Ten Performances by . . .

[CinemaInternational]

Sensational film debuts by actresses:

Katharine Hepburn/A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
Greer Garson/Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Teresa Wright/The Little Foxes (1941)
Angela Lansbury/Gaslight (1944)
Eva Marie Saint/On the Waterfront (1954)
Julie Andrews/Mary Poppins (1964)
Barbra Streisand/Funny Girl (1968)
Madeline Kahn/What's Up, Doc (1972)
Kathleen Turner/Body Heat (1981)
Whoopi Goldberg/The Color Purple (1985)

[jamesjazzguitar]

Sensational film debuts by actresses:

Katharine Hepburn/A Bill of Divorcement (1932)
Greer Garson/Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939)
Teresa Wright/The Little Foxes (1941)
Angela Lansbury/Gaslight (1944)
Eva Marie Saint/On the Waterfront (1954)
Julie Andrews/Mary Poppins (1964)
Barbra Streisand/Funny Girl (1968)
Madeline Kahn/What's Up, Doc (1972)
Kathleen Turner/Body Heat (1981)
Whoopi Goldberg/The Color Purple (1985)

Bravo for a creative use of this thread!

[kingrat]

Ten Performances in Villainous Roles by Actors Who Usually Don't Play Villains:

James Stewart in After the Thin Man
Gene Tierney in Leave Her to Heaven
Jane Wyatt in The Man Who Cheated Himself
June Allyson in The Shrike
Katharine Hepburn in Suddenly Last Summer
Olivia De Havilland in Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte
Walter Matthau in Charade
Julie Harris in Harper
Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West
Gregory Peck in The Boys From Brazil

[Swithin]

From 1950 to the Present: Ten Actresses Who Were Nominated for Best Actress Oscars but Didn't Win (but Should Have)

Eleanor Parker (Caged, 1951)
Leslie Caron (The L-Shaped Room, 1963)
Simone Signoret (Ship of Fools, 1965)
Patricia Neal (The Subject Was Roses, 1968)
Isabelle Adjani (The Story of Adele H., 1975)
Geraldine Page (Interiors, 1978)
Judy Davis (A Passage to India, 1984)
Meryl Streep (Out of Africa, 1985)
Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream, 2000)
Carey Mulligan (Maestro, 2023)

[kingrat]

Ten Performances To Celebrate Dame Edith Evans:

The Queen of Spades (1949)
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Look Back in Anger (1959)
The Nun's Story (1959)
Tom Jones (1963)
The Chalk Garden (1964)
Young Cassidy (1965)
The Whisperers (1967)
The Gambler (1968)--two-part BBC mini-series
Scrooge (1970)

[skimpole]

From 1940 to Present: Ten actresses who were nominated for best actress, didn't win, but should have:

Katharine Hepburn (The Philadelphia Story, 1940)
Barbara Stanwyck (Ball of Fire, 1941)
Gloria Swanson (Sunset Boulevard, 1950)
Julie Andrews (Victor/Victoria, 1982)
Jane Alexander (Testament, 1983)
Sigourney Weaver (Aliens, 1986)
Emma Thompson (The Remains of the Day, 1993)
Samantha Morton (In America, 2003)
Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake, 2004)
Cate Blanchett (Tar, 2022)

[kingrat]

Ten Performances to Celebrate Robert Ryan's Career:

Tender Comrade (1943)
Crossfire (1947)
Act of Violence (1948)
The Set-Up (1949)
On Dangerous Ground (1951)
The Naked Spur (1953)
About Mrs. Leslie (1954)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Iceman Cometh (1973)

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Ten Performances to Celebrate Robert Ryan's Career:

Tender Comrade (1943)
Crossfire (1947)
Act of Violence (1948)
The Set-Up (1949)
On Dangerous Ground (1951)
The Naked Spur (1953)
About Mrs. Leslie (1954)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Iceman Cometh (1973)

1.Crossfire (1947)
A scary, intense performance as the anti Semitic murderer.

2. The Set Up (1949)
He plays a washed up boxer who refuses to take a dive. His kindly wink to James Edwards may be my favorite Ryan moment on film.

3. On Dangerous Ground (1951)
A great performance as a bitter, violent cop who is transformed by the love of a gentle woman.

4.The Naked Spur (1953)
In contrast to the mean, grim villains in other films, this bad guy is actually pretty cheerful about his evilness. He is a sly outlaw brought in by bounty hunter James Stewart. He really seems to enjoy messing with Stewart's head.

5. Bad Day At Black Rock
Another racist bad guy, played with much subtlety but still very dangerous.

6. House Of Bamboo (1955)
He is a syndicate boss being investigated by undercover agent Robert Stack in this great Samuel Fuller film set in Japan.

7. Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
He is playing another vicious bigot, but does it very well in this tough crime drama.

8. Billy Budd (1962)
He is the sadistic Master at arms who make life miserable for the angelic title character(Terence Stamp)

9. The Wild Bunch(1969)
A great supporting part in this violent western,as a lawman hunting for his outlaw friend.He has one of the best lines in the film "We're after men, and I wish to God I was with some!"

10. The Iceman Cometh (1973)
I just saw this on DVD and it is great version of the Eugene O Neill masterpiece.Ryan is brilliant as Larry,the cynical barfly who is both yearning for and afraid of death.

[skimpole]

9. The Wild Bunch(1969)
A great supporting part in this violent western,as a lawman hunting for his outlaw friend.He has one of the best lines in the film "We're after men, and I wish to God I was with some!"

Isn't the line "We're after men, and I wish to God I was with them"?

[Allhallowsday]

Ten Performances by EDMUND O'BRIEN 'cause he's not talked about enough.

THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1939)
THE KILLERS (1946)
WHITE HEAT (1949)
D.O.A. (1949)
JULIUS CAESAR (1953)
THE HITCH-HIKER (1953)
THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (1954)
THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE (1962)
BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ (1962)
THE WILD BUNCH (1969)

[kingrat]

Ten Iconic Performances by Audrey Hepburn:

Roman Holiday (1953)
Sabrina (1954)
Funny Face (1957)
The Nun's Story (1959)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Charade (1963)
My Fair Lady (1964)
How to Steal a Million (1966)
Two for the Road (1967)
Wait Until Dark (1967)

And more: For Audrey pre-stardom in a small role, try Laughter in Paradise (1951); for her later films, Robin and Marian (1976); and as the perfect incarnation of Tolstoy's Natasha, War and Peace (1956).

[txfilmfan]

Ten Iconic Performances by Audrey Hepburn:

Roman Holiday (1953)
Sabrina (1954)
Funny Face (1957)
The Nun's Story (1959)
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Charade (1963)
My Fair Lady (1964)
How to Steal a Million (1966)
Two for the Road (1967)
Wait Until Dark (1967)

And more: For Audrey pre-stardom in a small role, try Laughter in Paradise (1951); for her later films, Robin and Marian (1976); and as the perfect incarnation of Tolstoy's Natasha, War and Peace (1956).

She's also in a blink-and-you-miss-it role in The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), where she plays a woman named Chiquita.

[Swithin]

Ten Favorite Performances by Actors Who Wouldn't Be Allowed to Play These Asian Roles Today

Robert Donat as The Mandarin of Yangcheng (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness)
Helen Jerome Eddy as Amah (Frisco Jenny)
Alec Guinness as Professor Godbole and Prince Faisal (A Passage to India, Lawrence of Arabia)
Harold Huber as Chan Lo (Klondike Annie)
Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din (Gunga Din)
Ona Munson as Madame Gin Sling (Shanghai Gesture)
Warner Oland as Dr. Yogami (Werewolf of London) and of course as Charlie Chan
Dan Seymour as Mr. Muckerji (Confidential Agent)
H.B. Warner as Chang (Lost Horizon)
Kenneth Williams as The Khasi of Kalabar (Carry On Up the Khyber)

[kingrat]

Ten Favorite Performances by Actors Who Wouldn't Be Allowed to Play These Asian Roles Today

Robert Donat as The Mandarin of Yangcheng (The Inn of the Sixth Happiness)
Helen Jerome Eddy as Amah (Frisco Jenny)
Alec Guinness as Professor Godbole and Prince Faisal (A Passage to India, Lawrence of Arabia)
Harold Huber as Chan Lo (Klondike Annie)
Sam Jaffe as Gunga Din (Gunga Din)
Ona Munson as Madame Gin Sling (Shanghai Gesture)
Warner Oland as Dr. Yogami (Werewolf of London) and of course as Charlie Chan
Dan Seymour as Mr. Muckerji (Confidential Agent)
H.B. Warner as Chang (Lost Horizon)
Kenneth Williams as The Khasi of Kalabar (Carry On Up the Khyber)

What a wonderful topic! I'd like to add three more of my favorites:

Nils Asther in The Bitter Tea of General Yen
Florence Bates in The Moon and Sixpence
Juanita Hall in South Pacific and Flower Drum Song

[kingrat]

I've been keeping the lists positive and upbeat, but am going to violate the rule this once to name ten performances not worthy of an Oscar nomination. They aren't necessarily bad, but are simply work that doesn't meet the standard one would expect. This has nothing to do with who might have been nominated in their place. I've even omitted performances I don't like, but can see why other people might.

I've limited the list to performances up to 1980. In the classic eras studios decided which films and actors to push in various categories, and Darryl Zanuck was especially good at getting Twentieth Century Fox personnel to vote the for the studio's candidates. Sometimes younger actors were pushed for the nominations in hopes of boosting their career.

Ten Performances Not Worthy of an Oscar Nomination:

1. Mariel Hemingway, Manhattan
2. Martha Hyer, Some Came Running
3. Terry Moore, Come Back, Little Sheba--although any woman unfortunate enough to be involved with Howard Hughes deserves an Oscar nom as a consolation prize.
4. Hermione Baddeley, Room at the Top--fine performance, but too little screen time.
5. Cornel Wilde, A Song To Remember
6. Don Murray, Bus Stop
7. Elizabeth Taylor, Butterfield 8--not her best work
8. Charlton Heston, Ben-Hur--effective casting gets part of the way there
9. & 10. Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw, Love Story--because missing (or dissing) Love Story means never having to say you're sorry.