Famous Actors Who Have Been In More Than 100 Movies

The fact that Michael Caine has appeared in over 100 movies might not be as big of a surprise as some of the other actors on this list, given that he was making movies all the way back in the 1950s. After a number of small roles in that decade — many so small that he wasn't even credited in them — Caine's breakthrough role was in the 1964 epic war film "Zulu." Soon after, he got to lead a franchise when he starred as the James Bond-esque Harry Palmer in "The Ipcress File" and two sequels (two more followed decades later). He would later pay homage to his early days playing a British spy when he appeared as Austin Powers' father in "Goldmember."

More recently, Caine is most associated with his frequent collaborations with filmmaker Christopher Nolan. They first worked together when Caine played Alfred in "Batman Begins," a part he'd reprise in two more Nolan-directed Batman movies. Caine also appeared in "The Prestige," "Inception," "Interstellar," "Dunkirk," and "Tenet" in roles of varying sizes. The 2021 comedy "Best Sellers" was Caine's 133rd film. 

There's no debating which of the Roberts siblings is the most famous or the most "accomplished." But in terms of quantity, Eric has Julia beat by several miles. He's been called "the hardest working man in Hollywood," and is among a small few actors who have passed the 600-screen-credits mark. Even more remarkable is that over 200 of those are from movies alone, a milestone he smashed past in the 2010s when he was making so many movies that it's hard to know when he even found time to eat or sleep. 

In 2013 alone, Roberts appeared in over 30 films, keeping up a similar level of work for each of the remaining years of that decade. Needless to say, a lot of those were smaller indie or "B-movies," but that's not to say that Roberts doesn't appear in plenty of blockbusters. Among Roberts' more notable bigger films are "The Dark Knight," "Inherent Vice" (where he won an Independent Spirit Award along with the rest of the cast), and his Oscar-nominated turn in 1985's "Runaway Train." He's also the father of "American Horror Story" star Emma Roberts. 

Admittedly, Nicolas Cage might not have reached the 100-movie mark — at least not as soon as he did — without the many direct-to-video movies he did in the 2010s. By Cage's own admission (per Variety), he did those movies to help pay for some financial issues he was facing, though he maintains that he gave 100% to each and every one of them. If there is one thing that Cage can never be accused of, it's not going all-in and then some on a performance.

While he comes from Hollywood royalty by being a member of the Coppola family, Nicolas Coppola chose to be credited as Nicolas Cage very early on so that he could make his way on his talents rather than his famous name. And it worked, as the actor quickly racked up roles in several '80s classics right at the start of his career — "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (before the name change), "Raising Arizona," and "Moonstruck." He then turned into a bona fide leading man and movie star in the '90s with "Con Air," "Face/Off," "Gone in 60 Seconds," "The Rock," and "City of Angels," to name a few. In recent years, his career has seen a renaissance with acclaimed performances in movies like "Pig," "Mandy," and "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent." 

To have appeared in over 200 movies is a remarkable feat for any actor. But for Danny Trejo to have achieved that despite not even starting to act until he was in his 40s makes it all the more astounding. After making the choice to finally turn his life around during one of his numerous prison stints, Trejo decided to give acting a shot and found that his rough-and-tumble looks and distinctive voice made it easy to find film work. But it was in the mid-'90s, particularly when he started getting cast in the movies of filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, that Trejo became a household name.

Throughout his career, Trejo has frequently switched back and forth between playing into and also poking fun at his tough guy persona, as willing to crack jokes as he is to crack skulls. By most accounts, he is an absolute sweetheart on film sets, and combined with just being a hard worker, that's likely the reason why he has managed to stay so prolific through his acting career — which now stretches across five decades. 

By the time Jackie Chan fully and truly broke through in the U.S. — by way of his first big crossover hit, "Rumble in the Bronx," in 1996 — he had already starred in over 60 movies, and that doesn't even count films where he was just an extra or only did stunt work. Of course, he had appeared in "The Cannonball Run" and its sequel many years before, but those movies didn't exactly make him a Hollywood superstar.

While Chan has only appeared in 20 or so American productions — most notably, the "Rush Hour" and "Kung Fu Panda" franchises — he has been and remains extremely prolific when it comes to making films in his native China. He has comfortably surpassed the 150-film threshold, which is especially impressive given how physically taxing most of his films are and the fact that he's performed life-threatening stunts in a high number of them. While he has often balanced silly movies with serious ones in China, it wasn't until 2010's remake of "The Karate Kid" that he first took on a more serious role in an English-language film. Most recently, he did so again with his acclaimed turn in the 2017 action thriller "The Foreigner."

From his imposing frame to his deep, booming voice, Keith David has one of the most distinctive look-and-sound combinations in Hollywood. It's not hard to imagine why he's been cast in so many movies over the course of his career — close to 150, in fact. It also helps that David can move effortlessly between genres, appearing in the wild comedy "There's Something About Mary," following it up two years later with an intense drama like "Requiem for a Dream," and feeling like a natural in both films.

David's film career started in 1979, and within 10 years he had already showcased his willingness and ability to bounce between genres with movies as varied as "Platoon," "The Thing," "Road House," "They Live," and "Always." He also doesn't let pride get in the way of playing even the smallest parts in movies despite how much success he has had and how big of a name he is. Not surprisingly, his trademark pipes have also made him a great fit for voice work, playing roles in movies like "The Princess and the Frog," "Coraline," and the English dub of "Princess Mononoke."

The one exception we made to the "no character actors" rule when making this list was James Hong, as he seems to have risen well beyond being just another character actor. For proof of this, look no further than him receiving a long overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022, an honor that far too few character actors are bestowed with. His memorable turn in 2022's "Everything Everywhere All At Once" sees Hong's film role tally closing in on an impressive 150 — and that's to say nothing of the television and video game roles which bring his total number of screen acting credits to well past the 400 mark.

Hong is an actor who just clearly loves what he does. Even as he started regularly getting sizeable roles in Hollywood movies of the '80s and '90s like "Blade Runner," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Wayne's World 2," and "Mulan," Hong continued to take on even the tiniest parts in both movies and on television. Well into the 2010s, Hong continued to show up for single-episode appearances on numerous different television shows, despite having a steady gig playing Mr. Ping in the "Kung-Fu Panda" movie franchise. Perhaps not surprisingly, he was one of the only actors to reprise his role on both "Kung Fu Panda" television shows.