Comedy films are one of the oldest film genres in cinema history, with some of the earliest silent films featuring slapstick comedy relying on visual depictions. With the best comedies, there's no end to how the fun can go, whether it's slapstick, a rom-com, action comedy, sitcom, or even spoofs and parodies. While their approaches may be different, all these genres have one thing in common: they will make the audience laugh.
The best comedy actors have come from all different walks of life. Some began as dramatic actors who found they could easily make audiences burst with laughter. Others were stand-up comedians who got a few movie roles and went on to become great stars. When talking about great comedy actors, many think of Robin Williams, Steve Carell, or Jim Carrey. It's impossible to mention them all, but here are the 20 greatest comedy movie actors of all time.
Catherine O'Hara
Known for her work on Second City Television and Schitt's Creek, Catherine O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedian. Born in Toronto, O'Hara is a celebrity impersonator, a gifted voice actor as well as a singer/songwriter. Besides her television work, she has also starred in films such as After Hours, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Beetlejuice, and the first two installments in the Home Alone franchise. O'Hara's regular appearance in film and television has endeared her to generations of fans.
Mel Brooks
20th Century Studios
Mel Brooks is a quadruple-threat actor, comedian, filmmaker, and songwriter with a career spanning over seven decades. He has received numerous accolades and is one of 18 entertainers to win the EGOT, which is the Emmy Award, Grammy Award, Academy Award, and Tony Award. Brooks is known best for his comical parodies and farces, blooming first in television before moving on to film and Broadway productions. His most known credits include Spaceballs, Blazing Saddles, and The Producers.
Leslie Nielsen
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Appearing in over 100 films and a 150 television programs, Leslie Nielsen was a legendary Canadian actor and comedian who portrayed more than 220 characters across 60 years. Before getting into acting, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and served until the end of World War II. He made his acting debut in 1950, then his film debut in 1956. Nielsen's notable performances include his roles in Forbidden Planet, The Poseidon Adventure, and Airplane!. His comedy roles were often characters who were oblivious to their complicity in their absurd surroundings.
Will Ferrell
The actor, comedian, writer, and producer Will Ferrell first established himself in the mid-90s as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. He is considered a member of the "Frat Pack," a generation of comedians who emerged during the late-90s and 2000s. Other members of the Frat Pack include Jack Black and Steve Carrell. Ferrell is known for his roles in comedy films such as Elf, Talladega Nights, Step Brothers, and, most recently, Barbie.
Bill Murray
Bill Murray is a comedic actor and voice actor known for his deadpan delivery in all his roles. He frequently collaborates with directors Wes Anderson, Harold Ramis, Sofia Coppola, Ivan Reitman, and Jim Marmusch. Murrary has also earned numerous accolades including the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016. He rose to fame on The National Lampoon Radio Hour and Saturday Night Live. Murray is known for his roles in comedy films such as Meatballs, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters.
Jim Carrey
Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Jim Carrey is an actor and comedian who first gained notoriety in 1990 after landing in the sketch comedy series In Living Color. He gained further recognition with Ace: Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber in 1994. Then, in the 2000s, he starred in some of his most known roles, as the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas and as Bruce in Bruce Almighty.
While Carrey is largely typecast as a comedic actor, he has also found success in dramatic roles, such as the Emmy-nominated film Doing Time on Maple Drive. In 2013, Carrey published a children's book titled How Roland Roles, which received the Gelett Burgess Children's Bood Award.
Steve Martin
Steven Martin is a comedian, actor, musician, writer, and producer who has received numerous accolades in his career, including five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. In 2004, he ranked sixth on a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics by Comedy Central, and The Guardian named him one of the best actors to have received a nomination for an Academy Award.
Martin first came into the public eye as a writer for The Smothers Brothers in the 1960s and later as a host on Saturday Night Live. Since the 80s, he has starred in films such as The Jerk, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, All of Me, Cheaper by the Dozen, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Since 2015, Martin and his fellow comedian Martin Short have gone on several national tours.
Jacques Tati
A French filmmaker, actor, and mime, Jacques Tati was best known for his oblivious yet well-meaning, pipe-puffing character Monsieur Hulot in a series of films between 1953 and 1971. While Tati was not as prolific as other iconic comedians of the time, the six feature-length films he directed and starred in were more than enough to classify him as a master comedian.
His most notable works include Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, Play Time, and Traffic. He has since been the subject of several documentaries and his works have been digitally restored with museum exhibitions and repertory cinemas all over the world dedicated to keeping his legacy alive.
Eddie Murphy
Like many other actors on this list, Eddie Murphy is an actor and comedian who first rose to fame as a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live. He was ranked 10th on Comedy Central's list of greatest stand-up comedians and has received a Grammy, Emmy, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Award, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award, among other accolades. He received numerous awards for his role in Dr. Dolittle and its sequel.
Besides acting, Murphy has also worked as a voice actor, with roles such as Mushu in Disney's Mulan, Donkey in the Shrek franchise, and Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs. His recent works include Dolemite is My Name, Coming 2 America, and You People.
Katherine Hepburn
With a career spanning over six decades, Katherine Hepburn was an actress and a Hollywood leading lady. She was known for her outspokenness, spirited personality, and headstrong independence. Her public image perfectly matched her on-screen persona, as she regularly played strong-willed and sophisticated women.
While Hepburn was prolific in various genres, one is certainly screwball comedy. Her comedic chemistry with actor Spencer Tracy was long-running, with their on-screen partnership spanning over twenty-five years with nine films. She is known best for her performances in The Philadelphia Story and Bringing Up Baby.
Jack Black
Jack Black is an iconic actor, comedian, and musician known for his comedic relief in several films. Despite being an amazingly funny comedian, he also portrayed several excellent dramatic roles, such as Carl Denham in Peter Jackson's King Kong and Ian Lamont in The Jackal. As well as being an actor, he is the lead vocalist of the band Tenacious D and runs a YouTube channel called Jablinksi Games. Black is known for his roles in the Jumanji franchise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and the Kung Fu Panda franchise.
Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn was an actress, comedian, and singer known for her roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks. These include What's Up, Doc? Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Paper Moon. She regularly stole scenes and caused the best laughs in her films, while also making waves on Broadway and television, for which she earned several awards and nominations. Her droll comedic touch was what made her beloved by fans and collaborators alike.
Cary Grant
Cary Grant was arguably one of the most unique actors in Hollywood's storied history. He rose to prominence by starring in dramatic films like She Done Him Wrong, but proved his versatility in classic screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby, His Girl Friday, and The Philadelphia Story. Heralded as one of the best leading men in movie history, Grant has worked with some of the most renowned directors, like Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Capra, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz. His final film role was the 1966 rom-com, Walk, Don't Run.
Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers was an English actor and comedian who first rose to prominence in the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. He would then gain a worldwide audience through his various film performances, including as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther series. He often played characters that would parody people of authority, such as policemen, like Clouseau, and military officers. His versatility allowed him to portray various characters using different accents and disguises. Sellers would also often play multiple characters within the same film, often with contrasting temperaments and styles.
Robin Williams
Regarded as one of the greatest comedians of all time, Robin Williams was an actor and comedian known for his improvisational skills and the characters he created on the spur of the moment in dramas and comedies alike. He received many accolades across his career including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and five Grammy Awards.
Williams first rose to fame playing Mork in Mork & Mindy, then went on to receive his first leading film role in Popeye. He would go on to play in several well-received films such as Dead Poets Society, Hook, Jumanji, Flubber, RV, and the Night at the Museum trilogy.
Gene Wilder
Jerome Silberman, or as he is known professionally Gene Wilder, was an actor, comedian, writer, and filmmaker primarily known for his comedic roles and his portrayal of Willy Wonka in Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. He often collaborated with Mel Brooks on films such as The Producer and Blazing Saddles.
Wilder also directed and wrote several of his own films, such as The Woman in Red in 1984. His last acting performance was in 2003, as a guest role on Will & Grace. He received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for this performance. After, he turned to writing, producing a memoir and five other books.
Steve Carell
Another member of the Frat Pack, Steve Carell is an actor and comedian who received numerous accolades for his roles on both film and television. He is most recognizable for his role as Michael Scott in The Office, for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series, Musical, or Comedy.
Life magazine has recognized him as "America's Funniest Man." Carell first gained recognition on The Dana Carvey Show and as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He would go on to star in several comedy films including The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Evan Almighty, and Date Night.
Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler is another actor who entered the public eye as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. He is a comedic leading actor with numerous accolades including five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, three Grammy Award nominations, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, he was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. His comedic roles include Happy Gilmore, 50 First Dates, Click, Grown Ups, and Pixels.
Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn began his career in minor television roles before gaining wider recognition with the comedy-drama film Swingers in 1996. While he has appeared in several films of various genres, he is most known for his leading roles in comedy films such as Fred Claus, The Watch, Wedding Crashers, and Delivery Man. Like Steve Carrell, Jack Black, and Will Ferrell on this list, Vaughn is a member of the Frat Pack.
Rowan Atkinson
Rowan Atkinson is an English actor, comedian, and writer mostly known as the titular character on Mr. Bean. He first rose to prominence on the BBC sketch comedy show Not the Nine O'Clock News, for which he received the 1981 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance. He also voiced Zazu in the 1994 animated film The Lion King and the titular character in Maigreti.
Atkinson was listed as one of the 50 funniest actors in British comedy in 2003 by The Observer, as well as one of the top 50 comedians of all time in a 2005 poll.