The All Time Top 50 British Male Actors

The most versatile actor I've ever seen. Had brilliant comic timing. After achieving great success with Porridge in the mid 1970s, chose to continue acting in British sitcoms for the next decade. In 1988 he retired to run an antique shop in Oxfordshire. Barker returned to acting briefly in 2001, but by then was beginning to look quite frail. Barker is very well known and highly thought of in the UK but not widely known internationally, mainly because he appeared in few well known films.

This Irish-British actor was very versatile and had a strong screen presence. McGoohan was probably the top actor on UK television in the 1960s, with hits such as Danger Man and The Prisoner. After that he acted mainly in America in both films and television, winning Emmys for roles in Columbo. McGoohan also turned down many high profile roles including Simon Templar in The Saint, Dumbledore in the Harry Potter Films and Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Like Ronnie Barker, chose roles that he wanted to play and was not interested in appearing in productions merely to increase his level of fame.

Another very versatile actor. The top living actor on this list. In his early career he appeared mostly on television. One of his first big successes was in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet in the early 1980s. His film career began to gather momentum in the mid 1990s. One of his best roles was as Oswald Bates in Shooting the Past in 1999. Spall is now at the peak of his career. Some of his best roles may lie ahead.

Denholm Elliott is underrated. He had a great range and had great screen presence. One of his best performances came near the end of his life in acclaimed TV mini series Bangkok Hilton, where he played a lead role. Appeared in both television and films in a career spanning more than forty years.

Sir Alec Guinness is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. From the mid 1940s to the mid 1990s, Guinness appeared in many memorable film roles. His best early roles were as Fagin in Oliver Twist and famously playing eight different roles in Kind Hearts and Coronets. Went on to appear in The Bridge over the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Star Wars. Was also brilliant as George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People on television.

Like Ronnie Barker, was a top British sitcom actor in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Had a great range. Briers went on to appear in a number of films, including Branagh's Shakespeare. Richard Briers died in 2013 aged 79.

Sir Christopher Lee had a film career spanning nearly 70 years in which he made several films a year in most years. Lee and his great friend Peter Cushing were arguably the greatest horror film actors of all time. One of Lee's finest roles was in the 1958 Dracula, where he played the menacing Count. His career was still going strong in his eighties, when Lee appeared in The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Lee was very versatile and, although often cast as villians, could play good guy roles just as well. Lee died aged 93 in 2015.

Sir Michael Gambon is one of the great actors of television and film. Just witness his role as Philip Marlow in The Singing Detective to see his incredible range. His career began in the mid 1960s and in recent years has appeared in many well known film roles.

John Thaw was a great television actor. He began his career in the early 1960s. In the 1970s his most memorable role was in The Sweeney. In the 1980s he appeared in sitcom Home To Roost and from 1987 until 2000 won acclaim playing the title role in Inspector Morse. Thaw had such intensity that some short scenes in Morse showed the character sitting alone in his flat with no dialogue and were still very captivating. The character of Morse was killed off little more than a year before Thaw himself died of cancer aged just 60.

A great British film actor. Acted in the early days of the talkies until the mid 1960s. Appeared in several classic films. One of his best roles was in the 1946 Hitchcock thriller Notorious.

Iconic Scottish actor. His first big hit was as the first James Bond in the 1960s, a role which made him famous throughout the world. Later won an Oscar for The Untouchables. Like Clint Eastwood, has a very likeable on screen persona.

Richard Burton was a charismatic Welsh actor. He was at his peak in the 1960s. He died aged 58 in 1984.

Sir Cedric Hardwicke was a top character actor from the earliest days of the talkies until his death in the mid 1960s.

A very underrated actor with a long career. Baker appeared in many British films, particularly in the 1950s. Later he appeared in a number of television productions, most notably as Inspector Wexford in Ruth Rendell Mysteries. He showed some top rate acting as Wexford.

He and Christopher Lee appeared in many horror films together from the 1950s to the 1970s. Cushing was a great actor who always gave a good performance, even in some mediocre films. Was a great Van Helsing in the Dracula films. Was also a fine Sherlock Holmes.

A fine Scottish born actor that worked mainly on television. He achieved his first big TV hit in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, when he was already in his mid forties. Is best known for playing villain Francis Urquhart in the House of Cards trilogy in the early 1990s.

A character actor specialising in playing characters with a short fuse. Is best remembered for playing Siegfried Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small. Just witness his range in that one part. Has appeared in many film and television roles in a career spanning over 50 years.

An unusual actor, both in looks and style. In a career spanning over thirty years, Postlethwaite was a top British film actor. Brassed Off was one of his best roles. Postlethwaite died in 2011 aged 64.

Often regarded as the best British actor of all time. Had many roles in a long career that began in the early talkies and continued until the late 1980s. Had a great range. One of the best of his early film roles was in Rebecca. A fine later role was in Marathon Man. If this was a list of top British stage actors he would be in the top 3.

His career began in the mid 1950s and reached its peak in the 1960s. One of his best 1960s roles was as Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File. Has continued to appear in many high profile roles ever since. Should have won an Oscar for Educating Rita. This role showed a greater depth and versatility than most of his other roles.

One of the top actors of today, Paddy Considine's best roles have been in the films of Shane Meadows. A Room For Romeo Brass and Dead Man's Shoes are two roles that show the diversity of this great actor. Hopefully will go on to be regarded as one of the all time greats.

A great character actor, specialising in playing upper class characters. His career began after the war. Initially appeared in films but later branched out into television. Was great as Lord Peter Wimsey on television in the 1970s. Continued to work into old age, though in the last decade of his life appeared only as T. J. Middleditch (in TV series The Royal).

Won acclaim young in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner in 1962. Since then has appeared in a number of films and TV series, though since the mid 1970s his appearances have been fewer than one would expect of an actor of his calibre.

Although his career began in the early 1960s, his best roles have all been from the 1990s onwards. Two of his best roles were Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Great actor of today. Very versatile. Great mimic. Just witness his performance as Tony Blair in The Queen.

Another top actor of today. Very versatile.

James Bolam has appeared mainly on television in a long career. His first big hit was sitcom The Likely Lads in the mid 1960s. Went on to appear in the sequel Whatever Happened to The Likely Lads? in the mid 1970s. Then appeared in When The Boat Comes In, Beiderbecke, Second Thoughts, Born and Bred & New Tricks. Just witness his performance in Shipman to see his versatility.

Played an iconic TV character, Alf Garnett, on and off for more than thirty years from the mid 1960s to the mid 1990s. To make an angry bigot like Garnett likeable showed Mitchell's great skill. Like Harry H. Corbett, became somewhat typecast.

Played one of the most iconic British TV characters, Frank Spencer in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. Was brilliant in this role. If the writing had been better it would probably be regarded in the top 3 UK sitcoms. By the time he was 40, Crawford had left mainstream acting behind him. Has won acclaim since as a musical theatre actor. Could have been one of the great actors.

Was seen as one of the top young actors of his generation. In his mid thirties began playing Harold Steptoe in iconic sitcom Steptoe and Son. Although he was brilliant in this role, he became typecast. After finally leaving Steptoe behind in 1974, Corbett struggled to get good roles. He died of a heart attack aged just 57 in 1982.

Sir Michael Hordern was a top stage actor that appeared in many films during his long career. Specialised in playing kindly old men.

This suave iconic Hollywood actor tended to play similar roles, but he was brilliant at them. Retired in his early sixties and didn't act at all in the last twenty years of his life.

Probably the most underrated actor on this list. Is brilliant at playing slimy or pompous characters.

Has a fifty year career. His best roles have been on television. Appeared in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy alongside Alec Guinness and Ian Richardson in 1979. Was brilliant as Neville Badger in A bit of a do a decade later.

Was a great Scottish character actor. Had a career spanning nearly fifty years. Brilliant at playing nice, sometimes naive, characters.

Like Gordon Jackson, was a top Scottish character actor of a similar age. Was brilliant as warder Mr. Mackay in Porridge. Had other good roles in television and film, though not as many as a man of his talent deserved.

Not the most versatile actor, but was brilliant at playing Basil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers. If Basil isn't the greatest TV character of all time I don't know who is.

In a long career beginning in the early 1950s, Peter Vaughan has played many diverse roles.

Terry-Thomas was a top actor in the years after the second world war. Continued to act until 1980. Died ten years later. Helped his relative Richard Briers to pursue a career in acting.

A very versatile actor.

Sir Roger Moore's career began in the mid 1940s. Had early successful television roles in Ivanoe and The Saint. Played James Bond from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, one of his best roles. His lighthearted comedy suited the Bond films of this era. Since leaving Bond behind in 1985 has done little of note.

Played the lead in A clockwork orange and has appeared in a lot of movies since the mid 1960s.

A top British character actor. His career began after the war. Continued to work into his nineties, though appeared little in his last years. Appeared in many good films, usually in supporting roles.

Played villains in many Hollywood movies. His career began in the mid 1930s and ended on his death in the mid 1980s.

Another fine actor of today. Hopefully will establish himself as one of the greats. He was brilliant as Gareth in The Office.

One of the most popular actors of today, one of Benedict Cumberbatch's best roles was the modern day Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock.

Versatile character actor of modern times. One of his best roles was as Doc Martin.

Fine British character actor. Appeared in films such as Alien and The Lord of the Rings.

A fine actor of today.

Just contrast his role in Jeeves and Wooster to his role in House. Very versatile. One of the top British actors on American TV in recent times.