runnersdialzero

Might sound crazy but I'm going to go with Leonardo DiCaprio. Man gets a lot of hate but he chose wisely last decade. After Titanic, he could have easily became Brendan Fraser or somebody of that ilk.

Looking through his movies from 2000-2009, he didn't do a ton, but he was in some great movies like The Aviator, Catch Me If You Can, The Departed, Gangs of New York and Blood Diamond. I hated Body of Lies but I thought he was pretty good in it. A lot of people hated Revolutionary Road. I kinda liked it. He was damn good in that. Way better then Winslet.

So far this decade he's already done Shutter Island and is about to be in my must see of this summer, Inception.

riotinmyskull

Josh Brolin's gone from being the older brother in GOONIES to one of my favorite actors.

islandclaws

Getting a little mainstream, but nobody pre-2000-2009 would've guessed that 2 of the most bankable names in Hollywood are Johnny Depp and Robert Downey, Jr.

runnersdialzero

Yeah, Depp and Downey have been red hot since about 2003 for Depp and 2005 for Downey. Unfortunately, both had some stinkers at the beginning of the decade.

Fist of Doom

Christian Bale had a pretty good decade.

inri222

Not all of them are great but 2 oscars and some gems

Sean Penn

Milk
Persepolis
All the King's Men
The Interpreter
The Assassination of Richard Nixon
21 Grams
Mystic River
It's All About Love
I Am Sam
The Weight of Water
Before Night Falls
Up at the Villa

JumpCutz

George Clooney
Matt Damon

Howie2000

Phillip Seymour Hoffman

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Capote
25th Hour
Synecdoche, New York
Doubt
Charlie Wilsons War
Owning Mahony
State And Main
The Savages

Fist of Doom

^Good call. (Don't forget Punch-Drunk Love!)

Cardsfan111

Not a bad choice, and your list doesn't even include Mission Impossible III, Red Dragon or Along Came Polly (I threw that last one in because his scenes on a basketball court crack me up every time).

MrSmearkase

He was pretty funny in that.

I'd also add his small role in The Invention of Lying. He held his own in a really funny scene with Gervais and Louis C.K.

Yeti4623

I thought early in the decade, Russell Crowe was the biggest actor. Now, Johnny Depp and Matt Damon are probably tied.

Reese Witherspoon is probably the biggest actress.

Numanoid

I'll see your Reese Witherspoon and raise you a...

Boba Fett

George Clooney
Robert Downey Jr
Casey Affleck
Heath Ledger

I'd say overall Downey Jr had the best decade, going from near obscurity and c-rate supporting roles, to carrying franchises and receiving critical acclaim once again.

Ledger's rise was amazing, considering he hit the scene in 1999 and was largely cast off as another pretty boy. His run from 2005-2008 was short but amazing, with "Casanova" being the only letdown.

Affleck is another example of bit player showing he had talent. He proved his salt in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" which was by no means an easy role. If he keeps up his success, in a few years, he'll cement his place as a go-to actor.

Clooney deserves special mention just for his star power. A lot of his notable success though is behind the camera and he really deserves a lot of credit for what he's accomplished.

RichC2

Tough call, I think Sam Rockwell, DiCaprio, Downey Jr, Pitt, Clooney and Depp all had impressive decades. Clooney and Depp probably had the most impressive overall.

Actress wise, I think Naomi Watts (Mulholland Dr, The Ring, Ellie Parker, 21 Grams, We Don't Live Here Anymore, I Heart Huckabees, Stay, King Kong, Eastern Promises, The Painted Veil, Funny Games remake) and Scarlett Johansson (The Man Who Wasn't There, Ghost World, Eight Legged Freaks, Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring, In Good Company, Match Point, The Island, The Prestige, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Iron Man 2) had solid decades, tho Watts movies are a tad more miss than hit, I always liked her.

Trevor

Yeah, I think Winslet has to be the choice for actress.

For actor I think I'd go Clooney.

Ash Ketchum

Jason Statham and Megan Fox.

(Who else did you think I was gonna say?)

toddly6666

Christain Bale
Angelina Jolie
Gerard Butler (his evolving career literally started within this decade)

Yeti4623

I was mainly going by popularity.

Matt

The early favorite for biggest actress of the current decade:

foofighters7

I can say who had the worst. Al Jolson!..

or Harrison Ford-

What Lies Beneath
K-19
Hollywood Homicide
Firewall
Indy IV
Crossing Over

for a guy I think IS talented he has no ability to pick a role.
Terrible 10 years for him.

I would say Depp and Penn had a great decade, Clooney is one of my favs, but DiCaprio had the best decade based on the overall quality of the films he did do.

Dr Mabuse

Followed by 'Gone Baby Gone'. Excellent film and he was terrific in it. I think he's a real talent.

This next film(Killer Inside Me) he's doing looks very interesting to me too.

I guess it would be hard to beat George Clooney in this decade. From smaller films that were fantastic like 'Solaris', to all the Oscar acclaim for his directing and acting, to the comedies, too many great movies to list.

GoldenJCJ

Aside from the Pirates movies I can't really see anything that Johnny Depp has done that has blown me away this decade.



My money is on George Clooney or Matt Damon. Both have had a fantastic 10 years!

For actress, might I suggest:

Numanoid

I'd have put Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston in that case.

Drexl

In terms of good work for actresses, I'd suggest Cate Blanchett. I don't think there's a better actress of her age or younger working today, and of course that opinion is founded on her work in the last decade. But, Winslet is right up there as well. Nicole Kidman was a contender for the first half of the decade, but she really trailed off in one big letdown after another. I blame Bewitched, not The Stepford Wives, because her strong turn in The Interpreter was in between.

In terms of popularity, I want to say Angelina Jolie, but just going by box office, she might not be as big of a draw as Sandra Bullock (despite Jolie's more massive tabloid coverage). 2009 might have put Bullock over the top.

For actors in terms of popularity, can it actually be someone other than Will Smith? I'd have to think about who has done the most good work; that's a tough one.