Actors Who Are the Best Cryers in the Movie Business

There are performances where the emotion does not just support the story but carries it. Some male actors have turned crying into a precise tool that reveals character history, deepens conflict, and anchors pivotal scenes. These moments often happen in close up, with little dialogue, and they hold because every choice on set supports what the audience feels.

This list focuses on film roles that showcase sustained or memorable crying. You will see the specific scenes that built reputations along with quick notes on awards and release context. When a distributor helps place the project in the larger industry picture, it is mentioned simply so the work sits in its proper lane.

Denzel Washington

In ‘Glory’ he plays Private Trip and reaches a quiet breaking point during a scene that precedes the charge at Fort Wagner. The film arrived in theaters through TriStar Pictures, and his performance earned the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He revisits controlled collapse in ‘Flight’ where an admission in a hearing becomes the hinge of the story under Paramount Pictures.

He also threads tears into ‘Fences’ during confrontations that test family loyalties in a household that resists change. That release ran with Paramount Pictures and aligned with a strong awards campaign for the August Wilson adaptation, which added another acting nomination to his filmography.

Tom Hanks

In ‘Philadelphia’ he portrays Andrew Beckett and uses tears in private and public moments that move the legal case forward. TriStar Pictures released the film, and the role earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. He shows a different register in ‘Forrest Gump’, where crying punctuates reunions and farewells, supported by a Paramount Pictures rollout that took the film worldwide.

He returns to contained grief in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ during a brief reveal that adds weight to the mission. That title came through DreamWorks Pictures in partnership with Paramount Pictures for distribution in key markets, and the performance contributed to a long awards season presence.

Leonardo DiCaprio

In ‘The Revenant’ he channels pain and exhaustion into wordless scenes that end in tears near the riverbank. The film played under 20th Century Fox and delivered the Academy Award for Best Actor after a winter platform release. He carries fear and confusion into ‘Shutter Island’, where crying arrives during memories that reframe the case, with Paramount Pictures guiding the theatrical run.

He also taps grief in ‘Revolutionary Road’, where domestic arguments reach a point that breaks both leads. That project came through Paramount Vantage and DreamWorks, and it added another awards push to a period of collaborations with director Sam Mendes.

Joaquin Phoenix

In ‘Joker’ he tracks Arthur Fleck from strained laughter to tear filled unraveling in a bathroom and later on a studio stage. Warner Bros. Pictures handled the distribution and the role earned the Academy Award for Best Actor. He also uses tears in ‘Her’, where phone conversations collapse under distance and memory during a release managed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

He brings raw emotion to ‘The Master’, especially during processing scenes that push a follower to the edge. The film reached viewers through The Weinstein Company, and the performance received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor that marked another collaboration with Paul Thomas Anderson.

Andrew Garfield

In ‘Hacksaw Ridge’ he plays Desmond Doss and reaches tears in hospital and battlefield aftermath scenes after a stretch of rescue work. Lionsgate released the film and supported an awards campaign that led to an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He shifts to quieter breakdowns in ‘Silence’, where interrogations and choices lead to tears that linger, with Paramount Pictures bringing the film to theaters in a year end window.

He also blends music and grief in ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’ where crying punctuates rehearsals and losses tied to the New York theater community. Netflix managed the release alongside a limited theatrical run, and the performance received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Adam Driver

In ‘Marriage Story’ he plays Charlie Barber and breaks during a living room argument that becomes a turning point for custody and career. Netflix led a limited theatrical rollout that supported a broad awards push and the role earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He carries soft tears into ‘Paterson’, where small setbacks register as real loss, with Amazon Studios guiding the film to audiences.

He also shows conflicted emotion in ‘BlacKkKlansman’ during scenes that test loyalty and identity. Focus Features managed the release, and the supporting turn added another Academy Award nomination to a run that spans independent work and large scale productions.

Ryan Gosling

In ‘La La Land’ he reaches tears during a quiet retelling that lands near the close of the film. Lionsgate distributed the title and supported a long awards season in which the performance received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He paints a harsher breakdown in ‘Blue Valentine’, where motel scenes capture a relationship at the end, with The Weinstein Company steering the theatrical release.

He returns to restrained grief in ‘The Notebook’, where letters and goodbyes bring tears into a period romance. New Line Cinema managed distribution, and the film expanded his reach while linking him to roles that carry heavy emotion with minimal dialogue.

Brendan Fraser

In ‘The Whale’ he performs seated monologues that build to tears during attempts to repair a family bond. A24 released the film and centered its campaign on the performance that won the Academy Award for Best Actor. He also threads emotion into ‘Gods and Monsters’, where caregiving and revelation open quiet crying scenes, in a release brought to theaters by Lions Gate Films.

He appears in ‘Crash’ with an intersecting ensemble where tears arrive in response to sudden danger and its aftermath. Lions Gate Films handled that title as well, and the film’s structure placed his scenes beside other stories that explored trauma and connection.

Hugh Jackman

In ‘Les Misérables’ he delivers crying within sung passages that track a promise made beside a deathbed. Universal Pictures released the musical and supported an awards run that brought an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He adds raw grief in ‘Prisoners’ during abduction fallout and basement discoveries, with Warner Bros. Pictures managing the release.

He also reaches a breaking point in ‘Logan’, where tears appear in moments that close a long running character arc. 20th Century Fox carried the film to theaters, and the performance drew attention for the way it balanced action with emotion across a final chapter.

Chiwetel Ejiofor

In ’12 Years a Slave’ he plays Solomon Northup and carries tears through scenes of separation and brief reunion that define the narrative. Fox Searchlight Pictures brought the film to audiences and the role earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He shows a different mode in ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’, where loss within civil conflict brings restrained crying to domestic spaces, with a release guided by multiple regional distributors.

He also appears in ‘The Martian’, where brief moments of relief show in meetings that resolve a rescue. 20th Century Fox handled the release, and while the role is supporting, the choices add to a filmography where tears serve story rather than spectacle.

Share the tear filled performances you revisit most in the comments and add the scenes that deserve a spot here.