10 Best Character Actors of All Time (2024)

A movie can live or die by its characters, who are a major factor behind getting audiences invested in the world of the narrative. The best actors can elevate these big-screen people into being among the most admired creations in storytelling. Ryan Reynolds' portrayal of Deadpool is a prime example of a big-screen star who captured viewers with his charismatic portrayal, helping to breathe life into one of Marvel's biggest personalities. A great character actor can only enhance the film.

These stars of the big and small screen are known for playing some of the most colorful individuals in media. Their larger-than-life performances have kept audiences entertained through various movies and TV Shows. These actors have proven themselves capable of creating characters who will be remembered for years to come, with audiences still discussing these roles long after the original film or TV Series' release.

10 Samuel L. Jackson Plays Cinema's Toughest Individuals

Samuel L. Jackson's remarkable filmography has seen him pop up in some of the biggest movie franchises. Some of his most notable roles include the wise Jedi master Mace Windu in the Star Wars prequels, and the laid-back superhero Frozone in The Incredibles, where he holds a large presence over his fellow cast members.

Samuel L. Jackson has become most known for playing tough individuals. Jurassic Park's Arnold is strong and defiant, advising Jurassic Park's visitors to "hold onto" their "butts" while shutting down the park's power. He has also brought some real gravitas to the part of Nick Fury in the MCU, contributing a no-nonsense demeanor to SHIELD's director, which makes Fury appear as fearless as the Avengers themselves.

MCU

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, and Captain Marvel battle threats to the Earth and to the universe.

First Film

Iron Man

Latest Film

The Marvels

Upcoming Films

Marvels , , Captain America: Brave New World , Thunderbolts

First TV Show

WandaVision

Latest TV Show

Echo

Upcoming TV Shows

Daredevil: Born Again

Cast

Chris Evans , Robert Downey Jr. , Tom Holland , Paul Rudd , Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Jeremy Renner , Scarlett Johansson

9 Audiences Are Invested In Margot Robbie's Characters

Hailing from Australia, Margot Robbie has become a significant name in the movie industry. Her recent success playing the happy-go-lucky feminine icon Barbie has left some moviegoers believing she is worthy of an Oscar. Audiences seem invested in a few of Margot Robbie's characters, like her time in the Australian soap Neighbours, portraying the confident and lively Donna Freedman.

One of her most widely celebrated parts is her take on Naomi Lapaglia in The Wolf Of Wall Street, leaving audiences mesmerized by Margot Robbie's bold and audacious gold-digger. Margot Robbie's most beloved character, however, remains Harley Quinn in the DC Extended Universe, bringing a chaotic energy that completely overshadows the rest of Zack Snyder's shared cinematic world.

The Suicide Squad

R

Action

Adventure

Comedy

Science Fiction

7

10

Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.

Director

James Gunn

Release Date

August 5, 2021

Cast

Margot Robbie , Viola Davis , Idris Elba , John Cena , Joel Kinnaman , Michael Rooker

Runtime

2 hours 12 minutes

8 Rowan Atkinson Is A Great Comedy Talent

Britain has produced some of the greatest comedy talent, and one of the funniest is Rowan Atkinson. His hilarious routines as incompetent individuals like Mr. Bean and Johnny English never grow old. Rowan Atkinson has also created some solid supporting characters, who are often the highlights of their respective movies.

One of the most prominent is his turn in 2002's live-action Scooby-Doo feature, providing Spooky Island's overly-serious theme park owner Emile Mondavarious with his trademark comic wit. Another fine showing for Rowan Atkinson comes in 1994's The Lion King, brilliantly voicing the pompous royal advisor Zazu, while his recent Wonka character Father Julius brings many laughs when he finds a giraffe lurking outside his church.

Johnny English

PG

Comedy

Action

Adventure

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After a sudden attack on MI5, Johnny English, Britain's most confident, yet unintelligent spy, becomes Britain's only spy.

Director

Peter Howitt

Release Date

July 18, 2003

Cast

Rowan Atkinson , John Malkovich , Natalie Imbruglia , Tasha de Vasconcelos , Ben Miller , Greg Wise , Douglas McFerran , Steve Nicolson

Writers

Neal Purvis , Robert Wade , William Davies

Runtime

87 Minutes

Main Genre

Comedy

7 Kathryn Hahn's Marvel Villains Are Truly Menacing

Even though she rarely portrays the lead character in her media projects, Kathryn Hahn has developed a sizable fan base. One of her most notable portrayals is in Parks And Recreation, pleasing many audiences with her depiction of the ambitious political advisor, Jennifer Barkley. Kathryn Hahn's biggest standouts to date have come in her Marvel productions, where she has shown a captivating, forceful nature.

Her voice works as Doc Ock in Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse is inspired, providing menacing undertones to this clever gender-swap of the Marvel Comics villain Otto Octavius. Kathryn Hahn would later offer her talents to one of the best secret TV villains, Agatha Harkness, in WandaVision, giving the manipulative witch Agatha Harkness an enjoyably mischievous side.

WandaVision

TV-PG

Drama

Sci-Fi

Action

Comedy

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Blends the style of classic sitcoms with the MCU, in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision - two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives - begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

Release Date

January 15, 2021

Cast

Elizabeth Olsen , Paul Bettany , Kathryn Hahn , Teyonah Parris , Randall Park , Kat Dennings

Main Genre

Superhero

Seasons

1

Creator

Jac Schaeffer

Production Company

Marvel Studios

Number of Episodes

9

6 Harrison Ford's Characters Are Wonderfully Diverse

Harrison Ford is a major Box Office draw, bringing a strong charisma to his cinematic counterparts. He is mostly celebrated for playing grand and heroic figures, such as Indiana Jones and Star Wars Han Solo. His Hollywood appearances have seen him undertake a diverse collection of characters, like the stern President James Marshall in Air Force One.

Harrison Ford will portray a similar political figure in Captain America: Brave New World, where he will take over from the late William Hurt as the now-U.S. President Thunderbolt Ross. Many of Harrison Ford's movie credits follow him playing humorously grumpy figures, such as Morning Glory's newsreader Mike Pomeroy and Cowboys & Alien's Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, who frequently overshadow the films' main protagonists.

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jonesis an Americanmedia franchiseconsisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures ofDr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr.(portrayed in all films byHarrison Ford), afictionalprofessorof archeology.

Created by

George Lucas

First Film

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Latest Film

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

First Episode Air Date

March 4, 1992

Cast

Harrison Ford , Karen Allen , Paul Freeman , John Rhys-Davies , Ke Huy Quan , Alfred Molina

5 Karen Gillan Is Extremely Underrated

Karen Gillan is an underrated actor. She has appeared in some of the best films and TV Shows, where she has proven herself to be an incredible acting talent. Karen Gillan first gained prominence as the feisty kissogram Amy Pond in Doctor Who, and has since gone on to play a few larger-than-life characters.

Playing Nebula in the Guardians Of The Galaxy films demonstrates her strong commitment to her craft, having willingly shaved off her hair for the gig. She imbues Guardians Of The Galaxy's seemingly cold and distant Nebula with some warmth beneath the bitter exterior. Karen Gillan also does an excellent job at portraying Jumanji's Ruby Roundhouse, comically representing the shy bookworm Martha inside Ruby's defiant warrior avatar.

Guardians of the Galaxy

A group of intergalactic criminals must pull together to stop a fanatical warrior with plans to purge the universe.

Created by

Arnold Drake , Gene Colan

First Film

Guardians of the Galaxy

Latest Film

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

First TV Show

Guardians of the Galaxy

First Episode Air Date

July 26, 2015

Cast

Chris Pratt , Dave Bautista , Zoe Saldana , Bradley Cooper , Vin Diesel

Video Game(s)

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

4 Hugh Jackman Knows How To Create A Great Movie Character

Hugh Jackman knows how to create movie characters that get people talking. He is most famous for acting as the gruff and serious Wolverine, which he will reprise for Deadpool And Wolverine. 2017 saw Hugh Jackman bring the exuberant showman P.T. Barnum to life in style in The Greatest Showman, showing himself to be a perfect casting.

Even though Pan disappointed many viewers upon its release, Hugh Jackman's Blackbeard is undoubtedly a highlight of the movie, delightfully hamming it up as the scheming pirate captain. Chappie is also another spectacular showing from Hugh Jackman as a character actor, giving an amazing performance as Chappie's bitter enemy, the ruthless robotic engineer Vincent Moore.

X-Men (2000)

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Science Fiction

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7

10

In a world where mutants (evolved super-powered humans) exist and are discriminated against, two groups form for an inevitable clash: the supremacist Brotherhood, and the pacifist X-Men.

Director

Bryan Singer

Release Date

July 14, 2000

Cast

Patrick Stewart , Hugh Jackman , Ian McKellen , Famke Janssen , James Marsden , Halle Berry , Anna Paquin

Writers

Tom DeSanto , Bryan Singer , David Hayter

Runtime

1 Hour 44 Minutes

Main Genre

superheroes

Production Company

Twentieth Century Fox, Marvel Enterprises, Donners' Company

3 Jeff Goldblum Is Famous For Playing Cinema's Most Eccentric Characters

Jeff Goldblum has become a familiar face to many moviegoers, cropping up in many great 80s movies. Famed for playing some of cinema's most eccentric characters, his popularity has never died down. Jeff Goldblum's most iconic individual remains Jurassic Park's quirky scientist Ian Malcolm, whose odd behavior has made him most people's favorite Jurassic Park hero.

Jeff Goldblum also had a notable turn in 1987's remake of The Fly, terrifying audiences with his electrifying portrayal of the geeky scientist Seth Brundle, who accidentally fuses his body with a fly during a teleportation-gone-wrong. Most recently, he has become known to Marvel Studios fans as Thor: Ragnarok's childlike and self-absorbed Grandmaster, dominating the screen with his gigantic personality.

Jurassic Park

PG-13

Action

Adventure

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A pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.

Director

Steven Spielberg

Release Date

June 9, 1993

Cast

Laura Dern , Sam Neill , Jeff Goldblum , Richard Attenborough

Writers

Michael Crichton , David Koepp

Runtime

2 hours 7 minutes

Main Genre

Science Fiction

Production Company

Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

2 Johnny Depp Has Embodied Various Wacky Roles

Throughout his time in Hollywood, Johnny Depp has embodied various wacky roles. Most of these people he has played have been as part of collaborations with the popular film director Tim Burton, such as his magnificent version of the rather aloof Mad Hatter in 2010's Alice In Wonderland, and the intriguingly strange Edward Scissorhands.

Easily Johnny Depp's most celebrated role to date is as the drunken pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, who has become so synonymous with Pirates Of The Caribbean that most forget how he isn't the main character in most of the films. Meanwhile, his portrayal of Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movies is the best interpretation of the character, bringing his trademark oddness to Dumbledore's former lover.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates of the Caribbeanis an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film series based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name.

First Film

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Latest Film

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Cast

Johnny Depp , Keira Knightley , Orlando Bloom , Stellan Skarsgård , Bill Nighy , Tom Hollander , Jack Davenport , Kevin McNally

1 Tom Baker Has Frequently Been A Favorite Among Audiences

Tom Baker's oddball nature has frequently made him an audience favorite. He is best known for playing Doctor Who's Fourth Doctor, giving him an endearing madcap energy. Tom Baker has established himself as a fine character actor, appearing as the ancient entity Bendu in Star Wars: Rivals and the esteemed Professor Plum in the Cluedo TV Series.

Tom Baker has found considerable success portraying villains. He is decidedly menacing as Zeebad in 2005's The Magic Roundabout, and Tom Baker also steals the show as The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad's Koura. His small role in the 2000s' Dungeons & Dragons as the wild elves' leader Halvarth is regarded as a high point of the film, providing his trademark oddness to the character.

Doctor Who

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

Where to Watch

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Not available

The adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor and his companions from planet Earth.

Release Date

March 26, 2005

Cast

Jodie Whittaker , Peter Capaldi , pearl mackie , Matt Smith , David Tennant , Christopher Eccleston , Sylvester McCoy , Tom Baker , Paul McGann , Peter Davison

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

Seasons

15

Creator

Sydney Newman

Production Company

BBC Studios, BBC Wales, Bad Wolf

Number of Episodes

196

Network

BBC