Top 10 Actors Under 50

If I am flipping through the channels looking for a movie to watch, I am looking for an actor who I know is going to give a good performance. If I see a movie with Robert De Niro or Clint Eastwood or Dustin Hoffman or Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino, chances are that I am going to stop and watch. But the problem with that list is that all of the actors are over 60. Now, there is no shortage of tremendous actors, but who are the ones most likely to replace the five graybeards on the must-watch list?

Here is my top 10 list of favorite actors under the age of 50.

10. Nicolas Cage, 43: It seems like he's been around forever and should be over 50, but he's not even close to the cutoff age. The nephew of famous director Francis Ford Coppola, Cage may have gotten his start due to nepotism, but he's been around this long because of some fantastic performances. Among his many credits are Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Raising Arizona, Wild at Heart, Leaving Las Vegas and The Weather Man. He won an Oscar for his role as Ben Sanderson, the alcoholic screenwriter who drinks himself to death in Leaving Las Vegas.

9. Matt Damon, 36: The youngest actor on this list, Damon made his debut in Mystic Pizza, the first breakout role for Julia Roberts. Of course, he made a name for himself, along with buddy Ben Affleck, in 1997's Good Will Hunting, which they took home the Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay. Damon makes the list and Affleck doesn't because even though I find both of them likeable, I believe Damon is a better actor with more range. Damon followed that up with his role in Saving Private Ryan. He's also known for Rounders and the Bourne series.

8. George Clooney, 45: A co-star of Damon in the Ocean's Eleven re-make, Clooney worked his way to the big screen after stints in television shows like "Facts of Life", "Roseanne" and "ER". He has the fewest movie credits of anyone on the list, but I think he just has big-time star quality. That appeal helps me forget his role in The Perfect Storm in which he refers to Mark Wahlberg, just 10 years his junior, as "son". I prefer to think of him as Danny Ocean or for his roles in O Brother, Where Art Thou and Good Night, and Good Luck.