logo Sign In

Best Performance by an Actor/Actress in the Star Wars Movies — Page 2

Author
Time

Ian McDiarmid for the prequels and for half of ROTJ with James Earl Jones getting the other half. For the sequels Mel Brooks did a great job as Yogurt.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Here is what my list is probably like as of right now.

A NEW HOPE: Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: Frank Oz as Yoda
RETURN OF THE JEDI: Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine
THE PHANTOM MENACE: Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn
ATTACK OF THE CLONES: Christopher Lee as Count Dooku
REVENGE OF THE SITH: Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine
THE FORCE AWAKENS: Harrison Ford as Han Solo, Daisy Ridley as Rey, & Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
ROGUE ONE: Alan Tudyk as K-2SO
THE LAST JEDI: Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Daisy Ridley as Rey, Adam Driver as Kylo Ren
SOLO: Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo & Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian
THE RISE OF SKYWALKER: Adam Driver as Kylo Ren

The name’s Lawson. Noah Lawson.

Author
Time

Personally I think that Mark Hamill is superb in all the original films and doesn’t get enough credit for his acting, from naive farm boy in Star Wars, to a Jedi student in Empire finding out Vader is his father on Cloud City, then to mature Jedi Knight in ROTJ. The dual between Vader and Luke on the 2nd Death Star is easily the best light sabre dual in all of the Star Wars movies, not because of the choreography but because of the rage in Luke.

Author
Time

screams in the void said:

I have to give props to Anthony Daniels performance as C-3PO in all of the movies . Emoting through a plastic suit and getting fear and anxiety across through his motions and the art of mime .

Anthony Daniels really loves playing Threepio. He’s even voiced him in almost every TV show, special, and game too.

The name’s Lawson. Noah Lawson.

Author
Time

#1
Alec Guinness

Honorable mentions:
Ian McDiarmid
James Earl Jones
Mads Mikkelsen

Author
Time

Star Wars: Alec Guinness
The Empire Strikes Back: Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher
Return of the Jedi: Mark Hamill
The Force Awakens: Harrison Ford and Daisy Ridley
Rogue One: Ben Mendelsohn
The Last Jedi: Mark Hamill and Adam Driver
Solo: Alden Ehrenreich

Author
Time
 (Edited)

John_ said:

Star Wars: Alec Guinness
The Empire Strikes Back: Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher
Return of the Jedi: Mark Hamill
The Force Awakens: Harrison Ford and Daisy Ridley
Rogue One: Ben Mendelsohn
The Last Jedi: Mark Hamill and Adam Driver
Solo: Alden Ehrenreich

I’d add Alan Tudyk for Rogue One, but otherwise this is exactly what I was about to say. As far as the PT goes, Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor were the only actors who were any good. I guess Christopher Lee gets an asterisk since he did as good a job as anyone could ask for given the fact that he had nothing to work with, but when I think about acting in the PT, Ewan’s really the one who stands out. I suppose Ian McDiarmid was good for a while too, but he’s so god awful after going full Emperor in the back half of ROTS that I hesitate to praise what came before.

Author
Time

I think Dave Prowse was great. He really gave Vader a mobility and personality that I think is often overlooked/overshadowed by the voice and breathing sound.

Author
Time

OT - Alec Guinness
PT - Ian McDiarmid
ST - Adam Driver

I love Mads Mikkelsen in Rogue One.

Author
Time

Mark Hamill as Luke. I’m split between whether his best performance was in Return of the Jedi, or Last Jedi.

I also liked Qui Gon played by Liam Neeson, i think he brought a humanity to Phantom Menace. I like Ewan Obi Wan as well in all 3 prequels.

I like Daisy as Rey. She had that same kind of youthful effervescent giddiness that Mark had in A New Hope, or as i call it Star Wars. I like that Rey, despite her humble origins she chooses to be good, and has a good heart.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

I’d say people in this thread are overlooking Hamill in TESB.

Obviously most of the credit goes to Frank Oz for making Yoda so believable and real, but what about Hamill? Part of why we’re sold on the green puppet being a wise Jedi Master is because Hamill makes it so easy for us to believe it as well, which can’t have been easy. Think about it, Luke’s only scene in the movie with other human characters is the one where he’s recovering after the Wampa attack, and even that is mainly a Han/Leia scene. And when Luke faces Vader, the big reveal and all? Hamill was reacting to words he wasn’t even hearing! So I think it’s worth pointing it out here how he also deserves some recognition for selling the Vader reveal and Yoda. If he didn’t make us believe, regardless of how fantastic Frank Oz’s performance might’ve been, it would’ve been real hard to be sold on the puppet frog.

Author
Time

bigalroz said:

Personally I think that Mark Hamill is superb in all the original films and doesn’t get enough credit for his acting, from naive farm boy in Star Wars, to a Jedi student in Empire finding out Vader is his father on Cloud City, then to mature Jedi Knight in ROTJ. The dual between Vader and Luke on the 2nd Death Star is easily the best light sabre dual in all of the Star Wars movies, not because of the choreography but because of the rage in Luke.

I agree. If anything, ROTJ suffers when he is not on screen. Ford and Fisher were so no wooden in it. Prowse/Jones are also great as Vader in ROTJ.

“It is only through interaction, through decision and choice, through confrontation, physical or mental, that the Force can grow within you.”
-Kreia, Jedi Master and Sith Lord