The Most Popular Actors Of The '90s Ranked
The 1990s boasts some of the most popular movies — and most popular movie stars — of all time. Though films like "Avatar" and "Avengers: Endgame" eventually beat their box office totals, the likes of "Jurassic Park," "Titanic," and many other original films stayed in theaters for months, making stars out of unexpected actors. Some performers, like Harrison Ford, were having a career resurgence, while some, like Samuel L. Jackson, were just beginning their ascent. Others, like America's sweetheart Meg Ryan, came onto the scene and filled a genre niche.
But these 12 actors managed to make their mark on the popular imagination in more ways than one. They charmed critics and audiences, they brought in big bucks at the box office, they were frequently the subject of tabloids and magazines, and they influenced tastes in fashion, beauty, and music. From a time when movie stars were still our most prominent celebrities, these are the 12 most popular actors of the 1990s, ranked.
12. Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio entered the 1990s as an unknown child actor whose credits were mostly guest spots or recurring characters on TV shows like "Roseanne" and "Growing Pains." He exited the decade as one of the brightest stars on the planet. Along the way, he grew up — he was a teenager when he shot 1993's "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" — and played the male lead in some of the most iconic romances of the era. He was Romeo Montague in Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," and just a year later, he played Jack Dawson in James Cameron's 1997 epic, "Titanic," which remains one of the most critically and financially successful films of all time. British Vogue's Mikel Roberts said the role, "confirmed DiCaprio as the one of the biggest heartthrobs in cinematic history, loved by teenage girls (and boys) around the world."
He'd been nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actor for his portrayal of the intellectually disabled Arnie in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," although his acclaimed turns in "Romeo + Juliet" and "Titanic" didn't make the cut. Nevertheless, this pretty boy put in work to cement his reputation as a serious actor. Though he was named People Magazine's most beautiful person in the world in 1998, DiCaprio wanted the press to focus on his talent instead of his teeny-bopper appeal, which he correctly guessed would lead to a longer-lasting film career.
11. Winona Ryder
Time Magazine's Eliana Dockterman wrote that "Ryder's meteoric rise to A-list status in her teens and twenties and tabloid-fueled fall shortly thereafter made her a national obsession." She started off the decade with an impressive double feature, starring in 1990's "Mermaids" opposite Cher and "Edward Scissorhands" with her then-boyfriend Johnny Depp. Two years prior, she'd appeared along with Michael Keaton in the Tim Burton classic, "Beetlejuice," and she headlined the cult classic dark comedy, "Heathers." When the '90s rolled around, Ryder had already established herself as something of an alt-ingenue.
Over the next 10 years, she was featured in an enormous number of films, many of which were hits at the box office and among critics. She collaborated with the likes of Frances Ford Coppola in 1992's "Bram Stoker's Dracula" and Martin Scorsese in 1993's "The Age of Innocence" (for which she was nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress). In 1994, she was part of the love triangle in Ben Stiller's influential directorial debut, "Reality Bites," as disaffected Gen-X filmmaker, Lelaina Pierce. She also played headstrong writer Jo March in the remake of "Little Women," for which she was nominated for another Academy Award.
Not only was Ryder a popular and respected actress, but she was also a proto-influencer whose personal aesthetic perfectly aligned with the decade. Nobody was cooler in the 1990s than Winona Ryder: Her messy pixie hair, grunge-inspired fashion, and affinity for all things vintage made her an icon to a generation.
10. Mel Gibson
Though he's fallen out of favor, especially among audiences who understandably find his racist comments and behavior off-screen problematic, Mel Gibson was one of the most popular stars of the 1990s. Crisis manager Howard Bragman told Variety that he's one of the few actors who can move effortlessly from historical epics to gritty action films to rom-coms. His versatility made him popular with a broad audience, and his movies often garnered rave reviews and huge profits. 1995's "Braveheart," which he produced and directed, is just one example. The film, based on the life of Scottish warrior William Wallace, made more than $200 million at the box office and won five Academy Awards, including trophies for best picture and best director.
Gibson had been People Magazine's first-ever sexiest man alive in 1985. but he continued to be a bankable marquee idol in movies such as 1992's "Lethal Weapon 3" and 1998's "Lethal Weapon 4," as well as in thrillers like 1996's "Ransom" and 1997's "Conspiracy Theory." As the decade drew to a close, he voiced John Smith in the 1998 animated Disney adaptation of "Pocahontas." Controversies involving Gibson wouldn't come to light until the mid-2000s, but behind the scenes, the actor was struggling with alcoholism and depression. Although he found success again in the new millennium with "The Passion of the Christ," it's clear that the late twentieth century was the peak time for Gibson's popularity.
9. Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg might not be who comes to mind when one thinks about the most popular actors of the 1990s. Though she's best known for anchoring the daytime talk show "The View" nowadays, Goldberg was primarily a movie star in the time before 2000 — and a dominant one at that. She won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her role as the supposed psychic Oda Mae Brown in 1990's hit supernatural romance, "Ghost." She starred in 1992's "Sister Act" and 1993's "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit" (the franchise later spawned a Broadway musical). In 1993, she appeared opposite then-boyfriend Ted Danson in "Made in America," before voicing a hyena in 1994's Disney animated classic, "The Lion King."
Goldberg's acting work didn't stop there. On the small screen, she was a regular on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." On the Great White Way, she replaced Nathan Lane in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," and fans were happy to pay $75 a ticket (in '90s dollars, even) to see her. This EGOT recipient was an uncontroversial and well-liked figure who could do comedy or drama equally well. And when she wasn't winning at awards shows, she was hosting them: She emceed the Oscars three times in the 1990s, in 1994, 1996, and 1999, respectively.
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger
In the early 2000s, Arnold Schwarzenegger shifted his focus from acting to politics. But in the decade that preceded his tenure at the Governor's mansion, Schwarzenegger was still a top-tier movie star. The Austrian-born bodybuilder-turned-actor-turned-Governator had gained celebrity momentum in the 1980s with hits like James Cameron's "The Terminator." The 1990s saw Schwarzenegger leaning into his status as an action hero, albeit with a softer and more comedic side. In 1990, he starred in "Kindergarten Cop." After 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgement Day," he appeared in the self-referential "The Last Action Hero," followed by the male pregnancy comedy, "Junior." He co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis in the action comedy "True Lies" and appeared in the 1996 holiday comedy, "Jingle All the Way," as well as 1997's divisively campy "Batman & Robin."
Schwarzenegger arguably got more popular as a person the less seriously he took himself, which is what may have led to his easy election as a Republican candidate in a Democratic-leaning state. Still, the highlights of his filmography are squarely in the late '80s and early '90s. Besides acting, he spent the end of the 20th century in the theme restaurant business along with his celebrity buddies, Bruce Willis and Sylvester Stallone, who were spokesmen for the Planet Hollywood chain.
7. Robin Williams
The late Robin Williams was never a poster boy or cover girl the same way Leonardo DiCaprio, Winona Ryder, Mel Gibson, or Arnold Schwarzenegger were. The gifted comedian and actor rose up through the ranks of sitcoms in the 1970s to star in films in dramas such as "Dead Poets Society." He was already at the precipice of leading man fame when he appeared opposite Robert De Niro in the 1990 medical drama, "Awakenings." A year later, he played a jaded, grown-up Peter Pan in the critically panned Millennial favorite, "Hook," before his career shot into the stratosphere when he lent his instantly recognizable voice to Genie in Disney's "Aladdin." Next came 1993's "Mrs. Doubtfire," the second biggest motion picture of the year at the box office behind "Jurassic Park."
The apex of his career came in 1997, when he portrayed Dr. Sean Maguire in "Good Will Hunting." The film, which was written by newcomers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, won Williams his first and only Academy Award after three previous nominations. Remembered for his manic but warm and feel-good comic style and his ability to pull at our heartstrings in gripping dramas, Time Magazine's Megan Gibson called Williams a "universally loved celebrity" who helped '90s kids understand themselves.
6. Will Smith
In 2022, Will Smith made headlines with the infamous slap at the Academy Awards. But at the end of the 1990s, Smith was possibly the most famous actor in the world (not to mention, one of the most famous musicians). His rapid rise began with his star-making turn in the TV series "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which ran from 1990-1996 and was wildly popular with audiences of all races and ages. During that time, he also drew attention for appearances in films like 1993's "Six Degrees of Separation." By 1995, he was co-starring in "Bad Boys." Then came 1996's "Independence Day," which topped the box office that year and took Smith from affable sitcom actor to Hollywood A-lister.
Will Smith owned summer ... in particular, the Fourth of July weekend. He followed up his "Independence Day" success with another juggernaut, 1997's "Men in Black," which was also the highest-grossing film of the year at the domestic box office. Smith recorded an original song for the movie, and it became just as much of a phenomenon. The multi-hyphenate was a constant presence in pop culture during the second half of the decade. "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" and "Miami" were summer anthems in 1998. But by 1999, when "Wild Wild West" proved to be less popular with the public than his previous work, Smith began the transition to serious actor. In 2001, he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Ali," and he finally won in 2022 for his work as the father of Serena and Venus Williams in "King Richard."
5. Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise has been internationally famous for over 40 years. His stardom hasn't been consistent, however. While he was riding high in 2022 with "Top Gun: Maverick," he puttered out in 2023 with "Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One." Much of Cruise's most iconic work — like "Top Gun" and "Risky Business" — comes from the '80s, but he was still a force to be reckoned with in the '90s, when he took on some of the most daring choices of his up-and-down career.
His second decade as a movie star also included the story of his and Nicole Kidman's romance, which was a tabloid mainstay. The couple met filming 1990's "Days of Thunder" and paired up again in 1992's "Far and Away." The franchise for which he'll probably be remembered, "Mission: Impossible," began in 1996, the same year that he had Renée Zellweger at hello in "Jerry Maguire." Then, in 1999, Cruise took creative risks with Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" and Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia," both of which remain favorites of many cinephiles today. Cruise's reputation was arguably at its highest point in the '90s. He and Kidman were Hollywood royalty, he was being taken more seriously as an actor, and his association with the Church of Scientology wasn't at the front of the public's mind like it would be a decade later.
4. Jim Carrey
Not unlike Will Smith, Jim Carrey's celebrity trajectory took him from a scrappy TV actor to the highest-paid movie star in the world in just a few short years. He got his start being a living cartoon on the variety series, "In Living Color," which, like "Fresh Prince," hit the airwaves in 1990. For his big screen debut, 1994's "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," Carrey was paid $350,000, while the low-budget comedy ultimately made more than $100 million at the box office. That same year, Carrey also released "The Mask" and "Dumb and Dumber." Both went over like gangbusters. The Ringer's Alan Siegel remarked, "Perhaps no actor's star has burned brighter than Carrey's did in those 12 months."
When he was approached to star in 1996's "The Cable Guy," the rubber-faced performer signed a record $20 million contract. He could command that price because, in the mid-'90s, everybody thought Jim Carrey was funny. Even Roger Ebert loved Lloyd's decapitated bird gag. Siegel argues that Carrey's stupid (but actually smart) sensibility changed comedy forever.
But the Ace Ventura schtick didn't stick around for long. Carrey pivoted to drama, and before the '90s were over, he was earning praise for his performances in 1998's "The Truman Show" and the 1999 Andy Kaufmann biopic, "Man on the Moon." Carrey wasn't nominated for an Academy Award for either film, and his exclusion for both roles is frequently brought up in discussions of notorious Oscar snubs.
3. Bruce Willis
Recently, Bruce Willis has been in the headlines because of his tragic aphasia diagnosis. Fans struggle to imagine what cinemas will be like without his movies, in part because there've been so many of them over the last 45 years. Though his TV series, "Moonlighting," and his most iconic movie, "Die Hard," both came out in the '80s, Willis was in his heyday in the '90s, when he starred in more than his fair share of action-oriented blockbusters, mind-bending genre flicks, and critically acclaimed films.
From 1994's "Pulp Fiction" to sci-fi cult favorites like "12 Monkeys" and "The Fifth Element," the Bruce Willis of the 1990s had interesting and impeccable taste. But he wasn't just at his best as the century drew to a close. His star was as big as it would ever be. In 1998 and 1999, Willis appeared in his two highest-grossing movies back-to-back, "Armageddon" and "The Sixth Sense." His collaboration with M. Night Shyamalan (the first of three) resulted in what many fans and critics consider the best performance of his career as child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. His lack of an Oscar nomination is seen as yet another infamous snub.
Outside of his on-screen work, his involvement with Planet Hollywood and his marriage to fellow superstar Demi Moore spanned the decade. His everyman appeal, in high-brow and low-brow movies alike, is why he remains one of the most popular actors in the world, even in his retirement.
2. Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts was the female movie star of the 1990s. Though she's less at the center of pop culture these days, David Marchese of The New York Times Magazine said that she "achieved a stardom that never really fades." Her movies may not have grossed the most money (though, in the '90s, she came in a close second to Whoopi Goldberg), but her million-dollar smile was everywhere for 10 years. Roberts graced countless magazine covers. She was named the most beautiful woman in the world (an honor she's won five times) in 1991, a year after the premiere of the movie that made her the queen of the rom-com, "Pretty Woman."
The quality of Roberts' films during this stretch is up for debate more than the power of her celebrity. The majority of her '90s movies, including forgettable titles like "I Love Trouble," "Pret-a-Porter," and "Mary Reilly," have pretty paltry scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Nevertheless, through box office bombs and a much-publicized break-up with country singer Lyle Lovett, her adoring public had her back. Roberts ended the decade strong with 1997's "My Best Friend's Wedding," 1998's "Notting Hill," and 1999's "Runaway Bride." The latter wasn't as well-reviewed, but it still sold more than $300 million in tickets. All that goodwill paid off in the year 2000: America's Girl Next Door finally had a critical and commercial hit with "Erin Brockovich," for which she won her Academy Award.
1. Tom Hanks
Proof that nice guys do sometimes finish first, Tom Hanks was, indisputably, the most popular actor of the 1990s by nearly every metric. He headlined several of what would become the decade's most celebrated films. He won two Oscars back-to-back. And his movies grossed more than $3 billion dollars. He remains the second most bankable star in the world, just behind Samuel L. Jackson ... and that's without a Marvel or "Star Wars" movie on his resume.
His many iconic '90s performances include 1992's "A League of Their Own," in which he plays Coach Jimmy Dugan, and 1993's "Sleepless in Seattle," where he woos Meg Ryan as the widowed Sam Baldwin. He won his first Academy Award for his efforts in the AIDS drama, "Philadelphia," and his second for playing the oft-quoted title character in 1994's "Forrest Gump." In 1995, he starred in Ron Howard's "Apollo 13" and he voiced Woody in "Toy Story." In 1996, he wrote, directed, and starred in a passion project, "That Thing You Do." In 1998, he worked with Steven Spielberg on "Saving Private Ryan" and Meg Ryan again in "You've Got Mail."
Thanks to his unmatched talent, versatility, charisma, and smart filmmaking choices, Hanks was on top for the whole of the 1990s. Thanks to his unusual — for Hollywood, anyway — normal guy good looks, relationship goals marriage to Rita Wilson, and genuinely warm personality, audiences couldn't help but root for him.