21st-century English male actors

Thomas Read Wilson is an English television presenter, author, actor and singer. He is best known as the client coordinator on the E4 reality television series; Celebs Go Dating. In 2021, he was the runner-up on Celebrity Best Home Cook. In 2025, he was the runner-up on the twenty-fifth series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!.

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.

Andrew Russell Garfield is an English and American actor. He is known for his work in a variety of genres, from superhero to musicals in independent films. His accolades include a Tony Award, a British Academy Television Award, and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, three British Academy Film Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

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).

Thomas Stanley Holland is an English actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and three Saturn Awards. Holland's films as a lead actor have grossed over $9.9 billion worldwide, making him one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time. He was featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list of 2019.

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.

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).

Jason Statham is an English actor. He is known for being typecast as tough, gritty, or violent characters in action thriller films, and has been credited for leading the resurgence of action films during the 2000s and 2010s. By 2017, his films had grossed over £1.1 billion, making him one of the industry's most bankable stars. Films in which he has appeared have grossed over $8.5 billion worldwide.

English actor (1927–2017)

Edward Christopher Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently released the extended play No. 5 Collaborations Project. He signed with Asylum Records the same year.

Robert Douglas Thomas Pattinson is an English actor. He is known for starring in both major studio productions and independent films, in which he often portrays eccentric characters across a diverse range of genres. Pattinson has been ranked among the world's highest-paid actors and his works have grossed over $4.7 billion worldwide. In 2010, Time included him in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and he was also featured in the Forbes Celebrity 100.

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)

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.

English actor (born 1976)

British actor (born 1948)

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).

English actor (born 1988)

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.

Sir Idrissa Akuna Elba is an English actor, DJ, and rapper. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for three BAFTA Awards and six Emmy Awards. He was named in the Time 100 list of the Most Influential People in the World in 2016. His films have grossed over $9.8 billion at the global box office, making him one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors. In 2025, Elba was named as the UK's ninth-most influential Black person in the 2026 Powerlist.

English actor and producer

British actor (born 1943)

Harry Edward Styles is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. An influential figure in popular culture, he is known for his showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion. Styles's musical career began in 2010 as part of One Direction, a boy band formed on the British music competition series The X Factor after each member of the band had been eliminated from the solo contest. They became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016. Styles released his eponymous debut solo album through Erskine and Columbia Records in 2017, which was led by the UK number-one single "Sign of the Times".

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.

Thomas William Hiddleston is a British actor. He gained international fame portraying Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), beginning with Thor in 2011 and including the Disney+ series Loki (2021–2023).

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.

English actor

British comedian and actor

British actor (1923–2014)

English comedian and actor (born 1939)

British-Canadian actor (born 1966)

English actor (born 1989)

British actor

British actor

British actor

American and British actor

British actor (born 1990)

British actor (1940–2023)

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

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.

English actor

British comedian

British actor (1936–2019)

British actor, singer and musician

British actor (1940–2017)