Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito is a well-known actor who recently took credit for playing Frank Reynolds in the TV series It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. DeVito has also directed and starred in the 1996 family-comedy Matilda, where he took on the role of Harold “Harry” Wormwood, the not-so-ideal father figure for Matilda. Another iconic performance by DeVito was his portrayal of Batman’s nemesis, The Penguin, in 1992’s Batman Returns. For his performance in the movie, DeVito had to spend three hours before filming to get his makeup and costume ready to look like the three-fingered, black-lipped villain that Michael Keaton’s Batman eventually faced in the film. Though he may have performed antagonistic roles, DeVito is more famous for being a humorous person, just like his character Frank Reynolds.
Leonardo DiCaprio
Among the A-list actors performing today, Leonardo DiCaprio carries a face and a highly respected and recognized name in the film industry. His films often vary from each other, from acting as a diamond smuggler in Blood Diamond to portraying a hunter trying to survive against enemies and nature alike in The Revenant. The films in DiCaprio’s repertoire include 1997’s Titanic, 2002’s Catch Me If You Can, 2010’s Inception, 2012’s Django Unchained, and 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. With acting as one of DiCaprio’s most significant investments, his hard work has undoubtedly paid off through the years, even becoming one of the world’s most top-paid actors. Just like his character, Hugh Glass, DiCaprio will keep on at it for as long as he is breathing.
Vincent D’Onofrio
From portraying the unstable character of Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence from Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket to playing the menacing Kingpin Wilson Fisk in the series Daredevil, Vincent D’Onofrio can do the job. In Full Metal Jacket, D’Onofrio’s performance, though brief, left a lasting mark on viewers, further supplementing the emotion the film is trying to evoke in the audience. With his outing as one of the antagonists in the Daredevil series, on the other hand, D’Onofrio deserves credit for giving the character that menacing aura, with his appearance and overall presence onscreen. Vincent D’Onofrio’s other roles include Detective Robert Goren in Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Edgar the Bug in Men in Black. The man typically plays villainous characters, but his characters are so varied that he deserves being mentioned here.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch is a name that is as recognizable in the film industry as it is misspelled – look at his fan base. His notable performances include his acting credit in the Sherlock series, as Alan Turing in 2014’s The Imitation Game, and as Doctor Strange in the Marvel Franchise. For his outing as the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit films, Cumberbatch, with advice from fellow actor Andy Serkis, provided the character’s movements and voice through performance capture, utilizing his acting skills and voice-acting. And for his Marvel debut in 2016’s Doctor Strange, Cumberbatch didn’t only portray the titular hero, but he also provided the motion capture performance and voice for the cosmic antagonist Dormammu – his voice was combined with an unknown actor’s.
Tilda Swinton
Tilda Swinton is one of those actresses in the film industry that, if you happen to not know her name, you can still be guaranteed a performance worth remembering. Swinton reintroduced herself as the Ancient One in the Marvel franchise starting with 2016’s Doctor Strange. The actress is also well-known for her acting credits in films like the Narnia movies, 2005’s Constantine, 2007’s Michael Clayton, and 2018’s Suspiria. In Suspiria, Tilda Swinton took on three characters: the head of a dance studio Madame Blanc, the witch Mother Markos, and the elderly psychologist Dr. Josef Klemperer. For her performance as the male doctor, Swinton had to go through four hours of makeup before appearing onset – an effort that has undoubtedly paid off since she was barely recognizable in her costume.
Robin Williams
Robin Williams is an actor who always brings a spark of electricity with him whenever he performs in films. Williams first showcased his talent in improvisation and efficiency by using different voices with the character Mork from the TV series Mork & Mindy. Well-known for being one of the best comedians of all time, Williams is most notable for his performance in films like Mrs. Doubtfire, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting, and the Night at the Museum trilogy. Outside of acting, Robert Williams has also lent his voice to the now-iconic character Genie from Disney’s 1992 animated film Aladdin. Thanks to his mastery of the art, Williams earned a Golden Globe award for his performance as Genie. Robin Williams’ contribution to the film industry will be remembered fondly by his loved ones and fans alike.
Tim Curry
Tim Curry is an actor who is mostly known for his portrayal of villainous characters, like the Concierge in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Long John Silver in Muppet Treasure Island, the Lord of Darkness in Legend, and Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the miniseries It. For his acting credit as the evil clown who haunts Derry’s people, Curry had to sit for three hours while the makeup team worked on his appearance. Other than that, Curry needed to not only get the look right but to also nail the character’s persona, since Pennywise is known for playing evil little tricks with people’s psyche. And if his performance as Pennywise isn’t scary enough, go check out his portrayal as the Lord of Darkness in Legend.
Bill Skarsgård
Bill Skarsgård is a reasonably new actor in terms of popularity. Among his film credits are 2010’s comedy Simple Simon, 2016’s thriller The Divergent Series: Allegiant, and 2017’s action-thriller Atomic Blonde. However, Skarsgård’s most iconic role would be his interpretation of Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the 2017 horror film It and its 2019 sequel. He reminded us of how scary a clown can be. His performance is often compared to Tim Curry’s performance of the iconic monster created by Stephen King. Skarsgård presented a more terrifying and sinister side to the clown. The actor’s performance was further accentuated by his makeup, costume, and the visual effects that were done to his character – the Pennywise smile and the lazy eye were all practically done by Skarsgård.
Heath Ledger
Heath Ledger was an actor who had performed in films like 1999’s romantic-comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, 2000’s historical fiction The Patriot, 2001’s medieval adventure-comedy A Knight’s Tale, and 2009’s fantasy The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. But among all of his roles, Ledger is known worldwide for his acting credit as the Joker in 2008’s crime film The Dark Knight. His announcement that he would be portraying the Clown Prince of Crime was first received negatively. But once the movie was released, everyone found themselves impressed by Heath Ledger’s performance. To prepare for the role, Ledger locked himself in a hotel room months before the shooting began, letting the feeling of isolation help him develop the character’s persona. Ledger’s Joker is now among the most iconic portrayals of the character.
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix is, to some degree, one actor who is known to be picky about the roles he accepts. This mindset has helped the actor perform in well-received films like 2000’s Gladiator, 2005’s Walk the Line, 2013’s Her, and 2017’s You Were Never Really Here. However, in 2019, Phoenix accepted what could be one of his most controversial roles. It was a role in the psychological-thriller Joker. Before filming began, Pheonix spent months trying to lose weight to play the Joker. His sudden weight loss has greatly affected his mental state and the range of actions that he could do, which he claims proved beneficial to his performance. With his portrayal of the clown, Phoenix has brought the character to a new light, and many argue that he played the character better than even Heath Ledger did.