Best Actor by IMDB ratings

Cafe Society
21

Probably made some mistakes in filtering but using as an initial imperfect “star” filter of those actors who have in their career been nominated for an acting academy award here are those with at least 25 movies rated 7.0 or higher (exluding TV shows and mini-series; in parentheses are number of total that are made-for-tv movies).

25
Barbara Stanwick, Ralph Richardson (4), Marcello Mastroianni, Lauren Bacall (5), Ian McKellen (10)

26
Thomas Mitchell, James Cagney, Claude Rains, Robert De Niro, Helen Mirren (15)

27
Gregory Peck (2), Robert Duvall, Gerard Depardieu

28
Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum, John Wayne

29
Mary Pickford, Alec Guinness (1), Michael Caine (2), Ian Holm (5), Samuel L. Jackson (1), Jim Broadbent (11)

30
Orson Welles (4), Ned Beatty (14), Max von Sydow (3)

31
Henry Fonda (2), Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant

32
Gary Cooper, Laurence Olivier (6), John Gielgud (12)

33
Ellen Corby (4), John Hurt (4)

34
Burt Lancaster (2)

35
Walter Brennan, Donald Crisp

36
Jimmy Stewart (3)

38
Vanessa Redgrave (11)

94
Bette Davis (13)
In the Hall of Shame of this measurement would be the 10 actors who have been nominated but never appeared in a movie rating at least 7:
Lawrence Tibbet, Grace Moore, Miliza Korjus, Jocelyne LaGarde, Goldie Hawn, Diana Ross, Jeannie Berlin, Leslie Browne, Bette Midler, Jennifer Hudson.
Also, the top 10 directors of 7+ rated movies ever nominated for best director are:
Frank Capra - 25 (2)
Howard Hawkes - 25
Ernst Lubitsch - 26
Martin Scorcese - 28
Akira Kurosawa - 28
William Wyler - 29
John Ford - 33
Alfred Hitchcock - 34
Ingmar Bergman - 34 (6)
Billy Wilder - 36 (1)

22

I though Brad Pitt might have several. I counted 20.

23

It’s a shame Daniel Day Lewis doesn’t make more movies, because he makes good choices, too. (Not to mention improving the movies in which he appears.) Eleven of his eighteen movies rate better than 7.0. (Only 18 movies made!)

24

Great post by obfusciatrist who not only understands the nerdy nature of the whole thing, but managed to mention Billy Wilder’s genius. However surely now obfusciatrist feels honor bound to do the same thing for nominated writers, cinematographers, musicians etc. Everyone loves a good list.

25

Ward Bond has 46, which appears to put him in the lead for male actors.

26

Between his animated voicework and his occasional personal cast appearances, Mel Blanc racks up a formidable 248.

27

Oh… we should do another one by percentages. To qualify, you have to be in a minimum of 10 movies which rank 7.0 or greater, but your entire career on film (TV movies and episodes don’t count) is included in your score. Daniel Day Lewis gets 61.1%.

Who wants to grind those numbers?

28

420 actors (out of 831) who have been at least nominated for an acting Academy Award have made at least 10 7+ movies by current IMDb ratings.

Of those 60 had, over the course of their career (so far for may of them) maintained that success at least 40% of the time. Being a middle aged Oscar winning actress during the '70s and '80s was bad for many a candidate for this list as the golden age of made-for-TV movies added “I just want to work” fluff to many of their resumes.

Bette Davis - 82.46% (94 of 114) - As much as I love Bette Davis, her numbers are so anomalous I wonder if there has been some kind of vote padding effort.
Greta Garbo - 62.5% (20 of 32)
Montgomery Clift - 61.11% (11 of 18)
Fernanda Monenegro - 59.26% (16 of 27)
Margaret Sullavan - 58.82% (10 of 17)
Edward Norton - 54.55% (12 of 22)
Al Pacino - 53.66% (22 of 41)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - 52.17% (22 of 41)
Alec Guinness - 50.88% (29 of 57)
Charles Laughton - 50% (28 of 56)
John Garfield - 50% (16 of 32)
Natalie Portman - 50% (15 of 30)
Sydney Greenstreet - 50% (11 of 22)
Paul Muni - 50% (11 of 22)
Robert Donat - 50% (10 of 20)
Johnny Depp - 48.84% (21 of 43)
Kate Winslet - 48.15% (13 of 27)
Anna Paquin - 48.15% (13 of 27)
Marlon Brando - 47.5% (19 of 40)
Gregory Peck - 47.37% (27 of 57)
Judy Garland - 46.88% (15 of 32)
Audrey Hepburn - 46.43% (13 of 28)
Woody Allen - 46.15% (18 of 39)
Clive Owen - 45.83% (22 of 48)
Daniel Day-Lewis - 45.83% (11 of 24)
Judi Dench - 44.9% (22 of 49)
Doris Day - 44.74% (17 of 38)
Claude Rains - 44.07% (26 of 59)
Ralph Fiennes - 43.59% (17 of 39)
Emma Thompson - 43.59% (17 of 39)
Chris Cooper - 43.48% (20 of 46)
Themla Ritter - 43.33% (13 of 30)
Geoffrey Rush - 43.24% (16 of 37)
Wendy Hiller - 43.24% (16 of 37)
Glady Cooper - 43.18% (19 of 44)
Lauren Bacall - 43.1% (25 of 58)
Burt Lancaster - 42.5% (34 of 80)
Cary Grant - 42.47% (31 of 73)
Ian McKellen - 42.37% (25 of 59)
Maggie Smith - 42.11% (24 of 57)
Thomas Mitchell - 41.94% (26 of 62)
Russell Crowe - 41.94% (13 of 31)
Miriam Hopkins - 41.67% (15 of 36)
Viola Davis - 41.38% (12 of 29)
Steve McQueen - 41.38% (12 of 29)
Humphrey Bogart - 41.33% (31 of 75)
Leslie Howard - 41.18% (14 of 34)
Laurence Olivier - 41.03% (32 of 78)
James Stewart - 40.91% (36 of 88)
Brad Pitt - 40.82% (20 of 49)
Judith Anderson - 40.63% (13 of 32)
Fred Astaire - 40.48% (17 of 42)
Albert Finney - 40.38% (21 of 52)
Katharine Hepburn - 40.38% (21 of 52)
Dustin Hoffman - 40% (22 of 55)
Deborah Kerr - 40% (20 of 50)
Don Cheadle - 40% (18 of 45)
Emily Watson - 40% (12 of 30)
Norma Aleandro - 40% (10 of 25)
Lilia Skala - 40% (10 of 25)

29

Where are you getting your numbers? IMDb shows Daniel Day Lewis with 18 films, 11 rated 7.0 or better.

30

And if you sort his filmography by type it shows 20 movies credits and 4 TV movies.

I see that the Sort by Ratings list has a 50 vote minimum while the Sort by Type list has everything. I used By Type for the percentage because it made counting easier (I could just see the movie count and then quick count TV movies from a generally short list). However, one thing I didn’t notice take into account is that In Production titles are included there. That will significantly help some of the people.

So Daniel Day-Lewis should be 11 out of 22 since two that I counted in the 24 are not yet released.

31

And not that anybody really cares but here’s the corrected list to remove “in production” titles from the counts (which, strangely, seems to only help living people). The now 64 who achieved 40% or more.

Natalie Portman is now returned to her rightful place as our fifth greatest actor.

Bette Davis - 82.46% (94 of 114)
Edward Norton - 63.16% (12 of 19)
Greta Garbo - 62.5% (20 of 32)
Montgomery Clift - 61.11% (11 of 18)
Natalie Portman - 60% (15 of 25)
Fernanda Monenegro - 59.26% (16 of 27)
Margaret Sullavan - 58.82% (10 of 17)
Johnny Depp - 55.26% (21 of 38)
Al Pacino - 55% (22 of 40)
Philip Seymour Hoffman - 53.33% (22 of 45)
Anna Paquin - 52% (13 of 25)
Alec Guinness - 50.88% (29 of 57)
Charles Laughton - 50% (28 of 56)
Ralph Fiennes - 50% (17 of 34)
John Garfield - 50% (16 of 32)
Sydney Greenstreet - 50% (11 of 22)
Paul Muni - 50% (11 of 22)
Daniel Day-Lewis - 50% (11 of 22)
Robert Donat - 50% (10 of 20)
Kate Winslet - 48.15% (13 of 27)
Clive Owen - 47.83% (22 of 46)
Leonardo DiCaprio - 47.83% (11 of 23)
Chris Cooper - 47.62% (20 of 42)
Marlon Brando - 47.5% (19 of 40)
Gregory Peck - 47.37% (27 of 57)
Geoffrey Rush - 47.06% (16 of 34)
Judy Garland - 46.88% (15 of 32)
Audrey Hepburn - 46.43% (13 of 28)
Woody Allen - 46.15% (18 of 39)
Judi Dench - 45.83% (22 of 48)
Brad Pitt - 45.45% (20 of 44)
Norma Aleandro - 45.45% (10 of 22)
Doris Day - 44.74% (17 of 38)
Emma Thompson - 44.74% (17 of 38)
Maggie Smith - 44.44% (24 of 54)
Emily Watson - 44.44% (12 of 27)
Claude Rains - 44.07% (26 of 59)
Themla Ritter - 43.33% (13 of 30)
Russell Crowe - 43.33% (13 of 30)
Wendy Hiller - 43.24% (16 of 37)
Gladys Cooper - 43.18% (19 of 44)
Lauren Bacall - 43.1% (25 of 58)
Ian McKellen - 43.1% (25 of 58)
Matt Damon - 42.86% (18 of 42)
Viola Davis - 42.86% (12 of 28)
Burt Lancaster - 42.5% (34 of 80)
Cary Grant - 42.47% (31 of 73)
Thomas Mitchell - 41.94% (26 of 62)
Don Cheadle - 41.86% (18 of 43)
Miriam Hopkins - 41.67% (15 of 36)
Dustin Hoffman - 41.51% (22 of 53)
Steve McQueen - 41.38% (12 of 29)
Humphrey Bogart - 41.33% (31 of 75)
Leslie Howard - 41.18% (14 of 34)
Laurence Olivier - 41.03% (32 of 78)
James Stewart - 40.91% (36 of 88)
Benicio Del Toro - 40.74% (11 of 27)
Judith Anderson - 40.63% (13 of 32)
Fred Astaire - 40.48% (17 of 42)
Albert Finney - 40.38% (21 of 52)
Katharine Hepburn - 40.38% (21 of 52)
Deborah Kerr - 40% (20 of 50)
Cate Blanchett - 40% (14 of 35)
Lilia Skala - 40% (10 of 25)

(And finally, I know that the precision to two decimal places is laughable considering the human element in scanning the filmography lists, the pointless precision just amuses me).

32

How does Bruce Willis rate? No Oscar nominations AFAIK, but he’s got several decades of work, most of it good.

33

Bruce Willis is 17 7.0+ titles out of 67 for 25.37%

Some of the other people mentioned in this thread not nominated for Oscars at some point:

Bess Flowers: 144 out of 758 (19%)
Christopher Lee: 28 out of 216 (12.96%)
Mel Blanc: 245 out of 931 (26.32) - And of course that filmography is almost entirely animated shorts.

34

Tobey Maguire probably has a decent rating, thinking back on some of the movies he’s done.

35

Yep. He’d make the 40% club. 10 out of 24 for 41.67%

36

Two other possible current candidates: Harrison Ford and Michael Douglas.

37

Both are Oscar nominees (Douglas a winner, in fact), so given that they didn’t make obfusciatrist’s (jaw-droppingly thorough) list, it appears not…

38

Michael Douglas only has 7 7.0+ titles.
Harrison Ford has 12 but out of 46 titles for a percentage of 26.09%.

For the record, from another research project I already had a spreadsheet of all oscar nominated actors and directors with links to their IMDb page and a script to quickly open those pages in large clumps. So it was just a matter of quickly scanning lists on one monitor and writing down numbers in another. So it took maybe an hour where I’m sure it would have taken most of the day if I’d started from scratch.

39

Double post text removed.

40

Emile Hirsch is off to a good start. Already has seven 7.0-or-better films at age 24. (Out of 15 movies made.)