Here's my list (with some commentary for those that don't end up on almost everybody else's list:
A. James Cagney in "Yankee Doodle Dandy." We underrate light fare, such as comedy, musicals and biopics, but this performance is riveting, from the scene in his father's bedroom to that impromptu dance down the stairs at the end. And everything else too, for that matter.
B. Alec Guinness in "Tunes of Glory." There are so many great performances of his, many in comedies, to choose from, but I'll take this one just to be contrary, like the character.
C. Raymond Massey in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." In some ways a stagey performance, in that (1) this was a successful play before it was a movie and (2) his performance does not depend on cinematic techniques to enhance his performance. Just a powerful performance with great subtlety and insight.
D. DeNiro in "Raging Bull." No explanation necessary.
E. Al Pacino in "Dog Day Afternoon." The best he ever was. As good as anybody could be.
F. Marlon Brando in "A Streetcar Named Desire." You could choose "The Godfather" or "On The Waterfront," but this one is the performance that changed everything.
G. Cary Grant in "His Girl Friday." You know the old line: "Dying is easy, comedy is hard." Cary made it look easy.
H. Peter O'Toole in "Lawrence of Arabia." O'Toole quoted that line about comedy in "My Favorite Year." But as much as I like that performance, I can't pass up this star turn.
I. Shimura Takashi in "Ikiru." Okay, it sounds pretentious to include this, but if you go back and watch his performance I think you'll agree.
J. Lamberto Maggiorani in "Bicycle Thieves." Same comment as above, except that he wasn't even a professional actor before being cast in this movie. Which should make us all think twice about how we distinguish the actor from the role written for him and from the performance that the director elicits and the crew captures.
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