Steven Spielberg is a cinematic icon who has created some of the most beloved films of all time. He has inspired generations of filmmakers, thrilled countless fans and continues to prove himself a legend in the business. And despite the spectacle of his films, he always allows his memorable characters to shine through.
Spielberg’s films have attracted some of the best actors of all time. With the right combination of director and actor, many of his films have featured brilliant performances that have stood the test of time. Here are some of the best performances in Steven Spielberg’s movies.
Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park)
With the incredible and ground-breaking special effects used in Jurassic Park, it was going to be hard for any of the human actors to compete for attention with their dinosaur co-stars. However, the movie is filled with great performances, but Jeff Goldblum is the one who steals the show.
As Ian Malcolm, an eccentric chaotician, Goldblum infuses his unique energy into this rollicking adventure. He is sometimes the comic relief of the story but also serves as the moral compass, not holding back on his opinions of playing god by bringing these monsters back into the world.
Christian Bale (Empire Of The Sun)
Christian Bale is now known as one of the most versatile actors in film today. However, his talents were evident from his youth with this early role in Spielberg’s war drama, Empire of the Sun. Bale plays Jim, a young boy living with his family in Japan when war breaks out. He is separated from his parents and becomes a prisoner of war.
Spielberg always manages to bring great performances out of young actors, but what Bale does here is quite extraordinary. We see him exude childlike wonder in the early scenes before gradually losing his innocence through his experiences.
Leonardo DiCaprio (Catch Me If You Can)
Catch Me If You Can is the incredible true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a young teen who became one of the most successful con artists in the United States’ history. Leonardo DiCaprio proves to be the perfect actor to play this unbelievable character.
DiCaprio was in that in-between stage as he transitioned from teen heartthrob to respected adult actor. This proved to be the ideal role as it showed off his charm and charisma mixed with an outlaw quality. We immediately believe that this young kid could con his way into just about any situation.
Djimon Hounsou (Amistad)
While Spielberg is beloved for his thrilling adventure stories, he is also equally effective with harrowing real-life dramas. Amistad tells the story of a slave revolt aboard a ship and the landmark courtroom case to determine the fate of the slaves who were subsequently captured.
Djimon Hounsou gave one of his earliest film performances as the leader of the slaves, a man out of his element who struggles to gain freedom and justice for his people. It is a powerful and heartbreaking performance with so much intensity even in moments where he is not speaking.
Tom Hanks (Saving Private Ryan)
Tom Hanks, a frequent collaborator of Spielberg’s, was first seen working with the director in Saving Private Ryan. Hanks plays Captain Miller, the leader of a small company of men in World War II who are sent to find a missing soldier who has been given the chance to return home.
Hanks is not typically the kind of actor you would envision in the midst of a violent war movie, but that’s exactly why he is so effective in the part. He is totally convincing as someone who is trusted to lead men into battle while still feeling like an ordinary person. It’s a reminder that this war was fought by everyday people.
Whoopi Goldberg (The Color Purple)
The Color Purple is not often regarded among Spielberg’s greatest films and some have criticized it as being an overly sentimental adaptation of Alice Walker’s novel. However, one universally praised aspect of the film was the amazing debut performance from Whoopi Goldberg.
Goldberg plays Celie, a young African-American woman growing up in the south and trying to find her own identity after experiencing years of abuse. Goldberg plays the characters silent moments with such powerful heartbreak while also conveying immense courage in this woman learning to forge her own path.
Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List)
Spielberg’s films are often known for their heroes, but Schindler’s List provides one of the most unsettling cinematic villains of all time. Ralph Fiennes plays Amon Goeth, a Nazi officer whose intense hatred for Jews comes through in acts of horrific violence.
Fiennes never shies away from the evil that his character is while also making him a pathetic human being filled with his own self-loathing which he takes out on others. The careless way he disregards human life is haunting and deeply disturbing.
Harrison Ford (The Raiders Of The Lost Ark)
Action-adventure films like Raiders of the Lost Ark don’t get a lot of praise for their performances, but there’s no denying that Harrison Ford created a cinematic icon as Indiana Jones.
While there had been plenty of adventurer heroes on the big screen before, Ford turned Indy into something totally new and unforgettable. Aside from being the swashbuckling and dashing hero, he was also intelligent and funny. Best of all, Ford wasn’t opposed to showing Indy getting his butt kicked on occasion. He was an action hero that felt real which made him all the more lovable.
Robert Shaw (Jaws)
Jaws was the film that launched Spielberg as an extraordinary talent in Hollywood. The film about a man-eating shark who terrorizes an island community made an entire generation of movie-goers afraid to go into the water.
As thrilling as the shark was, Robert Shaw was equally compelling as Quint, the surly shark hunter who helps Chief Brody hunt down the deadly beast. Shaw makes Quint a character who is not easy to like but endlessly entertaining. His speech about the USS Indianapolis is one of the highlights of the classic film thanks to Shaw’s intensity.
Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
It takes a truly gifted actor to bring a figure like Abraham Lincoln to life on the big screen. Luckily for Spielberg, he got one of the best actors of all time to take on the part. Daniel Day-Lewis plays Lincoln in the film which explores his efforts to pass the Emancipation Proclamation.
Day-Lewis brings the requires authority to the part, commanding the screen every time he appears. He also is equally effective in his quieter moments as well as showing Lincoln’s considerable sense of humor. Day-Lewis manages to bring this famous figure to life in a way that feels authentic and appropriately powerful.
