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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →George Clooney’s best screen work ranges from the television drama ER to star-driven comedies, political thrillers and major studio films. This ranking weighs his performance, the role’s place in his career, and available recognition; it is an editorial selection, not a definitive or objectively measured list. Awards are context, not the scoring system.
How this ranking works
The list covers Clooney’s acting roles in television and film. It favors distinctive performances and works that show different phases of his screen career, while considering documented awards recognition where relevant. It does not rank projects solely by awards, and it excludes work where his principal contribution was directing or producing rather than acting.
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The 20 best George Clooney movies and shows
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Michael Clayton
Clooney’s restrained performance as a corporate fixer makes this legal thriller a defining showcase for his ability to convey fatigue, intelligence and moral unease without grandstanding.
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ER
As Dr. Doug Ross, Clooney became a familiar television presence in the medical drama that helped establish his screen career. The Television Academy notes his recognition for the series and records his television acting debut in 1978.
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The Big Lebowski - 20th Anniversary Edition 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray + Digital- Genre: Comedy, Action / Adventure
- Number of Tracks: 0
- Playback Duration: 119
- Rating: R
- Director: Joel Coen
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Out of Sight
This crime story gives Clooney room to play charm as both an asset and a source of trouble. His performance helped establish the relaxed, sly screen persona that would serve him in later films.
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Syriana
Clooney takes on a physically and emotionally demanding role in a complex political drama. The Television Academy records his Academy Award for acting for this film, a recognition that fits a performance far removed from his usual breezy leading-man mode.
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O Brother, Where Art Thou?
As an endlessly talkative escaped convict, Clooney leans into broad comic timing and a distinctive Southern-inflected performance. The role shows how effectively he can anchor an eccentric ensemble.
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The Descendants
Clooney plays a father confronting family upheaval with a mix of awkward humor and grief. The Golden Globes profile lists his 2012 acting win for the film, recognition for one of his most emotionally exposed leading roles.
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Ocean’s Eleven
As Danny Ocean, Clooney leads a polished ensemble heist with an ease that makes the film’s elaborate plan feel effortless. It is among his most recognizable star vehicles and a natural entry point for viewers exploring his film work.
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Three Kings
This Gulf War-era satire balances action with sharp political unease. Clooney’s performance gives the film a commanding center without softening its critique of military ambition and opportunism.
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Up in the Air
Clooney’s corporate traveler has built a life around distance and routine. The performance’s appeal comes from the gradual strain beneath that practiced detachment.
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Good Night, and Good Luck
Clooney appears in this newsroom drama about broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow and the McCarthy era. It stands out among his screen credits for its focus on journalism, public pressure and political courage.
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Gravity
In a film built around isolation and survival, Clooney brings warmth and dry humor to a supporting role that helps shape the story’s emotional balance.
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The Ides of March
Clooney plays a presidential candidate in a political drama about loyalty, ambition and compromise. The role makes use of his assured public-facing presence while placing it inside a story about the costs of political power.
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Ocean’s Thirteen
The third film in the heist series returns Clooney to the role of Danny Ocean, now leading a plan driven by loyalty as much as money. Its appeal depends on the ensemble’s chemistry and the pleasure of watching a familiar team work together.
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Ocean’s Twelve
This sequel takes the crew’s caper abroad and plays more freely with the series’ style. Clooney remains its relaxed center as the film shifts its attention among the returning ensemble.
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![Pride & Prejudice [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41ORIqDre4L._SL160_.jpg)
Pride & Prejudice [Blu-ray]- Factory sealed DVD
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Burn After Reading
Among Clooney’s comic roles, this Coen brothers ensemble gives him a chance to play panic and vanity rather than effortless control. His character’s absurdity is part of the film’s larger portrait of people badly misreading one another.
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The American
Clooney takes a quieter approach as an assassin trying to complete one last assignment. The film favors atmosphere and isolation over the fast-moving spectacle associated with many of his better-known roles.
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Fantastic Mr. Fox
Clooney voices the title character in Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adaptation. His genial delivery suits a fox whose confidence repeatedly gets him—and his family—into trouble.
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Hail, Caesar!
In another Coen brothers comedy, Clooney plays a movie star whose polished image meets a surreal crisis. The role lets him send up Hollywood glamour while remaining part of an ensemble built around the film industry.
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Catch-22
Clooney appears in the television adaptation of Joseph Heller’s antiwar novel, bringing his screen work back to military satire in a long-form format. Its place here recognizes the breadth of his television career beyond ER.
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Batman & Robin
This superhero film is a notable chapter in Clooney’s career, even if it is not a peak performance. Including it acknowledges the range of his screen credits and the high-profile franchise roles that sit alongside his acclaimed dramas and comedies.
Where the ranking meets the awards record
The Television Academy records two Academy Awards for Clooney: one for acting in Syriana and one for co-producing Argo. The latter is an achievement as a producer, not an acting award, so it is not used to elevate Argo in this screen-performance ranking. The Golden Globes profile lists 14 nominations and three wins and currently includes a 2026 nomination for Jay Kelly; its profile also records his 2012 acting win for The Descendants. These honors offer useful context, but they do not settle the relative merits of the twenty entries.
What comes after this list
Jay Kelly, a Noah Baumbach project featuring Clooney, was reported by the Associated Press in August 2025 and appears on the current Golden Globes profile among his film credits and 2026 nominees. It is not ranked here alongside the twenty entries. The AP report provides contemporaneous project context; the award-profile listing establishes its current award status.
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Sources
- Golden Globes: George Clooney — film credits and awards record.
- Television Academy: George Clooney — biography and award summary.
- Associated Press: George Clooney’s Italian job — 2025 Venice and Jay Kelly context.
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