Top 10 Actors Who Can Make You Laugh & Cry
From comedy to drama, these actors can do it all. For this list, we’ll be looking at actors who are masters of comedic and dramatic material.
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00:00 "Just when you think you know something, you have to look at it in another way."
00:03 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 actors who can
00:08 make you laugh and cry.
00:10 "Truth is, there is no one that can do what I do."
00:14 For this list, we'll be looking at actors who are masters of comedic and dramatic material.
00:19 Which of these versatile performers has made you laugh and cry?
00:23 Let us know in the comments.
00:26 Number 10. Jennifer Aniston Since she starred on one of the most popular
00:30 and beloved sitcoms of all time, we all know that Jennifer Aniston can make us laugh.
00:35 And even outside of Friends, Aniston proved her comic worth in films like Horrible Bosses
00:40 and We're the Millers.
00:41 "Have fun dying alone, jerk."
00:43 "Yeah, have fun digging out the singles from your crotch."
00:46 "My crotch only takes 20s, David."
00:48 She's also been able to bring us to tears while doing funny roles.
00:51 Longtime Friends fans can remember a couple of occasions where Rachel got us choked up.
00:56 "I used to think of you as somebody that would never, ever hurt me. Ever.
01:01 God, and now I just can't stop picturing you with her. I can't. It doesn't matter what you say or
01:08 what you do, Ross."
01:10 Throughout her career, Aniston has also had us shedding tears with heartfelt turns in movies
01:14 like Cake and shows like The Morning Show. The fact that she earned multiple awards for mostly
01:20 comedic work on Friends and a SAG Award for Drama proves she has range.
01:25 "I worked my ass off to get where I am, and I wanted it. I wanted to be something.
01:32 I wanted to mean something in this world."
01:35 Number 9. Ryan Gosling
01:38 We're willing to bet most moviegoers know this actor from his famous turn
01:42 in the 2004 romantic drama The Notebook.
01:44 "It wasn't over. It still isn't over."
01:48 After making many of us cry, he achieved a new level of fame that allowed for a greater
01:54 range of roles than he'd ever had before. Gosling delivered intense performances in
01:59 movies like Drive. That same year, he showed off his comedic chops in Crazy Stupid Love.
02:04 "Be better than the gap. Be better than the gap."
02:08 Gosling's career has enjoyed a nice balance from there. He'd go from leaving us in stitches with
02:13 the nice guys to delivering a quiet intensity in Blade Runner 2049. And we can't leave out
02:20 his hilarious SNL work either. No matter what genre Gosling chooses, it's a pretty safe bet
02:26 he'll give it his all. "I think I'm invincible.
02:28 It's the only thing that makes sense. I don't think I can die."
02:31 Number 8. Will Smith
02:33 Many 90s kids found themselves laughing along with Will Smith while he starred on The Fresh
02:38 Prince of Bel-Air. But fans also knew he was capable of bringing dramatic weight when the
02:43 episode called for it. "How come you don't want me, man?"
02:45 "I'm not going to do it."
02:51 Since Smith was so good at balancing both elements, it's no wonder that most of his
02:55 movies let him showcase his range. His Mike Lowry character has made us smile, cry, and
03:01 everything in between across the Bad Boys films. The same can be said for Smith's role as Agent J
03:06 in the Men in Black franchise. "You know, there's a really high possibility now that
03:11 I might know some things you don't know." "I doubt it."
03:14 While Smith often brings comedy to projects, he can tone it down for his dramatic material.
03:20 His Oscar-winning turn in King Richard stands as one of the best displays of his talent yet.
03:25 "I knew you was tough. I knew you was a fighter.
03:27 That's why I did this whole thing like this."
03:32 Number 7. Steve Carell
03:34 For Carell, we really don't have to look any further than The Office. Much more than just
03:40 a comedy, the long-running show was about people and relationships. "Would I rather be feared or
03:46 loved? Um, easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." Carell was able to
03:53 mind the laughs and tears from audiences as Michael Scott. Being at the center of the show's
03:58 best dramatic and comedic moments was definitely hard to do. "That's what she said!"
04:02 Fortunately, the show wasn't a one-off, either. Carell continued to crack us up in films like
04:09 The 40-Year-Old Virgin and brought us to tears in impactful dramas like 2018's Beautiful Boy.
04:15 We also can't overlook his well-rounded work in the Despicable Me franchise.
04:20 Carell can truly inspire whatever emotions he wants in any medium.
04:24 "I will catch you, and I will never let you go again."
04:29 Number 6. Adam Sandler
04:32 Adam Sandler has surprised many over the years with his ability to act in dramatic roles,
04:37 with films like Punch-Drunk Love and Rain Over Me. "I-I-I was the oddball, you know? Mr. Man.
04:45 They adored me, Johnson." His heavily dramatic turns definitely deserve praise.
04:55 However, there's no denying that Sandler became a fan favorite because of his comedy.
05:00 "I'm not paying you to hear your thoughts on life, I'm paying you to sing."
05:05 "Well, I have a microphone, and you don't. So you will listen to every damn word I have to say!"
05:13 From The Wedding Singer to Big Daddy and beyond, we've come to expect laughs as big as the
05:19 personalities of the characters he plays. That's not to say that he doesn't sneak in dramatic turns
05:23 to his funniest movies, too. Raise your hand if you cried during the airplane serenade in
05:28 The Wedding Singer. If that didn't do it, how about when Sandler's sonny has to say goodbye to a kid?
05:34 "But I want my own ass! I want my own ass!" "I know."
05:39 Number 5. Melissa McCarthy. From her breakout role in Bridesmaids to her numerous other comedic
05:51 performances, Melissa McCarthy has been making us cry with laughter for years. But that's not
05:56 the only tears she's capable of inducing. "Boy journal, boys. If I'm not out in 10 minutes,
06:01 it's because I won the place." In 2018, McCarthy got to fully display her dramatic abilities in
06:06 Can You Ever Forgive Me? During this stirring film, she plays a writer who tries to get ahead
06:11 with an elaborate lie. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Well, come on, I'm not gonna rat
06:19 you out or anything." "I was very generous of you." McCarthy truly blew us away with a raw and
06:25 realistic performance, one that earned her a well-deserved Best Actress nomination at the
06:30 Oscars. Since she also got a nomination for Bridesmaids, it's clear the Academy fully
06:35 recognizes her abilities. "Uh-oh, somebody found a souvenir. You feel that steam heat coming?
06:42 That's from my undercarriage. That can go up and higher." Number 4. Meryl Streep. With a career
06:49 that has already spanned six decades, it's pretty fair to say that Meryl Streep has done it all.
06:54 "Oh, the truth. The truth. I don't even know what is the truth.
06:58 After all these lies I have told, God."
07:05 From Sophie's Choice to The Bridges of Madison County, Streep has made us wipe away more tears
07:12 than almost any actor ever. Unsurprisingly, she's got plenty of accolades to back up her
07:17 dramatic prowess. When Streep isn't casually dropping iconic performances in straight drama,
07:23 she's shown off her comedic side. "Something funny?" Her comedic timing as Miranda Priestly
07:30 was perfection in The Devil Wears Prada, and Streep went even further to make us laugh for
07:35 Mamma Mia. Is there anything she can't do? "You always knew how to make an entrance."
07:41 Number 3. Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks really got going in the 80s with major comedic turns in movies like
07:48 Splash and Big, but by the time the 90s came rolling in, Hanks' dramatic skills were on full
07:53 display. "I sincerely appreciate your faith in my abilities." "Faith, Andy, is the belief in
08:01 something for which we have no evidence. It does not apply to this situation." Between 1993 and 94,
08:10 he had back-to-back Best Actor Oscar wins for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. And let's not
08:15 forget that this is an actor whose relationship with a volleyball in Cast Away made us both laugh
08:21 out loud and cry like babies when Wilson floated away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Wilson! Wilson,
08:32 I'm sorry!" Speaking of objects we care about, we definitely have to mention Woody. We had to
08:38 prepare to laugh and fall apart every time he got in the booth to voice that layered cowboy.
08:43 "So long, partner." Number 2. Jim Carrey. After crushing numerous comedy sketches on In Living
08:52 Color, Jim Carrey's career really took off in 1994 with Ace Ventura Pet Detective. "May I tell
08:58 you what I think happened? Alrighty then!" For the next three years, he ruled the comedy landscape
09:05 thanks to hits like The Mask and Liar Liar. There was certainly evidence that he could handle serious
09:10 material underneath those iconic roles. However, we'd argue that The Truman Show is where it became
09:15 apparent he was every bit as good in drama as he was in comedy. "You're the star."
09:20 "Was nothing real?" "You were real. That's what made you so good to watch."
09:33 From there, Carrey could bounce back between genres without missing a beat.
09:37 We tried to keep our eyes dry for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
09:41 Years later, we ate up his hammy performance in Sonic the Hedgehog.
09:45 Carrey's energy produced yet another iconic character. "I surpassed everything you're ever
09:52 going to do. Before I was a toddler, I was spitting out formulas while you were still
09:59 spitting up formula. I was breastfed, actually. Nice. Rub that in my orphan face."
10:05 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:10 Whoopi Goldberg. Hits like Ghost let her provide comic relief and tears.
10:14 "Andrew the chick, you can do it." "You're the chick."
10:21 Eddie Murphy. A comedy superstar for decades who can also handle dramatic material like
10:28 Dreamgirls. "Hey Curtis, I don't beg. I don't call. I'm an original."
10:33 Emma Thompson. Does it get any more opposite than The Remains of the Day and Sybil Trelawney?
10:38 "You may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an
10:42 old maze. You feel so as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave."
10:48 Jack Black. In movies like Bernie, Funnyman Black actually kills in more ways than one.
10:56 "Everyone deserves a proper burial. And I was, I was just waiting for my chance to give it one."
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11:20 Number 1. Robin Williams. As one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time,
11:26 Robin Williams could always make us laugh. The energetic performer was a true force of
11:31 comedic nature. "Check it out, check it out, check it out, I'm incredible, check it out."
11:37 Whether he was dressing up like an old lady or voicing a blue genie, Williams knew exactly what
11:42 to say and how to say it, so we'd laugh. And his talent to draw in an audience wasn't limited to
11:48 comedies either. Williams' charisma and endearing nature was put to brilliant use in films like Dead
11:53 Poet Society. "A powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"
12:06 Years later, his mostly dramatic turn in Good Will Hunting earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
12:12 Williams completely deserved it by giving us a performance that made us feel practically
12:17 every emotion possible. "You move, chief."
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