Top 10 Actors of 2014 – Jake Gyllenhaal Tops This Year’s List

Top 10 Actors of 2014 in Leading Roles
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in ‘Nightcrawler’ (Photo Credit: Chuck Zlotnick / Open Road Films)

It was a terrific year for actors in theatrical releases, which was great for moviegoers but which made narrowing down a top 10 list of outstanding performances of 2014 much more difficult. Complicating matters, three actors delivered stand-out performances in more than one film theatrically released this year. In the case of those particular actors, I’ve combined them into one spot each on my top 10 list so as not to deny a place to other actors who were equally as compelling in 2014 performances.

Without further ado, here are my picks for the best performances by actors in leading roles this year:

1. Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler and Enemy
2. Tom Hardy – Locke and The Drop
3. Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
4. Brendan Gleeson – Calvary
5. Jack O’Connell – Starred Up and Unbroken
6. Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
7. Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
8. David Oyelowo – Selma
9. Dan Stevens – The Guest
10. Tom Hiddleston – Only Lovers Left Alive

Honorable Mentions: Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Chris Evans (Snowpiercer), and Ben Affleck (Gone Girl).

– Also of interest: The 10 Best Movies of 2014 / The 10 Best Actresses of 2014 / Top 10 Supporting Actors


-By Rebecca Murray

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