1. Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Accomplished though all of these actors were throughout 2012, nobody threw himself into the consciousness of the movie-going public as much as Joseph Gordon-Levitt, an enormously talented actor who had his very best year playing a variety of thrilling and thought-provoking roles. Gordon-Levitt began with one of the best, playing John Blake in The Dark Knight Rises, a role created for the film that had many speculating whether it was a tricky code-name for an actual character from the comics. As it turned out, Gordon-Levitt's Blake would inherit Batman's legacy from Bruce Wayne at the film's climax, forever cementing the actor in our collective consciousness as the new Batman, regardless of whether he ends up actually taking the mantle during the Justice League movie. He followed up with Premium Rush, an altogether more ordinary chase film that nevertheless did well with critics, but delivered one of his all-time best performances as Joe in Looper, underneath a wealth of make-up to more closely resemble his future self (played by Bruce Willis). Finally, there's his turn in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln as Abraham Lincoln's son Robert that seals the deal, and though he disappears a little under the momentous central performance from Daniel Day-Lewis, the ensemble on the whole has earned a wealth of praise. His single project slated for next year is one that he directs, writes and stars in - Don Jon's Addiction, co-starring Scarlett Johansson. Which actors impressed you most in 2012? Let us know in the comments below.