10. Clifton Collins, Jr.
Gary Oldman is often called the "chameleon of his generation", a title alluring to his uncanny ability to disappear physically into a role and render himself almost recognizable for the sake of the performance. No one Gary Oldman character looks like another, and throughout his illustrious (and recently, finally, Oscar-nominated) career, he has demonstrated one of the finest and most versatile ranges of any actor working today, and has garnered an immense amount of respect from fans as well as from the acting community. However, there is another actor out there who shares Oldman's chameleon-like ability to truly lose himself in the physicality of his characters; so much so, that his name is barely recognizable even to die-hard cinephiles, despite the fact that he has appeared in some of the biggest and best films of the past decade. Throughout his career, Collins has played everything from an eager soldier (Tigerland) to a hardened cartel leader (Traffic); from a pleasant, one-armed hardware store owner (Sunshine Cleaning) to a psychotic gangster (Crank: High Voltage); from a sympathetic death row inmate (Capote) to a Romulan officer (Star Trek). The range of work is staggering, and Collins truly, fully commits himself to each performance. As he continues to toil away in brilliant supporting roles in movies and on various TV shows (most notably his Emmy-nominated performance in the FX mini-series Thief), Collins has yet to receive the widespread recognition and respect that he deserves.
KEY WORKS: Traffic (2000), Capote (2005), Star Trek (2009).
NEXT SEEN IN: Parker (UK release date: January 2013).