10 most outstanding actors on the silver screen in 2016

Tom Hanks, Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch... are among the actors who have left the biggest impression on movie lovers around the world, according to IMDb.

Tom Hanks

Immediately after the movie Sully, about the captain of the same name (who saved the lives of passengers in the Hudson River accident in 2009), was released, experts gave Tom Hanks compliments. The veteran actor perfectly portrayed the image of captain Sully - a calm hero who did not need to show off despite being praised. Hanks was a magnet that attracted audiences to the theater and helped Sully unexpectedly reach a revenue of up to 200 million USD worldwide.

The role of Captain Sully helped Hanks become a strong candidate for the Oscar for "Best Actor" in early 2017. In addition to Sully, he also had commercial success when he played the main role in the adventure film Inferno, which brought in 217 million USD.

Benedict Cumberbatch

The British star started 2016 by reprising his role as Sherlock Holmes on TV in The Abominable Bride, which attracted 8.4 million viewers. Cumberbatch then surprised many with his quirky role in the comedy Zoolander 2.

Cumberbatch closed out 2016 by joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He played Stephen Strange - a powerful and wise magician - in the blockbuster Doctor Strange. This film was a huge success in terms of revenue, bringing in over 636 million USD and paving the way for Cumberbatch to enter the ranks of Marvel's silver screen heroes.

Robert Downey Jr.

When Cumberbatch joined the Marvel universe, he had the opportunity to work alongside another “Sherlock Holmes,” superstar Robert Downey Jr. This star received a salary of 33 million USD last year despite only appearing in one film. That work was Captain America: Civil War – currently at the top of the list of highest-grossing films of the year.

Civil War became a box office phenomenon with a revenue of 1.1 billion USD, partly due to the attraction of the name Robert Downey Jr. In the film, he plays “Iron Man” Tony Stark and directly confronts a group of superheroes with different views led by Captain America. In 2017, the A-list actor is expected to appear in the awaited movie Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Casey Affleck

“Magical”, “excellent”, “exceptional”… are the words that critics have given to Casey Affleck’s role in the highly rated film Manchester By The Sea. The psychological film tells the story of an uncle who must learn to care for his nephew after the boy’s father passes away… After being screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Manchester By The Sea was rated as one of the best films of 2017.

Casey Affleck's performance, which includes a wide range of emotions from happiness, sadness to anger, is the biggest highlight of the film. Indiewire did not hesitate to rank Affleck as number one on the list of potential candidates for the Oscar for Best Actor. Hitfix even praised: "Affleck's role as the uncle is worthy of being a role model for anyone who wants to learn about the art of acting."

After years of being in the shadow of his famous brother Ben Affleck, Casey has finally made his own breakthrough. At the 2017 Golden Globe Awards, Casey Affleck was nominated for "Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama".

Dwayne Johnson

After leaving the wrestling ring, the former boxer "The Rock" has become even more successful. In 2016, Dwayne Johnson impressed by surpassing a series of stars such as Jackie Chan, Tom Cruise or Johnny Depp ... to become the highest-paid actor in the world. According to Forbes magazine, the muscular star received a salary of 64.5 million USD last year. People magazine chose Dwayne Johnson as the "Sexiest Man Alive".

The two films he participated in, Central Intelligence and Moana (voice), were both commercial successes. In 2017, Dwayne Johnson promises to shine even brighter with the films Jumanji, Baywatch and especially the action blockbuster Fast & Furious 8.

Dev Patel

Eight years after his breakthrough in Slumdog Millionaire, Indian-born actor Dev Patel is once again on the verge of being honored at the film awards. He received praise for two films in 2016, Lion and The Man Who Knew Infinity, the former of which earned Dev Patel a nomination at the upcoming Golden Globes.

In The Man Who Knew Infinity, Patel played the famous Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. In Lion, he tried his hand at the role of a lost son of India who returns to find his family after 25 years abroad. Indiewire listed Dev Patel as an Oscar nominee for both "Best Actor" (The Man Who Knew Infinity) and "Best Supporting Actor" (Lion).

Matt Damon

Matt Damon's 2016 started with a Best Actor Oscar nomination. Damon's role as an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian earned him his third Oscar nomination.

In the summer, he delighted many fans when he returned to his “brand” role as Jason Bourne. The film marked Damon’s return to the Bourne character after a nine-year break. This action-thriller earned $415 million worldwide. Matt Damon is currently preparing for the epic film project The Great Wall by director Zhang Yimou.

Andrew Garfield

After the cancellation of The Amazing Spider-Man 3, actor Andrew Garfield had a completely absent year in 2015. This period of silence was considered a time for Garfield to look back on his career and choose the right next step. It seems that this 33-year-old actor has learned a lot of experience to explode at the right time in 2016 with two highly rated works - Silence and Hacksaw Ridge.

In Hacksaw Ridge, Garfield plays war hero Desmond Doss, who rose to fame during World War II by refusing to kill and became the first person in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot. Hacksaw Ridge was named one of the best films of 2016 by the American Film Institute (AFI), while Garfield was awarded “Best Actor in an Action Movie” by the American Critics Circle and nominated for a Golden Globe.

In addition, the film Silence, in which Garfield collaborated with famous director Martin Scorsese, is also a potential candidate at the 2017 Oscars.

Ryan Gosling

In 2016, Ryan Gosling continued to prove to fans that he has talent beyond just a pretty face. In the middle of the year, the actor teamed up with star Russell Crowe to form a hilarious private detective duo in The Nice Guys. By the end of the year, Gosling emerged as a strong contender for awards season with his role as jazz musician Sebastian in La La Land.

In the film, Sebastian falls in love with a young actress (Emma Stone) in Los Angeles. Their musically-inspired love story was critically acclaimed as one of the best films of 2016. At the 2017 Golden Globes, Gosling was nominated for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical and Best Original Song (a duet with Emma Stone for “City of Stars”).

Denzel Washington

Despite being 61 years old and having won two Oscars and three Golden Globes, veteran star Denzel Washington still shows great passion for art. He takes on the dual roles of director and lead actor in the psychological film Fences. This work is set in the 1950s and focuses on a black man, Troy (played by Washington). Troy struggles to feed his family and find his place in a racist society.

The American Film Institute included Fences in its list of “Top 10 American Films of the Year,” while Washington was nominated for a Golden Globe for “Best Actor.” He is also one of the leading candidates for the Oscar nominations that will be announced in the near future.

According to VNE