Who are the finest actors to enter the DC family? Here, I will provide an accounting of every time a recipient of an Academy Award for acting has stepped into the DCU.
George Sanders
Won For: All About Eve (1950)
Played: Mister Freeze (Batman '66 S1)
Marlon Brando
Won For: On the Waterfront (1954); The Godfather (1972)
Played: Jor-El (Donnerverse)
Eva Marie Saint
Won For: On the Waterfront (1954)
Played: Martha Kent (Superman Returns)
Shelly Winters
Won For: The Diary of Anne Frank (1959); A Patch of Blue (1965)
Played: Ma Parker (Batman '66)
George Chakiris
Won For: West Side Story (1961)
Played: Professor Peterson (Superboy)
Julie Andrews
Won For: Mary Poppins (1964)
Played: Karathen (Aquaman)
Cliff Robertson
Won For: Charly (1968)
Played: Shame (Batman '66)
Gene Hackman
Won For: The French Connection (1971); Unforgiven (1992)
Played: Lex Luthor (Donnerverse)
Cloris Leachman
Won For: The Last Picture Show (1971)
Played: Hippolyta (Wonder Woman '77 Pilot); Helga Kleinman (Gen13); Granny Goodness (Justice League Action)
Art Carney
Won For: Harry and Tonto (1974)
Played: Archer (Batman '66)
Robert De Niro
Won For: The Godfather Part II (1974); Raging Bull (1980)
Played: Murray Franklin (JOKER)
Jack Nicholson
Won For: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975); Terms of Endearment (1983); As Good as It Gets (1997)
Played: The Joker (Batman '89)
Faye Dunaway
Won For: Network (1976)
Played: Selena (Supergirl: The Movie)
Beatrice Straight
Won For: Network (1976)
Played: Hippolyta (Wonder Woman '77)
Richard Dreyfuss
Won For: The Goodbye Girl (1977)
Played: Alexander Dunning (RED)
Christopher Walken
Won For: The Deer Hunter (1978)
Played: Max Shreck (Batman Returns)
Louis Gossett Jr.
Won For: An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
Played: Lucius Fox (The Batman '04); Hooded Justice (Watchmen TV Series)
Michael Caine
Won For: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986); The Cider House Rules (1999)
Played: Alfred Pennyworth (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Jeremy Irons
Won For: Reversal of Fortune (1990)
Played: Alfred Pennyworth (DCEU)
Anthony Hopkins
Won For: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Played: Dr. Edward Bailey (RED 2)
Jack Palance
Won For: City Slickers (1991)
Played: Carl Grissom (Batman '89)
Tommy Lee Jones
Won For: The Fugitive (1993)
Played: Two-Face (Batman Forever)
Tom Hanks
Won For: Philadelphia (1993); Forrest Gump (1994)
Played: Michael Sullivan (Road to Perdition)
Kevin Spacey
Won For: The Usual Suspects (1995); American Beauty (1999)
Played: Lex Luthor (Superman Returns)
Nicolas Cage
Won For: Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Played: Superman (Teen Titans GO! To the Movies)
Geoffrey Rush
Won For: Shine (1996)
Played: Tomar-Re (Green Lantern)
Kim Basinger
Won For: L.A. Confidential (1997)
Played: Vicki Vale (Batman '89)
Russell Crowe
Won For: Gladiator (2000)
Played: Jor-El (Man of Steel)
Halle Berry
Won For: Monster’s Ball (2001)
Played: Patience Phillips (Catwoman)
Nicole Kidman
Won For: The Hours (2002)
Played: Chase Meridian (Batman Forever), Queen Atlanna (Aquaman)
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Won For: Chicago (2002)
Played: Major General Katja Petrokovich (RED 2)
Morgan Freeman
Won For: Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Played: Lucius Fox (The Dark Knight Trilogy); Joe Matheson (RED)
George Clooney
Won For: Syriana (2005)
Played: Batman (Batman and Robin)
Rachel Weisz
Won For: The Constant Gardener (2005)
Played: Angela & Rachel Dodson (Constantine '05)
Helen Mirren
Won For: The Queen (2006)
Played: Victoria Winslow (RED)
Marion Cotillard
Won For: La Vie en Rose (2007)
Played: Talia al Ghul (The Dark Knight Rises)
Tilda Swinton
Won For: Michael Clayton (2007)
Played: Gabriel (Constantine '05)
Heath Ledger
Won For: The Dark Knight (2008)
Played: The Joker (The Dark Knight)
Natalie Portman
Won For: The Black Swan (2010)
Played: Evey Hammond (V for Vendetta)
Christian Bale
Won For: The Fighter (2010)
Played: Batman (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Anne Hathaway
Won For: Les Misérables (2012)
Played: Selina Kyle (The Dark Knight Rises)
Jared Leto
Won For: The Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
Played: The Joker (Suicide Squad)
J.K. Simmons
Won For: Whiplash (2014)
Played: General Eiling, Mantis (Justice League Unlimited); Evil Star (Batman: The Brave and the Bold); Commissioner Gordon (DCEU)
Viola Davis
Won For: Fences (2016)
Played: Amanda Waller (DCEU)
Gary Oldman
Won For: Darkest Hour (2017)
Played: Commissioner Gordon (The Dark Knight Trilogy)
Regina King
Won For: If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Played: Sister Night (Watchmen TV Series)
Joaquin Phoenix
Won For: JOKER (2019)
Played: Arthur Fleck (JOKER)