Who is the funniest US actor?

The pick: Robin Williams

American actor and comedian, 1951–2014

First in a Ranker vote of 452,000 people and first in a 2023 Showcase Cinemas survey of favourite comedic actors.

Also in the running

• Bill Murray (American actor, born 1950): Ranked the greatest comedy actor by a University of Turin study of film performers, third in the Ranker vote, and winner of the 2016 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
• Will Ferrell (American actor, born 1967): Second in the Ranker vote, and the 14th recipient of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize, in 2011.
• Eddie Murphy (American actor and comedian, born 1961): Fifth in both the Ranker vote and the 2023 Showcase Cinemas survey.

What made them funny

Williams's humor was speed and range. NPR summed him up as "mixing manic improvisation with rapid-fire impersonations," and in his own telling, the style was built on stage when things went wrong: early in his career a sound system blew out mid-show, and he worked the crowd until it came back. He also said comics tend to look at a thing from "both sides, or all sides," including the sad one, and that finding the laugh meant being honest about it.

Murray's humor runs the other way: slow, calm and unbothered. Critics quoted by the Christian Science Monitor point to his relaxed demeanor and easy delivery, and to the way he turns ordinary exchanges into small improvised scenes. Where Williams turns the volume up on a moment, Murray turns it down until the gap between the situation and his reaction is the joke.

Techniques to take into your videos and sets

1. 1. Use whatever broke

   What they did

   Williams told NPR's Fresh Air that when a sound system failed during one of his early shows, he was simply told to go on, so he worked the crowd until it was fixed. He credited moments like that with teaching him to play off anything in the room.

   Why it works

   When something breaks, the audience is already looking at it. Building the bit around the problem means you and the crowd are finally paying attention to the same thing, and nobody can say it was planned.

   Example (original, written by Shutap)

   My ring light died mid-take, so tonight I'm interviewing the ceiling fan. Four years in this apartment and it has never once changed its position on anything.

   Try it

   Next time a take goes wrong, keep rolling and make the broken thing the guest of the video.

2. 2. Give every object a voice

   What they did

   NPR described Williams's style as manic improvisation mixed with rapid-fire impersonations: one scene, many characters, each arriving for a line or two before the next one shoves in.

   Why it works

   Each new voice is a fresh small surprise, so the laughs stack instead of waiting for one big punchline. Giving lines to things that can't talk turns a flat scene into a crowd.

   Example (original, written by Shutap)

   My fridge at 2 a.m.: the yogurt keeps mentioning it expires Thursday like it's a threat, the leftover pad thai is quietly applying for residency, and the one lemon has been here longer than my lease.

   Try it

   List the objects in your scene, give each one exactly one line in its own voice, and cut to the next before it overstays.

3. 3. Walk around the moment

   What they did

   Williams said comics look at things from "both sides, or all sides," including the sad side. The same event, told again from a different person's, or thing's, point of view.

   Why it works

   The audience knows your side already. Each new angle shows them something they didn't think to picture, and the last angle, the least expected one, carries the laugh.

   Example (original, written by Shutap)

   I cancelled my gym membership. From my side, that's $34 a month back. From the gym's side, they lost a guy who scanned in, filled his water bottle and left. From the water fountain's side, it just lost its most loyal customer.

   Try it

   Retell one moment from three points of view, ending with the smallest or strangest witness in the room.

4. 4. The underreaction

   What they did

   Critics quoted by the Christian Science Monitor single out Murray's relaxed demeanor and easy delivery, and Rolling Stone writer Gavin Edwards noted how he turns even the most mundane interactions into improvised comedy. The bigger the problem, the calmer he plays it.

   Why it works

   When the reaction is far smaller than the situation, the audience fills in the gap themselves, and that work is the laugh. Calm also reads as confidence, so the viewer relaxes with you.

   Example (original, written by Shutap)

   My flight's been delayed nine hours, so I've unpacked. I have a side of the gate now. The guy at B14 and I are basically neighbors; we wave.

   Try it

   Take the worst thing that happened this week and narrate it as if you've fully settled in, with one domestic detail.

Before you quote them

"Funniest" polls here measure popularity, not a critics' consensus. The Ranker vote is an open online poll, the Showcase Cinemas survey was of British filmgoers, and the University of Turin ranking that favors Bill Murray weighs reviews and box office. Many famous Williams and Murray movie moments are said to be improvised; those claims vary by source, so check before repeating one.

Questions people ask

Who is the funniest US actor?

Robin Williams, according to a Ranker vote of 452,000 people reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 2017, which named him the greatest comedy actor of all time. He mixed manic improvisation with rapid-fire impersonations and worked whatever went wrong on stage into the act.

Who else is considered the funniest actor?

Will Ferrell came second and Bill Murray third in the same Ranker vote, with Eddie Murphy fifth. A University of Turin analysis reported by Far Out Magazine put Murray first, and both Murray (2016) and Ferrell (2011) won the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize.

Did British audiences also pick Robin Williams?

Yes. A 2023 Showcase Cinemas survey of British filmgoers, reported by Chortle, named Mrs. Doubtfire the country's favourite comedy movie and put Williams first among comedic actors with 28 percent, with Eddie Murphy fifth.

What kind of humor did Robin Williams use?

Speed and range. NPR described manic improvisation mixed with rapid-fire impersonations, and Williams told Fresh Air in 2006 that a blown sound system early in his career taught him to work the crowd with whatever was in the room.

Why do some rankings pick Bill Murray over Robin Williams?

The University of Turin ranking weighs reviews and box office rather than an open vote. Critics quoted by The Christian Science Monitor in 2016 credit Murray's relaxed, underplayed delivery, the opposite of Williams's volume, for turning small exchanges into improvised scenes.

Sources

• Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 8, 2017: Inquirer Entertainment: Robin Williams voted funniest comedy actor of all time (Ranker vote)
• Chortle, January 26, 2023: Chortle: Mrs. Doubtfire named Britain's favourite comedy movie (Showcase Cinemas survey)
• Far Out Magazine, August 13, 2025: Far Out: The greatest comedy actor of all time, according to science (University of Turin study)
• NPR, August 12, 2014: NPR Fresh Air: Robin Williams on looking for laughter
• The Christian Science Monitor, June 14, 2016: Christian Science Monitor: Bill Murray to receive the Mark Twain Prize
• Arizona PBS, October 31, 2011: Arizona PBS: Will Ferrell, the 2011 Mark Twain Prize