The Best Actors Who Have Played Jesus, Ranked

Portraying Jesus on screen demands precision about language, culture, and history, and filmmakers have approached it through epics, intimate dramas, musicals, animation, and ongoing series. Across decades of cinema and television, these performances appear in productions that range from large studio spectacles to independent projects made with small crews and experimental techniques.

This countdown looks at screen portrayals that reached wide audiences, shaped how the story has been told on film and TV, or introduced fresh angles on familiar passages. You will find roles built around dialogue heavy gospels, music driven interpretations, and narrative frames that focus on people around Jesus while still giving the lead actor substantial responsibility in key scenes.

15. H.B. Warner

‘The King of Kings’ is a silent era epic directed by Cecil B DeMille with large sets, crowd scenes, and sequences that used early color processes. The production drew on thousands of extras and relied on detailed art direction to present Jerusalem, Galilee, and Roman settings without spoken dialogue.

The film reached extensive audiences through roadshow engagements and later rereleases with added music and effects. It became one of the major religious titles of the silent period and influenced how later productions staged miracles and passion scenes.

14. Victor Garber

‘Godspell’ brings the stage musical to contemporary New York City, where parables are performed in parks, streets, and public spaces. Garber leads an ensemble that sings Stephen Schwartz numbers while acting out teachings through skits and tableaux that connect the material to urban life.

The shoot used recognizable Manhattan locations including Central Park and Times Square. The soundtrack and film helped popularize the musical for schools and community groups, keeping this interpretation in circulation for new generations of viewers.

13. Brian Deacon

‘Jesus’ often called the Jesus Film is based on the Gospel of Luke and was produced by a ministry organization with a focus on direct translation and accessibility. It was filmed in Israel with dialogue closely aligned to biblical text and with costumes and sets designed to reflect period research.

The film has been translated into thousands of languages and distributed for screenings in community venues around the world. It is widely cited as one of the most shown motion pictures ever made, with continued use in educational and outreach contexts.

12. Ewan McGregor

‘Last Days in the Desert’ follows the time of fasting and temptation, with McGregor portraying both Jesus and the tempter in parallel roles. Rodrigo García directed the production, which was shot in California desert landscapes that provide a stark backdrop for a small cast.

The film uses a minimal score and restrained camera movement to keep attention on conversation and setting. It premiered at a major festival before a limited theatrical run and later streaming availability, reaching audiences interested in meditative storytelling.

11. Joaquin Phoenix

‘Mary Magdalene’ centers the narrative on Mary with Rooney Mara in the title role and Phoenix as Jesus. Director Garth Davis framed the story through Mary’s perspective, which gives the film space to depict the ministry using quieter scenes and sustained dialogues.

Production took place on Mediterranean locations with a visual style that favors natural light and grounded costuming. The film released in multiple territories, then moved to digital platforms where it found viewers focused on character driven readings of the gospel story.

10. Jeremy Sisto

‘Jesus’ is a two part television film produced as a European and American coproduction for a major broadcaster. Location shooting took place in Italy and North Africa, with large sets for Roman courts and temple courtyards and open air sites for lakeside teaching sequences.

The broadcast drew strong ratings and became a recurring holiday presentation on multiple networks. The script presents episodes from the gospels while also imagining day to day moments, giving time to family interactions and travel between towns.

9. Henry Ian Cusick

‘The Gospel of John’ dramatizes the complete text of a single gospel with narration alongside performed scenes. Produced by the Visual Bible team, it follows a verbatim approach, so discourses and dialogues appear in full rather than condensed summaries.

Christopher Plummer serves as narrator, linking passages while the cast performs actions described in the text. The film is used in study groups and classrooms because viewers can watch the entire narrative in sequence with continuity from prologue to resurrection scenes.

8. Diogo Morgado

‘The Bible’ presented the story across a limited series for cable television, with episodes on the life and ministry of Jesus that were later reedited with new material for the theatrical feature ‘Son of God’. The production used locations and studio facilities in Morocco with extensive crowd work for temple and market scenes.

The television run reached large audiences in the United States and abroad and the feature release extended that reach in theaters. The team consulted historians and advisors on wardrobe and daily life, while also shaping the narrative for viewers who were new to biblical dramas.

7. Ted Neeley

‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ brought the rock opera from stage to screen under director Norman Jewison. Filming on locations in Israel, the production staged musical numbers among ruins, hillsides, and open quarries, combining contemporary clothing with ancient settings.

Neeley had performed the role on tour before the film and returned to it in later revivals, which kept this interpretation in circulation. Songs from the film remained widely performed, and the soundtrack helped introduce the story to audiences through popular music.

6. Jeffrey Hunter

‘King of Kings’ was directed by Nicholas Ray and photographed in widescreen processes, using Spanish locations for exteriors and large interior sets for palaces and synagogues. The production balanced political and spiritual storylines with scenes about Roman governance in Judea.

The film features narration by Orson Welles and a score by Miklós Rózsa, both of which shape the tone of the presentation. It became a holiday television staple and remained available in restored editions for home viewing.

5. Max von Sydow

‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’ is an epic directed by George Stevens with a large ensemble cast. Production traveled across the American Southwest for desert and river settings and used studio stages for intricate interior work.

The film’s long running time allowed for detailed staging of many episodes, from baptisms to trials. It appeared in several versions over time as restorations worked to present the intended structure and musical cues.

4. Willem Dafoe

‘The Last Temptation of Christ’ adapts the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis under the direction of Martin Scorsese. The production shot in Morocco, using villages and desert regions to depict Galilee and Judea in a stripped down visual style.

The film prompted protests in multiple countries and sparked sustained debate about adaptation and religious representation. Scorsese received an Academy Award nomination for directing, and the title became a regular subject in courses on film and theology.

3. Jonathan Roumie

‘The Chosen’ is a multi season series that began through crowdfunding and expanded through its own app, theatrical events, and later streaming placements. Filming has taken place in Utah and Texas with a dedicated first century village set used for streets, homes, and shoreline scenes.

The series has reached a global audience through free streaming, community screenings, and translations into many languages. Special episodes have appeared in theaters, and the production schedule allowed the role to develop across several seasons with recurring ensembles.

2. Robert Powell

‘Jesus of Nazareth’ is a British and Italian miniseries directed by Franco Zeffirelli with a running time of about six hours. Filming took place in North Africa and Italy, and the score by Maurice Jarre supports extended sequences that follow the gospels closely.

The series became a regular part of Easter programming in many countries and remained widely available on home media. Its international cast and careful art direction kept it in broadcast rotation and study use long after the original release.

1. Jim Caviezel

‘The Passion of the Christ’ focuses on the final hours of Jesus’ life with dialogue in Aramaic, Latin, and Hebrew. Filming took place in Italy with work at Cinecittà and in the city of Matera, and the production used extensive prosthetic makeup and practical effects for scourging and crucifixion scenes.

The film earned three Academy Award nominations and grossed more than six hundred million dollars worldwide. It generated discussion across religious and cultural communities and remained one of the highest grossing non English language films in history.

Share your own picks for the most compelling screen portrayals of Jesus in the comments.