Actors Who Have Been In The Most Movies

It should be easy to name the single actor with the most movie roles, but it's a surprisingly difficult task. The vast number of sources that the internet draws upon is the problem: information about actors' credits often draws together film and television roles, appearances in short films, voice-over work, video games, and so on, which is why someone like Eric Roberts is occasionally listed with more than 800 credits. The current titleholders for most movie roles appear to be the South Asian actors Brahmanandam and Aachi Manorama, who both allegedly starred in more than 1,000 Bollywood films. But again: these stats are not confirmed, and may actually be significantly lower — or higher.

For the purposes of this article, the actors listed here are ranked only by their work in feature films, which according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is any film that runs for more than 40 minutes. Additionally, all of the actors here have been in more than 100 movies. This isn't meant to be a definitive list by any means — only a representative cross-section.

The sole actress on this list, Susan Sarandon remains as in-demand today after more than 104 movies as she was at the first peak of her career in the early 1980s. Sarandon graduated from ingenue roles in the 1970s — which included the hapless Janet in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" — to more complex characters in films like "Atlantic City," which netted her the first of six Oscar nominations. In the '90s, she vaulted to A-list status with films like "Thelma and Louise" and "Dead Man Walking," which earned Sarandon a best actress Oscar.

Today, Sarandon moves between dramatic studio fare like "The Company You Keep," indie efforts like the Duplass Brothers' "Jeff, Who Lives at Home," and crowd-pleasing fare like "A Bad Moms Christmas" and "Blue Beetle." If there appears to be a strategy to her career longevity, Sarandon is quick to dismiss it. "You can't apply a scientific method to this business, or even a corporate know-how," she told AnOther magazine in 2017. "You can see the failure of these blockbusters, and then the rise of [2016 best picture winner] 'Moonlight' — really, people want stories that compel them."

Do Oscar winner Nicolas Cage and Golden Age of Hollywood legend Vincent Price have anything in common? You might say that both appeared in their share of horror movies, and both were known for some of the most outlandish roles ever. But the real data that connects Cage and Price is that both appeared in approximately 110 movies. Cage, of course, is still acting — though he's suggested that he might bring his career to a close after four decades on the screen. However, given his recent streak of box office hits like "Longlegs" and critical favorites like "Pig," it might be just talk.

Price began acting on Broadway before making his film debut in the 1938 comedy "Service de Luxe." Initially a go-to for romantic leads and suave but sinister types, Price earned a second and more substantial wave of fame as a star of horror, fantasy, and science fiction films; his multi-decade run as one of the genre's most beloved actors lasted from the late 1950s, starting with "The Fly," to the early '90s in "Edward Scissorhands," which was the last movie he filmed before he died. Price passed away at the age of 82 on October 25, 1993.

Danny Glover graduated from character roles in films like "Witness" to leading man status in the 1980s and '90s, most notably in the "Lethal Weapon" films and a mix of prestige titles like "The Color Purple" and broad comic efforts like the critically lambasted "Gone Fishin'." By the 2000s, he had returned to character parts in films like "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Dreamgirls," totaling approximately 128 feature appearances as of 2024.

Today, Glover enjoys a steady schedule of supporting and minor roles in a wide variety of films: his 2018 output included well-regarded indies like Boots Riley's mind-bending "Sorry to Bother You" and woeful B-movies like "Death Race: Beyond Anarchy." He's also an activist for political and social causes, which contributed to his receipt of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2022 Oscar ceremony.

In a 2020 interview with Success, Glover cited his activism as a factor in the longevity of his acting career. "I think part of my success has been trying to retain some balance in who I am as a father, as a grandfather — some balance of who I am as a citizen, someone who is real, embracing and caring about the world and the planet around me," he said.

After six decades on screen and more than 138 movies, Sir Michael Caine has brought down the curtain on his long and celebrated career. In an interview on BBC Radio 4's "Today" (via the Hollywood Reporter), the 91-year-old Caine said that his 2023 film "The Great Escaper" was his last. Of the film, which received a positive response from critics, Caine said, "I thought, 'Well, I might as well leave with all this. I've got wonderful reviews. What am I gonna do to beat this?'"

If "The Great Escaper" is Caine's last film, it caps a career that includes box office hits in nearly every decade of the last half-century, including his star-making turn in "Alfie" in 1966, roguish heroes in "Get Carter" (1971) and "The Man Who Would Be King" (1975), Oscars for "Hannah and Her Sisters" in 1985 and "The Cider House Rules" in 1999, and tenure as a member of Christopher Nolan's regular company of actors in "Batman Begins," "The Prestige," "The Dark Knight," "Inception," and "Interstellar." He's also fully admitted that he took a few roles only for the money: he told the Denver Post in 2008 that his presence in the dire "Jaws 4: The Revenge" was motivated by a huge payday and a Caribbean vacation. "They were going to pay me a million bucks for 10 days, and I said, 'Hey, I'll do that'," he revealed.

"I've been kind of fortunate," said Samuel L. Jackson in a 2024 interview with People. Fortunate is perhaps an understatement: Jackson's feature films, which as of 2024 number approximately 144, have earned over $27 billion worldwide, which minted him as the highest grossing actor in motion picture history. His 11 appearances as S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury in the Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly contributed to that staggering figure, but Jackson was also in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy, "Jurassic Park," "The Incredibles" and its 2018 sequel, "Pulp Fiction," and "Kong: Skull Island," among many other blockbusters.

"I like all kinds of movies," he told People. "But I'm kind of specific about what I want to see myself in or the kinds of things I wanted to see when I was a young person or a young actor. So If I read something like that, I go, 'Yeah, I wanna do this so I can see myself in it.' I made some good choices and was fortunate doing that." In addition to his status, Jackson's good choices have also netted him Oscar, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, as well as an honorary Oscar in 2021.

Though his groundbreaking and still-astonishing string of films for Hong Kong's Golden Harvest studio in the 1980s is what made Jackie Chan an international superstar, his acting career actually began two decades earlier, when the 8-year-old Chan appeared in 1962's "Big and Little Wong Tin Bar." Chan's filmography is dotted with countless turns as an extra, stunt coordinator, and bit player – he's a henchman incapacitated by Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon" – in addition to his starring and supporting roles. This is why some sources cite figures of 400 titles or higher for his film output, but the actual number of films in which Chan appeared as an actor is closer to 146, which is still a massive number.

At 62, Chan is still working hard in Asia and America: he'll reprise his turn as Mr. Han in "Karate Kid: Legends" in 2025 and has several more projects in development with no intention of slowing down. As he told the Chinese online news source The Paper (via ThorstenBoose.de) in 2023, "As long as they tell me to make films, I will risk my life."

Canadian actor Michael Ironside is among the rare performers to begin his career in low-budget horror and eventually graduate to bigger features and even Hollywood productions, which today are part of a career that encompasses 151 film appearances. Of course, it helps that Ironside's breakout role was as the villain in David Cronenberg's "Scanners." He soon navigated his way into American productions, netting notable roles in "Top Gun" and "Starship Troopers," and eventually settling into in-demand status as a character actor in "The Machinist," "X-Men: First Class," and "The Perfect Storm."

Ironside remains active in film and on television in his seventh decade, lending his signature gravitas to features like "Nobody" and "Late Night with the Devil" (which he narrated). "I've been averaging 5 to 7 [films] a year since ['Top Gun']," he said in a 2014 interview with Y! Entertainment. "I just love acting. I get lots of offers, and if the scripts work and the role challenges me or is something I haven't done before, I'll do it."

Hollywood screen legend Mickey Rooney began his film career at the age of six and never looked back; by the time he gave his final performance as Santa Claus in 2008's "Wreck the Halls," Rooney had amassed 160 feature film roles (if not more) and earned four Oscar nominations, as well as honorary Oscars in 1938 and 1983. His list of popular and critical favorites stretches from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in 1935 and "Babes in Arms" in 1939 to "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1962), "The Black Stallion" (1979), and "Night at the Museum" in 2006.

A turbulent life marked by financial instability, multiple marriages, and mental health issues also meant that many of Rooney's roles were taken for financial reasons, like the one in "Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker." Though beloved in Hollywood, Rooney never seemed to find happiness in his personal life: his final years were marked by allegations of elder abuse, and the former box office champ died with only $18,000 in his estate.

Like his friend and occasional co-star Vincent Price, Sir Christopher Lee enjoyed lasting stardom as the imposing star of numerous horror films, beginning in 1956 with "The Curse of Frankenstein" and eventually encompassing a record number of turns as the classic horror character Dracula. Like Price, Lee also starred in a wide array of genres, from comedies like Steven Spielberg's "1941" to historical dramas like his 1998 Pakistani film "Jinnah," eventually racking up more than 200 feature credits. But he never embraced his status as a horror star. "I only appeared in 15 pictures I would describe as horror movies," he said in a 1990 interview for NPR.

Lee also admitted that his assessment was highly debatable, but he eventually put horror in the rearview mirror thanks to a remarkable career renaissance in the early 2000s. He played Saruman the White for Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" trilogies and Count Dooku in George Lucas' "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith," which introduced Lee to a whole new generation of fans. Lee remained active in films like Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" and Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" until his death at the age of 93 on June 7, 2015.

Though his name may not be immediately familiar to you, there's a very good chance you've seen one or more of character actor Richard Riehle's 204 films appearances. Adept at both comic and dramatic roles, Riehle knows how to make the most of a supporting or even minor part: he was the ill-fated product manager Tom Smykowski, who invented the "Jump to Conclusions" mat in "Office Space," the unfortunately named Bill Cozbi in "Bridesmaids," and the banker whom Joe Pesci holds hostage in "Casino," among many other roles. Riehle and Pesci also appeared in two other films together — "Lethal Weapon 4" and "The Public Eye" — and he's shared the screen with everyone from Denzel Washington ("Glory") and Harrison Ford ("The Fugitive") to Pauly Shore ("Jury Duty") and Pee-wee Herman ("Pee-wee's Big Holiday").

Since many of Riehle's roles occupy only a few scenes, he often makes multiple films per year; he made five features, including Rob Zombie's "3 from Hell," two short films, plus numerous TV guest appearances, in 2019 alone. "I'm always going to look for ways I can work and maybe even be a part of ways to change the business," he said in a 2011 interview for the alumni magazine for the University of Notre Dame, from which he graduated in 1970. "When I work, I feel great. That doesn't have to stop."

Actor John Carradine is perhaps best known today as the patriarch of a large and celebrated acting dynasty: sons David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Robert Carradine, their half-brother Michael Bowen from "Breaking Bad," and grandchildren Martha Plimpton, Ever Carradine, and Sorel Johannah Carradine all enjoyed long and successful acting careers. Their father and grandfather, however, began his film career in 1930 and amassed some 216 feature credits before his death at the age of 82 on November 27, 1988.

A great deal of Carradine's film output was in the horror genre: he played Dracula on multiple occasions, and gave a comic turn in Joe Dante's "The Howling" in 1981, but the majority of his fright film output was in bottom-of-the-barrel pictures like "Billy the Kid vs. Dracula." He made so many low-budget features over the course of his career, motivated in part by five marriages and custody battles, that it's easy to forget that he also starred in some of Hollywood's best films.

He played the gambler Hatfield in John Ford's "Stagecoach" (1939), and reteamed with him for "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," and eight other features. Carradine also worked with such acclaimed directors as Nicholas Ray on "Johnny Guitar," Cecil B. DeMille on "The Ten Commandments," Don Siegel for "The Shootist," and Francis Ford Coppola on "Peggy Sue Got Married."

Another key member of John Ford's company of actors enjoyed a long and prolific career that stretched from the dawn of talking pictures to the late 1950s. Ward Bond and John Wayne played on the University of Southern California football team when Ford hired the team to appear in his 1929 film "Salute." The project not only provided Bond with lifelong friendships with Ford and Wayne, but also kicked off his acting career, which eventually encompassed 236 feature films.

Some 25 of those films were for Ford, and included many of his most enduring titles, including "The Searchers," "Fort Apache," and "Mister Roberts" — one of 13 films in which Bond appeared that were nominated for best picture Oscars. Bond also turned up in "Gone with the Wind," "It's a Wonderful Life," and "The Maltese Falcon," often in supporting roles, but he was a lead in one of his most popular projects: the TV series "Wagon Train," which was based on his 1950 film "Wagon Master." The 57-year-old Bond died of a heart attack during the show's fourth season on November 5, 1960.

In an interview for The Talks, actor Danny Trejo likened his career and vast list of credits — 267 of which are feature films — to the work of house painters. "Whether it's a two-bedroom house or a 12-bedroom house, I'll paint anything just the same," he said. That approach has allowed Trejo to appear in studio hits like "Con Air," Michael Mann's "Heat," and the "Spy Kids" and "Machete" films for Robert Rodriguez, along with low-budget features like "Vampfather," "Cartel 2045," "Mostly Ghostly: One Night in Doom House" and hundreds of other films that make Trejo a ubiquitous presence on streaming platforms.

Trejo's tireless work schedule and constant visibility has not only afforded him lasting pop culture fame but also the ability to enjoy a second career as a successful restauranteur with locations in Los Angeles, Detroit, and London. He's also a New York Times best-selling author with the publication of his eponymous memoir in 2021.

Appearing in more than 200 movies is a prodigious achievement, but when your lifetime list of credits is more than twice that number, the question bears asking: why? Eric Roberts, whose list totals approximately 422 (and rising), answered that question in a 2022 interview with the Hollywood Reporter by simply stating that it's fun. "The way I look at it is that I'm one of the luckiest guys in Hollywood," he said. "It's just so much fun to have all these offers and get to play such an extreme range of characters."

Extreme might also describe the range of films in which Roberts has appeared since his Golden Globe-nominated debut in 1978's "King of the Gypsies." Much of Roberts' output is in ultra-low-budget films: mockbusters by The Asylum ("Top Gunner"), direct-to-video creature features ("The Terror of Hallow's Eve"), and films that defy easy description, like "Rice Girl: My Redneck Neighbor II." At the same time, Roberts — an Oscar nominee for "Runaway Train" and a three-time Golden Globe nominee — remains an active presence in studio films and major indie releases like "The Dark Knight," "Babylon," and "Inherent Vice."

If the relentless schedule and constant whipsawing between budgets, locations, and genres bothers Roberts, he doesn't show it. "I can get an offer on Friday to come in on the Saturday," he explained. "You have to be prepared to learn your lines very quickly. And you know what, every time it's fun."