20th-century English male actors

Pearce Quigley is an English actor whose credits include Pie in the Sky, Happiness (2001–2003), Cutting It (2002–2005), Millions (2004), Born Equal (2006), Within the Whirlwind (2009), The Way Back (2010), Breaking the Bank (2014), Rovers (2016), Peterloo (2018), Detectorists (2014-22), We Wish You a Mandy Christmas (2022), The Full Monty (2023), The Reckoning (2023) and Small Prophets (2026). He plays Will in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Alone and John "The Gospel" Dixon in The Gentlemen.

Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. was an English comic actor, filmmaker, film editor and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry's most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from his childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977, and encompassed both accolade and controversy.

John Winston Ono Lennon was an English musician, songwriter and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

David Robert Jones, known as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as among the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie received particular acclaim for his work in the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft have had a significant impact on popular music.

Rowan Sebastian Atkinson is an English actor, comedian, and writer. He first gained success on the sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News (1979–1982), before going on to play the title roles in the sitcoms Blackadder (1983–1989) and Mr. Bean (1990–1995), and in the film series Johnny English (2003–present).

Sir Richard Starkey, known as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, usually for one song on each album, including "Yellow Submarine" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". He also wrote and sang the Beatles songs "Don't Pass Me By" and "Octopus's Garden", and is credited as a co-writer of three others.

Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor best known for portraying the title character in all eight films of the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011.

English actor and singer (1922–2015)

Sir Michael Caine is a retired English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 130 films over a career that spanned eight decades and is considered a British cultural icon. He has received numerous awards including two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. As of 2017, the films in which Caine has appeared have grossed over $7.8 billion worldwide. Caine is one of only five male actors to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in five different decades. In 2000, he received a BAFTA Fellowship and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

English actor (born 1970)

Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. He gained international fame by playing the fictional secret agent James Bond in the films Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021).

Sir Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three British Academy Film Awards and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards. His films have grossed over US$11 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.

British-Irish actor (1932–2013)

Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis is an English actor. Often described as one of the greatest actors in the history of cinema, he is best known for intense method acting portrayed with eccentric characters in auteurs' films. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a record three Academy Awards for Best Actor, as well as four BAFTAs, three Actor Awards and two Golden Globes. In 2014, Day-Lewis received a knighthood for services to drama.

British singer and songwriter; vocalist of The Rolling Stones

Christian Charles Philip Bale is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. His accolades include an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to four British Academy Film Awards nominations. He was one of the highest-paid actors in 2014, and The Independent later named him one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.

British-American actor (1904–1986)

Orlando Jonathan Blanchard Copeland Bloom is an English actor. He made his breakthrough as the character Legolas in The Lord of the Rings film series (2001–03), earning him three Actors Award nominations, winning once. He reprised his role in The Hobbit film series (2013–14). Considered by some to be the Errol Flynn of his time, he gained further notice appearing in epic fantasy, historical, and adventure films, including as Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, Paris in Troy (2004), Balian de Ibelin in Kingdom of Heaven (2005), and the Duke of Buckingham in The Three Musketeers (2011).

English actor (1927–2017)

British musician (born 1951)

English actor and director (1907–1989)

Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman was an English actor. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he was renowned for his stage and screen roles and for his deep and distinctive voice. He received various accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for two Tony Awards and a Laurence Olivier Award.

British pop singer (born 1974)

Peter Sellers was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence with his performances on the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. Sellers was featured on a number of hit comic songs and became internationally acclaimed for his film roles, most notably as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series.

British actor (born 1939)

David Jude Heyworth Law is an English actor. He began his career in British theatre before landing small roles in various television productions and feature films. Law gained international recognition for his role in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), for which he won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and was nominated for the Academy Award in the same category.

Edward Thomas Hardy is an English actor. Known for his intense screen presence and versatility, he has established a career across independent films, major studio productions, and television, often portraying complex and psychologically driven characters. After training at the Drama Centre London, Hardy made his film debut in Black Hawk Down (2001). He gained early recognition for his roles in Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) and RocknRolla (2008), before achieving critical acclaim for Bronson (2008), Warrior (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Lawless (2012), and Locke (2013).

British actor, writer and director (1921–2004)

British actor (born 1942)

Sir Ben Kingsley is a British-Indian actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning seven decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and received the Britannia Award in 2014.

Hugh John Mungo Grant is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as a charming and vulnerable romantic leading man, and has since transitioned into a character actor. He has received several accolades including a British Academy Film Award and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. He received an Honorary César in 2006. In 2022, Time Out magazine listed Grant as one of Britain's 50 greatest actors of all time. As of 2025, his films have grossed over US$4 billion worldwide.

English actor and producer

English actor (1942–2014)

James Hugh Calum Laurie is an English actor, comedian, and musician. Laurie first gained professional recognition as a member of the English comedy double act Fry and Laurie with Stephen Fry. Fry and Laurie acted together in several projects during the 1980s and 1990s, including the BBC sketch comedy series A Bit of Fry & Laurie and the P. G. Wodehouse adaptation Jeeves and Wooster. From 1986 to 1989, Laurie appeared in three series of the period comedy Blackadder.

British actor (born 1943)

British actor (1914–2000)

British actor (born 1940)

English actor (born 1964)

Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes is an English actor and director. Recognised for his work on stage and screen, he has received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and a Tony Award, as well as nominations for three Academy Awards, seven Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

British comedian and actor

English comedian and actor (born 1939)

British actor (1923–2014)

British actor

British-Canadian actor (born 1966)

British actor (1919–1995)

British actor

American and British actor

British actor (1940–2023)

British-American actor (1899–1962)

British actor and novelist (1910–1983)

English actor, comedian, writer, and television presenter (born 1943)

English actor

Sir Stephen John Fry is an English actor, comedian, presenter and writer. He began his career on the sketch comedy series Alfresco (1983–1984) and the sitcom Blackadder (1986–1989), before gaining recognition as part of the comedy duo Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, appearing together in A Bit of Fry & Laurie (1989–1995) and Jeeves and Wooster (1990–1993). His later television roles include Kingdom (2007–2009), Bones (2007–2017), and It's a Sin (2021). Fry was the original host of the comedy panel show QI (2003–2016), for which he was nominated for six British Academy Television Awards. In 2006, the British public ranked Fry number 9 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars.

British actor, singer and musician

British actor (1936–2019)

British comedian

British actor (1940–2017)

British actor (born 1977)

Timothy James Curry is an English actor and singer. He is famous for playing many villainous roles and rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 Los Angeles, and 1975 Broadway musical stage productions of The Rocky Horror Show.

British actor