America’s 50 favorite actors who are men

Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic via Getty Images Audiences know them from long-running TV series, big-time movie openings, and indelible stage performances. They’ve made viewers laugh, cry, and jump from their seats in fright. The best actors in the world have the power to move audiences in ways that few others can–which is why making a list of the absolute best is never an easy task. To determine American audiences’ 50 favorite actors who are men, Stacker analyzed data from YouGov, current as of November 2022. The list was ranked by the percentage of respondents who liked the actor. Ties were broken by actors with a lower “disliked by” percentage. Further ties were decided by a higher “have heard of” figure. The result is a long list of thespians, including Oscar winners, box office juggernauts, and some of the “sexiest men alive.” YouGov distinguishes actors in their surveys with a binary understanding of sex and gender. Stacker understands that potentially limits who is represented on this list. Read on to see if your favorite actor made the cut. You may also like: Celebrities you might not know are LGTBQ+ #50. Mark Wahlberg Joe Scarnici // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 7% – Neutral opinion: 20% – Have heard of: 94% Mark Wahlberg first burst into the public eye as a rapper with the group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (also as the younger brother of New Kids on the Block star Donnie Wahlberg). His famous underwear ads for Calvin Klein put the budding star’s image all over the world. Since baring (nearly) all, Wahlberg has gone on to have an enormous movie career with hit films such “Boogie Nights,” “Ted,” and “The Departed.” Wahlberg was also the producer of the HBO show “Entourage,” based loosely on his life in Los Angeles. #49. Sylvester Stallone Michael Kovac // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 7% – Neutral opinion: 21% – Have heard of: 95% With blockbuster hits like “Rocky,” “First Blood,” “Demolition Man,” and “The Expendables,” Sylvester Stallone has become a household name. But Stallone isn’t just a muscular celebrity. In addition to his explosive roles, he’s also written more than two dozen of his movies and been nominated for three Academy Awards (including Best Original Screenplay for “Rocky”). #48. Kevin Bacon Dominik Bindl // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 6% – Neutral opinion: 19% – Have heard of: 92% The ubiquitous star of dozens of films, Kevin Bacon has touched every corner of Hollywood, cementing his cred for the parlor game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” His biggest movies span every genre and multiple generations from “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978) and “Footloose” (1984) to “Tremors” (1990), “A Few Good Men” (1992), “Mystic River” (2003), and “Frost/Nixon” (2008). #47. Nicolas Cage Samuel de Roman // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 6% – Neutral opinion: 22% – Have heard of: 95% Nicolas Cage has one of the most prolific careers, starring in more than 100 movies since the early 1980s. One of his most famous roles is his award-winning turn in the movie “Leaving Las Vegas,” for which he garnered an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actor. Casual fans of the quirky star might be surprised to learn that Cage is actually the nephew of famed director Francis Ford Coppola, which also makes him cousins to fellow celebs Sofia Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, and Roman Coppola. #46. Dick Van Dyke Frazer Harrison/BAFTA LA // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 5% – Neutral opinion: 20% – Have heard of: 92% Hollywood darling Dick Van Dyke has been in the acting game for more than 50 years and has garnered Emmy, Grammy, and Tony awards along the way. As a comedian, singer, actor, and dancer, Van Dyke is known for a litany of film and TV roles. Some of his best-known performances include “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “Mary Poppins” (he also costarred in the 2018 version), and “Bye Bye Birdie.” Van Dyke won the PGF-USA’s Prince Rainier III Award in 2014 for demonstration of service to the community, which includes years of work at the Midnight Mission in Los Angeles in addition to helping fund music and arts programs in schools. You may also like: Bette Davis: The life story you may not know #45. Sidney Poitier Larry Busacca/VF14 // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 4% – Neutral opinion: 12% – Have heard of: 83% Bahamian and American actor, diplomat, and film director Sidney Poitier was the first Black actor to take home a Best Actor Oscar for his role in “Lilies of the Field.” The late actor, whose career began in the days of segregation, broke many of cinema’s racial barriers. He starred in films such as “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “In the Heat of the Night,” and “The Defiant Ones.” #44. Ryan Reynolds Han Myung-Gu // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 4% – Neutral opinion: 17% – Have heard of: 89% Charming troublemaker Ryan Reynolds has dozens of films under his belt and counting, including the 2022 holiday film “Spirited” co-starring Will Ferrell. Reynolds got his start in soaps, starring in Canada’s teen drama “Hillside” (titled “Fifteen” in the U.S.) in 1991. After a smattering of comedies and dramas, his biggest successes came with the X-Men franchise, for which he played the leading role in two “Deadpool” installments (with a third slated for 2024). #43. Tommy Lee Jones MJ Kim // Getty Images – Liked by: 67% – Disliked by: 4% – Neutral opinion: 19% – Have heard of: 91% Grizzled actor Tommy Lee Jones is probably best known for his Oscar-winning role in “The Fugitive.” Jones’ life didn’t start on-screen, however. While attending Harvard College, Jones was roommates with Vice President Al Gore, while starring as an offensive guard on the school’s football team. Other classic Jones movies include “Men in Black,” “No Country for Old Men,” and “Lincoln.” #42. Johnny Depp Kevin Winter // Getty Images – Liked by: 68% – Disliked by: 4% – Neutral opinion: 18% – Have heard of: 90% Burt Reynolds and his signature mustache have captured the public’s imagination for six decades. From his breakout role in 1961’s “Angel Baby” to ’70s classics “Hooper” and “Smokey and the Bandit,” Reynolds’ charisma and “it” factor lit up movie theater screens and turned him into the top-grossing actor in Hollywood from 1978 to 1982. #34. Michael Caine George Pimentel // Getty Images – Liked by: 68% – Disliked by: 2% – Neutral opinion: 15% – Have heard of: 84% Michael Caine has the distinction of being just one of eight actors to have been nominated for an Oscar in five consecutive decades. The knighted British thespian may be a fixture in Hollywood, but he started out humbly in life to a fish market porter father and a charwoman mother in South London. He pursued acting after active duty in the Korean War and, after years of persistence, finally found success on London’s West End and eventually in Hollywood. His leading role in “Alfie” garnered him his first Oscar for Best Actor. Many fans recognize him today as Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, where he plays the father figure to a tormented Batman. #33. Leonardo DiCaprio Siebbi // Wikimedia Commons – Liked by: 68% – Disliked by: 11% – Neutral opinion: 18% – Have heard of: 96% After starting early as a child actor with a supporting part on the TV show “Growing Pains,” Leonardo DiCaprio went on to become one of the most lauded U.S. actors of all time. DiCaprio has accrued a long list of accolades for his starring roles in “Titanic,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Blood Diamond,” and “The Revenant,” the latter of which won him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Beyond film, DiCaprio is also a well-known environmental activist and lends his celebrity status to causes that combat climate change. #32. Danny Glover Larry Busacca // Getty Images – Liked by: 69% – Disliked by: 6% – Neutral opinion: 16% – Have heard of: 91% Danny Glover started acting in 1979, but international fame didn’t come until he starred opposite Mel Gibson in the blockbuster “Lethal Weapon” movies. Glover has continued working over the past four decades and has amassed nearly 200 acting credits over the course of his career. Outside of Hollywood, Glover is a political activist who lends his celebrity to causes regarding civil rights and labor rights. #31. Bruce Lee Warner Brothers/Getty Images – Liked by: 69% – Disliked by: 5% – Neutral opinion: 20% – Have heard of: 94% Born Lee Siu Loong in 1940, Bruce Lee is one of the most iconic martial arts figures of all time. Although he had starred in many films in China before moving to the United States, he spent many years teaching martial arts before landing the role of Kato in “The Green Hornet” TV series. He went on to star in multiple movies including “The Big Boss,” “The Way of the Dragon,” and “Enter the Dragon.” Lee died at the age of 32, but his film and martial arts legacies continue to this day: Time Magazine named him one of the most influential people of the 20th Century. You may also like: Highest-grossing actors under the age of 30 #30. Clint Eastwood Chris Polk/FilmMagic) – Liked by: 69% – Disliked by: 10% – Neutral opinion: 16% – Have heard of: 96% Clint Eastwood isn’t just an Oscar-winning filmmaker, actor, writer, and director, he is also a composer and has written the scores for several films he directed such as “Flags of our Fathers,” “Changeling,” and “J. Edgar.” As an actor, Eastwood’s tough-guy appeal first dazzled audiences in spaghetti Westerns in the 1960s and then with his “Dirty Harry” movies in the 1970s. His directing and producing turns garnered him more awards, winning Oscars for “Unforgiven” and “Million Dollar Baby.” #29. Jack Nicholson Kevork S. Djansezian // Getty Images – Liked by: 70% – Disliked by: 6% – Neutral opinion: 18% – Have heard of: 95% Among the most adored actors in American cinematic history, Jack Nicholson’s work has run the gamut from horror to touching rom-coms. He is the most-nominated male actor in Oscar history, with 12 nods: eight for Best Actor, and four for Best Supporting Actor. He has three Academy Award wins under his belt–for his performances in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Terms of Endearment,” and “As Good as It Gets”–and has more than 70 acting credits on his resume.  #28. Danny DeVito