TopTenREVIEWS Top Actor of the 1950s is Marlene Dietrich.

Top Actors By Decade 1950

Click on an actor for details and movie rankings

Actors are ranked according to overall movie critic score

1	Marlene Dietrich	3.3520	56	1920s - 17 1930s - 14 1940s - 12 1950s - 8 1960s - 2 1970s - 2 1990s - 1	1. Touch of Evil (1958) 2. Witness for the Prosecution (1957) 3. Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) 4. Rancho Notorious (1952) See all Marlene Dietrich movie rankings
2	Grace Kelly	3.2813	14	1950s - 14	1. Rear Window (1954) 2. High Noon (1952) 3. Dial M for Murder (1954) 4. High Society (1956) See all Grace Kelly movie rankings
3	James Stewart	3.2714	81	1930s - 21 1940s - 16 1950s - 22 1960s - 13 1970s - 7 1980s - 1 1990s - 1	1. Rear Window (1954) 2. Vertigo (1958) 3. Anatomy of a Murder (1959) 4. Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1956) See all James Stewart movie rankings
4	Kim Novak	3.2238	27	1950s - 12 1960s - 9 1970s - 3 1980s - 1 1990s - 2	1. Vertigo (1958) 2. Pal Joey (1957) 3. Picnic (1955) 4. Eddy Duchin Story, The (1956) See all Kim Novak movie rankings
5	Doris Day	3.2151	42	1940s - 3 1950s - 23 1960s - 15 1990s - 1	1. Pillow Talk (1959) 2. Love Me or Leave Me (1955) 3. Pajama Game, The (1957) 4. Man Who Knew Too Much, The (1956) See all Doris Day movie rankings
6	Marilyn Monroe	3.2038	28	1940s - 3 1950s - 22 1960s - 3	1. All About Eve (1950) 2. Some Like It Hot (1959) 3. Asphalt Jungle, The (1950) 4. Seven Year Itch, The (1955) See all Marilyn Monroe movie rankings
7	Thelma Ritter	3.1850	28	1940s - 2 1950s - 16 1960s - 10	1. Rear Window (1954) 2. All About Eve (1950) 3. Pillow Talk (1959) 4. Pickup on South Street (1953) See all Thelma Ritter movie rankings
8	John Wayne	3.1580	145	1920s - 1 1930s - 63 1940s - 33 1950s - 18 1960s - 20 1970s - 10	1. Searchers, The (1956) 2. Quiet Man, The (1952) 3. Island in the Sky (1953) 4. Hondo (1953) See all John Wayne movie rankings
9	Katharine Hepburn	3.1391	47	1930s - 15 1940s - 12 1950s - 7 1960s - 4 1970s - 4 1980s - 4 1990s - 1	1. African Queen, The (1951) 2. Desk Set (1957) 3. Pat and Mike (1952) 4. Summertime (1955) See all Katharine Hepburn movie rankings
10	William Holden	3.1194	70	1930s - 3 1940s - 19 1950s - 24 1960s - 12 1970s - 9 1980s - 3	1. Bridge on the River Kwai, The (1957) 2. Sunset Blvd. (1950) 3. Stalag 17 (1953) 4. Born Yesterday (1950) See all William Holden movie rankings
11	Deborah Kerr	3.1149	47	1940s - 12 1950s - 20 1960s - 12 1980s - 1 1990s - 1	1. King and I, The (1956) 2. From Here to Eternity (1953) 3. Julius Caesar (1953) 4. King Solomon's Mines (1950) See all Deborah Kerr movie rankings
12	Marlon Brando	3.0955	44	1940s - 2 1950s - 12 1960s - 12 1970s - 7 1980s - 2 1990s - 7 2000s - 2	1. On the Waterfront (1954) 2. Streetcar Named Desire, A (1951) 3. Guys and Dolls (1955) 4. Julius Caesar (1953) See all Marlon Brando movie rankings
13	Kirk Douglas	3.0764	79	1940s - 8 1950s - 24 1960s - 21 1970s - 12 1980s - 6 1990s - 5 2000s - 3	1. Paths of Glory (1958) 2. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) 3. Vikings, The (1958) 4. Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) See all Kirk Douglas movie rankings
14	Jane Wyman	3.0710	71	1930s - 21 1940s - 28 1950s - 18 1960s - 3 1990s - 1	1. All That Heaven Allows (1955) 2. Here Comes the Groom (1951) 3. Stage Fright (1950) 4. Magnificent Obsession (1954) See all Jane Wyman movie rankings
15	Lauren Bacall	3.0684	50	1940s - 6 1950s - 10 1960s - 3 1970s - 2 1980s - 6 1990s - 14 2000s - 9	1. Written on the Wind (1956) 2. Blood Alley (1955) 3. Designing Woman (1957) 4. Young Man with a Horn (1950) See all Lauren Bacall movie rankings
16	Lee Patrick	3.0573	66	1920s - 1 1930s - 10 1940s - 40 1950s - 9 1960s - 5 1970s - 1	1. Vertigo (1958) 2. Pillow Talk (1959) 3. Auntie Mame (1958) 4. There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) See all Lee Patrick movie rankings
17	Humphrey Bogart	3.0561	79	1920s - 1 1930s - 35 1940s - 27 1950s - 16	1. African Queen, The (1951) 2. Caine Mutiny, The (1954) 3. Beat the Devil (1953) 4. Desperate Hours, The (1955) See all Humphrey Bogart movie rankings
18	Elizabeth Taylor	3.0370	61	1940s - 10 1950s - 18 1960s - 15 1970s - 11 1980s - 5 1990s - 1 2000s - 1	1. Giant (1956) 2. Place in the Sun, A (1951) 3. Father of the Bride (1950) 4. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) See all Elizabeth Taylor movie rankings
19	Gene Kelly	3.0354	44	1930s - 2 1940s - 15 1950s - 16 1960s - 3 1970s - 4 1980s - 3 1990s - 1	1. Singin' in the Rain (1952) 2. American in Paris, An (1951) 3. It's Always Fair Weather (1955) 4. Les Girls (1957) See all Gene Kelly movie rankings
20	Natalie Wood	3.0091	49	1940s - 10 1950s - 20 1960s - 12 1970s - 4 1980s - 3	1. Searchers, The (1956) 2. Rebel Without a Cause (1955) 3. From Here to Eternity (1953) 4. Star, The (1952) See all Natalie Wood movie rankings
21	Cary Grant	3.0082	72	1930s - 34 1940s - 20 1950s - 13 1960s - 5	1. North by Northwest (1959) 2. People Will Talk (1951) 3. Affair to Remember, An (1957) 4. Indiscreet (1958) See all Cary Grant movie rankings
22	Verna Felton	3.0075	17	1910s - 1 1940s - 3 1950s - 12 1960s - 1	1. Lady and the Tramp (1955) 2. Cinderella (1950) 3. Sleeping Beauty (1959) 4. Gunfighter, The (1950) See all Verna Felton movie rankings
23	James Dean	3.0041	5	1950s - 4 1980s - 1	1. Rebel Without a Cause (1955) 2. East of Eden (1955) 3. Giant (1956) 4. Warner Path� News Issue # 87 (1955) See all James Dean movie rankings
24	Judy Holliday	2.9797	9	1940s - 2 1950s - 6 1960s - 1	1. Born Yesterday (1950) 2. It Should Happen to You (1954) 3. Solid Gold Cadillac, The (1956) 4. Phffft! (1954) See all Judy Holliday movie rankings
25	Susan Harrison	2.9740	1	1950s - 1	1. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) See all Susan Harrison movie rankings
26	Barbara Bel Geddes	2.9723	12	1940s - 4 1950s - 4 1960s - 2 1970s - 2	1. Vertigo (1958) 2. Panic in the Streets (1950) 3. Fourteen Hours (1951) 4. Five Pennies, The (1959) See all Barbara Bel Geddes movie rankings
27	Anne Baxter	2.9628	51	1930s - 1 1940s - 23 1950s - 17 1960s - 6 1970s - 2 1980s - 2	1. All About Eve (1950) 2. Ten Commandments, The (1956) 3. I Confess (1953) 4. Blue Gardenia, The (1953) See all Anne Baxter movie rankings
28	Gloria Swanson	2.9621	59	1910s - 17 1920s - 30 1930s - 5 1940s - 1 1950s - 3 1970s - 3	1. Sunset Blvd. (1950) 2. Nero's Mistress (1956) 3. Three for Bedroom C (1952) See all Gloria Swanson movie rankings
29	Judith Evelyn	2.9587	9	1950s - 9	1. Rear Window (1954) 2. Giant (1956) 3. Tingler, The (1959) 4. Brothers Karamazov, The (1958) See all Judith Evelyn movie rankings
30	Spencer Tracy	2.9518	73	1930s - 37 1940s - 19 1950s - 12 1960s - 5	1. Bad Day at Black Rock (1955) 2. Father of the Bride (1950) 3. Old Man and the Sea, The (1958) 4. Desk Set (1957) See all Spencer Tracy movie rankings
31	Hugh Marlowe	2.9503	31	1930s - 2 1940s - 6 1950s - 16 1960s - 7	1. All About Eve (1950) 2. Day the Earth Stood Still, The (1951) 3. Casanova's Big Night (1954) 4. Night and the City (1950) See all Hugh Marlowe movie rankings
32	Orson Welles	2.9469	95	1930s - 2 1940s - 15 1950s - 19 1960s - 26 1970s - 19 1980s - 10 1990s - 2 2000s - 1	1. Third Man, The (1950) 2. Touch of Evil (1958) 3. Compulsion (1959) 4. Mr. Arkadin (1955) See all Orson Welles movie rankings
33	Cyd Charisse	2.9422	34	1940s - 11 1950s - 13 1960s - 6 1970s - 3 1990s - 1	1. Singin' in the Rain (1952) 2. Band Wagon, The (1953) 3. It's Always Fair Weather (1955) 4. Brigadoon (1954) See all Cyd Charisse movie rankings
34	Inga Landgr�	2.9312	36	1940s - 12 1950s - 14 1960s - 5 1970s - 1 1990s - 2 2000s - 2	1. Seventh Seal, The (1957) 2. Det �r aldrig f�r sent (1956) See all Inga Landgr� movie rankings
35	Montgomery Clift	2.9264	18	1940s - 3 1950s - 9 1960s - 5 1980s - 1	1. From Here to Eternity (1953) 2. Place in the Sun, A (1951) 3. I Confess (1953) 4. Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) See all Montgomery Clift movie rankings
36	Gregory Peck	2.9145	54	1940s - 12 1950s - 18 1960s - 12 1970s - 6 1980s - 3 1990s - 3	1. Roman Holiday (1953) 2. Pork Chop Hill (1959) 3. On the Beach (1959) 4. Gunfighter, The (1950) See all Gregory Peck movie rankings
37	Betsy Palmer	2.9124	14	1950s - 7 1980s - 2 1990s - 2 2000s - 3	1. Mister Roberts (1955) 2. Queen Bee (1955) 3. It Happened to Jane (1959) 4. Tin Star, The (1957) See all Betsy Palmer movie rankings
38	Bette Davis	2.9046	95	1930s - 43 1940s - 21 1950s - 10 1960s - 9 1970s - 7 1980s - 4 1990s - 1	1. All About Eve (1950) 2. Star, The (1952) 3. Another Man's Poison (1952) 4. Catered Affair, The (1956) See all Bette Davis movie rankings
39	Charlton Heston	2.9028	70	1940s - 1 1950s - 21 1960s - 13 1970s - 18 1980s - 4 1990s - 10 2000s - 3	1. Ben-Hur (1959) 2. Touch of Evil (1958) 3. Ten Commandments, The (1956) 4. Naked Jungle, The (1954) See all Charlton Heston movie rankings
40	Fred Astaire	2.8957	44	1930s - 11 1940s - 11 1950s - 9 1960s - 4 1970s - 6 1980s - 3	1. Band Wagon, The (1953) 2. On the Beach (1959) 3. Funny Face (1957) 4. Daddy Long Legs (1955) See all Fred Astaire movie rankings
41	Jennifer Jones	2.8901	26	1940s - 8 1950s - 11 1960s - 3 1970s - 2 1980s - 1 2000s - 1	1. Beat the Devil (1953) 2. Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, The (1956) 3. Carrie (1952) 4. Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) See all Jennifer Jones movie rankings
42	Joan Crawford	2.8847	82	1920s - 24 1930s - 26 1940s - 13 1950s - 12 1960s - 6 1970s - 1	1. Queen Bee (1955) 2. Sudden Fear (1952) 3. Best of Everything, The (1959) 4. Johnny Guitar (1954) See all Joan Crawford movie rankings
43	Mildred Dunnock	2.8823	24	1940s - 2 1950s - 12 1960s - 7 1970s - 2 1980s - 1	1. Nun's Story, The (1959) 2. Trouble with Harry, The (1955) 3. Death of a Salesman (1951) 4. Baby Doll (1956) See all Mildred Dunnock movie rankings
44	Barbara Stanwyck	2.8821	88	1920s - 3 1930s - 34 1940s - 26 1950s - 22 1960s - 3	1. Clash by Night (1952) 2. Forty Guns (1957) 3. Executive Suite (1954) 4. Titanic (1953) See all Barbara Stanwyck movie rankings
45	Haya Harareet	2.8677	7	1950s - 3 1960s - 4	1. Ben-Hur (1959) See all Haya Harareet movie rankings
46	Janet Leigh	2.8561	53	1940s - 10 1950s - 21 1960s - 12 1970s - 3 1980s - 3 1990s - 2 2000s - 1	1. Touch of Evil (1958) 2. Vikings, The (1958) 3. Naked Spur, The (1953) 4. Houdini (1953) See all Janet Leigh movie rankings
47	Tony Curtis	2.8479	94	1940s - 3 1950s - 30 1960s - 20 1970s - 12 1980s - 15 1990s - 12 2000s - 2	1. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) 2. Some Like It Hot (1959) 3. Vikings, The (1958) 4. Defiant Ones, The (1958) See all Tony Curtis movie rankings
48	Gloria Grahame	2.8479	39	1940s - 9 1950s - 18 1960s - 1 1970s - 9 1980s - 2	1. Big Heat, The (1953) 2. Bad and the Beautiful, The (1952) 3. Oklahoma! (1955) 4. In a Lonely Place (1950) See all Gloria Grahame movie rankings
49	Peter Cushing	2.8477	89	1930s - 1 1940s - 7 1950s - 15 1960s - 26 1970s - 34 1980s - 6	1. Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1959) 2. Dracula (1958) 3. Curse of Frankenstein, The (1957) 4. Abominable Snowman, The (1957) See all Peter Cushing movie rankings
50	Shelley Winters	2.8461	100	1940s - 7 1950s - 25 1960s - 18 1970s - 24 1980s - 11 1990s - 14 2000s - 1	1. Night of the Hunter, The (1955) 2. Place in the Sun, A (1951) 3. Winchester '73 (1950) 4. Executive Suite (1954) See all Shelley Winters movie rankings

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