Top 10 Decade Defining Actors: 1990s

Watch Video Play Trivia Watch on YouTube

VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton

Written by Sean Harris

It was the end of a century, and these actors saw it out in style! Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 Decade Defining Actors of the 1990s! For our series on the Top 10 Decade Defining Male Actors Per Period, we've made our choices based on a combination of their commercial success, their box-office scores, their productivity, their awards and how they helped set the tone and raise the standard in Hollywood for the era.

Special thanks to our users movielover459, Shehab Essam and perfnerf for submitting the idea for this video through our Suggestions Tool at http://www.WatchMojo.comSuggest

Written by Sean Harris

Top 10 Decade Defining Actors of the 1990s

It was the end of a century, and these actors saw it out in style! Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’re counting down our picks for the top 10 Decade Defining Actors of the 1990s! For our series on the Top 10 Decade Defining Male Actors Per Period, we’ve made our choices based on a combination of their commercial success, their box-office scores, their productivity, their awards and how they helped set the tone and raise the standard in Hollywood for the era.

#10: Robin Williams 1951 -

Robin Williams earned two Academy Award nominations in the ‘80s, and was nominated twice more in the 1990s. For his role as a homeless man in “The Fisher King” he fell just short of the accolade, but for his depiction of Dr. Sean Maguire in “Good Will Hunting,” he nabbed the golden statuette! A hugely acclaimed actor, his role as the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin” proved that star-power and voice casting was a recipe for success, and his part in “Mrs. Doubtfire” showed that, even in a dress, Williams was a king of the screen.

#9: Kevin Spacey 1959 -

The winner of two Oscars within the decade, Kevin Spacey scooped the Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in “The Usual Suspects,” and a Best Actor win for his depiction of Lester Burnham’s mid-life crisis in “American Beauty.” His sophisticated style, professional approach, and careful delivery, led to many a casting as the thinking man, the scheming man, or the evil man! He’s a good guy off camera, but there’s something about him that just frightens us!

#8: Nicolas Cage 1964 -

Nic Cage’s defining moment came in 1995, when he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Scooping it up for his portrayal of suicidal alcoholic Ben Sanderson in “Leaving Las Vegas,” Cage’s performance was deemed tragic, and all too true to life. Films like “Face/Off” and “Con Air” saw the actor soar to mainstream popularity, as the public took to his ‘regular guy’ personality. That being said, he’s not your average man: he’s actually the nephew of famed movie director, Francis Ford Coppola, but his acting credentials speak for themselves!

#7: Mel Gibson 1956 -

This man’s career spans either side of this particular decade, but in the ‘90s, Gibson proved to be at his versatile best. Earlier films like “Maverick” showed that he could be funny, while the third and fourth installments of the “Lethal Weapon” franchise combined his wit with weaponry. “Braveheart” was his brightest moment though, and for his portrayal of William Wallace he won huge critical acclaim! Gibson got real good in the ‘90s!

#6: Denzel Washington 1954 -

Washington rode the wave of his 1989 Oscar win into the next ten years, and he dominated cinema screens. His supporting actor role in “Glory” led to a series of high profile parts, beginning with a role as the black nationalist leader, Malcolm X. The following year, he starred in the Oscar-winning picture, “Philadelphia,” and in 1999, he portrayed, former-boxer slash wrongly-imprisoned convict, Rubin Carter, in “The Hurricane.” For Washington, the ‘90s were a whirlwind of success!

#5: Brad Pitt 1963 -

Brad Pitt is about as box-office as they come! But it wasn’t always that way… He endured criticism during in the early-‘90s, largely due to his apparent one-dimensional Hollywood-hunk quality, as evidenced by his breakthrough part in “Thelma & Louise.” The tide began to turn when he starred as a detective in “Seven,” he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in “12 Monkeys,” and he played Tyler Durden in cult-classic, “Fight Club.” Ten years before he was just a pretty-boy; in 2000, he was a very pretty-boy who could act!

#4: Kevin Costner 1955 -

The early-‘90s were for Kevin Costner a huge Hollywood hey-day! At the turn of the decade, he directed and starred in a huge critical and commercial success: “Dances With Wolves.” An epic, historic Western, he went on to recreate more iconic American history as the district attorney in Oliver Stone’s “JFK.” Dabbling in British legend too, Costner also had success as medieval hero, Robin Hood. He created history, by recreating history! In 1992, he was still at the top, this time keeping Whitney Houston safe as “The Bodyguard.”

#3: Will Smith 1968 -

Will Smith’s box-office career came about through his work on the smaller screen. The NBC sitcom, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” thrust Smith into the limelight, and confirmed him as a first-class actor. From then, roles in “Bad Boys” and “Men in Black” confirmed him as a leading face in the increasingly popular action/comedy crossover-genre, and “Independence Day” assured audiences he could save the world. Early in his career, Smith had stated his intentions to be the ‘biggest movie-star on the planet,’ and in the ‘90s, he very nearly got there!

#2: Jim Carrey 1962 -

Bursting onto the scene with more noise and facial expressions than the average actor, Jim Carrey first tasted fame as ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.’ 1994 turned out to be a busy year for the bonkers comedian, as “The Mask” and “Dumb and Dumber” confirmed him as a box-office smash! Four years later, Carrey gained considerable critical acclaim for his role as the title character in “The Truman Show.” A very funny man, he could also act up a storm. A deserved wearer of our silver medal! Before we unveil our pick for Decade Defining Actor of the 1990s, here are a few honorable mentions: - Adam Sandler 1966 - - Johnny Depp 1963 - - Morgan Freeman 1937 - - Keanu Reeves 1964 - - Hugh Grant 1960 – Edward Norton 1969 -

#1: Tom Hanks 1956 -

If ever an actor inspired a generation, it’s this man! Tom Hanks enjoyed impossible success throughout the ‘90s: “Sleepless in Seattle” established his rom-com credentials, while “Philadelphia” proved he could handle heavier roles. Next came “Forrest Gump,” for which he won his second Oscar, then “Toy Story,” and then “Saving Private Ryan,” which was labeled one of the finest war movies ever made! With his long list of blockbusters, we could go on and we still wouldn’t do justice to Hanks’ achievement – he’s a living legend! Do you agree with our list? Which 1990s actor did we forget? For more blockbuster Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.

top 10 watchmojo top ten decade defining actors 1990s 90s nineties best actors greatest tom hanks jim carrey will smith kevin costner brad pitt denzel washington mel gibson nicolas cage kevin spacey robin williams adam sandler

Comments ∧

Send

Jose Eduardo Hurtado Zapata

“ANTHONY HOPKINS??????!!!!!!!!! Hannibal Lecter is easily more iconic than any character portrayed by any actor here and lets not forget that it gave him the oscar for best actor”