United Artists
Should you ever need to give your watchlist some extra oomph, you can't go wrong by referring to IMDb's Top 250 list, which includes some of the best movies that cinema has ever had to offer. (Well, according to the website's users, at least.) The great thing about such a mammoth pile of films is that icons of Hollywood will be popping in more than one entry on the list. Of course, some stars have a greater presence on this compendium than others, and while it might not shock many as to who has the most entries, it's surprising to see who the runner-ups are (or aren't, as the case may be).
Coming in at the number one spot with the most films in IMDb's Top 250 is the man many believe to be perhaps the best actor ever — Robert De Niro. Having appeared in over 100 films, nine of De Niro's projects rank among the website's most beloved 250: "The Godfather Part II," "Goodfellas," "Joker," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Taxi Driver," "Heat," "Casino," "Raging Bull," and "The Deer Hunter." Of that little corner the icon has made for himself, two of the entries — "The Godfather Part II" and "Raging Bull" — earned De Niro Oscar wins, with the former also sitting among IMDb's top 10 movies of all time.
There are two runner-ups to Robert De Niro in IMDb's Top 250
Miramax Films
While De Niro might have the edge on the competition, there are two other staples of movie history not far behind him. Specifically, Samuel L. Jackson and Morgan Freeman are joint runners-up, with each having seven films in IMDB's Top 250. In the case of the former Jedi Master, Jackson's magnificent seven are "Goodfellas," "Avengers: Endgame," "Avengers: Infinity War," and "Jurassic Park," along with three of Quentin Tarantino's best films ("Pulp Fiction," "Django Unchained," and "Inglourious Basterds").
As for Freeman, his selection consists of "The Shawshank Redemption," "Se7en," "Million Dollar Baby," and "Unforgiven" along with the "Dark Knight" trilogy. Interestingly, in Freeman's case, three of his seven are also in IMDb's top 10 of all time, with "The Shawshank Redemption" being considered the greatest of them all. Looking at these results proves that a Joker might help you gain in popularity, but it helps to have a few appearances with Clint Eastwood and a poster of Rita Hayworth under your belt. (Or, in SLJ's case, Quentin Tarantino and a Hulk.)
Six is a magic number for actors in IMDb's Top 250
Warner Bros. Pictures
With Morgan Freeman and Samuel L. Jackson sharing silver, there are a handful of actors from across Hollywood history tied for third place with six films in IMDb's Top 250. Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Hugo Weaving all have six movies to their name that are scattered throughout the list. In Weaving's case, there are even some surprise entries, with titles ranging from "The Matrix" to "V for Vendetta" and "Hacksaw Ridge." Shocking absolutely no one, though, the actor's remaining three films are the entire "Lord of the Rings" trilogy (because the world just loves hobbits and elves). Elsewhere, Michael Caine and Christian Bale also have six movies in the top 250, with all of Caine's entries being Christopher Nolan films ("The Prestige," the "Dark Knight" trilogy, "Inception," and "Interstellar"). Meanwhile, Christian Bale's entries similarly include "The Prestige" and Nolan's Batman movies, in addition to "Ford v Ferrari" and "Howl's Moving Castle."
Last, but not certainly not least, there's Charlie Chaplin. The face of the silent comedy movie era starred in six films sitting in IMDb's Top 250, with his most recent entry (1940's "The Great Dictator") having come out a whole 34 years before the earliest entry on De Niro's list ("The Godfather Part II" in 1974). It's enough to prove that even after all this time, The Tramp really did deliver priceless performances.