The Pendragon Society's 100 Greatest Film Acting Performances of All-Time

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So what are the greatest acting performances of all time? Throughout August 2019 we polled members and contributors to find out what they considered to be the greatest performances in film ever. As with all these types of polls the final list is not going to please everyone. Perhaps unsurprisingly (and a little disappointingly) the best of the American mainstream dominates here, with a high placing for Heath Ledger’s turn in The Dark Knight and a large representation from the New Hollywood era (with 5 entries for the first 2 Godfather films!). What stands out more than anything is the lack of female performances that make the top 100 (only 12!). Is Casablanca really Bogart’s best performance? Wasn’t Brando better in On the Waterfront than anything he did in the 70s? Let us know what you think. ---Pendragon Society

The following films appear more than once:

The Godfather (#1, #16, #100)
Schindler's List (#4, #60)
The Godfather Part II (#13, #24)
Apocalypse Now (#28, #58)
The Deer Hunter (#30, #65)
The Shawshank Redemption (#32, #73)
Persona (#35, #54)
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (#45, #68)
Goodfellas (#49, #51)
Gone with the Wind (#62, #78)

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  1. 1 new

    The Godfather

    1972, in 42 top lists Check
  2. 2 new

    Raging Bull

    1980, in 34 top lists Check
  3. 3 new

    There Will Be Blood

    2007, in 20 top lists Check
  4. 4 new

    Schindler's List

    1993, in 35 top lists Check
  5. 5 new

    Taxi Driver

    1976, in 34 top lists Check
  6. 6 new

    La passion de Jeanne d'Arc

    1928 — a.k.a. The Passion of Joan of Arc, in 27 top lists Check
  7. 7 new

    Blade Runner

    1982, in 36 top lists Check
  8. 8 new

    The Dark Knight

    2008, in 27 top lists Check
  9. 9 new

    Pulp Fiction

    1994, in 38 top lists Check
  10. 10 new

    Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

    1972 — a.k.a. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, in 18 top lists Check
  11. 11 new

    M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder

    1931 — a.k.a. M, in 35 top lists Check
  12. 12 new

    Citizen Kane

    1941, in 39 top lists Check
  13. 13 new

    The Godfather Part II

    1974, in 32 top lists Check
  14. 14 new

    Il conformista

    1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check
  15. 15 new

    Lawrence of Arabia

    1962, in 40 top lists Check
  16. 16 new

    A Clockwork Orange

    1971, in 37 top lists Check
  17. 17 new

    L'avventura

    1960 — a.k.a. L'Avventura, in 24 top lists Check
  18. 18 new

    Andrey Rublyov

    1966 — a.k.a. Andrei Rublev, in 29 top lists Check
  19. 19 new

    Sunset Blvd.

    1950 — a.k.a. Sunset Boulevard, in 35 top lists Check
  20. 20 new

    One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

    1975, in 35 top lists Check
  21. 21 new

    Once Upon a Time in America

    1984, in 19 top lists Check
  22. 22 new

    Blue Velvet

    1986, in 27 top lists Check
  23. 23 new

    Vertigo

    1958, in 42 top lists Check
  24. 24 new

    Psycho

    1960, in 39 top lists Check
  25. 25 new

    The Gold Rush

    1925, in 29 top lists Check
  26. 26 new

    Apocalypse Now

    1979, in 37 top lists Check
  27. 27 new

    Les quatre cents coups

    1959 — a.k.a. The 400 Blows, in 26 top lists Check
  28. 28 new

    The Deer Hunter

    1978, in 26 top lists Check
  29. 29 new

    A Woman Under the Influence

    1974, in 14 top lists Check
  30. 30 new

    The Shawshank Redemption

    1994, in 24 top lists Check
  31. 31 new

    The Shining

    1980, in 28 top lists Check
  32. 32 new

    1963, in 35 top lists Check
  33. 33 new

    Persona

    1966, in 25 top lists Check
  34. 34 new

    On the Waterfront

    1954, in 32 top lists Check
  35. 35 new

    La maman et la putain

    1973 — a.k.a. The Mother and the Whore, in 14 top lists Check
  36. 36 new

    The Silence of the Lambs

    1991, in 36 top lists Check
  37. 37 new

    Inglourious Basterds

    2009, in 17 top lists Check
  38. 38 new

    Fight Club

    1999, in 19 top lists Check
  39. 39 new

    Paths of Glory

    1957, in 26 top lists Check
  40. 40 new

    Breaking the Waves

    1996, in 14 top lists Check
  41. 41 new

    Shichinin no samurai

    1954 — a.k.a. Seven Samurai, in 36 top lists Check
  42. 42 new

    Chinatown

    1974, in 31 top lists Check
  43. 43 new

    The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward...

    2007, in 7 top lists Check
  44. 44 new

    The Wrestler

    2008, in 3 top lists Check
  45. 45 new

    Some Like It Hot

    1959, in 35 top lists Check
  46. 46 new

    Gangs of New York

    2002, in 5 top lists Check
  47. 47 new

    Goodfellas

    1990, in 31 top lists Check
  48. 48 new

    Annie Hall

    1977, in 34 top lists Check
  49. 49 new

    The Night of the Hunter

    1955, in 34 top lists Check
  50. 50 new

    Casablanca

    1942, in 39 top lists Check
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Last updated on Jan 27, 2022; source