Top 10 Greatest Actors of All Time, American Film Institute

top 10 old time greatest actors maybe..DeNiro, Pacino, Hanks, and Denzel are better "actors" than most everyone on the list...Fred Astaire, Cary Grant don't belong period!

I thought that nobody but nobody played an angry man better than Lee J. Cobb, alas, I believe he lost some admiration when he testified during the commie pinko scare of the 50's.

So I guess they stopped making great male actors after the 40's😊

Were there only good actors in the 40s and 50s? Very reductive list. However, I agree with Humphrey Bogart, my favorite actor of all time.

i thought John Wayne should have been on that list

It’s funny to call Brando “overrated”. Look at acting pre Brando, and after Brando. You can hardly find an actor who won’t say a street car called desire changed how they understood acting. Stanley kowalski is probably the most visceral character ever created. I think he was hurt by the fact he didn’t pretend acting was some magical thing. He once said “I became an actor because I was too dumb to do anything else”. as difficult as he was no one who worked with him ever said they didn’t learn something.

This list is the list of actor's in the early 50s and 60s every great actors list then come's 70s 80s great actor's list then 90s 2000s great actor's list i thing its not 10 i thing more then 30 or 40 great actors in hollywood

No John Wayne even in the top ten?? This is crazy!!!

What' s Fred Astaire doing here?? Best dancer yet!!! But not a GREAT actor as James DEAN or Gary COOPER!!! WHERE are those giants instead of Mr.Astaire...or Clark Gable????

❤

While these are all iconic actors, they aren’t the 10 Greatest of All Time. Dustin Hoffman, Paul Newman, and Tom Hanks all would be on that list.

Spoiler alert: Greatest underrated, misused and underused actor of all time. Elvis Presley (imho that is). No, seriously 🤔

what about Bette Davis? Irene Dunne, Kate Hepburn

There is no shortlisting of Great Actors... Laurence Lord Olivier, Spencer Tracy, Humphrey bogart, Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Walter Brennan, Peter O'Toole, Richard Burton, Anthony Quinn, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, James Cagney, George C Scott, Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Charles Laughton, Charles Chaplin, Buster Keston, Sir Alec Guinness, Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud , Christopher Plummer, Albert Finney, Michael Caine ,Cary Grant Gary Cooper, Jack Hawkins, Burt Lancaster, Sidney Poitier, John Wayne, the list goes on and on ...everyone is GREAT ❤❤❤❤

I miss Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman and Errol Flynn

Laurence Olivier (the greatest actor of all time) , John Gielgud, James Mason Alan Bates why aren't they in this list?

I like Fred Astsaire, but he doesn't belong in the top 10. I also like Bogart, but he didn't have the range of some actors.

Sorry I wrote Bing Crosby but I wanted to say Fred Astaire

Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson and others who are missed were better than Cary Grant, Bing Crosby and Clark Gable in my opinnion.

didnt Cagney win an Oscar for Ragtime?

There are no great actors, there are great performences … credit goes to actor, director and script.

Laurence Olivier, Daniel Day-Lewis.

Jimmy Stewart is my favorite actor. I like James Cagney too.

I would like to see a list of “greatest single performance” eg.. Tom Hanks in Mississippi, Spencer Tracey in Bad Day At Black Rock, . I could suggest another 100 performances but I’ll leave that up to you

Clint Eastwood?

I could never see James Cagney as a great actor. He lacked real depth and was largely hambone. How could you omit Laurence Olivier? How about Alec Guiness or Anthony Hopkins? They were far more versatile than several on your list.

James Stewart, Cary Grant and Bogart better than Brando? Never in a million years!!👎👎🙈🙈

You forget about John Wayne he was a better actor than all the rest put together

I liked the list but I would have them in a different order....

Mr Bogart is the best of all time and really he did died way to early he is an icon a legend after him Mr Robinson and then Mr Cagney what I really don’t like about Mr Cagney some time too much over acting in some movies and then Mr Brando the early movies of him after that he was also only cooking with water in bad movies I think he did make them only for the money .

Where in God's name is Gary Cooper? Henry Fonda and James Stewart weren't in his league. Spencer Tracey at number nine is absurd. Cary Grant and Clark Gable were fine actors, but more for stage presence than great acting. My top votes would be Brando, Tracey, Cooper, Cagney, and number one would be the great Humphrey Bogart. THAT'S ONE YOU DEFINITELY GOT RIGHT!!

Monty Clift

Tutti bravi ... Ma Kinsky il più inquietante ed intenso ....

Hello 2024 regards, I was in a theater group to learn acting like Ch.Chaplin without words

I thought Fred Astair was wrongly placed in the list, although he was great at what he did!

Johnny Depp, Jim Carey, Clint Eastwood, and more..

Daniel Day-Lewis won 3 best actor Oscars, the most by any male. How did he get left out?

Errol Flynn has always been at the top of most of these “Best Male Actors Ever” lists, but apparently not this one. That’s just plain weird that he’s missing!

In my opinion, in the opinion of the other actors of his generation and the following generation. Spencer Tracy was the greatest American film actor.

I would def have Gary Cooper I. My top 10 top 12...Glad you got Stewart, Cagney and Tracey in top 10 I do too

I enjoyed your video, however, minority actors were not included. Why?

Chaplin Overrated

Brando Overrated

Jack Lemmon should be on the list.

CHARLTON HESTON WAS NOT BORN WHEN THIS CLIP WAS MADE ??? ... JUST ASKING ...

Wonderful video. Just subscribed! I’m 75 and grew up watching these megastars. When I was just old enough to enjoy movies, my mother and I would watch them together. She was a movie fanatic going to as many as three movies in an day. She showed me how appreciate the dialogue and delivery, the cinematic prowess of the great directors of the 30’s and 40’s …the golden age of Hollywood

Where is Jack Nicholson?

Did the AFI make any comments on the criterias?

Cagney burnt the screen
Nobody greater.

To me, being an all-time great requires all-around greatness, not just one or two types. That is why there is no way Bogie is at no. 1, since he was pretty much a one-type actor - although super at what he did. Same goes for Brando. My favorite is Tracy, because he did everything, and was great at everything. Cagney would be right there with him if he was taller and better looking. Cary Grant was the only other on the list who was great at almost everything (did he star in any Western?), and I'd put Peck up there too. Stewart was just behind, because his aw-shucks voice sort of typeset him, and Gable rounds out the top for me, though I'd also add Paul Newman in the great at everything category. Chaplin was the greatest silent actor, and Astaire the greatest musical actor. Fonda was superb at almost everything, but not sensational.