1) marlon brando - the godfather
2) bruce willis - armageddon
3) brad pitt/kevin spacey - both for se7en/kevin the usual suspects
honourable mentions:
anyone from lord of the rings
al pacino - tony montana
any morgan freeman movie appearance
edward norton - fight club/american history x
Comments
would you really include elijah wood in anyone from lotr
Charlize Theron in "Monster" is easily one of the best performances of all time from a technical and emotional standpoint. I also think Sissy Spacek has multiple performances that could be in contention for "Best of all time" standards.