Photo: The Emperor's New Clothes / FilmFour International/Paramount Classics

The Best Actors Who Played Napoleon Bonaparte

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Updated April 18, 2024 21 items

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3.1K votes

742 voters

Latest additions: Joaquin Phoenix

Most divisive: Pierre Blanchar

Over 700 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Actors Who Played Napoleon Bonaparte

Something about Napoléon Bonaparte and his rise to power seems to inspire the imagination. The French military leader and eventual Emperor has found his way into a number of movies and shows that aren't about the French Revolution. The actors who played Napoleon Bonaparte have portrayed him in both dramas and comedies. Several Napoleon actors were award winners or played the once-Emperor in award-winning historical films. Some actors who played the Bonaparte even appeared in multiple projects.

Who will you find on this list of all Napoleon actors? Marlon Brando portrayed Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1954 film, Désirée. The actor wore a fake nose in the movie. Ian Holm played Napoleon in several projects including The Emperor's New Clothes (2001), Time Bandits (1981), and Napoleon and Love (1974).

Verne Troyer played Napoleon Bonaparte in four episodes of the 2000 series, Jack of All Trades, playing off the myth that the emperor was of diminutive stature. Other famous actors who played Napoleon include Dennis Hopper, Rod Steiger, and Joaquin Phoenix.

Which actors do you think made the best Napoleon? Vote the up best portrayals of France's most recognizable military leader. And if you like the characters these actors played, be sure to check out the best Napoleon movies.

Photo: Waterloo / Mosfilm/Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica/Columbia Pictures/Paramount Pictures
1
510 VOTES
Rod Steiger
Rod Steiger played Emperor Napoleon I of France in the 1970 film, Waterloo. The movie went on to win two BAFTA Awards.
510 votes
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Photo: War and Peace / Mosfilm/Continental Distributing
2
216 VOTES
Vladislav Strzhelchik
Vladislav Strzhelchik played Napoleon in the 1966 film, War and Peace.

216 votes
Photo: Napoleon / France 2
3
342 VOTES
Christian Clavier
Christian Clavier played Napoleon I in the 2002 miniseries, Napoléon. The cast also included Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu, and John Malkovich.

342 votes
Photo: Désirée / 20th Century Fox
4
317 VOTES
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando portrayed Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1954 film, Désirée. The actor wore a fake nose in the movie.
317 votes
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Photo: Conquest / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
5
188 VOTES
Charles Boyer
In the 1937 film, Conquest, Charles Boyer played Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte opposite Greta Garbo as Countess Marie Walewska. He was even nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
188 votes
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Photo: CossieMoJo / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
6
191 VOTES
Ian Holm
Ian Holm played Napoleon in several projects including The Emperor's New Clothes (2001), Time Bandits (1981), and Napoleon and Love (1974).
191 votes
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Photo: Hearts Divided / Warner Bros. Pictures
7
146 VOTES
Claude Rains
Claude Rains played Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1936 film, Hearts Divided. The movie tells the story of Napoleon's brother Jérôme Bonaparte and his wife Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson.
146 votes
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Photo: Waterloo / Bavaria Film
8
100 VOTES
Charles Vanel
Charles Vanel played Napoleon in the 1929 silent film, Waterloo.

100 votes
Photo: The Young Mr. Pitt / 20th Century Fox
9
140 VOTES
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom played Napoleon in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) and in War and Peace (1956).
140 votes
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Photo: A Royal Divorce / Herbert Wilcox Productions/Radio Pictures
10
89 VOTES
Pierre Blanchar
Pierre Blanchar played Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1938 film, A Royal Divorce.

89 votes

Photo: Napoleon / BBC One
11
143 VOTES
Tom Burke
Tom Burke played Napoleon Bonaparte in the 2007 TV film, Napoleon. It is set around the Siege of Toulon in 1793.

143 votes
Photo: Napoleon and Me / Riccardo Tozzi/Giovanni Stabilini/Marco Chimenz
12
84 VOTES
Daniel Auteuil
Daniel Auteuil played Napoleon in the 2006 film, Napoleon and Me, which is inspired by N. by Ernesto Ferrero.

84 votes
Photo: The Story of Mankind / Cambridge Productions/Warner Bros.
13
116 VOTES
Dennis Hopper
Dennis Hopper played Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1957 film, The Story of Mankind. The project featured an all-star cast including Vincent Price and Hedy Lamarr, as well as Groucho, Harpo, and Chico Marx.
116 votes
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Photo: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian / 21 Laps Entertainment/Ingenious Film Partners/1492 Pictures/Dune Entertainment/20th Century Fox
14
153 VOTES
Alain Chabat
In the 2009 film, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Alain Chabat played Napoleon Bonaparte. The movie also featured Eugene Levy as Albert Einstein and Christopher Guest as Ivan the Terrible.

153 votes
Photo: The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) / Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment/Buena Vista Pictures
15
102 VOTES
Alex Norton
Alex Norton played Napoleon in the 2002 film, The Count of Monte Cristo, which featured Jim Caviezel in the title role.

102 votes
Photo: Eagle in a Cage / Group W Productions/National General Pictures
16
90 VOTES
Kenneth Haigh
In the 1972 film, Eagle in a Cage, Kenneth Haigh played Napoleon Bonaparte. The film follows Napoleon as he experiences exile and imprisonment.

90 votes
Photo: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure / Interscope Communications/Nelson Entertainment/Orion Pictures/De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
17
135 VOTES
Terry Camilleri
Terry Camilleri played Napoleon in the 1989 film, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. Billy the Kid, Socrates, and Sigmund Freud are also characters in the movie.

135 votes
Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing / Apple Original Films
18
121 VOTES
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Phoenix played Bonaparte in the 2023 historical epic Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott.
121 votes
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Photo: War and Peace / BBC Cymru Wales/The Weinstein Company/Lookout Point/BBC Worldwide/A&E Networks
19
112 VOTES
Mathieu Kassovitz
Mathieu Kassovitz played Napoleon Bonaparte in the 2016 series, War and Peace.

112 votes
Photo: Napoleon / Luigi Rovere
20
63 VOTES
Renato Rascel
Renato Rascel played the title character in the 1951 film, Napoleon.

63 votes
Photo: Jack of All Trades / Renaissance Pictures Studios/USA Television Distribution
21
159 VOTES
Verne Troyer
Verne Troyer played Napoleon Bonaparte in four episodes of the 2000 series, Jack of All Trades.
159 votes
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