Subscribe to ListverseTop 10 Coolest Men in Movies
- Published August 2, 2007 - 182 Comments
This is a list of male actors who are just outright cool. The actors were all picked from modern movies and they all have one thing in common: they have played the coolest people on film. From cool to coolest, here is the list:
10. Pierce Brosnan [IMDB | Wikipedia]
54 year old Pierce Brosnan was born in Ireland. He first shot to fame playing Remington Steele in the television series of the same name. Before his contract on the show was up, he was offered the role of James Bond in an up and coming film, but he was unable to break his contract. The suave actor finally played the role of Bond in Goldeneye, and he played Bond for a further four films (the last being Die Another Day). In 2004, Brosnan was voted “Best Dressed Environmentalist”.
9. Jack Nicholson [IMDB | Wikipedia]
70 yo Jack Nicholson is probably best known for his role in Stephen King’s The Shining in which he plays Jack Torrance, a writer who moves with his family to a hotel which is shut for the winter. While he is there he goes insane due to ghosts in the house. If you haven’t seen this film – you absolutely have to. It is one of the best thrillers ever made (probably because it is directed by Kubrick). Nicholson has been nominated for 12 Academy awards and has won three. He is considered to be one of the greatest actors of all time. It is alleged that he has had sex with over 2,000 women.
8. Brad Pitt [IMDB | Wikipedia]
43 year old Brad Pitt made it to this list because of one film: The Fight Club. Pitt plays an incredibly cool guy living in an abandoned house. In his spare time he makes soap from fat stolen from a liposuction clinic – so he can (ironically) sell the rich women their fat back. Another reason that Pitt is cool is that he is predicted to play the role of John Galt (the hero) in an upcoming trilogy of films aiming to bring Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged to the screen. His wife, Angelina Jolie is already signed to play the part of Dagny Taggart.
7. Johnny Depp [IMDB | Wikipedia]
44 year old Johnny Depp is well known for a diverse range of films, from dark movies like From Hell, and Sleepy Hollow, to childrens films like the Pirates of the Carribean and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Depp is a very diverse actor who spends half of him time living in France and the other half in the United States. He part owns a restaurant in Paris with Sean Penn, John Malkovich, and Mick Hucknall. He also plays the guitar and is very good friends with Marilyn Manson.
6. John Travolta [IMDB | Wikipedia]
53 year old Travolta shot to fame with his dance moves and singing in the 1970s through films such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever. After a series of flops in the 80s (following his last hit film Urban Cowboy), Travolta’s career had a downturn. Fortunately, in the 90s he made a comeback with his role as Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction (the reason he is on this list). He was nominated for an Academy Award and he returned to the A-list. The only unfortunate aspect of John Travolta which keeps him lower down the list than he could be, is that he is a Scientologist.
5. Edward Norton [IMDB | Wikipedia]
37 year old Edward Norton is on this list for two reasons: American History X, and Fight Club. For both of these films Norton went from a puny whiny actor to a buff muscleman. He exuded hatred in American History X (which has one of the most gruesome scenes in a modern film – think sidewalk and teeth) in which he played a white supremacist. In the fight club he plays the alter-ego of Brad Pitt’s character and lives with him in the abandoned house. Norton refuses to embrace his celebrity status and he contributes to many charitable organisations, both money and time.
4. Christian Bale [IMDB | Wikipedia]
33 year old Christian Bale was born in Wales, Great Britain. He has an incredible cult status on the internet and in 2007 IMDB users voted him their favourite actor ages under 40. For his role in the Machinists, Bale lost sixty pounds (27 kilograms) taking his weight down to 120 lbs (54 kilograms). Bale is most well known for his roles in American Psycho and Batman Begins where his part saw the Batman Franchise take a turn toward a much darker side. The film was an enormous hit and he will reprise his role in 2008 in The Dark Knight. If he fulfils his contractual obligation to play the role for a third time, he will be the first actor to play Batman in three films.
3. Samuel L. Jackson [IMDB | Wikipedia]
58 year old Samuel Jackson makes this list for his character in Pulp Fiction. In the film he played Jules Winnfield. His character has some classic quotes such as: “Yolanda, I thought you said you were gonna be cool. Now when you yell at me, it makes me nervous. And when I get nervous, I get scared. And when motherfuckers get scared, that’s when motherfuckers accidentally get shot.” Jackson also appeared in two of the new Starwars films and a variety of other films in which he often plays a gangster. Jackson is bald in real life and usually wears wigs in films. He is an avid golfer.
2. Vinnie Jones [IMDB | Wikipedia]
Before you start reading, check out this picture. 42 year old Vinnie is the guy in front. Onscreen and off, Vinnie Jones takes no prisoners! That photo is taken from when he played Soccer for Wimbledon (they won the FA cup in 1988). Vinnie was born in Watford, London and is well known for his intimidating demeanour on screen. He has stared in films such as Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels, and Snatch. in 2006 he played Juggernaut in X Men: The Last Stand. Unfortunately Vinnie has had some difficulties with the law: in 2003 he was convicted of Air Rage and in 1998 was convicted of assaulting his neighbour. In 2005, he became president of the Hertfordshire Agricultural Society.
1. Bruce Willis [IMDB | Wikipedia]
Two words: Die Hard. For that reason alone 52 year old German-born Bruce Willis takes top spot. However, Willis has starred in an enormous number of highly popular films such as Sin City, Lucky Number Slevin, The Sixth Sense, and The Fifth Element. Willis was married to Demi Moore for thirteen years. Bruce is the ninth highest grossing movie star of all time. He is known as a keen supporter of the US military and is has been very public in his belief of various conspiracy theories and political views. On April 29, 2007 during a live broadcast of a Nets home playoff game vs. the Toronto Raptors on TSN Willis caused a furore by quoting a catch phrase from his Die Hard films, “Yipee-ki-yay motherfucker”.
That is the list! If you don’t agree with my selection, tell me about it in the comments.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:38 pm
The images are clickable for a larger version btw.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Al Pacino scarface #1 hands down or any other mafia/gangster movie come on put at least scarface up there
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:23 pm
josh: heh – I did consider him and I guess we can count him as number 11 because he is definitely cool – though in more recent years he has done slightly less cool films than he used to. Hopefully something amazing will come out soon.
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
yea true but in the Hispanic community he is badest and coolest of all time
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:40 pm
in fight club brad pitt plays nortons alter ego.. in the movie pitt does not really exist.
August 2nd, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Monteze: you are right – I was trying not to put spoilers on the off-chance that someone may not have seen the film.
August 3rd, 2007 at 1:27 am
I cant find any reason to dissagree with this list at all. Although I can’t stand Brad Pitt and maybe Sean Connery would be a better fit then Pierce Brosnan. Travolta would be lower on the list…maybe #8 or 9
August 3rd, 2007 at 7:26 am
Dave: glad to know someone agrees with my selection
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:31 pm
Can’t argue with any of your selections, well maybe John Travolta, but you have to include Clint Eastwood! From Dirty Harry to The Outlaw Josey Wales to Every Which Way but Loose, he plays every kind of bad-ass you can think of.
Hard to leave John Wayne and Bruce Lee off, too. Maybe a top ten coolest dead movie stars?
August 3rd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Morphy: no! How could you think Clint Eastwood is cool?! He annoys me so much! And you are right about the last two – left off due to death.
If I did a top 10 coolest dead stars, how would you score James Dean?
August 4th, 2007 at 1:44 am
Steve Mcqueen and Toshirô Mifune are probably the coolest but they’re dead so I guess that counts them out.
Why are Travolta and Depp on there? When were they ever cool?
And what about Robert De Niro or I dunno … Mel Gibson? Mad Max wasn’t cool?
August 4th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
We’ll have to agree to disagree about Clint, I guess!
James Dean is definitely in the top 5. Others I would include: Lee Marvin, George C. Scott, Errol Flynn, Marlon Brando. He’s a lot younger but I would probably list River Pheonix, too.
August 4th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Morphy: Definitely agree about River Phoenix and the rest.
August 4th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Whoever said Clint Eastwood should really take a night off and rent “Paint Your Wagon.” A musical about prostitution and biligamy(sp). NOt his best work, i think it takes him down a few pegs myself.
August 4th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Brad: hehe – the only thing he could do worse is be a scientologist.
August 7th, 2007 at 8:52 am
No Connery? No Eastwood? No Steve McQueen? No Bogart??? What kid came up with this list???
August 7th, 2007 at 9:15 am
mooster: see the comments above about Eastwood
I generally considered younger actors with a couple of obvious exceptions.
August 7th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
As for Connery (don’t get me wrong, I love him) some examples of why he should not be on this list: Sword of the Valiant, First Knight, Entrapment, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. ‘Nuff said.
Kenneth Branagh, though often over-looked, would have to be on my list also.
August 7th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Morphy: those are very good examples – I agree completely. Branagh is an interesting choice; I really liked him in Frankenstein.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
I first got hooked on Branagh in Dead Again. And all of his Shakespeare adaptations I have seen have been excellent also.
August 7th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
I haven’t seen Dead again – I will have to check it out. He is definitely a top class actor.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:09 am
Hey,
No Newman, Eastwood or McQueen. Three guys who I would have in my list, but this isn’t my list and you are only including actors who are alive. Clint Eastwood in his westerns are some of the coolest characters in film, If you like westerns that is. Wouldn’t have Vinny in it either (like him by the way). Seen him play for Wimbledon when they played a friendly in Ireland, I was about 14 at the time and me and my mates where giving him a bit of friendly abuse, your shite and the like. He turned around and gave us a look, none of us said a bloody thing, even with the fencing. That picture is photo shopped by the way, which you no doubt can tell, it has Vinny wearing a Celtic shirt (A club he never played for) and Paul Gascoinge wearing a Ranger’s shirt, who he did play for (he was playing for Watford at the time of the incident, I think). Rangers and Celtic, both Glasgow clubs and fierce rivals.
August 8th, 2007 at 7:37 am
CitizenFly: thanks for the extra information on Vinnie – I am not up on the various teams colours which is why I missed the fact that the photo is shopped. My brother used to support Wimbledon and he saw him play as well – he had the opposite experience to you though – he shouted out in support of Vinnie who heard him and gave him a supporting fist up.
As for the actors – I agree about Newman – he was great in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:31 am
jfrater: The experience I had was brilliant, we all ran on the pitch after the match and got autographs off some of the players including Vinny. He took what we where saying as it was intended a bit of a laugh.
August 8th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Citizen – that is excellent – you are lucky to have his autograph especially as he is now a famous movie star – it may be worth a decent bit before long
August 8th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
jfrater: Unfortunatly I lost the autograph, along with my Eric Cantona autograph (my favorite player) and a few others, but that’s life. Not that big into it anyway, the autograph collecting, I used to have a few but didn’t get them to sell them. Doubt if Vinny’s would be worth much anyway, because he’s not the sort that would refuse fans unless he was busy or something. Now that you mention it, yeah, I would put him there in the top ten, maybe not as high, but he is cool. And he is one of us.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Citizen: exactly – I think the fact that he is so normal is partly what makes him so cool. You are probably right about the signature, but if you waited long enough… there is always someone who wants something bad enough to pay the big bucks
I have an autographed poem by Ginsberg which is not worth much now, but in 40 years I am sure it will be. Though it may be hard to sell as I love his poetry a lot! maybe my grandchildren (if I ever get any – or children at all for that matter) will make the money
August 9th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Chuck Norris, come on, he speaks braille, AND lost his virginity before his father.
August 9th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Roberto: I am scared to ask how you know the second of those two things to be true!
August 11th, 2007 at 2:00 am
I have to say, I agree with keeping John Travolta low on the list due to being a scientologist. I just don’t understand that religion at all. Every other religion at least makes some kind of sense, but Scientology is completly crazy.
August 11th, 2007 at 2:28 am
scientology is people believing in evolution and stuff like that…its not my religion but it makes sense to me
August 11th, 2007 at 3:45 am
nm about what i said i guess i was wrong
August 11th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
I only have one name for you: Charles Bronson. They don’t get much cooler or badassed then that.
August 18th, 2007 at 12:07 am
Wheres marlon brando from the godfather???!!! Al Pacino???!!!
August 18th, 2007 at 8:35 am
Gravy: I had this same fight with someone else
They are both amazing and deserve a mention for sure.
August 20th, 2007 at 6:42 am
I can only think of one man i like better than all of these guys. R Lee Ermy. He was one badass motherf*cker in full metal jacket. and i like johnny depps hat. just throwing that out there.
August 21st, 2007 at 10:10 am
I don’t see Harrison Ford anywhere here. Some of the best action roles ever. Han Solo not good enough for you? Try Jack Ryan. Not good enough either? Two words. Indiana Jones.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:42 am
greatk: Indiana Jones is cool – I agree. Thanks for adding him
August 23rd, 2007 at 2:58 am
these list is a crap…
where is sean connery, harrison ford, takeshi kaneshiro, hiroyuki sanada, toshiro mifune, tony leung..???
August 24th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (go get your mule scene), Mark Wahlberg in The Departed, Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, Cary Grant in Notorious, James Dean in his three films, Marlon Brando in “ON THE WATERFRONT”, Gabriel Byrne in “Miller’s Crossing”, Will Smith in “Men in Black”, Toby Maguire in “Spider man”, Denzel Washington in “Training Day” … and more and more ..
August 24th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
Sam: great additions – thanks. It is very difficult to make a list like this because it is so subjective. In the end we have to go on personal taste. Oh – Maguire in Spider man is definitely cool – but he is kinda dorky in everything else
August 27th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Sean Connery definitely deserves #1 or at least top 3.
“You’re the man now, Dog!”
You cant fight it…
September 1st, 2007 at 6:29 pm
Hello?!? Harrison Ford
Lets see, Han freakin solo, Indiana frakin jones and bladerunner… you’ve got to be kidding that he was not on this list.
September 2nd, 2007 at 12:34 am
pufonthis: who would you put him in place of on the list?
September 5th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
No John Wayne? He’s the Duke!
September 6th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
I’m baffled, never thought Pitt or Depp were even remotely cool. Difference of opinion. But no DeNiro?
September 6th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
rpenberg: If I was to substitute DeNiro for one on the list it would be Pitt – but definitely not Depp – aside from the rather awful pirate movies he has made, everything else has been excellent – and in real life he is pretty darn cool!
September 7th, 2007 at 8:42 pm
In response to Sam, i think if we remade this list 10 years from now mark wahlberg would have to make the list, hands down if he continues at the rate hes goin
September 7th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
ben: Mark Wahlberg is great.
September 16th, 2007 at 1:01 am
Two of my all time favs are on the list and I’m happy about that. Brosnan and Depp. Delicious men, both. I did like Pitt in Thelma and Louise though. This site rocks! I found it through a link on UnexplainedMysteries.com. One of the posters mentioned it.
September 16th, 2007 at 3:58 am
conni: He was good in Thelma and Louise – I really didn’t think I would like that film but I did enjoy it a lot. Susan Sarandon is an excellent actress too.
September 28th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I like the list, just travolta shouldnt be so high, JACK should be a lot higher and im with the guy above that says connery instead of Brosnan. thats real cool you put vinnie jones on there though! MEAN MACHINE!
September 28th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
conni: I think Depp has been extremely clever with his selection of movies – he is a bit like the Uma Thurman of boys – he picks the films that interest him rather than the ones that might be commercial successes.
Farmer: Jack definitely rocks – if I were to change the list that would be one I would consider changing. Oh – and with you 100% on Vinnie
September 28th, 2007 at 10:38 pm
hey,whos vinnie jones,wats he,depp,bale, doin on this list?wat about RICHARD GERE, mel,heath ledger,crowe,eric bana,orlando bloom,connery,harrison ford,al PACINO.. UR LIST SEEMS INCOMPLETE,WITHOUT ALL THESE COOOLL GUYS..
October 4th, 2007 at 11:29 am
Yeah! And what about William F. Buckley? Oh wait. Wrong list.
October 7th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Looks like this should be branched out into a generational list.
When the phrase “coolest men in movies” showed up I immediately thought of William Powell and Clark Gable.
And Bogart, talk about cool. Maybe the list should go by decades
October 9th, 2007 at 12:36 am
Don’t forget Errol Flynn if you’re going back that far for cool actors.
But I agree, Steve McQueen from The Great Escape… now THAT’S the essence of cool. Of course I would also add Bruce Campbell to the list, but that’s me.
October 9th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
Hmmm… why isn’t Alan Rickman, Harrrison Ford, Clint Eastwood, and Al Pacino in the list?
October 10th, 2007 at 2:21 am
Kevin Costner for 1 reason only => 3000 miles to graceland he was great for the first time in that movie…
George Clooney => he got some cool movie, but From dusk till down urns him a place in the list?
bdw clint Eastwood plays so pretty cool roles to
October 11th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
someone: I agree…Costner..3000 miles…absolute ice!!
I also loved De Niro in Jackie Browne..
October 12th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
my list-
al pacino-scarface/godfather
marlon brandon-godfather
arnold scwartzenegger-predator/terminator
brad pitt-fight club/se7en
will smith-bad boys
2pac-juiced
jack nicholson-china town
steve mcqueen-great escape
stallone-cobra(i know.but a popular pinup nonetheless)
bruce willis-die hard
BRUCE LEE-YEAH(too many cool movies)
IBASED MY CHOICIES ON POPULAR PINUPS AND MOVIES STILL FAMOUS
October 15th, 2007 at 11:39 am
Brilliant list.
Now, I may be a fanboy, but Christian Bale deserves the top spot. He’s got to be one of the best actors that film has ever seen. From childish Disney musicals (Newsis, which Bale joined the cast before they turned it into a musical) to a psychotic murderer in American Psycho, Bale is the lord of the screen.
October 21st, 2007 at 7:21 am
No Michael Caine ? I am stunned. Also, Bogart should be on the list, and Pacino. I don’t know what Pitt and Vinnie Jones are doing there. I like Depp, though. He seems to be a really cool guy.
October 21st, 2007 at 7:28 am
AndyB123: I agree about Michael Caine to a certain degree – he was very cool as Batman’s butler in the most recent film.
October 24th, 2007 at 7:39 pm
two words…. BRUCE LEE… With the exception MAYBE of Vinnie Jones, every one of these Hollywooders would go down in the first few seconds… Vinnie would take three.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Where’s Nicolas Cage? He’s amazingly cool in just about every movie he’s ever done.
October 27th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
T: Nicholas Cage is cool in many of his films – while not in the top ten he wouldn’t be too far off – like many of the other people mentioned in the comments
October 28th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Harrison Ford should be number one. I like the list otherwise but leaving him off was a terrible oversight.
October 28th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Wow, I don’t find any of these stiffs particularly cool, except maybe a young Jack Nicholson.
Steve Mcqueen in Bullitt, that’s cool. Gabriel Byrne in Miller’s Crossing is cool. Brad Pitt is a pretty boy moron and therefore never, ever cool. Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mocking Bird, cool. Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now, cool. Daniel Craig in Layer Cake, Casino Royale, very, very cool.
John Malkovich in Dangerous Liaisons is cool, if only for this line: while instructing a young Uma Thurman in bed, “First we have to start with some Latin terms.”
October 31st, 2007 at 8:14 pm
In trying to adhere to the implied guideline of living(!) actors, I would definately remove John Travolta and bump Pierce Brosnon in favor of Paul Newman & Harrison Ford. Travolta was lucky to get off the C-list with the gift of “Pulp Fiction.” He then proceeded to think himself some sort of gift from god (Xenu) while at the same time starring in more piles of shit than a family of dung beetles. Brosnon is a decent t.v. star at best. Meanwhile, Newman and Ford put out films like “The Hustler,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” & “The Empire Strikes Back.” But all can be forgiven, for you very wisely & extremely tastefully left off Nic “I play the same douchebag in every role I tackle, on-screen and off” Cage & Tom “I make Travolta appear sane and humble” Cruise. Anywho, another great list, keep it up kind sir!
November 3rd, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Bill Murray is pretty f’n cool too!
November 12th, 2007 at 8:00 am
DANIEL CRAIG, for Layer Cake, and most certainly, the magnificent Casino Royale. Daniel is one cool sexy man.
December 1st, 2007 at 11:02 am
Bruce Willis cooler than Nicholson? Obviously the list puts style over substance…Nicholson is way cooler in both style and substance than anybody on the list, IMHO.
December 2nd, 2007 at 4:28 pm
I agree that Harrison Ford should be on the list. Indiana Jones is badass (and sexy).
I’d like to see honorable mention for Matt Damon in the Bourne Trilogy. They have some great action sequences.
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Well, I know he hasn’t had any major roles lately, but I think Bruce Campbell should be on the list just because he’s Bruce Campbell! What a guy!
December 7th, 2007 at 10:56 pm
I agree with Clovis–to me it is mind blowing that Bruce Willis made the list, but not the ultra-wonderful Alan Rickman. In fact, maybe there should be a list solely dedicated to him–I would happily contribute!
December 12th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Bruce Willis??? , oh please
December 15th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
The coolest of them all was Lee Marvin. No more explanation needed.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
This list is whack. There is no way in the world John Travolta is cooler than Jack Nicholson.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:44 am
^ I agree with that statement.
January 3rd, 2008 at 8:21 am
Edward Norton woot woot Edward Norton *dances*
January 4th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I think Daniel Craig should replace Pierce. I agree that Pierce is pretty cool, but Craig is much cooler. Besides the fact that he is more attractive, he’s bigger, less refined, a better fighting actor, and just generally more bad-ass than Pierce.
January 11th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
John Travolta? Might as well put on Nicolas Cage, Ben Affleck or Carrottop. I see Pulp Fiction being the reason, but he was terribly obvious in that. It wasn’t his performance that was good, it was the tongue in cheek reason the filmakers used him that was good. Is Matt Damon still too young looking to be mentioned? I was not a fan for awhile, but when they win me over…
January 11th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Daniel Day-Lewis?
January 11th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
i think the list is good – remember, we’re looking for “COOL”, not badass or tough or good-looking.
Brosnan is suave – but not cool. Antonio Banderas is suave, AND cool.
James Bond as a character is cool.
Harrison Ford, Steve McQueen should be on the list.
Jack and Sam should be #1 and #2, Bruce at #3.
I would not include the pretty boys like Brad, Leo, Matt, Ben, etc.
January 13th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Well put together list. Depp is definately one of my favorite actors for his amazing preformances in movies like the secret window, edward scissor hands, what’s eating gilbert grape, and so forth. And Edward Norton is another excellent choices…American History X is in my top 5 all time favorite movies.
January 25th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Is marky mark wahlberg cool enough he can rap as well.
January 29th, 2008 at 7:34 am
What about Anthony Hopkins? Maybe for a future list of “Classiest men in movies?”
January 31st, 2008 at 3:41 am
Harrison Ford by his “Indi” and “Blade Runner” should be on the list imo.. Both characters are well played and very cool, don’t you think?
February 8th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
i know its been some time since you entered this, but great list.u nailed it. i would prefer christian bale to be closer to number one, but thats only based on hotness. hahahaha
March 9th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
I don’t agree with the list at all. For example: Jack Nicholson should be on the #3 or #2 place.
You ommited stars like Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Tommy Lee Jones, Harrison Ford, etc. and instead you put Vinnie Jones on the 2nd place??
April 4th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
I surprised you left out Robert De Niro. He’s always calm and cool but you know that at any minute he might just kill you.
Anthony Hopkins is another guy id like to have seen on the list, especially after fracture. He was cool personified in that role.
April 7th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Excellent list. I wish you would reconsider John Travolta. He seems to be hamming it up lately, by sucking alongside Tim Allen in Wild Hogs and by playing a fat lady in Hairspray. I agree he WAS cool, but not anymore.
I would suggest replacing him with George Clooney. Clooney IS Mr. Hollywood. The self confirmed bachelor-for-life, oozes cool. He is charming, smart and incredibly witty. I always enjoy hearing about his behind the scenes pranks on costars. I very much enjoy his style as a moviemaker as well (Good Night and Good Luck, The Good German, etc)
April 21st, 2008 at 9:48 am
who the fuck is vinnie jones????? and no way nicholson has slept with OVER 2000 women. that would be just insane. where did you hear such thing??
April 21st, 2008 at 9:49 am
oh ok, i recognize him now sorry for the outburst.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:23 am
Im surprised there is no mention of Chow Yun Fat here. (HardBoiled, the Killer, Crouching Tiger)
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:51 am
New to the site. Love it!
Couple more to consider..
Viggo Mortensen is pretty cool. “History of Violence” “Lord of the Rings”
Vinnie Jones cant act. One look, one role. Amazing he is on this list. What a dickhead.
Clooney is excellent, more than a “face”.
Matt Damon? Bourne series was excellent..made mega $.
May 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
Woot?! John Travlota you might aswell put Tom Cruise here.
And why no Will Smith?
May 12th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
where is Eastwood and Bronson, i understand that its only a list of 10 but in my opinion these 2 should be in the top 5.
May 12th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
oh i almost forgot de niro,pacino and i agree with the guy above why the hell is vinnie jones on the list.
June 8th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Vinnie Jones is an undisputed bad ass. I would put Michael Madsen, Vince Vaughn, and Will Smith into notable omissions. I think Vince or Madsen could easily unseat Travolta, who is not only a crazy scientologist but an actor in the decline of his career. The last DECENT movie Travolta was in was Swordfish, he was recently in Wild Hogs which should sum up why he isnt cool.
June 18th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Robert Deniro???
July 1st, 2008 at 12:31 am
I am amazed it took until post 91 before the coolest of them all got mentioned. Tommy Lee Jones. Has never been uncool. Another worthy of an honourable mention is Harvey Keitel.
Cheers
Lee
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:39 pm
John Travolta…really? I mean…he had one good movie that was COOl.
Grease (you’ll probably want to shoot me) was a sucky movie, and even if you consider it good, it’s not altogether COOL.
What about Clint Eastwood? Robert De Niro? Will Smith? All SOO much cooler than Travolta, or Pitt for that matter (though Pitt does have an actual LIST of good movies…whereas Travolta only has one.)
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
TheKid: what about Pulp Fiction. thats two
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I love this list! The only exception I would have made was taking off John Travolta and adding Viggo Mortenson. He was awesome in Lord of the Rings, Hidalgo, and The Prophecy.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
this is an awesome list, you cannot disagree with any of the choices
but i think burt reynolda and jon voight were both extremely cool in deliverance
also reynolds in the longest yard and voight in ali
July 27th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Whoa! Where is will smith?he should definitely be on the list if not 1
July 28th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Bogart in Casablanca! After him, they all fall by the wayside. That being said, Travolta? in anything? ever? in this life or the next?? Travolta???? Not even in your humble opinion, have you czeched your sanity?
July 30th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
sorry, but to me, Sam Jackson should be #1 for his total diversity in movies and he’s one COOL motherfucker! Bruce Willis did Die Hard, yeah, but I think it’s unfair to judge one’s “cool” factor on just one character. Samuel has tons of cool characters! hey, that’s just one girl’s opinion though.
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:40 pm
top five
1. clint eastwood
2. bruce lee
3. robert deniro
4. edward norton
5. jack nickleson
also, brad pitt should be mentioned for his role in snatch, one of my favorite parts of all time..
August 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm
also daniel craig for the new bond movie and gerard butler for 300 should be mentioned
August 5th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
i think we need a top ten bad acting action heros list, like stephen segal and stalone
August 7th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
i LOVE Jack Nicholson. he’s fabulous, even though he IS a man hoe =]
August 16th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Where was Steve Mcqueen, Clint Eastwood and Marlon Brando.
Surely they deserved to be up there.
August 27th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
#1: Clint Eastwood. Evidence: A Fistful of Dollars. For a Few Dollars More. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. The Outlaw Josey Wales. Dirty Harry. And many, many more. He’s even proven himself as a great director. Get it together Listverse.
September 28th, 2008 at 1:27 am
is brad pitt married to angelina jolie?
September 30th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Not bad selections. I wouldn’t of put Bruce as # 1.
what about Robert Deniro? for at least an honorable mention.
October 6th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Gay-ish, horse-faced Travolta is one of the least cool movie stars ever.
October 12th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Johnny Depp should be number 1
Will Smith should be in the top 10
Denzel Washinton included
October 25th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
WHERE IS STEVE MCQUEEN? I cannot take ANY list of “cool guys” seriously without him included.
October 31st, 2008 at 6:40 am
Steve McQueen was hands down the coolest actor ever both on and off-screen. And where is Paul Newman? “Cool Hand” Luke? “Fast Eddie” Felson? Butch Cassidy? Those are some pretty cool characters.
October 31st, 2008 at 3:13 pm
NO CHUCK NORRIS!? FUCK YOU!
November 5th, 2008 at 6:00 am
Wow totally agree with everything on here.
I don’t know what it is about Jack Nicholson but I have a weird crush on him too.
So the rumour of him sleeping with over 2000 women is actually quite understandable.
Then again you are talking to the girl who also has a crush on Jeremy Kyle…
November 8th, 2008 at 7:05 am
omalawd
wheres mr reeves?!?!?!?!?!?!
November 12th, 2008 at 3:10 am
A list of the coolest men in film that doesn’t mention paul newman is a list that disqualified itself. From Road to Perdition (a favorite of mine) to Cool Hand Luke (also a favorite), he has been one of the best actors around, so has Tom Hanks– yes I said it, Tom Hanks is a great actor. But Paul Newman is the coolest.
November 16th, 2008 at 5:37 am
Matt Damon for the Bourne series..
Al Pacino for the Godfather…
Will Smith – i don’t know why but i find him cool in most of his movie.
Di Caprio for the Departed and Blood Diamond..
Denzel Washington – i love him and i think he’s one of the coolest actor..
and definitely
Clint Eastwood
^_^
December 4th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Where’s my boy Denzel? He’s one of the best actors ever, period. He always makes his characters cool. Also, I like Willis but #1, hell no.
Brosnan is also kinda week too. The only cool movies he did were the James Bond films and even then only the 1st 2 movies were any good.
Sean Connery should have definitely been put on here. He’s looked to be about the same age for the past 30 years and he just eminates coolness!!
George Clooney is pretty cool. His movies are not always the best, but he looks like he’s having fun when he acts and he’s likeable.
Jason Stathom should be here to, at least on honorable mention. He’s got that sharp British sarcasm and his characters are always sharp and witty. He’s also not a bad action star as far as his fighting abilities, but honestly he needs to lay off the action flicks “cough” Transporter 1,2,& 3, WAR ugh.
Also, another vote for Alan Rickman. Can’t think of a movie where I did not like him. He also made on of the best villans ever as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and even managed to be better than the lead as the Sheriff in Robin Hood. (although I could teach a dog to do better acting than Kevin Costner).
Benicio Del Torro. He doesn’t star in a whole lot of movies, but the parts I have seen him in he always does a great job. He and Depp were arguably one of the best duo’s in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and even little small part’s he’s had like Franky 4 Fingers in Snatch he did a good job.
Finally hats off to Norton, that guy is a GREAT actor, one of my favorites and he definitely deserves either a 1 or 2 spot on this list.
December 12th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Perfect List A+
Completly agree!
January 7th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Where’s Clive Owen? Christ, his voice alone – pure velvet.
Cool is only cool when you don’t work at it. Take the example from Nicholson.
Street cred also helps – Steve McQueen and Jason Statham are good examples.
If dead people were allowed, Toshirô Mifune (like mentioned by Mutchew) would be #1.
January 11th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I agree, Clive Owen should definitely be on there. Steve McQueen too.
And Samuel L. should be number one because he’s a bad ass you-know-what.
January 26th, 2009 at 8:09 am
WHAT????? No Chuck Norris???? *Tongue in Cheek*
January 26th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Chuck Norris is so cool he can fry ants with a magnifying glass. At night. hehehehe
February 4th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I would include…
1) Paul Newman…Hombre
2) Clint eastwood…spaghetti westerns
3) Charles Bronson…hard times
4) Stallone…Rambo
5) Clark Gable…Gone with the wind
February 7th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Sean Connery definitely deserves a mention, I think. I’d be hard pressed to find a role he played that he wasn’t a badass in.
February 13th, 2009 at 11:29 am
First of all, the movie is “Fight Club,” not “The Fight Club.” He’s also not married to Angelina
February 20th, 2009 at 4:03 am
christian bale is a baaaaaaaabe.
nuf’ said.
he was sick in American Psycho.
February 21st, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Notable omissions: Jason Stathom, Mark Wahlberg.
February 24th, 2009 at 6:07 am
VINNIE JONES?
PIERCE BROSNAN?
BRUCE WILLIS?
Cool if you’re a computer nerd
The worst list ever…..
worst list…
ever…
February 26th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Brad Pitt is pretty badass actually… why do people call him a pretty boy? I must admit, his role in Burn After Reading was fucking pointless…
Eastwood needs to be on there for sure.
March 17th, 2009 at 6:41 am
what about clint eastwood?
March 25th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Pierce Brosnan is definitely a very well dressed man, and probably the best Bond ever…
April 8th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
where’s cage?
April 20th, 2009 at 7:45 am
i met vinnie jones….. strangely enough he is pals with my grandma (they live near each other). he was very nice.
April 27th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
Ahem. 144 comments in, and I haven’t even seen a single mention of Christopher Walken?
Good list overall, but I’m not so sure about Travolta. Granted, Pulp Fiction IS incredibly excellent, but his dreck list is more than enough to negate that. You’ve got people knocking Clint off the list because of ONE movie – Paint Your Wagon. Look at the decidedly non-cool crap Travolta has forced us to sit through. Look Who’s Talking – ALL THREE of them? Battlefield Earth, the quintessential worst movie ever made? GREASE, for god’s sake?
Not to mention Michael, Phenomenon, Broken Arrow (one year = three crappy Travolta movies), Swordfish, Wild Hogs, and pretty much the rest of his filmography.
Now, I might change my tune if Tarantino goes ahead with the proposed prequel (it would have to be, for obvious reasons) to Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction starring the Vega brothers.
April 30th, 2009 at 2:23 am
*drools* for christian bale.
dangerous…
May 1st, 2009 at 12:10 pm
Hey.. Where the hell is will smith?
May 15th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
yippie ki yay muthafucker
May 16th, 2009 at 1:27 am
Fuck…….where is robert de niro.
scarface & casino.
al pacino
robert de niro
nicholas cage
tom cruise
richard gere
where are they???
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
guy pearce should have a place on this list (or, moreover, be at the top of this list). he exuded cool as andy warhole and “memento…” .. hello?? he’s second only to brad pitt who is probably the coolest actor, and not just for fight club!! kalifornia, too young to die, the original stoner in true romance. i disagree with all the other actors on the list. not because i don’t like them but because they are not “cool” in the sense of the word that i have in mind. samuel l jackson is NOT cool.. he just thinks he is. his head hasn’t deflated since pulp fiction
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
these two just occured to me also.. benicio del torro and sam rockwell. both very cool
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:45 pm
the actual top ten “coolest” actors
1.brad pitt
2.guy pearce
3.benicio del torro
4.sam rockwell
5.daniel day lewis
6.josh harnett
7.river pheonix
8.heath ledger
9.rhys ifans
10.philip seymour hoffman
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:23 pm
John Travolta was only cool for the duration of the Saturday Night Fever phenomenon.
July 5th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Benicio Del Toro should have made this list.
July 12th, 2009 at 1:05 am
it should be like this:1)christian bale 2)johnny depp 3)brad pit 4)ashton kutcher 5)kevin costner 6)bruce willis 7)mel gibson 8)josh hartnett 9)leonardo dicaprio 10)antonio banderas
July 12th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
My personal top 5:
1. Christian “God” Bale
2. Robert DeNiro
3. Denzel Washington
4. Jack Nicholson
5. Hugh Jackman
July 15th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
Wheres De Niro? Wheres Pacino? Wheres Harrison Ford?…and as i was scrolling down the name i was sure would be number 1 wasn’t even there…where the FUCK is Clint Eastwood?
July 18th, 2009 at 4:10 pm
Will Smith and James Dean are simply two of the coolest people ever, never mind in films.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Clint Eastwood!
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:12 pm
Half of these seem so…..unoriginal and mainstream…..it makes me sad.
July 26th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Johnny Depp should be nr 1
July 26th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Jeff Bridges- The Big Lebowski, I mean come on, his name was THE DUDE. Nothing can be cooler than that. haha.
August 2nd, 2009 at 9:12 am
oh come on these are old people from the 80s apart from brad pitt, my father agrees but i dont the top 10 cooooolllest people are people like matt dallas,zac efron, tylor lautner, edward in twilight, tom welling, jonney depp, the jonas brothers and chad michael murray.
August 7th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Sean Connery is the coolest man alive.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
IMO the list has a lot of poor choices. The list needs people like Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, and other old and good actors not people like Christian Bale and Brad Pitt.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:05 am
these lists are AWFUL! clint eastwood?!??
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:12 am
Sean Connery? Dont tell me you think any of those people up there are even remotely cooler than Sean Connery. The man is ancient and still young women throw themselves at him. He even said he was not above smacking a woman if she needed it on tv. They still love him. I guess cause he is not a limp wristed metrosexual like most of your list
September 10th, 2009 at 10:38 am
Robert Mitchum? He invented cool and badass!
September 11th, 2009 at 6:35 am
My first time posting on listverse, excellent site btw.
I have to say number 1 for me would be Kevin Spacey! The Usual Suspects! American Beauty! Se7en! L.A. Confidential!
Sean Connery and Michael Caine deserve spots too.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Dont know if its been mentioned but Jason Statham
September 20th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I agree with everyone on this list mabey i would have included sean connery but i was so glad matt damon was not hear. Bruce Willis is so cool John McClane can rescue me anyday.
September 25th, 2009 at 2:08 am
I’ll add DeNiro, Harvey keitel (mr wolf is tha man), Ray liotta (goodfellas deserved a damn oscar), Pacino, and Jason Statham.
October 1st, 2009 at 1:57 am
where’s russel crowe?!?!?! are you telling me ANY of these characters in ANY of these films is as epic, badass andcool as Maximus?
sometimes i despair
October 16th, 2009 at 2:01 am
I quite like the list, but, there are many other guys who deserve to be mentioned.
agree with the above named:
jason statham, this man is to cool to be real
jeff bridges, just “the dude” (or his dudness or el duderino…)
plus:
daniel craig, best bond ever! sean’s a pussy compared
joaquin phoenix, he actually IS johnny cash
October 20th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
completely agree with johnny depp!
but christian bale? the guy is an idiot! as is vinnie jones.
October 27th, 2009 at 6:02 am
Gary Oldman – nothing beats playing Dracula.