Famous Film Actors and Actresses a to z

Paul Newman came to be known as one of the finest actors of his time. He also started the Newman's Own food company, which donates all profits to charity.

Film, stage and TV actress Julie Newmar played Catwoman in the 1960’s TV series Batman. She was also in the musical film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

Jack Nicholson is one of the most prominent American motion-picture actors of his generation, noted for his versatile portrayals of unconventional outsiders

Leonard Nimoy is an actor who has played Spock in both the 1960s TV series Star Trek and several movies based on the show.

David Niven was an actor of stage and the big screen who epitomized dapper charm in films like The Pink Panther.

Cynthia Nixon is an Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes on the television and film series Sex and the City.

Actor Nick Nolte made it big in the 1980s with such films as 48 Hours, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, and The Prince of Tides.

Chuck Norris has starred in such action films as Return of the Dragon and Missing in Action. He also had a hit TV series called Walker, Texas Ranger.

Film actress Kim Novak was a leading box-office attraction of the 1950s, perhaps the last of the ‘sex goddesses’ produced by the Hollywood star system.

Carroll O’Connor played Archie Bunker on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family. His comedic role as close-minded Archie made fun of bigoted opinions.

Rosie O'Donnell is a comedian who made the move to the big screen with 1992's A League of Their Own, going on to co-host TV's The View

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Maureen O'Hara was an Irish-born actress who was billed alongside Hollywood's leading men in a slew of swashbuckling features in the 1940s.

Ryan O’Neal is an Oscar-nominated actor known for films like Love Story, What’s Up, Doc?, Barry Lyndon and The Main Event.

Standing 7 feet tall and weighing 315 pounds, Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players in the NBA. After his 2011 retirement, he became an on-screen league analyst.

Milo O'Shea was an Irish actor known for starring on the BBC sitcom Me Mammy and in Staircase, Broadway's first serious depiction of homosexual men.

Maureen O'Sullivan was an actress best known for playing Jane in the Tarzan film series opposite Johnny Weismuller.

Sandra Oh is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Dr. Cristina Yang on the hit television series Grey's Anatomy.

Actor Edward James Olmos earned an Oscar nomination for Stand and Deliver before starring on TV's Battlestar Galactica.

Elizabeth Olsen is best known for being the younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and for acting in the film Martha Marcy May Marlene.

British actor Clive Owen’s performance in the 2004 film Closer dazzled critics and audiences, winning him a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.

Queen Latifah is an American rapper, record producer and actress known for her roles in the films Set it Off, Bone Collector, Last Holiday and Chicago.

American actor Al Pacino has kept moviegoers riveted since the 1970s, with roles in movies like The Godfather, Serpico and Scent of a Woman.

Actor Chazz Palminteri starred opposite Robert De Niro in the 1993 film adaptation of A Bronx Tale, and performed in Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway (1994).

Gwyneth Paltrow is an American actress best known for her lead roles in Seven (1995), Emma (1996) and Great Expectations (1998). In 1998 she won an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Shakespeare in Love.

Hayden Panettiere is the young American actress who became famous for her role as the cheerleader on the television show Heroes.

Academy Award-winning actress Anna Paquin has appeared in such films as The Piano and X-Men, and the television drama True Blood.

Sarah Jessica Parker is an award-winning TV and film actress whose starring role in the series Sex and the City catapulted her to stardom.

Actor Robert Pattinson is known for such roles as Cedric Diggory in 2005's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Edward Cullen in 2008's Twilight.

Pearl Bailey was a Tony Award-winning singer and actress known for her roles in works like Carmen Jones, House of Flowers, Hello, Dolly! and Porgy and Bess.

Kal Penn is best known for his performance in the Harold and Kumar comedy films. He has also performed on several television shows, including House and 24.

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn starred in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, married Madonna, and directed Jack Nicholson in two films.

Writer, actor, producer, and director Tyler Perry has built an entertainment empire that consists of successful films, plays, and a best-selling book.

With bright eyes and bee-sting lips, Bernadette Peters is best know for her comedic musical performances, especially in period roles.

Michelle Pfeiffer is an American actress known for her film roles in Scarface, The Fabulous Baker Boys and Batman Returns.

Lou Diamond Phillips is an actor best known for his his work in films such as La Bamba, Stand and Deliver, and Young Guns.

Joaquin Phoenix is an actor known for such films as Gladiator and Walk the Line, in which he played Johnny Cash.

River Phoenix was an Academy Award nominee and promising young actor who died at the young age of 23 from a drug overdose.

Mary Pickford was a legendary silent film actress and was known as "America’s sweetheart." She was a founder of United Artists and helped establish the Academy.

Chris Pine is an American actor who portrayed a young Captain James Kirk in the 2009 remake of Star Trek and its 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.

Jada Pinkett Smith is an American actress, is married to Will Smith, and is the mother of Jaden and Willow Smith.

Comedian Joe Piscopo joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1980 where he was known for his impressions of celebrities like Frank Sinatra.

Actor and producer Brad Pitt is a Golden Globe and Academy Award nominee and a two-time winner of People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" title (1995 and 2000.)

Suzanne Pleshette was an Emmy Award-nominated actress known for roles in films like The Geisha Boy and The Birds, as well as the television series The Bob Newhart Show.

Amy Poehler is an actress and comedian famous for her work on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation.

Sidney Poitier became the first black Academy Award winner in 1964, receiving the honor for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963).

Sydney Pollack is an Oscar-winning film director, producer and actor. His director credits include Tootsie and Three Days of the Condor.

Paulina Porizkova is a Czechoslovakian model and actress best known for being the first woman from Eastern Europe to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Actress Natalie Portman won the 2010 Academy Award for her role as a dancer in Black Swan.

Fondly remembered as the sassy secretary in Ghostbusters (1984), actress Annie Potts also appeared in Pretty in Pink.

Tyrone Power was a stage and film actor known for his roles in such films as Witness for the Prosecution and The Mark of Zorro.

Actress Laura Prepon played Donna opposite Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, on That 70's Show.

Musician and actor Elvis Presley endured rapid fame in the mid-1950s—on the radio, TV and the silver screen—and continues to be one of the biggest names in rock 'n' roll.

Priscilla Presley is an American businesswoman and actress, best known for marrying Elvis Presley, with whom she had daughter Lisa Marie Presley.

American actor Vincent Price starred as the villain in the 1953 film House of Wax, which revitalized the horror genre, and was one of the first films shot in 3D.

Jason Priestley is a Canadian-American actor best known for his role as Brandon Walsh on the hit TV series Beverly Hills, 90210.

Jean Vander Ply was an American actress on radio, television and film. He is best known as the voice of Wilma Flintstone from the cartoon The Flintstones.

Dennis Quaid is an actor known for a wide variety of films, from Breaking Away to Dreamscape to Postcards from the Edge.

Sir Anthony Quayle was a revered actor of stage and screen known for work that included Hamlet, Lawrence of Arabia and Anne of the Thousand Days.

Aidan Quinn is a film and television actor of Irish heritage who has found his niche playing sensitive, intelligent male characters, often in supporting roles.

Anthony Quinn was an Oscar-winning Mexican-American actor known for his roles in Viva Zapata!, Lust for Life and Zorba the Greek.

Zachary Quinto starred as the main villain on the popular supernatural television show Heroes, and has played Spock in J.J. Abrams's rebooted Star Trek film series.

Daniel Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to international stardom as Harry Potter in the series of films based on the hugely popular books by J.K. Rowling.

Irish actor Stephen Rea is well-known for his roles in V for Vendetta, Interview with the Vampire and The Crying Game.

Nancy Reagan is a former first lady of the United States, the widow of Ronald Reagan, who founded the "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign.

President Ronald Reagan helped redefine the purpose of government and pressured the Soviet Union to end the Cold War. He solidified the conservative agenda for decades after his presidency.

Robert Redford is a Hollywood legend, starring in several blockbuster films in his day, and producing and directing many others. He also helped start the Sundance Film Festival in the late 1970s.

British thespian Michael Redgrave is acclaimed for his theater and film roles. He has also sired two generations of acting luminaries.

Called “the greatest actress of our time” by Tennessee Williams, Vanessa Redgrave is an acclaimed actress of stage and screen.

Jerry Reed was an American musician and actor best known for his Grammy hit "When You're Hot, You're Hot," and for the film Smokey and the Bandit.

Actor Christopher Reeve played Superman in the movie and its sequels. After a spinal cord injury, he started a foundation to help other paraplegics.