28 Underappreciated Actors and Actresses in a Particular Order

28. Aubrey Plaza. Aubrey in the queen of dry intelligent humor.  Her characters are often an intellectual swathed in sarcasm.

27. Gina Torres.  This talented actress can play tough women without coming off as an axe-wielding misandrist with something to prove.

26. Mandy Patinkin.  Everyone knows Inigo Montoya, though most people never connected him to that one guy from Criminal Minds.  But this guy can SING!

25. Clive Owen. He plays light-hearted comedy roles as well as daring gritty dramatic roles.  But this Handsome Brit gets lost in the shuffle because he chooses such diverse fringey roles.

24. Alan Tudyk.  Everyone has seen an animated movie featuring Alan's expressive voice, and Joss Whedon fans are familiar with his sci-fi work.  But people don't talk about him because they don't want to attempt pronunciation of his last name.

23.  Goldie Hawn.  This woman is so funny and dynamic, it's a tragedy she hasn't done a movie in over a decade.

22. Emily Watson.  She plays mostly supporting roles, and she doesn't detract from the stars.  Exactly what a supporting character is supposed to be!

21. Emily Mortimer.  Her characters are so unassuming and relatable that we forget there's an actress behind them.

20. Jada Pinkett Smith. Most people know her as Will Smith's Wife, not by her own body of work.

19. Jessica Chastain.  She won't be on this list for long.  Give her a couple of years and everyone will know her name.

18. Lily Tomlin.  That lady is FUNNY!

17. James Marsden. He can play anything from an X-man to a besotted singing prince, but his name is often followed by "istn't that the guy in 127 Hours?"

16. Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew.  These two gentlemen played two of the most iconic sci-fi characters of all time, but only the most dedicated of fans know their names.

15. Tim Blake Nelson.  He's a goofy looking guy, to be sure.  But his characters feel real, like people you could know in real life.

14. Cate Blanchett.  With an Oscar and 87 other awards to her name, the elite of filmmaking certainly don't take her for granted.  But the average movie-goer won't remember her name.

13. Christopher Lee.  This crazy prolific actor has 275 acting titles and is still acting at the wise age of 91.  Maybe you've never seen him in anything, like if you've been in a coma for seven decades.

12. Isla Fisher.  Her doppleganger, Amy Adams, gets credit for a lot of her work.

11.  Alan Rickman.  His fans couldn't appreciate him more without causing injury to themselves and possibly to Alan himself.  However, much of hte world only knows him as the sulky angry potions master from Harry Potter.

10. Alan Cumming. This actor is underappreciated because he was nearly unrecognizable in some of his most widely distributed roles.  In addition, Alan has an impressive stage career.

9. Paul Bettany.  His surreal appearance and his penchant for playing strange characters often gets him overlooked.  But he colors his performaces with juicy darkness and is always a contributor to a solid suspension of disbelief. 

8. Robert Carlyle.  This actor often gets marginalized because of his slight frame and extremely sharp features.  But the depth of emotion he can pour into his characters earns him a spot on this list.

7. Woody Allen.  Everyone knows Woody for his writing and directing credits, but most people don't know he's acted in almost as many movies as Matthew McConaughey.

6. Bill Nighy.  This silver fox plays characters no one else could pull off.  His multi-faceted performances make even his smallest roles intriguing and believable.  The fact that his name sound exactly like Bill Nye (the Science Guy) doesn't help his branding.

5. Andrew Scott.  Thousands and thousands of people watch BBC's Sherlock, but no one things to find out who plays the unnerving James Moriarty.  Perhaps that's because he's so convincing in his insanity we don't question him.

4. Emma Thompson.  Some of her most incredible performances are in movies that are too off-beat for most people.

3. Richard Armitage.  He can portray a cast range of emotions and he's really tasty, but few Americans know who he is.  The Hobbit is helping to change that.

2. Emily Blunt.  She's intelligent, sassy, and dynamic.  We forget about her because she plays characters of more substance than sex.

1. Stanley Tucci.  Everyone in America has seen a movie with this guy in it, but almost no one knows who he is.  That's because he's a consumate methood actor.  Stanley disappears and all that remains is an amazing character.