Top 10 Greatest Acting Performances in Movies

Heath Ledger literally transformed into this character. I've often challenged people to find Heath Ledger here. It is impossible: he simply is not here. Heath IS the Joker.

I am just one man's opinion, but I will go to my grave believing that this performance should be heralded as the single greatest acting achievement of all time. Nothing else even comes close. He completely steals the show by becoming invisible in the role.

Heath Ledger IS the Joker. His should be the first and last performance people think of when they consider the greatest acting performance of all time.

Every actor will eventually achieve a level of greatness that catapults them to another level. Heath somehow managed to shoot past this level and land on a level that is completely empty and devoid of other performances. He is completely and utterly alone here. No other performer has ever come this close to acting nirvana.

Unfortunately, how he did it died with him. There is nothing here to learn. Future actors cannot watch this performance and learn how to become better in their roles. All they can do is marvel at it each time they watch and wonder at its pure perfection. This isn't acting. It is transcendence.

Perfection, he carried nearly every scene in what might be the greatest indie movie of all time. This is his standout performance among all 12 of his Oscar-nominated performances and three Oscar wins. Since it was for Best Actor (not Best Supporting Actor as in the case of Ledger's equally amazing Joker), I give a slight nod to Jack.

Seeing that Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight is number 1 out of sympathy and has 9% more of the votes proves you guys know nothing about acting. Heath Ledger didn't play the Joker. He played a crazy guy with makeup. This performance blows that out of the water.

Heath Ledger was good as the Joker, but he is quite overpraised. Tom Hanks, on the other hand, proved in Forrest Gump that performances don't need gritty intensity all the time to be great.

Tom Hanks is known by many as one of the greatest actors to ever be on film. Although I don't think this is completely true, I would definitely put him on my top 10 list.

Tom Hanks is my second favorite actor ever. The Green Mile is my favorite film by him, but Forrest Gump is easily his best performance.

There are many actors who give great performances and bring characters to life. Then there are actors like Daniel Day-Lewis. He is the only actor living today who can truly BE a character, and this character showcases the best of his talents.

The most impressive accomplishment, though, is not just how good this performance is, but how he made a character who is just an oil man so much more than what the character should have been.

While Heath Ledger, Marlon Brando, and Anthony Hopkins were given roles as The Joker, head of the most powerful mafia family in New York, and a genius cannibalistic psychopath, Daniel was given the role of an oil man. See the movie and then the Oscar speech for the role. It's unbelievable to think that it's the same person.

This man, Robert De Niro, is one of the greatest actors. Period. To go from Johnny Boy, to Vito Corleone, to Travis Bickle, to Jake La Motta is insane.

I believe this performance is the utmost captivating. Bickle is insane, sympathetic, and creepy all at once. We watch this lonely insomniac grow and slowly unhinge toward his darker capabilities. Terrific...

I have never seen an acting performance like this. The way De Niro plays Travis is the perfect mix of madness, deranged allure, and chilling intensity. At his prime, he's the GOAT next to Brando. Only he could play the Don the way Brando perfected it.

This IS acting. To be able to create the most infamous villain of the late 20th century, with the British press actually naming a real serial killer after his character, with only 16 minutes of screen time is a true accomplishment.

The creepiest portrayal of a serial killer since Norman Bates, and given that he created a character that was scarier than Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees even when incarcerated, there is no contest.

And the Oscar should've gone to... Without ever raising his voice, Hopkins knew how to send a chill down your spine and make your heart pound out of your chest. Fantastic performance!

Wow. I just can't believe that this incredible piece of acting has been outvoted by a pretty boy in a pirate suit. To be fair, I love Pirates of the Caribbean, but Orlando Bloom doing okay in the same role for three movies does not make him fit to surpass perhaps the most appropriately done for the film acting performance ever.

Marlon Brando made The Godfather. For him to be passed is ridiculous.

A groundbreaking performance by the acclaimed Brando at the time. This film, which is considered the 'greatest' by some, is perfected with character progression and development by Brando and also Al Pacino.

One of the greatest performances of all time. McDowell manages to find a middle ground between insane and charming, a charisma that is a pleasure to watch.

He was so good, people thought he was actually crazy and was typecast for much of his career since. Fantastic acting, improvisation, and narration.

This one gets overlooked far too often. While I agree with your number 1, Alex should be in the top 10.

With a ton of energy, tenacity, pure luck, emotional investment, and pitch-perfect comic timing, Tuco was almost literally a role to die for. It was Wallach's hardest role, but by far his most rewarding.

As far as sound movies go, this performance is number one.

The most underrated performance ever!

The number of times Al Pacino has appeared on this list is a testament to what a great actor he is.

A very fine acting performance.

Stefánsson gives a wonderfully subdued performance in this unique comedy-drama.

Not even nominated for an Oscar. Ridiculous.

Brimming with endless energy, Mifune plays the tragicomic Kikuchiyo with a lot of depth and more candid emotion than anyone could ask for.

One of the best supporting performances.

Jackson plays Jules as the straight man to the more impulsive and slightly dim Vincent, a character who, when he's not intimidating his employer's targets, is very easy-going and introspective. Jackson performs with wit and profound maturity.

As much as I love Marilyn Monroe as well as others on this list, I don't see how they are ranked above Vivien Leigh's legendary performance as Scarlett O'Hara.

Superb performance from a true genius.

No way Seth Rogen should be higher than Denzel, and I love the guy. This work was pure genius.

His deadpan delivery of lines is genius.

Chilling acting that makes you uneasy.