Here's the list of the best actors and actresses working today according to my point of view. I based my choices in a couple of factors like versatility or iconic performances. It's only my opinion here and I respect different points of view if you want to express them. If you think I snubed some names, please suggest them, maybe you're right and I'll edit this post.
Just have a look:
1. Meryl Streep
Born: June 22, 1949
Breakthrough Performance: The Deer Hunter (1978)
5 Best Performances: Kramer Vs Kramer (1979); Sophie's Choice (1982); Ironweed (1987); The Bridges of Madison County (1995); The Devil Wears Prada (2006);
Oscar recognition: 16 nominations, 2 wins (Kramer Vs Kramer - 1979; Sophie's Choice - 1982)
2. Al Pacino
Born: April 25, 1940
Breakthrough Performance: The Panic in Needle Park (1971)
5 Best Performances: The Godfather (1972); Serpico (1973); The Godfather: Part II (1974); Scarface (1983); Scent of a Woman (1992);
Oscar recognition: 8 nominations, 1 win (Scent of a Woman - 1992)
3. Jack Nicholson
Born: April 22, 1937
Breakthrough Performance: Easy Rider (1969)
5 Best Performances: Chinatown (1974); One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975); Terms of Endearment (1983); Batman (1989); About Schmidt (2002);
Oscar recognition: 12 nominations, 3 wins (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - 1975; Terms of Endearment - 1983; As Good as It Gets - 1997)
4. Tom Hanks
Born: July 9, 1956
Breakthrough Performance: Nothing in Common (1986)
5 Best Performances: Big (1988); Philadelphia (1993); Forrest Gump (1994); Cast Away (2000); Road to Perdition (2002);
Oscar recognition: 5 nominations, 2 wins (Philadelphia - 1993; Forrest Gump - 1994)
5. Kate Winslet
Born: 5 October 1975
Breakthrough Performance: Heavenly Creatures (1994)
5 Best Performances: Sense and Sensibility (1995); The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004); Little Children (2006); The Reader (2008); Revolutionary Road (2008);
Oscar recognition: 6 nominations, 1 win (The Reader - 2008)
6. Sean Penn
Born: August 17, 1960
Breakthrough Performance: Bad Boys (1983)
5 Best Performances: Dead Man Walking (1995); I Am Sam (2001); Mystic River (2003); 21 Grams (2003); Milk (2008);
Oscar recognition: 5 nominations, 2 wins (Mystic River - 2003; Milk - 2008)
7. Cate Blanchett
Born: 14 May 1969
Breakthrough Performance: Oscar and Lucinda (1997)
5 Best Performances: Elizabeth (1998); The Aviator (2004); Little Fish (2005); Notes On a Scandal (2006); I'm Not There (2007);
Oscar recognition: 5 nominations, 1 win (The Aviator - 2004)
8. Johnny Depp
Born: June 9, 1963
Breakthrough Performance: Edward Scissorhands (1990)
5 Best Performances: Edward Scissorhands (1990); Ed Wood (1994); Pirates of Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl (2003); Finding Neverland (2004); Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007);
Oscar recognition: 3 nominations
9. Robert De Niro
Born: August 17, 1943
Breakthrough Performance: Mean Streets (1973);
5 Best Performances: The Godfather: Part II (1974); Taxi Driver (1976); Raging Bull (1980); Awakenings (1990); Meet the Parents (2000);
Oscar recognition: 6 nominations, 2 wins (The Godfather: Part II - 1974; Raging Bull - 1980)
10. Daniel Day-Lewis
Born: 29 April, 1957
Breakthrough Performance: A Room with a View (1985)
5 Best Performances: My Left Foot (1989); In the Name of the Father (1993); The Boxer (1997); Gangs of New York (2002); There Will Be Blood (2007);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations, 2 wins (My Left Foot - 1989; There Will Be Blood - 2007)
11. Helena Bonham Carter
Born: 26 May, 1966
Breakthrough Performance: A Room with a View (1985)
5 Best Performances: Howard's End (1992); Margaret's Museum (1995); The Wings of the Dove (1997); Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007); The King's Speech (2010);
Oscar recognition: 2 nominations
12. Nicole Kidman
Born: 20 June, 1967
Breakthrough Performance: Dead Calm (1989)
5 Best Performances: To Die For (1995); Moulin Rouge! (2001); The Hours (2002); Cold Mountain (2003); Rabbit Hole (2010);
Oscar recognition: 3 nominations, 1 win (The Hours - 2002)
13. Jodie Foster
Born: November 19, 1962
Breakthrough Performance: Taxi Driver (1976)
5 Best Performances: Taxi Driver (1976); The Accused (1988); The Silence of the Lambs (1991); Nell (1994); The Brave One (2007);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations, 2 wins (The Accused - 1988; The Silence of the Lambs - 1991)
14. Michael Caine
Born: 14 March, 1933
Breakthrough Performance: The Ipcress File (1965)
5 Best Performances: Alfie (1966); Educating Rita (1983); Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); The Cider House Rules (1999); The Quiet American (2002);
Oscar recognition: 6 nominations, 2 wins (Hannah and Her Sisters - 1986; The Cider House Rules - 1999)
15. Julianne Moore
Born: December 3, 1960
Breakthrough Performance: Short Cuts (1993)
5 Best Performances: Safe (1995); Boogie Nights (1997); Far From Heaven (2002); The Hours (2002); A Single Man (2009);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations
16. Geoffrey Rush
Born: 6 July, 1951
Breakthrough Performance: Shine (1996)
5 Best Performances: Shine (1996); Shakespeare in Love (1998); Quills (2000); Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl (2003); The King's Speech (2010);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations, 1 win (Shine - 1996)
17. Ryan Gosling
Born: November 12, 1980
Breakthrough Performance: The Believer (2001)
5 Best Performances: The Believer (2001); The Slaughter Rule (2002); Half Nelson (2006); Lars and the Real Girl (2007); Blue Valentine (2010);
Oscar recognition: 1 nomination
18. Frances McDormand
Born: June 23, 1957
Breakthrough Performance: Mississippi Burning (1988)
5 Best Performances: Fargo (1996); Almost Famous (2000); Laurel Canyon (2002); North Country (2005); Burn After Reading (2008);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations, 1 win (Fargo - 1996)
19. Laura Linney
Born: February 5, 1964
Breakthrough Performance: The Truman Show (1998)
5 Best Performances: You Can Count On Me (2000); Mystic River (2003); Kinsey (2004); The Squid and the Whale (2005); The Savages (2007);
Oscar recognition: 3 nominations
20. Juliette Binoche
Born: 9 March, 1964
Breakthrough Performance: Rendez-vous (1985)
5 Best Performances: Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991); Three Colors: Blue (1993); The English Patient (1996); Chocolat (2000); Certified Copy (2010);
Oscar recognition: 2 nominations, 1 win (The English Patient - 1996)
21. Annette Bening
Born: May 29, 1958
Breakthrough Performance: The Grifters (1990)
5 Best Performances: The Grifters (1990); American Beauty (1999); Being Julia (2004); Mother and Child (2010); The Kids Are All Right (2010);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations
22. Dustin Hoffman
Born: August 8, 1937
Breakthrough Performance: The Graduate (1967)
5 Best Performances: Midnight Cowboy (1969); Marathon Man (1976); Kramer Vs Kramer (1979); Tootsie (1982); Rain Man (1988);
Oscar recognition: 7 nominations, 2 wins (Kramer Vs Kramer - 1979; Rain Man - 1988)
23. Leonardo DiCaprio
Born: November 11, 1974
Breakthrough Performance: What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
5 Best Performances: What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993); Marvin's Room (1996); The Aviator (2004); The Departed (2006); Revolutionary Road (2008);
Oscar recognition: 3 nominations
24. Marion Cotillard
Born: 30 September 1975
Breakthrough Performance: Taxi (1998)
5 Best Performances: Love Me If You Dare (2003); A Very Long Engagement (2004); La Vie en Rose (2007); Nine (2009); Inception (2010);
Oscar recognition: 1 nomination, 1 win (La Vie en Rose - 2007)
25. Christian Bale
Born: 30 January, 1974
Breakthrough Performance: Empire of the Sun (1987)
5 Best Performances: Empire of the Sun (1987); American Psycho (2000); The Machinist (2004); The Prestige (2006); The Fighter (2010);
Oscar recognition: 1 nomination, 1 win (The Fighter - 2010)
26. Anthony Hopkins
Born: 31 December, 1937
Breakthrough Performance: The Lion in Winter (1968)
5 Best Performances: Magic (1978); The Silence of the Lambs (1991); Shadowlands (1993); Nixon (1995); Amistad (1997);
Oscar recognition: 4 nominations, 1 win (The Silence of the Lambs - 1991)
27. Judi Dench
Born: 9 December, 1934
Breakthrough Performance: A Room with a View (1985)
5 Best Performances: Mrs. Brown (1997); Shakespeare in Love (1998); Chocolat (2000); Iris (2001); Notes On a Scandal (2006);
Oscar recognition: 6 nominations, 1 win (Shakespeare in Love - 1998)
28. Gary Oldman
Born: 21 March, 1958
Breakthrough Performance: Sid and Nancy (1986)
5 Best Performances: Prick Up Your Ears (1987); State of Grace (1990); Léon: The Professional (1994); Air Force One (1997); The Contender (2000);
Oscar recognition: none
29. Michelle Williams
Born: September 9, 1980
Breakthrough Performance: Dick (1999)
5 Best Performances: The Station Agent (2003); Land of Plenty (2004); Brokeback Mountain (2005); Wendy and Lucy (2008); Blue Valentine (2010);
Oscar recognition: 2 nominations
30. Jim Carrey
Born: January 17, 1962
Breakthrough Performance: The Mask (1994)
5 Best Performances: The Mask (1994); The Truman Show (1998); Man on the Moon (1999); The Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind (2004); I Love You Phillip Morris (2009);
Oscar recognition: none
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