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Steven Spielberg is without a doubt one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time, as he has made films considered to be classics within almost every genre. Although Spielberg was a central part of the “New Hollywood” movement that was initiated in the 1970s, he has continued to work ever since, and has developed new forms of technology in order to make his work accessible to a younger generation of cinephiles.
Although he is often thought of as “the king of summer blockbusters,” Spielberg’s ability to get great performances out of his actors is unparalleled, as he has created some of the greatest heroes and villains in the history of the medium. In addition to being able to recognize young talent, Spielberg has routinely made it a habit to work with some of the most iconic actors ever. Here are then ten best performances in Steven Spielberg movies, ranked.
10 Mark Rylance, ‘Bridge of Spies’ (2015)
Character: Rudolf Abel
Image via DreamWorks Pictures
Mark Rylance became one of the few actors to win an Academy Award for his work in a Spielberg film when he picked up the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work in the exciting Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies. Although many viewers may have not expected to see a film about such a contentious time in history in which the Soviet Union spy is depicted within a favorable light, Rylance was able to show that Rudolf Abel was simply an honorable man who was trying to protect his friends and family.
Rylance’s performance was very subtle and nuanced, but did manage to provide some laughs when the film risked being too bleak. He was clearly an actor that Spielberg enjoyed working with, as they would go on to collaborate together again on The BFG and Ready Player One.
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Directed by Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies follows American lawyer James Donovan, who is recruited by the CIA to negotiate the release of a U.S. Air Force pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union. Tom Hanks stars in the 2015 historical drama based on the true story.
Release Date October 16, 2015
Runtime 142 Minutes
Writers Joel Coen , Matt Charman , Ethan Coen
Budget $40 million
Studio(s) Disney
Distributor(s) Disney , 20th Century
9 Whoopi Goldberg, ‘The Color Purple’ (1985)
Character: Celie
Image via Warner Bros.
Whoopi Goldberg became the icon she is known as today because of her work in The Color Purple, one of the most underappreciated films of Spielberg’s entire career. While there has been some blowback that a white, male director made a film about LGBTQ women in the black community during a dark time in American history, it was clear that Goldberg was very comfortable with her performance.
Goldberg is the heart of The Color Purple, but manages to have enough comedic moments to avoid the film slipping into melodrama; her chemistry with Oprah Winfrey is by far the most endearing aspect of the entire film. It was a role that inspired many great actresses, as The Color Purple was adapted into an acclaimed stage musical, which in turn had a cinematic adaptation that Spielberg returned to produce alongside Quincy Jones.
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In early 20th-century rural Georgia, The Color Purple chronicles the life of Celie, an African American woman who endures and overcomes severe adversity. Through letters and relationships, Celie finds her voice and strength amidst a backdrop of racial and gender discrimination, highlighting themes of empowerment and resilience.
Release Date December 18, 1985
Runtime 154 Minutes
Main Genre Drama
Character(s) Albert , Celie , Shug Avery , Sofia , Harpo , Nettie , Young Celie , Old Mr. , Squeak , Miss Millie , Pa , Grady , Preacher , Reverend Samuel , Corrine , Buster , Mayor , Swain , Adam , Olivia , Odessa , Young Harpo , Young Olivia , Young Adam , Young Tashi , Daisy , Store Clerk , Mailman , Road Gang Leader
Budget $15 million
Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
8 Michelle Williams, ‘The Fabelmans’ (2022)
Character: Mitzi Fabelman
Image via Universal Pictures
Michelle Williams had one of the most challenging roles in any of Spielberg’s films, as she was tasked with playing a version of his mother in The Fabelmans. The 2022 drama was inspired by Spielberg’s own childhood, where he was inspired to become a filmmaker during a contentious period in which his mother and father (Paul Dano) were going through a divorce.
Williams was able to bring a sense of vibrancy to a complex character who loves her family very deeply, yet is haunted by unmet expectations and the inherent sexism that makes it challenging for a woman to find work within a male-dominated industry. The fact that Spielberg placed so much trust on Williams to give a performance that was so critical to his identity speaks to how brilliant she is as an actress, and why The Fabelmans is such a special film.
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The Fabelmans is a film loosely based on the life of a young Steven Spielberg, with Gabriel Labelle playing the role of 16-year-old aspiring filmmaker Sammy Fabelman. Fictionalizing but treading essential moments in the director's life, The Fabelmans is set in the 1960s with the titular family moving from New Jersey to California, where a dark secret begins to cause the life of young Sammy to unravel. To escape the reality he's faced with, he turns to films and reinforces a new dream - the aspiration of becoming a filmmaker. The film allows the director and the audience to look back on the past and try to understand the motivations of family members' various actions by contextualizing them through the lens of film.
Release Date November 23, 2022
Runtime 151 minutes
Budget $40 million
7 Sean Connery, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)
Character: Henry Jones Sr.
Image via Paramount Pictures
Sean Connery managed to steal the film from Spielberg’s most iconic hero when he was cast in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which is largely considered to be the best sequel (if not the best installment) in the Indiana Jones franchise. While fans of the first two films had come to expect a lot of adventure and action, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was able to sneak up on its audience by delivering one of the most powerful father-son stories that has ever been seen on screen.
Connery adds a lot of comic relief to the film, but he is hardly a stooge; the character of Henry Jones Sr. is very insightful about the nature of life and death, and delivers a powerful monologue at the very end in which he urges his son to let go of his desires to capture the Holy Grail.
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In 1938, after his father goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Indiana Jones finds himself up against the Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
Release Date May 24, 1989
Runtime 127 Minutes
Writers Jeffrey Boam
Budget $48 Million
Studio(s) Lucasfilm
Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
6 Tom Hanks, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998)
Character: Captain Steve Hiller
Image via DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures
Tom Hanks gave a performance that honored every veteran that had served in World War II when he appeared in Saving Private Ryan, a film that recounted the events of a squad of American soldiers in the aftermath of the storming of Normandy towards the end of the conflict. Hanks showed a sense of leadership, honor, and humility in his depiction of Captain Steve Hiller, but also reminded viewers that he was just a normal man; in many ways, the fact that Miller was seemingly “ordinary” made his journey of heroism even more inspiring.
Hanks received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his performance in Saving Private Ryan, but lost to Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful. The Oscar voters may have not been inclined to vote for him, as he had already won Best Actor twice for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump, but it truly was a performance that he deserved to win for.
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Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Release Date July 24, 1998
Runtime 169 minutes
Main Genre War
Writers Robert Rodat
Budget $70 million
Studio(s) DreamWorks Distribution
Distributor(s) DreamWorks Distribution , Paramount Pictures
5 Leonardo DiCaprio, ‘Catch Me If You Can’ (2002)
Character: Frank Abagnale Jr.
Image via Dreamworks Pictures
Leonardo DiCaprio proved that he was more than just a teenage heartthrob in Catch Me If You Can, the first (and sadly only) collaboration with Spielberg. Catch Me If You Can is one of the strangest coming-of-age stories of all-time; DiCaprio stars as Frank Abangnale Jr., a trickster and conman who impersonated doctors, pilots, teachers, and businessmen all before he made it to his 20s. DiCaprio is often known for his more serious roles, but Catch Me If You Can proved that he could also be funny.
DiCaprio shows the vulnerability of Abagnale, who is so determined to pretend to be other people because he feels deeply insecure about himself. Although the great Christopher Walken earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for playing Abagnale’s father, DiCaprio was unfortunately overlooked by the Oscars for what is still one of the most impressive performances of his entire career.
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Barely 17 yet, Frank is a skilled forger who has passed as a doctor, lawyer and pilot. FBI agent Carl becomes obsessed with tracking down the con man, who only revels in the pursuit.
Release Date December 25, 2002
Runtime 141 Minutes
Main Genre Crime
Writers Frank Abagnale Jr. , Stan Redding , Jeff Nathanson
Budget $52 million
Studio(s) DreamWorks Distribution
Distributor(s) DreamWorks Distribution
4 Ariana DeBose, ‘West Side Story’ (2021)
Character: Anita
Image Via 20th Century Studios
Ariana DeBose was tasked with a tremendous amount of responsibility when she was cast in Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story, as the original classic won the Academy Award for Best Picture, and is considered to be one of the greatest musicals ever made. Rita Moreno’s performance as Anita in the original both won an Oscar and became a cultural icon, but DeBose managed to somehow add more depth to the character, and picked up a Best Supporting Actress prize of her own.
DeBose is easily the most compelling and charismatic performance in the remake of West Side Story, which is certainly no small praise considering that the film also features excellent work from Rachel Zegler, Mike Faist, and Ansel Elgort. Among the most powerful scenes in the film are those that feature DeBose and Moreno together, as it feels like two generational icons honoring each other.
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Two youngsters from rival New York City gangs fall in love, but tensions between their respective friends build toward tragedy.
Release Date December 10, 2021
Runtime 156 minutes
Writers Tony Kushner
Budget $100 million
Studio(s) 20th Century
Distributor(s) 20th Century
3 Harrison Ford, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (1981)
Character: Indiana Jones
Image via Paramount Pictures
Harrison Ford defined what a great movie hero should look like in Raiders of the Lost Ark, as Indiana Jones was instantly heralded as one of the greatest characters in the history of cinema. Although Ford has certainly shown his charisma with his work as Han Solo in the Star Wars films, Indy was a more complex character who was motivated to help restore lost relics from history and return them to museums where they can be admired and studied.
Although his performances have been excellent within every film in the Indiana Jones franchise, Ford does his best work as Indy in Raiders of the Lost Ark. The film reaches an entirely different level of excellence whenever it focuses on the excellent romantic chemistry that he shared with Karen Allen, who co-stars as Indy’s former flame and subsequent ally, Marion Ravenwood.
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In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.
Release Date June 12, 1981
Runtime 115 Minutes
Writers Lawrence Kasdan
Budget $20 Million
Studio(s) Lucasfilm
Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
2 Liam Neeson, ‘Schindler’s List’ (1993)
Character: Oskar Schindler
Image via Universal Pictures
Liam Neeson gave the single best performance of his career in Schindler’s List, which is arguably the best film that Spielberg has ever made. Although it would be impossible to capture the enormity of a historical tragedy like the Holocaust within just one film, Schindler’s List stars Neeson as the German businessman Oskar Schindler, who used his factories to help rescue Jewish workers from being persecuted and killed by the Nazis.
Neeson shows a great level of grace and sensitivity within his performance in Schindler, a quality that some cinephiles may not have been aware that he was capable of if they had only seen him in action films. The final sequence, in which Schindler breaks down crying because he feels like he could have saved even more people, is perhaps the most tear jerking moment within any of Spielberg’s films.
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Schindler's List
Release Date December 15, 1993
Runtime 195 Minutes
Main Genre Drama
Writers Thomas Keneally , Steven Zaillian
Budget 22000000.0
Studio(s) Amblin Entertainment
IMDb ID tt0108052
TMDB User Rating 8 .567
1 Daniel Day-Lewis, ‘Lincoln’ (2012)
Character: President Abraham Lincoln
Image via Dreamworks Pictures
Daniel Day-Lewis was already considered to be one of the greatest actors of all-time when he was cast in Lincoln, so there was a tremendous amount of anticipation to see what he would do when collaborating with Spielberg. There was a great deal of pressure for him to ensure that the performance was as respectful and accurate as possible, as Abraham Lincoln is considered to be the single greatest President of the United States, and was responsible for both saving the nation and freeing the slaves during the Civil War.
Day-Lewis peers into the mind of a patient, yet ambitious man who is forced to pull off a political scheme in order to pass the 13th Amendment to amend the United States constitution. Spielberg has made many films about American heroes, but there isn’t a biographical performance as powerful as Day-Lewis’ work in Lincoln.
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As the Civil War rages on, U.S President Abraham Lincoln struggles with continuing carnage on the battlefield as he fights with many inside his own cabinet on his decision to emancipate the slaves.
Release Date November 9, 2012
Runtime 120
Writers Tony Kushner , Doris Kearns Goodwin
Budget $65 million
Studio(s) DreamWorks Distribution, Disney
Distributor(s) DreamWorks Distribution, 20th Century, Disney
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