Decade Wrap Up: Top Actors and Actresses of the 1920s

Our wrap up of the 1920s continues with a look at the decade's best performers. A couple of basic rules: the performers listed had to be in multiple films I watched and obviously they had to be good (at least in my opinion).

I had originally planned separate actor and actress lists, but in going back through the movies I saw, the female list was a bit sparse. I don't know if this was a function of the films I selected or a lack of solid female roles. I'm curious what others think and would love to hear the case for some people I missed.

On to the list!


10. Brigette Helm
She's good in The Love of Jeanne Ney, but Helm shines in dual roles in Metropolis. Her Maria is a virginal beauty looking to change the world for the better, while her faux-Maria works to tear it down. It's a tricky juggling act, but the actress is perfect in her first big screen role.


9. Charlie Chaplin
Some may think this is too low a placement for The Tramp, but I found his work to be uneven in the 1920s. He has the perfect blend of comedy and tragedy in The Kid, but I did not like The Gold Rush at all and thought Chaplin was at best okay. He was good in the 20s, but others were better.

8. John Barrymore
I watched three of Barrymore's films from this decade. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the actor is absolutely perfect in both roles. As the title character in Beau Brummel, Barrymore is the only thing good in a tale where a revenge scheme pivots on the hero's fashion sense. And in The Beloved Rogue, Barrymore is so over-the-top bad he is great as the swashbuckling hero in a silly action film. Barrymore is always great, even if the material around him is trash.

7. Ernest Torrance
Torrance is a bad, bad man. Or at least, he plays one on the screen. In Tol'able David, he plays the meanest, nastiest member of a trio of fugitive that takes refuge in the title character's pristine hamlet. And you just know its not going to end well. More amazing though, Torrance takes that same gruff film persona and uses it to perfect comic effect as Buster Keaton's dad in Steamboat Bill, Jr. Cinema needs its character actors and Torrance was among the best.

6. Clara Bow
Adorable. Mischievous. Clever. Bow brings all of this and more to her roles. You root for her in It and Wings. The former movie is a showcase for her. The latter underutilizes her, but she's such a presence that you feel her even when she's off screen. I need to see more of her work.

5. Fritz Rasp
As I was putting this list together, I kept coming back to Rasp. So far, he's not an actor with a ton of range (he plays slimy characters, but occasionally dials it up to creepy), but I cannot imagine anyone else filling his shoes. From Metropolis to The Love of Jeanne Ney to the not-very-good Woman in the Moon, Rasp sets a mood that makes you believe something sinister is happening behind the scenes.

4. Lon Chaney
I'm not shocked Chaney finds his way onto this list. I am surprised that it's not The Phantom of the Opera that's on my mind as I write about him. As good as he is there (and he is great), he is perfect in The Unknown, playing an "armless" carnival performer.

3. Gloria Swanson
Swanson may be one of the first real movie stars. She rarely played women who were second fiddle to their men and was often the outright star of her films. She influenced which movies got made and even the fashions of the day. Beyond all of that, she was a terrific actress. She elevated every production she was in during the 1920s.

2. Buster Keaton
It may be fair to knock Keaton as being too high on this list. After all, he plays the same character from film to film, right? Wrong. While it is true his movies always place him in the middle of elaborate stunt sequences, there's always a twist to his character. From his regret at losing the girl in the first act of The General to his determined joy in marrying his love in The Seven Chances, there is always something more going on behind that stone face. And besides, how many actors allow a house to fall on them in pursuit of their art?

1. Emil Jannings
A lot of my choices were hard; this one was simple. Every time Jannings is on the screen, he just commands it. In Faust, he overpowers the movie's hero in a much showier role. In The Last Laugh and The Last Command, he lifts the films onto his broad shoulders and carries them to greatness. His Oscar win for The Last Command is well-deserved.