Top Actors of the Decade by Awards and Recognition
Leonardo DiCaprio won the Academy Award for Best Actor for The Revenant in 2016, cementing his status as one of the most decorated performers of the 2010s. His films from the decade generated over $7 billion in global box office revenue, according to industry tracking sources like Box Office Mojo. Meryl Streep accumulated her 21st Oscar nomination during the decade, reinforcing her record as the most nominated performer in Academy history.
Daniel Day-Lewis set a benchmark for method acting with three Best Actor wins for My Left Foot, There Will Be Blood, and Lincoln, all released or recognized within the 2010s window. His final retirement from acting in 2017 marked the end of a career defined by extreme preparation and box office reliability. Joaquin Phoenix earned his first Best Actor Oscar for Joker in 2020, a role that originated as a 2010s project and grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
Highest-Grossing Actors and Franchise Impact
Robert Downey Jr. became the highest-grossing actor of the decade through his role as Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the franchise crossing $22 billion in global box office by 2019. His earnings from the role were reported by Forbes as exceeding $500 million in salary and backend participation across multiple films. The Avengers: Endgame, released in 2019, became the second-highest-grossing film of all time, with Downey Jr. as the central figure.
Samuel L. Jackson accumulated over $14 billion in global box office from his roles across the Marvel, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park franchises, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time according to Guinness World Records. His work in the 2010s included key roles in The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Infinity War. Chris Hemsworth and Scarlett Johansson also ranked among the top earners, with Johansson starring in multiple Avengers films that each exceeded $1 billion in revenue.
Critics' Picks and Independent Film Standouts
Casey Affleck won the Best Actor Oscar for Manchester by the Sea in 2017, a performance widely cited by critics as the most restrained and emotionally precise of the decade. The film, distributed by Amazon Studios, earned over $47 million worldwide and multiple awards from the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Timothée Chalamet emerged as a defining young talent with Call Me by Your Name in 2017, earning an Oscar nomination at age 22.
Viola Davis became the first Black actress to win the Triple Crown of Acting when she received the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Fences in 2017. Her performance was based on the August Wilson play and produced by Paramount Pictures, with the film grossing $64 million against a $20 million budget. Riz Ahmed earned an Oscar nomination for Sound of Metal in 2021, a film that began production in the late 2010s and highlighted the growing influence of streaming platforms like Amazon Prime Video in distributing acclaimed performances.