You’ll undoubtedly recognize some of the actors on the list, while others will of course appear more unfamiliar. But even if you know the names of these actors, they still may not get their due recognition from critics. And if you aren’t familiar with any of the thespians on this list, rest assured that each of their filmographies are well-worth diving into.
Plenty of these names have appeared in numerous titles by big-name directors, along with a few blockbuster franchises along the way. When accounting for their tandem responses from critics, there’s no telling how they remain this overlooked. All that said, these are twenty underrated actors with amazing filmographies, ranked.
20Amanda Peet
For a couple of years in the early 2000s, American actressAmanda Peetappeared in some of the most underrated movies of the decade:Igby Goes Down(2002),Changing Lanes(2002), andIdentity(2003), for example. And particularly inIgby,the actress at hand performs brilliantly. But there’s alsoSomething’s Gotta Give(2003),Melinda and Melinda(2004) — which received modest reviews overall but was nonetheless championed by Roger Ebert upon release — andSyriana(2005).
Related:Why Igby Goes Down Is a Perfect Spiritual Film Adaptation of The Catcher in the Rye
Those are all high-quality titles that may be justly rated overall. But in the grand scheme of movie performances, Peet just didn’t get quite enough credit for her work therein. And although she transitioned to television last decade and has hardly looked back since, she has shown up in a couple of worthy projects such asThe Way, Way Back(2013) andSleeping With Other People(2015). Peet never received particular praise for her performances, perhaps unjustifiably so. But either way, she receives credit with a spot on the list.
19William H. Macy
Off the bat, if you recognizedWilliam H. Macyby name, that was by dint of one of two roles: either Frank Gallagher in the TV showShameless(2011–2021), or as Jerry Lundegaard inFargo(1996). The latter is arguably the masterpiece of Joel and Ethan Coen, and Macy co-stars alongside Francis McDormand. And although Macy came up short, he did receive a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards for his work therein.
But aside fromFargo, he also starred inan underrated mystery moviecalledHomicide(1991), followed by bothBoogie Nights(1997) andMagnolia(1999) at the end of the decade. Those last two were made by American auteur Paul Thomas Anderson, and they’re among the best of his critically acclaimed filmography. They top off wonderfully the run of William H. Macy throughout the 1990s.
18Carrie-Anne Moss
By far and away, the most famous role under the belt ofCarrie-Anne Mosswould be Trinity fromThe Matrix. She’s played that character four times — five if you count the animated anthology outingThe Animatrix(2003). But amid that world-famous sci-fi franchise, Moss appeared in a highly regarded neo-noir psychological thriller calledMemento(2000), directed by Christopher Nolan. And she performs brilliantly, winning Best Supporting Female at the Independent Spirit Awards.
But somehow, that role gets thrown a bit too far by the public wayside, with most fans homing in on the nonlinear narrative and visual style that were led by Nolan. Aside fromMemento, though: Moss also has couple solid romance movies under her belt such asChocolat(2000) andSnow Cake(2006), along with a comedy,Fido(2006), and another thriller calledDisturbia(2007). Her roles weren’t too significant in those last-mentioned pieces, but they add great value toher filmography overall.
17Giovanni Ribisi
Two actors fromSaving Private Ryan(1998) show up on this list, starting withGiovanni Ribisi. He plays a combat medic named Irwin Wade, and he received as much praise for his performance as the rest of his co-stars did for theirs. Of course, no one shined as much as Tom Hanks — but speaking of, it’s worth noting that the actor at hand first gained prominence on the Hollywood map by appearing inThat Thing You Do!(1996), which was directed by Hanks.
AfterPrivate Ryan, though, Ribisi picked up a part in Sam Raimi’s supernatural thrillerThe Gift(2000), followed by a supporting role inLost in Translation(2003) by Sofia Coppola. Both of those are high-quality titles that elevate Ribisi’s career to new heights. But he also has a recurring role in theAvatarfranchise as Parker Selfridge, and starred in a critical darling calledBoiler Room(2000). While you may not have heard of this actor, you’ve without a doubt seen the many well-made titles he’s taken part in as a performer.
16Ryan Phillippe
He’s known for his teen stints in the late 90s likeI Know What You Did Last Summer(1997) andCruel Intentions (1998), as well as his marriage to Reese Witherspoon. But throughout the 2000s,Ryan Phillippeshowed up in several films that flew far too below the critical or commercial radar.Igby Goes Down(2002) is one of the moreunderrated films of its decade, withThe Way of the Gun(2000) andStop-Loss(2008) going down among the more overlooked titles of their genres — westerns and war films, respectively.
Related:The Most Underrated Neo-Westerns of All Time
But Phillippe has also appeared in several critical darlings likeGosford Park(2001) andCrash(2004). And his performance in the former stands out amid one of the largest and most well-utilized ensemble casts ever assembled. And none of that is accounting for projects likeCrimson Tide(1995),Flags of Our Fathers(2006), orThe Bang Bang Club(2010). There’s no telling why audiences still associate Phillippe with his teen films from the prior century.
15Gabriel Byrne
Although the career of Irish actorGabriel Byrneis well acclaimed by critics and even a certain corner of film fans, there’s no denying his dearth of popularity in the States despite taking part in some absolutely massive productions. TakeMiller’s Crossing(1990), for instance. He led the cast of that Coen Brothers masterpiece to impressive heights, with his efforts as Tom Reagan channeling a certain stoicism that defined the project through and through.
Then, there’sThe Usual Suspects(1995). A neo-noir mystery thriller from director Bryan Singer, it features one ofthe most memorable plot twistsin cinematic history. But the quality of the first two acts was completely bolstered by the performances of its many talented actors, like Kevin Spacey, Benicio Del Toro, and of course Gabriel Byrne. When accounting for other notable titles under his belt such as the recent horror hitHereditary(2018), he’s easily rendered one of the most underrated actors of his generation.
14Nia Long
Two of the greatest releases of the 1990s as a whole areBoyz n the Hood(1991) andFriday(1995). Of course, those projects star Ice Cube — alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Chris Tucker, respectively. But one performer from those seminal projects that often gets thrown by the wayside isNia Long, who provided solid supporting efforts in both. If anything, you might recognize her as Lisa Wilkes fromThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air(1991–1995). But the volume of high-quality titles amid her filmography is honestly staggering.
After the nineties, she appeared in a couple critically acclaimed titles such asBoiler Room. But what’s most confounding about Long’s lack of name value is her impressive return to formamid the 2020s. In the past few years, Long has shown up in some well-made, poignant, and endlessly intriguing titles such asThe Banker(2020),Look Both Ways(2022), andMissing(2023). But just off her nineties stints alone, Nia Long undoubtedly deserves more love.
13Tim Roth
Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, andTim Roth— one of these people is not like the other. But Tim Roth shares a grand commonality with those two famous performers in that the three of them are the most famous collaborators of American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. And for some reason, Roth just doesn’t get the love he deserves in that regard despite bursting onto the Hollywood scene with an endlessly impressive performance as Mr. Orange inReservoir Dogs(1992).
Related:Tim Roth’s Best Performances, Ranked
And of course, he followed up those efforts with Tarantino’s next project, the world-famousPulp Fiction(1994). He also shows up as Oswaldo Mobray inThe Hateful Eight(2015), Tarantino’s recent neo-Western. But aside from those collaborations, there’s another prominent part from Roth worth noting: Archibald Cunningham inRob Roy(1995). Despite coming up short, he received a nomination forBest Supporting Actor at the Oscarsfor his work. And really, that’s all that needs to be said when considering you may not even know who Tim Roth is.
12Jackie Earle Haley
After a bit of a hiatus from acting,Jackie Earle Haleyreturned to form with bothAll the King’s Men(2006) andLittle Children(2006) in the same year of the twenty-first century. The latter of those film garnered Haley a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards, rendering him the third of just a few performers on this list to achieve such honors.
For those two performances alone, more film fans should know the name Jackie Earle Haley. Alas, there is one more high-quality film worth writing home about amid his filmography:Watchmen(2009). He plays Rorschach in that well-known superhero outing, and stands out as the film’s most poignant performer. Without a doubt, more respect should be put on Haley’s name.
11Barry Pepper
Following Giovani Ribisi, the other actor to appear both on this list and inSaving Private Ryan(1998) is Barry Pepper. And immediately following those supporting efforts within that world-famous war piece, Pepper collaborated again with lead actor Tom Hanks, this time inThe Green Mile(1999). It wasadapted from a Stephen King workof the same name, and it could very well be the best performance of Pepper’s career.
Those movies were made by two absolutely massive directors in Steven Spielberg and Frank Darabont. And in the 21st century, Pepper’s trend of working under big-name filmmakers continued as he was cast in25th Hour(2002) by Spike Lee. It was a prominent part, and it led to other directors picking him up — takeFlags of Our Fathers(2006) by Clint Eastwood andTrue Grit(2010) by the Coen Brothers. Those are all the best films of his career, bar none. But those five are more than enough to land Barry Pepper safely within the top ten.
