My Favorite Actors
by garivenbark | created - 30 Jul 2014 | updated - 04 Aug 2014 | PublicThe actors I love watching on the big or small screen.
1. Mads Mikkelsen
Actor | Hannibal
Mads Mikkelsen's great successes parallel those achieved by the Danish film industry since the mid-1990s. He was born in Østerbro, Copenhagen, to Bente Christiansen, a nurse, and Henning Mikkelsen, a banker.
Starting out as a low-life pusher/junkie in the 1996 success Pusher (1996), he slowly grew ...
The Hunt, A Royal Affair, Clash of the Titans, Casino Royale, After the Wedding, King Arthur
2. Kevin Costner
Actor | The Postman
Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California, the third child of Bill Costner, a ditch digger and ultimately an electric line servicer for Southern California Edison, and Sharon Costner (née Tedrick), a welfare worker. His older brother, Dan, was born in 1950. A middle ...
Man of Steel, Open Range, The Bodyguard, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Dances with Wolves, Revenge, Field of Dreams, Revenge, No Way Out
3. Tom Hanks
Producer | Cast Away
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks was born in Concord, California, to Janet Marylyn (Frager), a hospital worker, and Amos Mefford Hanks, an itinerant cook. His mother's family, originally surnamed "Fraga", was entirely Portuguese, while his father was of mostly English ancestry. Tom grew up in what he has ...
Saving Mr. Banks, Charlie Wilson's War, Catch Me If You Can, Cast Away, Toy Story 2, You've Got Mail, Saving Private Ryan, Toy Story, Apollo 13, Forrest Gump, Philadelphia, Sleepless in Seattle, Big
4. Brad Pitt
Actor | Fight Club
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt was born on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma and raised in Springfield, Missouri to Jane Etta Pitt (née Hillhouse), a school counselor & William Alvin "Bill" Pitt, a truck company manager. At Kickapoo High School, Pitt was involved in sports, debating, student ...
World War Z, 12 Years a Slave, Moneyball, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Ocean's Twelve, Troy, Ocean's Eleven, Fight Club, Twelve Monkeys, Se7en, Legends of the Fall
5. Christian Bale
Actor | The Dark Knight
Christian Charles Philip Bale was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK on January 30, 1974, to English parents Jennifer "Jenny" (James) and David Bale. His mother was a circus performer and his father, who was born in South Africa, was a commercial pilot. The family lived in different countries ...
American Hustle, The Dark Knight Rises, The Dark Knight, 3:10 to Yuma, The Prestige, Rescue Dawn, The New World, Batman Begins, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Pocahontas, Little Women
6. Viggo Mortensen
Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Since his screen debut as a young Amish farmer in Peter Weir's Witness (1985), Viggo Mortensen's career has been marked by a steady string of well-rounded performances.
Mortensen was born in New York City, to Grace Gamble (Atkinson) and Viggo Peter Mortensen, Sr. His father was Danish, his mother ...
Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, Hidalgo, The Return of the King, The Two Towers, The Fellowship of the Ring, A Walk on the Moon, A Perfect Murder, G.I. Jane,
7. Don Cheadle
Actor | Crash
Donald Frank Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 29, 1964. His childhood found him moving from city to city with his family: mother Bettye (née North), a teacher; father Donald Frank Cheadle Sr., a clinical psychologist; sister Cindy; and brother Colin. After graduating from high...
Flight, Iron Man 2, After the Sunset, Crash, Ocean's Eleven, Traffic, The Family Man, Out of Sight
8. Gerard Butler
Actor | 300
Gerard James Butler was born in Paisley, Scotland, to Margaret and Edward Butler, a bookmaker. His family is of Irish origin. Gerard spent some of his very early childhood in Montreal, Quebec, but was mostly raised, along with his older brother and sister, in his hometown of Paisley. His parents ...
Olympus Has Fallen, Law Abiding Citizen, The Ugly Truth, 300, The Phantom of the Opera, Dear Frankie, Timeline
9. Ewan McGregor
Actor | Moulin Rouge!
Ewan Gordon McGregor was born on March 31, 1971 in Perth, Perthshire, Scotland, to Carol Diane (Lawson) and James Charles McGregor, both teachers. His uncle is actor Denis Lawson. He was raised in Crieff. At age 16, he left Morrison Academy to join the Perth Repertory Theatre. His parents ...
August: Osage County, Beginners, The Island, Big Fish, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Black Hawk Down, Moulin Rouge, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
10. Kenneth Branagh
Actor | Henry V
Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter, and Frances (Harper), both born in 1930. He has two siblings, William Branagh, Jr. (born 1955) and Joyce Branagh (born 1970). When he was nine, his family ...
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Proposition, Hamlet, Othello, Frankenstein, Much Ado About Nothing, Dead Again
11. Ian McKellen
Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Widely regarded as one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native Great Britain and internationally, twice nominated for the Oscar and recipient of every major theatrical award in the UK and US, Ian Murray McKellen was born on May 25, 1939 in Burnley, Lancashire, England, to Margery ...
X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Asylum, The Return of the King, X-Men 2, The Two Towers, X-Men, Richard III
12. Ed Harris
Actor | Appaloosa
By transforming into his characters and pulling the audience in, Ed Harris has earned a reputation as one of the most talented actors of our time.
Ed Harris was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, to Margaret (Sholl), a travel agent, and Robert Lee Harris, a bookstore worker who also sang professionally. ...
A History of Violence, The Hours, A Beautiful Mind, Stepmom, The Truman Show, Apollo 13, The Firm
13. Kevin Spacey
Actor | L.A. Confidential
Kevin Spacey Fowler, better known by his stage name Kevin Spacey, is an American actor of screen and stage, film director, producer, screenwriter and singer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in...
House of Cards, 21, Superman Returns, The Life of David Gale, American Beauty, A Bug's Life, L.A. Confidential, A Time to Kill, Se7en, The Usual Suspects
14. Michael Caine
Actor | The Dark Knight
Michael Caine was born as Maurice Joseph Micklewhite in London, to Ellen (née Burchell), a cook, and Maurice Micklewhite Sr., a fish-market porter. He had a younger brother, Stanley Caine, and an older maternal half-brother named David Burchell. He left school at age 15 and took a series of ...
The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Children of Men, Batman Begins, Secondhand Lions, Miss Congeniality, The Muppet Christmas Carol
15. Philip Seymour Hoffman
Actor | The Master
Film and stage actor and theater director Philip Seymour Hoffman was born in the Rochester, New York, suburb of Fairport to Marilyn (Loucks), a lawyer and judge, and Gordon Stowell Hoffman, a Xerox employee, and was mostly of German, Irish, English and Dutch ancestry. After becoming involved in ...
Moneyball, The Ides of March, Charlie Wilson's War, Mission: Impossible III, Capote, Along Came Polly, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Boogie Nights, Twister
16. Paul Giamatti
Actor | Sideways
Paul Giamatti is an American actor who has worked steadily and prominently for over thirty years, and is best known for leading roles in the films American Splendor (2003), Sideways (2004), and Barney's Version (2010) (for which he won a Golden Globe), and supporting roles in the films Cinderella ...
Saving Mr. Banks, 12 Years a Slave, Rock of Ages, The Ides of March, John Adams, Sideways, Big Fat Liar
17. Stanley Tucci
Actor | Big Night
Actor Stanley Tucci was born on November 11, 1960, in Peekskill, New York. He is the son of Joan (Tropiano), a writer, and Stanley Tucci, an art teacher. His family is Italian-American, with origins in Calabria.
Tucci took an interest in acting while in high school, and went on to attend the State ...
The Hunger Games, Captain America: First Avenger, Burlesque, Easy A, Julie & Julia, The Devil Wears Prada, Shall We Dance, America's Sweethearts, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Beethoven
18. Russell Crowe
Actor | Les Misérables
Russell Ira Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand, to Jocelyn Yvonne (Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe, both of whom catered movie sets. His maternal grandfather, Stanley Wemyss, was a cinematographer. Crowe's recent ancestry includes Welsh (where his paternal grandfather was born, in Wrexham),...
Man of Steel, Robin Hood, American Gangster, 3:10 to Yuma, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator, L.A. Confidential, Virtuosity
19. Michael J. Fox
Actor | Back to the Future
Michael J. Fox was born Michael Andrew Fox on June 9, 1961 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to Phyllis Fox (née Piper), a payroll clerk, and William Fox. His parents moved their 10-year-old son, his three sisters, Kelli Fox, Karen, and Jacki, and his brother Steven, to Vancouver, British Columbia, ...
Scrubs, The American President, Homeward Bound: An Incredible Journey, Doc Hollywood, Family Ties, The Secret of My Success, Back to the Future
20. John Cleese
Actor | A Fish Called Wanda
John Cleese was born on October 27, 1939, in Weston-Super-Mare, England, to Muriel Evelyn (Cross) and Reginald Francis Cleese. He was born into a family of modest means, his father being an insurance salesman; but he was nonetheless sent off to private schools to obtain a good education. Here he ...
Shrek 2, Rat Race, George of the Jungle, The Swan Princess, A Fish Called Wanda, Fawlty Towers, Monty Python and the Holy Grail
21. Steve Buscemi
Actor | Fargo
Steve Buscemi was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Dorothy (Wilson), a restaurant hostess, and John Buscemi, a sanitation worker. He is of Italian (father) and English, Dutch, and Irish (mother) descent. He became interested in acting during his last year of high school. After graduating, he moved to...
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, The Island, Big Fish, Monsters, Inc., Ghost World, Armageddon, The Wedding Singer, Fargo, Desperado
22. Robert Downey Jr.
Actor | Iron Man
Robert Downey Jr. has evolved into one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. With an amazing list of credits to his name, he has managed to stay new and fresh even after over four decades in the business.
Downey was born April 4, 1965 in Manhattan, New York, the son of writer, director and ...
The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Sherlock Holmes, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Whatever We Do, Two Girls and a Guy, Only You, Chances Are, Less Than Zero
23. Danny Glover
Actor | Lethal Weapon
Actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 35 years.
Glover was born in San Francisco, California, to Carrie (Hunley) and James Glover, postal workers who were also active in civil rights. Glover trained at the Black ...
Brothers and Sisters, Shooter, Saw, The Prince of Egypt, Wild America, Angels in the Outfield, Lethal Weapon, Silverado, Witness
24. Michael Clarke Duncan
Actor | The Green Mile
Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised on Chicago's South Side by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let ...
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The Island, Daredevil, The Scorpion King, Planet of the Apes, Cats & Dogs, See Spot Run, The Green Mile, Armageddon
25. Thomas Lennon
Actor | Reno 911!
Thomas Lennon is a writer and actor from Oak Park, Illinois. He attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, where he was a member of the influential sketch comedy group The State. The State's hit television series ran on MTV for three seasons and received an Ace Award nomination ...
The Dark Knight Rises, What to Expect When You're Expecting, Reno 911, 17 Again, Reno 911!: Miami, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
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