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Thursday, January 31, 2013

Top 10 Oscar-Winning Male Performances

Russell Crowe at the 2001 ceremony.

Again, I looked at both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor performances. Unlike the female performances list, two supporting performances made the cut.

10. Christopher Walken, The Deer Hunter
Role: Nikonar "Nick" Chevotarevich
Oscar History: 1 win, 2 nominations

9. Kevin Kline, A Fish Called Wanda
Role: Otto
Oscar History: 1 win, 1 nomination

8. Adrien Brody, The Pianist
Role: Wladyslaw Szpilman
Oscar History: 1 win, 1 nomination

7. F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus
Role: Antonio Salieri
Oscar History: 1 win, 1 nomination

6. Jack Lemmon, Save the Tiger
Role: Harry Stoner
Oscar History: 2 wins, 8 nominations

5. Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot
Role: Christy Brown
Oscar History: 2 wins (to date), 5 nominations

4. Gene Hackman, The French Connection
Role: Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle
Oscar History: 2 wins, 5 nominations

3. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Role: R.P. McMurphy
Oscar History: 3 wins, 12 nominations

2. Robert De Niro, Raging Bull
Role: Jake LaMotta
Oscar History: 2 wins (to date), 7 nominations

1. Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront
Role: Terry Malloy
Oscar History: 2 wins, 8 nominations
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20 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 31, 2013 at 11:52 AM

    Crowe missing saddens me...but it wasn't his finest hour (although he was very deserving). Good list. I find Hackman's win overrated, although I worship him as an actor so I'm happy he has two Oscars.

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    1. JoshJanuary 31, 2013 at 12:11 PM

      That's why I included his picture at the top, like I did with Binoche on the female performances list. He'd probably crack my top 15 (love the performance), but I just couldn't squeeze him in. If he had won for Romper Stomper, L.A. Confidential, or The Insider, it'd be a different story.

      Thanks. Yeah, know you're not high on Hackman's performance, but he never ceases to amaze me in that film.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousFebruary 1, 2013 at 8:50 AM

      I almost said that (about him winning for one of those three). He would top my list for Romper Stomper for sure.

      Delete
    3. JoshFebruary 3, 2013 at 1:48 AM

      Not sure about The Insider, but he would've cracked the top 5 with Romper Stomper or L.A. Confidential.

      Delete
  2. MovieNut14January 31, 2013 at 11:52 AM

    Only one I haven't seen was Day-Lewis. Great list.

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    1. JoshJanuary 31, 2013 at 12:13 PM

      Thanks. I think it's Day-Lewis' best performance. It's worth a look, if you get a chance.

      Delete
  3. Shane SlaterJanuary 31, 2013 at 12:30 PM

    Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot is uncomfortably excellent. When I watched it, I actually said "this performance is too good", if that makes any sense. Such a transformation!

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    1. JoshFebruary 1, 2013 at 1:01 AM

      Yeah, I was blown away with his performance. I think he can go over the top in some roles, but he nailed it in My Left Foot.

      Delete
  4. s.January 31, 2013 at 3:54 PM

    Great choices! Kline was so freaking funny in A Fish Called Wanda.

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    1. JoshFebruary 1, 2013 at 1:03 AM

      Thanks! Kline: Best supporting male performance ever. :)

      Delete
  5. CourtneyJanuary 31, 2013 at 5:11 PM

    Amazing List. Walken was tremendous in Deer Hunter.

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    1. JoshFebruary 1, 2013 at 1:03 AM

      Thanks! He was terrific. So glad he won for it.

      Delete
  6. Alex WithrowFebruary 1, 2013 at 9:19 AM

    I do think that, on occasion, we are the exact same person. When I do this list, there are going to be so many similarities. Seriously, love this list.

    Lemmon's Save the Tiger performance never gets talked about, which is a damn shame. So very good.

    Great work!

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    1. JoshFebruary 3, 2013 at 1:43 AM

      Thanks man! Love it that we agree on many of these. Look forward to your list.

      Though Lemmon is fantastic in that role, it seems like an underrated win. Best Actor was a tough category that year, but he was very deserving of the award.

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  7. AnonymousFebruary 1, 2013 at 11:30 PM

    Excellent list! My favorites from among these (of those I've seen) are probably #3, #5, & #10. Kline was hilarious as the quintessential "ugly American" in A Fish Called Wanda too. ;-)

    Last year, I rewatched The Deer Hunter for the first time in about 25 years. Even after a quarter of a decade, I still remembered Walken's haunting performance vividly, and thinking about it still made me feel a bit sick to my stomach. Powerful stuff!

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    1. JoshFebruary 3, 2013 at 1:47 AM

      Thanks! Haha, I LOVE Kline's performance. :)

      I rewatched it last year too, and Walken blew me away, as did De Niro. Great performances in that film, no doubt.

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    2. AnonymousFebruary 3, 2013 at 11:39 AM

      "Vulgarian! F--k you! You're the f--king vulgarian!"

      Agreed! I miss seeing DeNiro in wonderful roles like this. Maybe his strong performance in Silver Linings Playbook bodes well for his comeback. :-)

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    3. JoshFebruary 5, 2013 at 5:41 PM

      I hope so, but he was quite good in Being Flynn last year too. Hopefully, that's a sign of better films/performances to come.

      Delete
  8. ruthFebruary 3, 2013 at 8:48 PM

    Hmmm, a photo of Crowe but he didn't make the list?? I thought he was snubbed in The Insider, it was the better performance but I also love his performance in Gladiator.

    F. Murray Abraham was indeed excellent in Amadeus.

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    1. JoshFebruary 5, 2013 at 5:43 PM

      Yeah, I had to include him, even if he didn't make the list. ;) Love his performance in Gladiator, but I couldn't fit it in the top 10. I agree he was snubbed for The Insider.

      Yay! Love Abraham's performance.

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