20 Most Underrated Actors Working Today

We all know who the biggest and best actors are working today: Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Pedro Pascal, Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson (insert your own considerations here), et al.

But in the vast landscape that is Hollywood, there are plenty of great actors out there who have never been given their due, despite often long careers delivering the goods in a wide variety of popular and well-received movies and TV shows. 

Sure, plenty of these actors aren't front-and-centre like Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone, but without their work, those projects in which they feature would surely be missing that special spark - that supporting character or compelling villain that gives the project its heart, keeps its leading characters grounded, or gives an added twist to the drama around them. 

These are often the unsung heroes of the movies and shows we love so much - the performers stood just outside the drama, giving it life from the sidelines.

With that in mind, from veteran TV stars to young comedy aficionados, here are the 20 most underrated actors working today, on the big screen and the small. 

Despite a leading role on recent hit 911: Lone Star, an otherwise abysmal procedural that she injects with real heart and power, Gina Torres has almost always shone brightest as a supporting player.

As both hardened former soldier Zoe Washburne in the short-lived sci-fi thriller Firefly and tough lawyer Jessica Pearson on the legal drama Suits, Torres's strength has always been her ability to play characters able to ground the more volatile male personalities in her immediate orbit; she takes challenges head-on, keeping her friends steady. 

Adept at playing capable characters unwavering in a crisis, she's always seen her best work through with an unshakable resolve, an uncanny ability to portray strong women who hold their heads high but are always willing, where needed, to let their guard down.

We've not seen a lot of her over the years, but what we have seen has been exemplary - the work of a soulful performer who brings real heart and emotion to every role she's tackled. With Lone Star out of the way, hopefully she can land another great role worthy of her talents.