Actors Who Can Play Absolutely Any Role
Some performers build careers in one lane; others assemble credits that cut across genres, formats, and national industries. This list focuses on men whose work shows consistent adaptability, with examples drawn from drama, comedy, action, historical portraits, animation, and limited-series television.
Each entry highlights contrasting roles plus concrete career details such as training, stage work, languages, awards, and producing or directing. Taken together, the credits map how these actors move from intimate character pieces to global franchises without losing precision.
Daniel Day-Lewis
His credits span character studies like ‘My Left Foot’ and ‘There Will Be Blood’ to historical epics such as ‘Lincoln’ and crime-era drama with ‘Gangs of New York’. Earlier work includes adventure and period storytelling in ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ and fashion-world drama in ‘Phantom Thread’.
He trained at the Bristol Old Vic and built a stage foundation before film prominence. His awards include three Academy Awards for acting, and he has periodically stepped away from screen work between projects.
Gary Oldman
He played wartime leadership in ‘Darkest Hour’, espionage method in ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, franchise ally in ‘The Dark Knight’, and villain roles in ‘Léon: The Professional’. Television work includes intelligence drama in ‘Slow Horses’.
Oldman trained at Rose Bruford College and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He has an Academy Award, extensive voice work in animation and games, and credits as a director and producer.
Christian Bale
His filmography includes corporate satire in ‘American Psycho’, family boxing drama in ‘The Fighter’, political portraiture in ‘Vice’, and superhero leadership in ‘The Dark Knight’. Earlier roles include wartime adolescence in ‘Empire of the Sun’.
Bale adjusts voice and physique across projects and has an Academy Award along with multiple nominations. He alternates studio films with independent features and collaborates often with repeat directors.
Joaquin Phoenix
He led villain-origin storytelling in ‘Joker’, intimate sci-fi in ‘Her’, musical biography in ‘Walk the Line’, and character-driven drama in ‘The Master’. Additional roles include historical and contemporary ensemble pieces.
Phoenix has multiple Academy Award nominations and wins. His career includes producing, long-term collaborations with auteur directors, and selective television and documentary work.
Tom Hanks
He anchored legal drama in ‘Philadelphia’, survival narrative in ‘Cast Away’, war cinema in ‘Saving Private Ryan’, and romantic comedy in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’. Voice performance includes Woody in ‘Toy Story’.
Hanks won consecutive Academy Awards and later expanded into producing and directing for film and television. He often develops fact-based projects and records long-form audio and podcast series tied to historical subjects.
Denzel Washington
Credits range from civil-rights biography in ‘Malcolm X’ to law-enforcement thriller in ‘Training Day’, with stage-to-screen adaptation in ‘Fences’ and action franchises across several installments.
Washington is a two-time Academy Award winner and a Tony Award recipient. He directs features, returns regularly to Broadway, and mentors casts through revival productions.
Anthony Hopkins
He delivered psychological suspense in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, memory-centred drama in ‘The Father’, period nuance in ‘The Remains of the Day’, and mythic worldbuilding in ‘Thor’. He also narrates documentaries and composes music.
Hopkins trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked on West End and Broadway stages. Knighted for services to the arts, he holds multiple Academy Awards and BAFTAs.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
His work covers biographical investigation in ‘Capote’, ensemble drama in ‘Boogie Nights’, spiritual leadership in ‘The Master’, and legal tension in ‘Doubt’, with franchise support in ‘The Hunger Games’.
Hoffman won an Academy Award and directed stage productions through his New York theatre company. He balanced independent cinema with studio films and taught masterclasses for actors and directors.
Robert De Niro
He anchored boxing biography in ‘Raging Bull’, urban alienation in ‘Taxi Driver’, organized-crime legacy in ‘The Godfather Part II’, and heist-procedural interplay in ‘Heat’. Later work includes digital de-aging in ‘The Irishman’.
De Niro has two Academy Awards and co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival to support production and exhibition. He maintains long-term collaborations with directors across decades.
Al Pacino
His roles span organized-crime saga in ‘The Godfather’, legal conflict in ‘…And Justice for All’, military academy narrative in ‘Scent of a Woman’, and cultural landmark status with ‘Scarface’. Television highlights include ‘Angels in America’.
Pacino holds an Academy Award and two Tony Awards. He directs features and documentaries, frequently adapts classic texts, and sustains alternating cycles of stage and screen work.
Leonardo DiCaprio
He moved from survival narrative in ‘The Revenant’ to financial satire in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’, aviation biography in ‘The Aviator’, and ensemble sci-fi in ‘Inception’. Early global reach includes ‘Titanic’.
DiCaprio won an Academy Award and produces films through his company, backing historical and environmental subjects. He works repeatedly with auteur directors across genres.
Matt Damon
His projects include math-driven drama in ‘Good Will Hunting’, space problem-solving in ‘The Martian’, espionage action in the ‘Bourne’ series, and crime ensemble work in ‘The Departed’.
Damon shares an Academy Award for screenwriting and holds multiple acting nominations. He produces features and documentaries and supports water-access initiatives tied to field work.
Edward Norton
He broke out with ‘Primal Fear’ and followed with social-crime examination in ‘American History X’, cult-culture drama in ‘Fight Club’, and ensemble meta-comedy in ‘Birdman’. He has also taken heist and superhero roles.
Norton has three Academy Award nominations and directed ‘Motherless Brooklyn’. He contributes to script development, invests in technology and conservation, and appears on stage.
Ralph Fiennes
He portrayed historical atrocity in ‘Schindler’s List’, desert-set romance in ‘The English Patient’, comic farce and pathos in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’, and franchise antagonism in ‘Harry Potter’.
Fiennes trained at RADA, holds multiple Academy Award nominations, and won a Tony Award. He directs stage and screen projects and frequently performs Shakespeare in major venues.
Benedict Cumberbatch
He headlined detective television in ‘Sherlock’, biographical cryptography in ‘The Imitation Game’, and franchise sorcery in ‘Doctor Strange’, with voice and motion-capture work in ‘The Hobbit’.
Cumberbatch trained at LAMDA and maintains a stage presence in productions such as ‘Hamlet’. He produces limited series and radio drama and records narration for documentaries.
Idris Elba
His credits include American crime ensemble in ‘The Wire’, British detective work in ‘Luther’, political biography in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’, and war drama in ‘Beasts of No Nation’. He also appears in action cinema and animation.
Elba produces, DJs, and directs music videos, bringing multidisciplinary experience to screen projects. He has major television awards and balances UK and US productions.
Hugh Jackman
He combined superhero action in ‘Logan’ with musical performance in ‘Les Misérables’ and ‘The Greatest Showman’, plus stage-magic rivalry in ‘The Prestige’. Additional filmography includes family adventure and period drama.
Jackman is a Tony Award winner and frequent Broadway lead. He releases recordings tied to stage work, hosts major ceremonies, and participates in international tours.
Viggo Mortensen
He anchored fantasy epic in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, crime underworld storytelling in ‘Eastern Promises’, and American road dramedy in ‘Green Book’, with earlier collaborations in ‘A History of Violence’.
Mortensen is multilingual, publishes poetry and photography, and composes music. He directs features and receives nominations and awards from European and North American academies.
Jake Gyllenhaal
His roles cover media-ethics thriller in ‘Nightcrawler’, cult time-loop narrative in ‘Donnie Darko’, frontier romance in ‘Brokeback Mountain’, and abduction investigation in ‘Prisoners’. He also appears in franchise storytelling with ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’.
Gyllenhaal performs regularly on Broadway and the West End, including ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. He produces through his company and prepares for physically demanding roles with documented training regimens.
Mark Ruffalo
He appears in investigative journalism with ‘Spotlight’, wrestling-family portrait in ‘Foxcatcher’, and psychological thriller in ‘Shutter Island’, alongside franchise science roles in ‘The Avengers’. Television work includes dual roles in ‘I Know This Much Is True’.
Ruffalo is an Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner. He produces projects with social themes, supports environmental advocacy, and started in theatre before sustained film work.
Michael Fassbender
He handled tech leadership in ‘Steve Jobs’, adult drama in ‘Shame’, historical ensemble in ’12 Years a Slave’, and mutant arc in ‘X-Men’. Additional credits include period combat and thriller entries.
Fassbender trained at Drama Centre London, speaks English and German, and competes in endurance auto racing. He has major nominations from the Academy Awards and BAFTA.
Cillian Murphy
His work includes post-apocalyptic breakthrough in ’28 Days Later’, crime-family television in ‘Peaky Blinders’, ensemble sci-fi in ‘Inception’, and scientific biography in ‘Oppenheimer’.
Murphy won an Academy Award for ‘Oppenheimer’ and frequently collaborates with recurring directors. He records audio projects, supports Irish arts organizations, and returns to stage roles between films.
Tom Hardy
He appears in post-apocalyptic action with ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, ensemble heist in ‘Inception’, frontier survival in ‘The Revenant’, and prison biography in ‘Bronson’, along with voice-heavy leads in ‘Venom’.
Hardy trained at Drama Centre London, writes and produces, and supports rehabilitation and youth programs. He holds awards across British and international ceremonies and works in television and film.
Willem Dafoe
He moved from war realism in ‘Platoon’ to independent two-hander intensity in ‘The Lighthouse’, family-hotel drama in ‘The Florida Project’, and superhero mythology in ‘Spider-Man’.
Dafoe co-founded The Wooster Group and maintains an active stage career. He has multiple Academy Award nominations and collaborates widely with European and American directors.
Sean Penn
His roles include grief and justice in ‘Mystic River’, civil-rights biography in ‘Milk’, death-row advocacy in ‘Dead Man Walking’, and crime support in ‘Carlito’s Way’. He also pursues documentary and field reporting.
Penn holds two Academy Awards and directs narrative features such as ‘Into the Wild’. He engages in international relief work and integrates on-the-ground experience into later creative projects.
Javier Bardem
He portrayed relentless pursuit in ‘No Country for Old Men’, border-town spiritual struggle in ‘Biutiful’, espionage antagonism in ‘Skyfall’, and literary biography in ‘Before Night Falls’.
Bardem is the first Spanish actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He works in Spanish and English and collaborates frequently with Iberian and global directors.
Benicio del Toro
His credits cover cartel-era procedural in ‘Traffic’, tactical cross-border tension in ‘Sicario’, ensemble mystery in ‘The Usual Suspects’, and revolutionary biography in ‘Che’.
Del Toro won an Academy Award and the Cannes Best Actor prize. He participates in script development, appears in both independent and studio films, and alternates English- and Spanish-language projects.
Gael García Bernal
He broke out with ‘Amores Perros’ and ‘Y Tu Mamá También’, then led road biography in ‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ and television comedy-drama in ‘Mozart in the Jungle’. Recent work includes wrestling biography in ‘Cassandro’.
Bernal co-founded a production company that develops Latin American stories. He directs features, works in Spanish and English, and has awards from major festivals and the Golden Globes.
Daniel Kaluuya
He headlined social thriller in ‘Get Out’, civil-rights leadership in ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’, ensemble heroism in ‘Black Panther’, and speculative spectacle in ‘Nope’. Early features include borderland enforcement in ‘Sicario’.
Kaluuya won an Academy Award and began on stage and British television, including writers’ rooms and sketch performance. He produces under his own banner with projects in the UK and US.
Mahershala Ali
His work spans intimate ensemble in ‘Moonlight’, road partnership in ‘Green Book’, prestige television in ‘True Detective’, and political intrigue in ‘House of Cards’, plus animation voice work in ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’.
Ali is a two-time Academy Award winner and a former collegiate athlete who transitioned from spoken-word to acting. He records audiobooks and is attached to superhero leadership in ‘Blade’.
Rami Malek
He moved from cyber-thriller television in ‘Mr. Robot’ to musical biography in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, espionage antagonism in ‘No Time to Die’, and wartime miniseries work in ‘The Pacific’.
Malek won an Academy Award and collaborates on music-driven film projects. He balances studio features with limited series and lends voice performance to animation and games.
Andrew Garfield
He appears in tech origins with ‘The Social Network’, pacifist wartime biography in ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, and musical performance in ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’, with limited-series investigation in ‘Under the Banner of Heaven’.
Garfield is a Tony Award winner for ‘Angels in America’. He holds dual US-UK citizenship, alternates stage and screen work, and supports development programs for new plays.
Adam Driver
His roles cover indie poetry in ‘Paterson’, marital dissolution in ‘Marriage Story’, franchise legacy in ‘Star Wars’, and undercover infiltration in ‘BlacKkKlansman’. Early television includes ‘Girls’.
Driver is a former US Marine who trained at Juilliard after service. He co-founded a nonprofit bringing arts programming to the military and returns to Broadway between films.
Chiwetel Ejiofor
He led historical narrative in ’12 Years a Slave’, contributed to mystical ensemble in ‘Doctor Strange’, joined space survival in ‘The Martian’, and depicted immigration-era tension in ‘Dirty Pretty Things’.
Ejiofor is a BAFTA winner who wrote and directed ‘The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind’. He maintains stage ties with the National Theatre and appears in UK and US productions.
Paul Dano
He played frontier capitalism in ‘There Will Be Blood’, family road comedy in ‘Little Miss Sunshine’, abduction investigation in ‘Prisoners’, and comic-book noir in ‘The Batman’, with music biography in ‘Love & Mercy’.
Dano directed ‘Wildlife’ and contributes original music to select projects. He holds nominations from independent and mainstream bodies and appears on Broadway between films.
LaKeith Stanfield
He moved from surreal workplace satire in ‘Sorry to Bother You’ to civil-rights infiltration in ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ and modern romance in ‘The Photograph’. Television work includes ‘Atlanta’.
Stanfield records music, leads the anime series ‘Yasuke’ as a voice actor, and alternates studio releases with independent features. He collaborates with directors known for genre blending.
Ewan McGregor
He features counterculture momentum in ‘Trainspotting’, musical romance in ‘Moulin Rouge!’, franchise adventure in ‘Star Wars’, and regional crime anthology in ‘Fargo’. Non-fiction travel credits include ‘Long Way Round’.
McGregor has a Golden Globe for limited series and maintains West End credits. He produces select projects with international crews and participates in charitable expeditions.
Colin Farrell
He combined dark-comedy partnership in ‘In Bruges’ with absurdist romance in ‘The Lobster’, rural friendship fracture in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, and television crime in ‘True Detective’. He also transformed for ‘The Batman’.
Farrell has major festival awards and a Golden Globe. He works across Irish, British, and American productions and supports emerging Irish filmmakers through recurring collaborations.
Colin Firth
His range includes royal speech therapy in ‘The King’s Speech’, refined melancholy in ‘A Single Man’, Regency romance in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, and action-comedy in ‘Kingsman: The Secret Service’.
Firth holds an Academy Award and dual citizenship. He records audiobooks, supports literacy and refugee initiatives, and appears in both television and film period pieces.
Brendan Gleeson
He appears in black-comedy partnerships with ‘In Bruges’, spiritual small-town drama in ‘Calvary’, rural policing in ‘The Guard’, and fantasy franchise roles in ‘Harry Potter’. He later reunited with collaborators for ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’.
Gleeson is a former teacher and a skilled fiddle player. He won an Emmy for a historical statesman portrayal and maintains frequent work with Irish directors and writers.
Domhnall Gleeson
His projects include AI chamber drama in ‘Ex Machina’, time-travel romance in ‘About Time’, franchise command in ‘Star Wars’, and frontier hardship in ‘The Revenant’. He also leads limited television series.
Gleeson writes and performs in theatre and sketch projects and collaborates with Irish companies. He holds awards across Irish and international ceremonies and alternates comedy and drama.
Dev Patel
He moved from global coming-of-age in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ to intimate search in ‘Lion’, newsroom ensemble in ‘The Newsroom’, and myth-quest cinema in ‘The Green Knight’. He also directed and headlined ‘Monkey Man’.
Patel earned an Academy Award nomination and expanded into action choreography. He produces with an emphasis on inclusive casting and works across UK, US, and Indian markets.
Song Kang-ho
His Korean-language catalogue spans class satire in ‘Parasite’, true-crime investigation in ‘Memories of Murder’, creature feature in ‘The Host’, and historical reporting in ‘A Taxi Driver’.
Song won Best Actor at Cannes for ‘Broker’ and holds multiple national film awards. His films supported broader distribution of Korean cinema worldwide.
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
He anchors romantic restraint in ‘In the Mood for Love’, kinetic urban storytelling in ‘Chungking Express’, undercover identity in ‘Infernal Affairs’, and global franchise myth in ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’.
Leung won Best Actor at Cannes and holds a record number of Hong Kong Film Awards. He began in television and works in Cantonese and Mandarin across pan-Asian co-productions.
Ken Watanabe
He appears as samurai mentor in ‘The Last Samurai’, corporate strategist in ‘Inception’, Pacific-war perspective in ‘Letters from Iwo Jima’, and origin support in ‘Batman Begins’. Stage work includes ‘The King and I’.
Watanabe received Academy Award and Tony nominations. He alternates Japanese cinema with Hollywood films and supports disaster-relief efforts in Japan.
Shah Rukh Khan
His Hindi-language career covers romance phenomenon in ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’, social drama in ‘My Name Is Khan’, sports leadership in ‘Chak De! India’, and classical adaptation in ‘Devdas’, alongside action resurgence in ‘Pathaan’.
Khan co-owns a production and distribution company, manages large-scale releases, and maintains international audience engagement across diaspora markets. He holds multiple national and popular awards.
Aamir Khan
His films span colonial-era sports in ‘Lagaan’, wrestling family biography in ‘Dangal’, social-science satire in ‘PK’, and youth activism in ‘Rang De Basanti’. He develops scripts with research and test screenings.
Khan produces and directs in addition to acting and has National Film Awards. He experiments with release strategies across India’s multilingual markets.
Irrfan Khan
He bridged Indian and international cinema with ‘The Lunchbox’, oceanic adventure in ‘Life of Pi’, and ensemble drama in ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, plus athletic biography in ‘Paan Singh Tomar’.
Irrfan won a National Film Award and several international honors. His career normalized cross-border casting for South Asian actors and balanced independent and studio projects.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
He broke through with crime saga in ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, moved into streaming prestige with ‘Sacred Games’, led quiet romance in ‘The Lunchbox’, and offered literary portraiture in ‘Manto’.
Siddiqui trained at the National School of Drama and returns to theatre between films. He has awards from Indian and international juries and frequently undertakes dialect-specific preparation.
Stephen Graham
His credits include subculture milestone ‘This Is England’, organized crime in ‘Boardwalk Empire’, ensemble gangster epic ‘The Irishman’, and one-take kitchen drama ‘Boiling Point’, along with UK policing in ‘Line of Duty’.
Graham works across film and high-end television and produces with a focus on access for working-class talent. He is recognized for accent precision and recurring director partnerships.
Share your picks for performers who can shift into any lane—and the specific roles that proved it—in the comments.
