haggis in Crash (2004)
Sacha Baron Cohen in Da Ali G Show: Seasons 2 & 3 (2003-2004)
Jack Nicholson directed by Alexander Payne in About Schmidt (2002)
Julia Roberts directed by Steven Soderbergh in Erin Brockovich (2000)
Heather Donahue directed by Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sanchez in The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Kevin Spacey directed by Sam Mendes in American Beauty (1999)
Richard Farnsworth directed by David Lynch in The Straight Story (1999)
Jeff Bridges directed by Joel & Ethan Coen in The Big Lebowski (1998)
Gloria Stuart directed by James Cameron in Titanic (1997)
Emily Watson directed by Lars von Trier in Breaking the Waves (1996)
Meryl Streep directed by Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison County (1995)
John Turturro directed by Robert Redford in Quiz Show (1994)
Tom Hanks directed by Robert Zemeckis in Forrest Gump (1994)
Michael Douglas directed by Joel Schumacher in Falling Down (1993)
Anthony Hopkins directed by Jonathan Demme in The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Daniel Day-Lewis directed by Jim Sheridan in My Left Foot (1989)
Tom Hanks directed by Penny Marshall in Big (1988)
Michael Douglas directed by Oliver Stone in Wall Street (1987)
Victor Rebengiuc directed by Stere Gulea in The Moromete Family (1987)
Oprah Winfrey directed by Steven Spielberg in The Color Purple (1985)
Al Pacino directed by Brian De Palma in Scarface (1983)
Rutger Hauer directed by Ridley Scott in Blade Runner (1982)
Robert De Niro directed by Martin Scorsese in Taxi Driver (1976)
Al Pacino directed by Sidney Lumet in Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Robert De Niro directed by Francis Ford Coppola in The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Al Pacino directed by Francis Ford Coppola in The Godfather (1972)
Harriet Andersson directed by Ingmar Bergman in Cries and Whispers (1972)
Peter Falk in Columbo (1971-1990)
Ali MacGraw directed by Arthur Hiller in Love Story (1970)
John Marley directed by Arthur Hiller in Love Story (1970)
Ryan O’Neil directed by Arthur Hiller in Love Story (1970)
Katharine Hepburn directed by Anthony Harvey in The Lion in Winter (1968)
Rod Steiger directed by Norman Jewison in In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Bette Davis directed by Robert Aldrich in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Anthony Perkins directed by Alfred Hitchcock in Psycho (1960)
Christiane Kubrick directed by Stanley Kubrick in Paths of Glory (1957)
James Dean directed by George Stevens in Giant (1956)
Marlon Brando directed by Elia Kazan in On the Waterfront (1954)
Gary Cooper directed by Fred Zinnemann in High Noon (1952)
Maximilian Schell directed by Stanley Kramer in Judgment at Nuremberg (1951)
Charles Chaplin under his own direction in The Great Dictator (1940)
Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind (1939)
Boris Karloff directed by James Whale in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
O.P. Heggie directed by James Whale in Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Listing these performances does not mean that I condone the immoral, unethical or illegal behavior of any of the characters or actors, nor that I support their positions on any subject matter.

Removed:

Elisabeth Moss directed by Leigh Whannell in The Invisible Man (2020)
Ann Dowd directed by Ari Aster in Hereditary (2018)
Sam Rockwell directed by Adam McKay in Vice (2018)
Susan Sarandon in Feud: Betty and Joan (2017)
Michelle Williams directed by Kenneth Lonergan in Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Alexandru Potocean directed by Andreea Valean in There Is Nothing in This World (2015)
Benedict Cumberbatch directed by Morten Tyldum in The Imitation Game (2014)
Jared Leto directed by Jean-Marc Vallee in Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Saoirse Ronan directed by Neil Jordan in Byzantium (2012)
Brittany Ashworth directed by Dom Rotheroe in Exhibit A (2007)
Sergi Lopez directed by Guillermo del Toro in Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
Mykelti Williamson directed by Robert Zemeckis in Forrest Gump (1994)
Tom Hanks directed by Jonathan Demme in Philadelphia (1993)
Robert De Niro directed by Martin Scorsese in GoodFellas (1990)
Edward Woodward directed by Robin Hardy in The Wicker Man (1973)
Jean-Louis Trintignant directed by Costa-Gavras in Z (1969)
Charlton Heston directed by William Wyler in Ben-Hur (1959)
Kirk Douglas directed by Stanley Kubrick in Paths of Glory (1957)
Brigitte Fossey directed by Rene Clement in Forbidden Games (1952)
Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind (1939)
Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind (1939)