Some actors are so talented that nearly everyone appreciates their work. Whether they portray comedic leads, hardened criminals, or love interests, the most popular actors in Hollywood often have a huge following of diehard fans. (Unfortunately, a big name star doesn’t always spell success for a film. Here are some A-list actors’ biggest box office flops.)
To compile a list of the most popular actors of all time in the U.S., 24/7 Tempo reviewed the results of a survey conducted by YouGov, an international market and data analytics website. The survey was conducted using an online interview completed by more than 1,200 American respondents, based on a master list that included 886 actors, all but a handful of them male and predominantly English-speaking. Participants were shown a picture and given the name of each actor and asked to what extent they liked or disliked each one of them. Possible responses were “really like,” “somewhat like,” “neither like or dislike,” “somewhat dislike,” or “really dislike.” We included all those who were liked by at least 70% of the respondents.
To determine the best movie starring each actor on the list, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using ratings from IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, weighing all ratings equally. Data is current as of March 2023. Only movies where the actor was credited among the leading three actors on IMDb were considered. Domestic ticket sales, adjusted for inflation, are from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services.
Click here to see the most well-liked actors in America of all time
Many of the most well-liked actors of all time, including late greats Sidney Poitier and Paul Newman, were most popular in the ‘60s but are still remembered as some of the most impactful performers to ever hit the silver screen. Others, including Dwayne Johnson and Robert Downey, Jr., are enjoying current success as prolific action heroes.
Popular actors including Clint Eastwood, Denzel Washington, and Jack Nicholson are among the performers with the most Academy Award wins and nominations. Some of the top 10 most popular actors are also among the top 10 highest grossing actors of all time, including Harrison Ford, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman, and Tom Hanks. (These are the most bankable actors in America right now.)
33. Robert Downey Jr.
> People with a positive opinion of him.: 70%
> Best movie: Avengers: Endgame (2018)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $859,310,090
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32. Sidney Poitier
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: In the Heat of the Night (1967)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $186,303,662
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31. Mark Wahlberg
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: Boogie Nights (1997)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $52,654,571
30. Gene Wilder
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: Young Frankenstein (1974)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $423,193,042
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29. Sean Connery
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: You Only Live Twice (1967)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $329,355,827
28. Clint Eastwood
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1967)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $46,614,164
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27. Paul Newman
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: Cool Hand Luke (1967)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $123,930,808
26. Steve Martin
> People with a positive opinion of him: 70%
> Best movie: Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $114,923,080
25. Patrick Swayze
> People with a positive opinion of him: 71%
> Best movie: Dirty Dancing (1987)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $148,265,622
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24. Tom Selleck
> People with a positive opinion of him: 71%
> Best movie: Quigley Down Under (1990)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $46,530,368
23. Tommy Lee Jones
> People with a positive opinion of him: 71%
> Best movie: The Fugitive (1993)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $407,280,360
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22. Kevin Costner
> People with a positive opinion of him: 71%
> Best movie: JFK (1991)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $154,206,709
21. Bruce Lee
> People with a positive opinion of him: 71%
> Best movie: Enter the Dragon (1973)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $111,299,252
20. Hugh Jackman
> People with a positive opinion of him: 72%
> Best movie: Logan (2016)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $231,322,264
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19. Kurt Russell
> People with a positive opinion of him: 72%
> Best movie: The Thing (1982)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $42,989,327
18. Eddie Murphy
> People with a positive opinion of him: 72%
> Best movie: Shrek (2001)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $433,638,947
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17. Diсk Van Dyke
> People with a positive opinion of him: 72%
> Best movie: Mary Poppins (1964)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $1,008,425,340
16. Jackie Chan
> People with a positive opinion of him: 72%
> Best movie: The Legend of Drunken Master (1993)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $19,644,112
15. Al Pacino
> People with a positive opinion of him: 73%
> Best movie: The Godfather (1972)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $725,332,218
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14. Bruce Willis
> People with a positive opinion of him: 73%
> Best movie: Die Hard (1988)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $181,389,835
13. Dwayne Johnson
> People with a positive opinion of him: 73%
> Best movie: Moana (2016)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $262,247,200
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12. Jack Nicholson
> People with a positive opinion of him: 73%
> Best movie: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $487,491,844
11. James Earl Jones
> People with a positive opinion of him: 75%
> Best movie: The Lion King (1994)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $833,000,792
10. Anthony Hopkins
> People with a positive opinion of him: 75%
> Best movie: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $284,742,035
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9. Samuel L. Jackson
> People with a positive opinion of him: 75%
> Best movie: Pulp Fiction (1994)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $236,399,574
8. Harrison Ford
> People with a positive opinion of him: 76%
> Best movie: Star Wars Ep. V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $887,008,369
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7. Tom Hanks
> People with a positive opinion of him: 76%
> Best movie: Toy Story (1995)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $403,493,031
6. Danny DeVito
> People with a positive opinion of him: 77%
> Best movie: Matilda (1996)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $68,667,573
5. Keanu Reeves
> People with a positive opinion of him: 77%
> Best movie: The Matrix (1999)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $309,367,006
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4. Michael J. Fox
> People with a positive opinion of him: 77%
> Best movie: Back to the Future (1985)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $529,375,434
3. Denzel Washington
> People with a positive opinion of him: 80%
> Best movie: Glory (1989)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $58,347,646
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2. Robin Williams
> People with a positive opinion of him: 82%
> Best movie: Good Will Hunting (1997)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $270,992,289
1. Morgan Freeman
> People with a positive opinion of him: 83%
> Best movie: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
> Domestic ticket sales of best movie (inf.-adjusted): $61,831,843
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