23 Famous Actors Who, Without A Doubt, Have The Range

    Meryl Streep can play anyone — no ifs, ands, or buts.

    Kayla Yandoli
    by Kayla Yandoli

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which famous actors have the biggest range of talent and can play literally any character. Here are the mind-blowing results.

    Potential spoilers ahead!

    1. Adam Driver

    Adam Driver in "Marriage Story" and "The Rise of Skywalker"
    Netflix / Lucasfilm

    "Most people might not think Adam Driver has a vast range because of Star Wars, but he was truly amazing in Marriage Story and BlacKkKlansman!" —maggiet7196

    "Talk about being exceptionally talented at both drama and comedy — Adam Driver was great as Kylo Ren, and even better as Kylo Ren in the 'Undercover Boss' sketch on SNL." —newdamnusername

    2. Charlize Theron

    Charlize Theron in "Monster," "Mad Max: Fury Road," and "Bombshell"
    Newmarket Films / Warner Bros. Pictures / Lionsgate

    "From playing a femme fatale in Atomic Blonde to a warrior in Mad Max: Fury Road to a scary murderer in Monster and even just an average woman in Tully, Charlize Theron can adapt to different roles with ease. The portrayals are believable." —monikap6

    3. Viola Davis

    Viola Davis in "Fences," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," and "How to Get Away with Murder"
    Paramount Pictures / Netflix / ABC

    Suggested by: actoranon

    There's a reason Viola Davis has an Oscar, Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and Tony Award — she is, simply put, one of the best actors Hollywood has ever seen. She can play any role and make us believe every single thing she does or says on screen. Her career is only going to excel from here!

    4. Tilda Swinton

    Tilda Swinton in "The Grand Budapest Hotel," "The Chronicles of Narnia," and "Snowpiercer"
    Fox Searchlight Pictures / Disney / The Weinstein Company / Courtesy of Everett Collection

    "TILDA SWINTON is easily the most versatile actress on the planet, no questions asked." —em1231

    5. Stanley Tucci

    Stanley Tucci in "The Devil Wears Prada," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," and "The Lovely Bones"
    20th Century Fox / Lionsgate / Paramount Pictures

    "Stanley Tucci for sure. From playing a fashion mogul in The Devil Wears Prada to the enigmatic personality in The Hunger Games to the absolute murderous creep in The Lovely Bones, he can do everything. He even played a supportive and doting husband in Julie & Julia! Love him." —mjm91

    6. Regina King

    Regina King in "If Beale Street Could Talk," "A Cinderella Story," and "Watchmen"
    Annapurna Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing / Warner Bros. Pictures / HBO

    "I think Regina King definitely has the range! From children's movies like A Cinderella Story to biopics like Ray, she's constantly proving she can do it all. She's also one of those rare actors who stands out on both TV and film. Plus, she's been directing more recently, which is very exciting!" —taylorowens

    7. Cate Blanchett

    Cate Blanchett in "The Aviator," "Thor: Ragnarok," and "Elizabeth"
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Marvel / Universal Pictures

    "Definitely Cate Blanchett — she's unrecognizable in every movie and TV show she's ever been in!" —meowmeowbeans

    8. Pedro Pascal

    Pedro Pascal in "Game of Thrones" and "Kingsman: The Golden Circle"
    HBO / 20th Century Fox

    "He's played so many different characters and he's brilliant in every one, from Narcos to Game of Thrones to Kingsman: The Golden Circle. The particular role that comes to mind is The Mandalorian because he elicits such clear emotions and feelings solely through his voice and body language, and brings so many layers to a character without ever showing his face. He's played such a vast range of characters and he brings them to life so well, from their mannerisms to their accents to their expressions." —darthjamie

    9. Helena Bonham Carter

    Helena Bonham Carter in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Lady Jane"
    Warner Bros. Pictures / Paramount Pictures

    "People give Helena Bonham Carter flak because of her phase of doing nothing but 'eccentric female' roles in Tim Burton movies, but she actually has fantastic range. Look up Lady Jane, one of her first roles, and tell me she can't do sincere drama and subtle acting. She unfortunately gets typecast, but HBC has all the acting talent in the world." —colleend9

    10. Lupita Nyong'o

    Lupita Nyong'o in "Us," "Black Panther," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
    Universal Pictures / Monkeypaw Productions / Marvel / Lucasfilm

    "Give Lupita Nyong'o any kind of script, and she'll be able to bring that character to life with a unique quality only Lupita could! It took me a long time to realize she was in Star Wars, and her performance in Us freaked me the heck out! I'm excited to see what other roles she decides to take, because every single one so far has been beyond brilliant." —kaylayandoli

    11. Zendaya

    Zendaya in "Euphoria," "The Greatest Showman," and "Malcolm & Marie"
    HBO / 20th Century Fox / Netflix

    "Zendaya. For a Disney Channel star, her career is astounding: from The Greatest Showman to Euphoria to Spider-Man to Malcolm & Marie — she's incredibly talented." —dauntlesschristina

    12. Saoirse Ronan

    Saoirse Ronan in "Little Women," "The Lovely Bones," and "Lady Bird"
    Sony Pictures Releasing / Paramount Pictures / A24

    "I'm going to add Saoirse Ronan here. Her accents are so scarily accurate that had I not seen her various interviews (and Brooklyn), I would have assumed she was fully American. Her range is incredible personality-wise as well: Lady Bird and Jo are radically different from Eilis, who is again so different from Briony. Saoirse is incredible." —books_baking_broadway

    "She is an incredible actor. She has done such a range, from playing a literal murdered girl in heaven in The Lovely Bones to a bizarre queen in Mary Queen of Scots to a rebellious teen in Lady Bird to Jo March in Little Women — her acting is praised because she really is so amazing." —endlessknowledge

    13. Sarah Paulson

    Sarah Paulson in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," "AHS: Freak Show," and "Bird Box"
    FX / Netflix

    "Sarah Paulson needs to be on this list." —eevkek

    "SARAH PAUSLON. SARAH PAULSON. SARAH PAULSON." —persephone353

    14. Bill Hader

    Bill Hader in "Barry" and "Saturday Night Live"
    HBO / NBC

    "Bill Hader! He obviously made it famous by doing comedy acting (SNL, Superbad, and Trainwreck) but his more serious roles (The Skeleton Twins and Barry) got him two Emmy wins! He’s also an amazing voice actor and has probably been in more animated movies than you would even guess, going from small cameos in Star Wars to voicing lead characters in Inside Out, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and Angry Birds." —echoi6713

    15. LaKeith Stanfield

    LaKeith Stanfield in "Sorry to Bother You," "Get Out," and "Someone Great"
    Universal Pictures / Monkeypaw Productions / Netflix

    "I'll praise LaKeith Stanfield every single day of the week. I've never seen a bad performance by him, whether it's a serious role like Short Term 12, a rom-com like Someone Great, a comedy like Knives Out, or a wild ride like Uncut Gems and Sorry to Bother You. He never misses, and he deserves the world." —spenceralthouse

    16. Amy Adams

    Amy Adams in "Arrival" and "Enchanted"
    Paramount Pictures / Disney

    "Amy Adams! The fact that she can go from Enchanted to Arrival tells you everything about her talent, but there's so many more examples, too!" —zbariadne

    17. Daniel Day-Lewis

    Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln," "Phantom Thread," and "The Crucible"
    DreamWorks Pictures / Focus Features / 20th Century Fox

    "Daniel Day-Lewis is an icon, he is a legend, and he is the moment. Come on, now." —lewishanks

    18. Sterling K. Brown

    Sterling K. Brown in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" and "This Is Us"
    FX / NBC

    "I’m surprised that no one has mentioned Sterling K. Brown! He can truly play any part with such ease." —betherick85

    19. Tatiana Maslany

    Tatiana Maslany in "Orphan Black"
    BBC America

    "This article is incomplete without mentioning Tatiana Maslany! She may not have been in loads of Hollywood blockbusters, but she deserves this kind of recognition for her work in Orphan Black alone! She literally played half of the characters on that show who all varied in their backgrounds and personalities, and she played them all FLAWLESSLY!" —lucys492624e0a

    "Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black is criminally underrated. In one single show she played a housewife, a British con-artist, a Russian assassin, a tech genius, a YouTube influencer, a CEO, and a handful of other clones — all completely different and often on screen at the same time. If that’s not range, I don’t know what is." —oliviaci30

    20. Idris Elba

    Idris Elba in "Thor: Ragnarok," "The Office," and "Zootopia"
    Marvel / NBC / Disney / Courtesy of Everett Collection

    "Idris Elba — I love his acting in serious movies and TV shows. He's so, so good." —roarhamre46

    21. Eddie Murphy

    Eddie Murphy in "Coming to America" and "Shrek"
    Paramount Pictures / DreamWorks Pictures

    "The OG, Eddie Murphy!!!! Harlem Nights, Coming to America, Shrek — I could go on and on, but his range and ability to perform different characters in the same movie is incredible!" —addysmom12

    22. Christian Bale

    Christian Bale in "Vice" and "Little Women" (1994)
    Annapurna Pictures / Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    "From murderous yuppie (American Psycho) to a middle-aged crooked businessman (American Hustle) to a boxing coach (The Fighter) to Dick Cheney (Vice) — dude has literally damaged his body and permanently changed his teeth for roles. He's incredible." —PHM8

    23. And Meryl Streep

    Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada," "Angels in America," and "The Iron Lady"
    20th Century Fox / HBO / Pathé

    "I’m sorry, but the only answer to this question is Meryl Streep. There’s a lot of actors with terrific range, but she’s the queen. There’s a reason she’s got more Oscar nominations than any actor ever." —aestainback

    Submissions have been edited for length and clarity.

    Which famous actor do *you* think has the biggest range of talent? Let us know in the comments below for a chance to be featured in a BuzzFeed Community post!