George Clooney is one of the most decorated actors in Hollywood. Though he took a four-year hiatus from acting from 2016 - 2020, he returned to the film industry with a splash, dropping his biopic The Boys in the Boat and cameoing in The Flash in 2023, plus preparing to collaborate with Brad Pitt again in Wolfs. It will be exciting to see Pitt and Clooney back together after they previously starred in the Ocean’s film series. For viewers looking to familiarize themselves with Clooney’s work before seeing Wolfs, this guide will help you find his best works and where to watch them.
Clooney’s career began in the early 1980s after his cousin, actor Miguel Ferrer, got him a small role in a feature film and encouraged him to pursue a Hollywood career. By 1984, he landed his first starring role in the sitcom E/R. Ironically, his big break would come with the unrelated but similarly titled ER series, for which he received an Emmy nomination.
He further gained traction with his role in O Brother, Where Art Thou, and quickly followed it up with his iconic starring role as Danny Ocean in Ocean’s Eleven. His determined and passionate performance greatly aided in the film attaining the status of one of the greatest heist movies of all time. Clooney’s career took off after Ocean’s Eleven, and viewers would watch some of his greatest performances in the following years, including Syriana and Michael Clayton. He also started dabbling in filmmaking at this point, releasing his critically acclaimed film Good Night, and Good Luck in 2005.
Today, Clooney is among only four celebrities to receive at least one nomination in six different Oscar categories. The only others who have pulled off this feat are Walt Disney, Alfonso Cuarón, and Kenneth Branagh. Though his roles have grown a bit sparser in recent years due to his focus on filmmaking, he continues to star mostly in action thrillers, sci-fi films, and comedies.
With his latest films, including The Flash and Boys in the Boat, becoming available to stream and viewers preparing to watch Wolfs, it’s an excellent time to get into more of his movies. Hence, we have compiled a list of his ten best films ranked by how iconic and well-known his performance was and the films’ critical acclaim.
