This is a list of my 100 favorite film performances of all time. This is an ever changing list, but this is the list as of April 2026.
I followed a few self imposed rules here. The first is only one performance per film in order to have 100 films by the end. Second, the performance must be a significant part of the film meaning no single scene roles. Finally, this is a list of specifically live-action performances, meaning no voice only or motion capture roles. I have a separate list for those.
This is not a list of my favorite actors or actresses. That will also come another day most likely. This is a list of my favorite performances…
This is a list of my 100 favorite film performances of all time. This is an ever changing list, but this is the list as of April 2026.
I followed a few self imposed rules here. The first is only one performance per film in order to have 100 films by the end. Second, the performance must be a significant part of the film meaning no single scene roles. Finally, this is a list of specifically live-action performances, meaning no voice only or motion capture roles. I have a separate list for those.
This is not a list of my favorite actors or actresses. That will also come another day most likely. This is a list of my favorite performances in film. The specific performance will be included in the notes.
This list was first made in April of 2023. For this revision of the list, a total of 12 performances dropped out from the original. The highest ranking performance to drop was Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction from 52. Of the films that joined in, the highest ranking one is Amanda Seyfried in The Testament of Ann Lee (27). 10 of the 12 films to join were first time watches since April 2025.
The newest film on this list is The Bride! (94). The oldest film on this list is After Death (71).
8 films have kept their placement with the highest being Cabaret (1) and the lowest being Tangerine (85). The film that moved down the most spots was Memories of Murder (87) which moved down 24 spots. The film that moved up the most spots was Aftersun (54) which moved up 21 spots.
Every decade starting from the 1910's is represented on this list:'
1910's: 2
1920's: 5
1930's: 7
1940's: 6
1950's: 9
1960's: 8
1970's: 6
1980's: 9
1990's: 7
2000's: 11
2010's: 10
2020's: 20
Along with this, 2024 is the most represented year with 5 films.
23 countries are represented on this list:
United States: 70
United Kingdom: 17
Germany: 8
France: 7
South Korea: 5
Sweden: 5
Japan: 4
Mexico: 3
Italy: 3
Switzerland: 2
West Germany: 2
Ireland: 2
Denmark: 2
Spain: 1
Canada: 1
Taiwan: 1
Guatemala: 1
Netherlands: 1
Hong Kong: 1
Belgium: 1
Russia: 1
Luxembourg: 1
Norway: 1
15 languages are represented on this list:
English: 81
Korean: 5
Japanese: 3
Swedish: 3
German: 2
Sicilian: 1
Latin: 1
Guarani: 1
Kaqchikel: 1
Ixil: 1
Spanish: 1
French: 1
Luxembourgish: 1
Norwegian: 1
Danish: 1
In addition, 7 performances are from silent films.
89 actors are represented on this list. The following are actors with multiple performances on the list:
Charlie Chaplin: 3 (Limelight, The Kid, The Great Dictator)
Orson Welles: 2 (Chimes at Midnight, Citizen Kane)
Natalie Portman: 2 (Black Swan, Leon: The Professional)
Barbara Stanwyck: 2 (Double Indemnity, The Furies)
Robert De Niro: 2 (The Mission, The King of Comedy)
Robin Williams: 2 (Dead Poets Society, The World According to Garp)
Adam Driver: 2 (Annette, Megalopolis)
Song Kang-Ho: 2 (Parasite, Memories of Murder)
Spencer Tracey: 2 (Inherit the Wind, Fury)
Joaquin Phoenix: 2 (Joker: Folie à Deux, Beau is Afraid)
30 of these performances were nominated for Oscars and 7 won.
Best Actress: 10/3
Best Actor: 14/3
Best Supporting Actor: 4/2
Best Supporting Actress: 2/1
The average length of the list is 119.42 minutes with the longest film being The Godfather Part II (3) at 202 minutes and the shortest being After Death (71) at 46 minutes.
The average letterbox score of the list is 3.90 with the highest rated film being The Godfather Part II (3) with a 4.6 and the lowest rated film being Megalopolis (84) with a 2.3. I personally gave 28 of these films 5 stars, 71 of them 4.5 stars, and 1 of them 4 stars.
