10 Best Actors Working Today

1. Robert De Niro

Joker Joaquin Phoenix
Netflix

With 120 credits to his name at time of writing, Robert De Niro is one of the most recognisable and celebrated actors in modern cinema.

With a career dating back over half a century, De Niro will forever be remembered for his work in The Godfather Part II, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Cape Fear. And although the two-time Oscar-winner has been in a couple of duds over the past few years, his recent outings have shown that the Hollywood legend is still deserving of that title.

Given Todd Philips's Joker wore its Scorsese influences firmly on its sleeve, it was only fitting that De Niro was cast to play talk show host Murray Franklin in a performance reminiscent of his work in The King Of Comedy.

But the performance that earns the veteran star a place on this list is Frank Sheeran in Scorsese epic The Irishman. Chronicling Sheeran's tenure as a mob hitman, watching The Irishman is like watching highlights of De Niro's career across the decades thanks to groundbreaking de-ageing technology. His Oscar nomination was the least he deserved.

And with plenty more projects lined up - including Scorsese's Killers Of The Flower Moon - De Niro isn't done yet.

Contributor
Contributor

Glasgow-based cinephile who earned a Masters degree in film studies to spend their time writing about cinema, video games, and horror.