Top 10 Best British Actors

1. Anthony Hopkins

   

   Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins CBE is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. He was born on December 31, 1937 in Margam, Wales. He is known for winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1992, and was nominated three additional times. Hopkins has also won three BAFTAs, two Emmys, and the Cecil B. DeMille... read more

2. Michael Caine

   

   Sir Michael Caine, CBE (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, March 14, 1933) is an English actor, producer, and author. He has appeared in more than 130 films in a career spanning 70 years and is considered a British film icon. Known for his cockney accent, Caine was born in South London, where during his... read more

3. Alan Rickman

   

   Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (February 21, 1946 - January 14, 2016) was an English actor and director known for playing a variety of roles on stage and screen, most notably Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series and Hans Gruber in Die Hard. He passed away of pancreatic cancer in 2016. Rickman also received... read more

4. Sean Connery

   

   Sir Thomas Sean Connery (August 25, 1930 - October 31, 2020) was a Scottish actor and producer. He won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. He was best known for playing James Bond in seven films from 1962 to 1983, as well as for roles such as Jim Malone in The Untouchables and... read more

5. Ian McKellen

   

   Sir Ian Murray McKellen is an English actor with a career spanning stage and screen. He has received six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, a Golden Globe Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, two Saturn Awards, and four Drama Desk Awards. McKellen is best known for his... read more

6. Laurence Olivier

   

   Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (22 May 1907 to 11 July 1989), was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud formed a trio that dominated the British stage of the mid-20th century. Olivier also appeared in over fifty films and achieved considerable... read more

7. Benedict Cumberbatch

   

   Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English actor who has performed in film, television, theatre, and radio. He gained international recognition for roles such as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock and Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cumberbatch has received numerous awards... read more

   He puts so much emotion into his performances that I can feel a connection between myself and the character. He can literally play any role, from an apparently apathetic detective with a really complicated personality to Patrick Melrose, which let's remember, is super hard to play as he struggles with alcohol and drug addiction.

   I knew years ago that this man, Benedict Cumberbatch, would be great. And he is! Great actor, intelligent, compassionate. And let's not forget, he does the best imitations around!

8. Gary Oldman

   

   Sir Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor and filmmaker. Renowned for his versatility and intense acting style, Oldman is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation, with a diverse career encompassing theatre, film, and television. He has received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award... read more

   He's had roles in Sid and Nancy, the Dark Knight trilogy, Darkest Hour, the Harry Potter series, Dracula, and voiced Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2. He's clearly the best! I love Sid and Nancy, by the way. Total Sid Vicious fan.

   Gary Oldman is, without a single doubt, the greatest British actor of all time.

9. Daniel Day-Lewis

   

   Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor who holds British and Irish citizenship. He's won a record three Academy Awards for Best Actor for his roles in My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln. After announcing his retirement from acting in 2017, Day-Lewis returned to star in the... read more

   Okay. DDL not being number one on the greatest actor list I can tolerate. But this? Behind Daniel Radcliffe?!

   Daniel Day-Lewis is undeniably the greatest living actor on earth right now. His legacy might not be on par with legends like Marlon Brando or Robert De Niro yet, but his transformations as Daniel Plainview in "There Will Be Blood", Christy Brown in "My Left Foot", Bill the Butcher in "Gangs of New York", and Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln" are simply among the best in cinema history.

   His ability to bring any character alive is out of this world. He deserves wider recognition among general moviegoers.

10. Alec Guinness

    

    Sir Alec Guinness was an English actor. After an early career on stage, he appeared in several Ealing comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), in which he played eight different characters, and The Ladykillers (1955)... read more

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Stan Laurel

    

    Stan Laurel, born Arthur Stanley Jefferson (June 16, 1890 - February 23, 1965), was an English comic actor, writer, and film director. He was best known as one half of the legendary comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Together with Oliver Hardy, he appeared in 107 short films, feature films, and cameo roles... read more

12. ?

    Mark Williams

The Contenders

13. Hugh Laurie

    

    James Hugh Calum Laurie is an English actor, writer, director, musician, singer, comedian, and author, born in 1959. He first achieved fame as half of the comedy duo Fry and Laurie, alongside Stephen Fry, and through their sketch show A Bit of Fry & Laurie. Laurie later gained worldwide recognition for... read more

    Hugh Laurie is really one of the best actors alive and he so deserves the first spot.

14. Idris Elba

    

    Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba OBE is an English actor, producer, musician, and DJ. He is known for playing drug trafficker Stringer Bell on the HBO series The Wire, DCI John Luther on the BBC One series Luther, and Nelson Mandela in the biographical film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Elba has received... read more

15. Tom Hiddleston

    

    Thomas William Hiddleston is an English actor. He's best known for his portrayal of Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in Thor, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and the Disney+ series Loki. He's also earned acclaim outside Marvel... read more

    His performances, not just as Loki, but all of them, were filled with emotion and passion. He's just perfect!

    All of the roles he plays are filled with passion and emotion, and he's perfect!

16. Colin Firth

    

    Colin Andrew Firth is an English actor. Over his career, Firth's films have grossed more than US$4 billion worldwide across more than 60 releases, including The King's Speech, Bridget Jones's Diary, and Mamma Mia! He has earned numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe... read more

    Hugh Laurie doesn't even begin to compare to Colin. He is the master! A sensitive genius who deserves recognition.

    Love this guy. He can play any part!

17. Christian Bale

    

    Christian Charles Philip Bale (born January 30, 1974) is an English actor known for his versatility and physical transformations for roles. He has been a leading man in films across several genres and has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2014, Forbes... read more

    One of the most versatile actors of all time. His portrayal in many biopic films is what makes him a great actor.

18. Jeremy Irons

    

    Jeremy John Irons is an English actor. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, he began his stage career in 1969 and appeared in many West End productions, including The Winter's Tale, Macbeth, and Richard II. Irons has also had notable film roles in The Lion King, Reversal... read more

19. Tim Roth

    

    Timothy Simon Roth, born on May 14, 1961, is an English actor, director, and producer. He began acting in films and television productions in the 1980s. Roth was part of the "Brit Pack," a group of young British actors who gained prominence during that decade.

    Finally! Tim Roth is such a brilliant actor, capable of playing the good guy or a despicable bad guy. With an array of accents, he should be in the top three of any best British actors list.

20. Tom Hardy

    

    Edward Thomas Hardy, CBE, is an English actor and film producer.

    Originally a model, Hardy made his film debut in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down (2001). He gained wider recognition for his roles in films such as Bronson (2008), Inception (2010), and Mad Max: Fury Road (2015).... read more

    Actually, he is the only one to act as naturally as he does in real life. He should be number one!

21. Rowan Atkinson

    

    Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is best known for his work on the sitcom Blackadder. He is also widely known for portraying Mr. Bean.

    Hilarious! Best known for Mr. Bean and Johnny English!

    Mr. Bean. Voiced him in the cartoon and played him in the sitcom. Enough said.

    Mr. Bean? Blackadder? Come on, how is he not number one?

22. Tom Holland

    

    Thomas Stanley "Tom" Holland is an English actor and dancer. He is best known for portraying Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with "Captain America: Civil War" in 2016. Holland began his career in 2008 by playing the title role in "Billy Elliot the Musical" at the Victoria Palace... read more

    Tom Holland is a 21-year-old British actor who started off his show-biz career in the musical "Billy Elliot." He is known for his roles in "The Impossible," "Heart of the Sea," "How I Live Now," and most recently, his role as Spiderman/Peter Parker in "Spiderman: Homecoming." I think he was awesome in "Spiderman: Homecoming." Can't wait for "Infinity War!"

23. Liam Neeson

    

    Liam John Neeson, OBE, is an actor from Northern Ireland. In 1976, he joined the Lyric Players' Theatre in Belfast, where he performed for two years. He later appeared in the 1981 Arthurian film Excalibur, which helped launch his film career.

    He has a particular set of skills!

24. Daniel Radcliffe

    

    Daniel Jacob Radcliffe (born July 23, 1989) is an English actor. He rose to prominence by portraying the title character in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011.

    Since then, he has taken on a variety of roles in stage, film, and television, including The Woman in Black, Swiss Army Man... read more

25. Hugh Grant

    

    Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor and film producer. He gained prominence in the 1990s through romantic comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, and he later appeared in Love Actually. Grant has received a Golden Globe and a BAFTA for his work in film.

    Hugh Grant should have been rated higher!

26. David Tennant

    

    David Tennant is a Scottish actor known for his roles in television and film. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor in Doctor Who, Alec Hardy in Broadchurch, and Kilgrave in Jessica Jones. Tennant has also appeared in the Harry Potter film series as Barty Crouch Jr. and played the lead in... read more

    Entertaining man. I really liked him as the Doctor and Kilgrave. He should at least be in the top five!

27. Sean Bean

    

    Shaun Mark Bean, known professionally as Sean Bean, is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a 1983 theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. Retaining his distinctive Yorkshire accent, he gained mainstream recognition for portraying... read more