Best Performances of 2011

A great performance can make an otherwise unmemorable movie memorable.  And conversely, a movie is rarely great without at least one great performance.  Below are my favorites from 2011, ranked roughly in order beginning with my favorite.  You will notice that, just like with my Best Films of 2011 list, I don't subscribe to a fixed 10.  (Although many may wish that I did.)

Best Actor:

1. Ewan McGregor - Beginners
2. Woody Harrelson - Rampart
3. Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
4. George Clooney - The Descendants
5. Brad Pitt - Moneyball
6. Thomas Horn - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
7. Michael Shannon - Take Shelter
8. Ryan Gosling - The Ides of March
9. Martin Sheen - The Way
10. Steve Carell - Crazy, Stupid Love
11. Owen Wilson - Midnight in Paris
12. Brad Pitt - Tree of Life
13. Brendan Gleeson - The Guard
14. Michael Fassbender - Shame
15. Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method
16. Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Best Actress:

1. Viola Davis - The Help
2. Keira Knightley - A Dangerous Method
3. Jessica Chastain - The Debt
4. Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia
5. Julianne Moore - Crazy, Stupid Love
6. Emma Stone - The Help
7. Emma Watson - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
8. Elizabeth Olsen - Marth Marcy May Marlene
9. Tilda Swinton- We Need to Talk About Kevin
10. Olivia Colman - Tyrannosaur
11. Melanie Laurent - Beginners
12. Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady
13. Charlize Theron - Young Adult

Best Supporting Actor:

1. Alan Rickman - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
2. Ralph Fiennes - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. John Hawkes - Martha Marcy May Marlene
4. Michael Gambon - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
5. Jeremy Irons - Margin Call
6. Ryan Gosling - Crazy, Stupid Love
7. James Nesbitt - The Way
8. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Moneyball
9. Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Ides of March
10. Paul Giamatti - The Ides of March
11. Matthew Lillard - The Descendants
12. Albert Brooks - Drive
13. Tom Hanks - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
14. John Hurt - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
15. Warwick Davis - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
16. Paul Bettany - Margin Call
17. Bruce Greenwood - Meek's Cutoff
18. Viggo Mortensen - A Dangerous Method
19. Jonah Hill - Moneyball
20. George Clooney - The Ides of March
21. Bryan Cranston - Drive
22. Patton Oswalt - Young Adult

Best Supporting Actress:

1. Maggie Smith - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
2. Jessica Chastain - The Help
3. Bryce Dallas Howard - The Help
4. Octavia Spencer - The Help
5. Jessica Chastain - Take Shelter
6. Jessica Chastain - Tree of Life
7. Emma Stone - Crazy, Stupid Love
8. Helena Bonham Carter - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
9. Sandra Bullock - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
10. Judy Greer - The Descendants
11. Berenice Bejo - The Artist
12. Shailene Woodley - The Descendants
13. Kate Winslet - Carnage

Best Actor/Actress Under 25:

1. Thomas Horn - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
2. Daniel Radcliffe - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
3. Ezra Miller - We Need to Talk About Kevin
4. Emma Stone - The Help / Crazy, Stupid Love
5. Shailene Woodley - The Descendants
6. Elizabeth Olsen - Martha Marcy May Marlene
7. Emma Watson - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
8. Rupert Grint - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
9. Elle Fanning - Super 8
10. Chloe Grace Moretz - Hugo

Best Overall Year:

1. Jessica Chastain (The Debt, The Help, Tree of Life, Take Shelter, Coriolanus)
2. Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Shame, X-Men: First Class, Jane Eyre)
3. Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March, Crazy Stupid Love, Drive)
4. Brad Pitt (Moneyball, Tree of Life)
5. George Clooney (The Descendants, The Ides of March)
6. Paul Giamatti (The Ides of March, Win Win, Ironclad, Too Big to Fail, The Hangover Part II)
7. Philip Seymour Hoffman (Moneyball, The Ides of March)
8. John C. Reilly (Terri, Carnage, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Cedar Rapids)
9. John Goodman (The Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Red State)
10. John Hurt (Harry Potter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Melancholia, Immortals)
11. Emma Stone (The Help, Crazy, Stupid Love)
12. Bradley Cooper (Limitless, The Hangover Part II)
13. David Thewlis (Harry Potter, War Horse, The Lady, London Boulevard, Anonymous)

Best Ensemble:

1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
2. Margin Call
3. Crazy, Stupid Love
4. The Ides of March
5. Meek's Cutoff
6. The Help
7. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
8. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
9. The Hangover Part II
10. Drive
11. Bridesmaids