Most Mentioned Actors

Born in 1974





Trademarks
Often appears in the films of Martin Scorsese
Often plays hard edged anti-heroes
Intense emotional acting style
Often stars in period films or plays real-life individuals
Frequently plays men who have suffered a loss or trauma
Often plays characters who are ill-fated (e,g, Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, Quick and the Dead, The Departed, The Great Gatsby etc.)

Titanic (1997)


Inception (2010)

Born in 1965





Trademarks
Not being especially humble
Sarcastic humorous deliveries while remaining completely stonefaced
Drawling voice
Frequently plays egotistical but likable scoundrels
Frequently plays intelligent but eccentric characters

Chaplin (1993)


Iron Man (2008)

Born in 1965





Trademarks
Dimples
Smile

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)


My Name is Khan (2010)

Born in 1963





Trademarks
Highly defined cheek-bones
Frequently plays freakishly eccentric outcasts whose oddities are misunderstood by society, and usually have a flamboyant appearance and mannerism.
Frequently works with director Tim Burton
Dark, intense eyes
Often stars alongside Helena Bonham Carter
Frequently plays British characters: Sleepy Hollow (1999), From Hell (2001), the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, Dark Shadows (2012), etc.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)


Pirates of the Caribbea: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

Born in 1963





Trademarks
Chiseled good looks
Strong jawline and bold blue eyes
Frequently works with David Fincher

Fight Club (1999)


Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Born in 1962





Trademarks
Often plays romantic leading men with an edge
Often plays characters caught up in extraordinary circumstances
Short stature
Winning smile
Frequently plays intelligent yet laidback and likeable characters

Top Gun (1986)


Mission: Impossible (1996)

Born in 1937





Trademarks
Hair greased back and bold blue eyes
Often plays very proper and restrained British characters, as in The Remains of the Day (1993) and Shadowlands (1993).
Often plays controversial, real life characters: William Bligh, Adolf Hitler, Richard Bruno Hauptman and Richard Nixon
Often works with Richard Attenborough.
Deep smooth voice

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)


Hitchcock (2012)

Born in 1943





Trademarks
Often played characters that were prone to brutal violence and/or characters who were borderline psychotics.
Known for method acting techniques with his characters by heavily studying their backgrounds.
Mole on his right cheek
Often plays violently angry and yet extensively depressed men
Frequently works with Martin Scorsese.
Intense physical and mental preparation for roles
New York accent

Taxi Driver (1976)


Goodfellas (1990)

Born in 1940





Trademarks
Volcanic tirade, smoke-burnished voice
Frequently plays men of power and/or authority
Surly but essentially moral characters with deep capacity for violence
Jet black hair
Diminutive frame, off-set by his formidable bearing

The Godfather (1972)


Scarface (1983)

Born in 1957





Trademarks
In-depth and exhaustive preparations for roles
Frequently collaborates with directors Jim Sheridan and Martin Scorsese.
Skill with accents
Characters are often deeply unsympathetic
Rich dramatic voice
Dramatic emotional performances
Hoop earrings

There Will Be Blood (2007)


Lincoln (2012)

Born in 1956





Trademarks
Playing conflicted regular guys
Frequently plays ordinary characters in extraordinary situations
His characters are often immensely likeable ordinary guys

Forrest Gump (1994)


Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Born in 1954





Trademarks
Often portrays real people: Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007), Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987) and Melvin Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007).
Frequently plays military men and law enforcement officers
In almost all the films - e.g. Man on Fire (2004), American Gangster (2007), John Q (2002) - where he handles or uses sidearms (usually a 9mm Beretta or similar pistols), there's a scene of him swiftly ejecting a bullet from the loaded chamber by pulling back the slide assembly and subsequently catching the bullet before it falls to the ground.
Fiery anger driven tirades

Training Day (2001)


American Gangster (2007)

Born in 1937





Trademarks
Shark's grin, sunglasses
Slow drawl
Often plays charming, anti-authoritarian characters
Frequently works with Danny DeVito
Frequently works as a character with mental instability
His somewhat maniacal laugh

The Shining (1980)


The Departed (2006)

Born in 1937





Trademarks
Frequently plays characters with calm demeanor
[Narration] Often provides narration for his films, as either himself or the character he is playing.
Rich, yet mellow voice
Often plays authorative leaders that seem highly trustworthy (even when they are not)
Tall, slim frame

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)


Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Born in 1937





Trademarks
Famous for taking a wide range of difficult roles, such as a crippled street hustler in Midnight Cowboy (1969); an actor pretending to be a woman in Tootsie (1982) and an autistic in Rain Man (1988).
Has a reputation for being difficult to work with
Deep nasal voice, which has a unique "honking" timbre

The Graduate (1967)


Rain Man (1988)

Born in 1930





Trademarks
His characters are often men struggling to overcome their past and atone for their crimes
Narrow eyes
Tall, lean frame
Unmistakable authorative rasping (sometimes hissing) voice
Often breaks unexpectedly into a warm smile

The Good, the Band and the Ugly (1966)


Gran Torino (2008)

Born in 1933





Trademarks
Spectacles (rare for 1960s leading actors)
Cockney accent
Often plays mentors and father figures to younger characters in films
Tall, lean frame

Hannah and her Sisters (1986)


The Cider House Rules (1999)

1925 - 2008





Trademarks
Sparkling, blue eyes
Movies often reflect his political views
Often played detached yet charismatic anti-heroes and rebels
Gravelly voice
Wry, puckish sense of humor, mainly off-screen.
While he played similar system-bucking, troubled young men as such near contemporaries as Marlon Brando and James Dean, Newman's characters were often more humorous, introspective and self-assured. Newman's character's conflicts were often ironic and (intentionally) borderline-absurd.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)


Sting (1973)

1924 - 2004





Trademarks
Bizarrely unique voice with an extreme nasal tonality spoken in mumbles
Frequently played young, somewhat misunderstood rebels in his youth (A Streetcar Named Desire, The Wild One, On the Waterfront) and later powerful criminals (The Godfather, The Formula, The Freshman, The Score).
The pioneering use of Method Acting
Often improvised his own dialogue
Was known for being very difficult to work with

The Godfather (1972)


Apocalypse Now (1979)

1916 - 2003





Trademarks
Almost always played courageous, nobly heroic good guys who saw injustice and fought it.
Low-pitched voice
Films often reflected his liberal political views
Imposing stature
Often plays leaders or authority figures

Roman Holiday (1953)


To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

1904 - 1986





Trademarks
Mid-Atlantic accent
Often played a handsome bachelor
Roles in romantic comedies
Chin dimple

North By Northwest (1959)


Charade (1963)

1907 - 1989





Trademarks
Roles in Shakespeare adaptations
Often played noble and fiercely proud leaders and royalty figures
Often directed himself in his films
Rich smooth voice

Rebecca (1940)


Hamlet (1948)

1908 - 1997





Trademarks
Soft-spoken, extremely polite and shy manner, with a very recognizable drawl in his voice.
Often played honest, average middle class individuals who are unwittingly drawn into some kind of crisis.
Roles in westerns
After 1950 he often played tough, cynical and frequently ruthless characters.
Often had a role in the films of Frank Capra
Stuttering voice, which has often been parodied to exaggerated effect.
Tall, thin frame.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)


Rear Window (1954)

1900 - 1967





Trademarks
Often wore a lopsided fedora hat in his films
Blocky shoulders
Plain, everyman looks
Raspy but strong voice
Relatable characters who must change their way of thinking

Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)


Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

1889 - 1977





Trademarks
A tramp with toothbrush mustache, undersized bowler hat and bamboo cane who struggled to survive while keeping his dignity in a world with great social injustice.
Highly descriptive facial expressions
Stories often reflect liberal political beliefs
Comedy with a deep undercurrent of pathos
On-screen and off-screen, favored the company of much younger women, who were often innocent if troubled

Modern Times (1936)


The Great Dictator (1940)

1889 - 1957





Trademarks
Typically played smart, playful, courageous, tough, occasionally reckless characters who lived in a corrupt world, anchored by a hidden moral code.
Almost always played a hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side.
Low-key, distinctive nasal voice
Often wore bow ties
Roles in film noirs

The Maltese Falcon (1941)


Casablanca (1942)