Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#647
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Bobby Cannavale represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 27 years in, and Bobby is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Bobby Cannavale appears in 48 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Bobby. Sing 2 is the clearest case: a film rated 7.8 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for romance, comedy, action. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Will Gluck, Michael Dowse, Richard Linklater and others, Bobby Cannavale helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Sing 2 (2021) as Mr. Crystal (voice) · I, Tonya (2017) as Martin Maddox · The Fundamentals of Caring (2016) as Cash (uncredited)
Career snapshot
Ranked #647 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
48
1999–2026
Career length
27 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
7.8
Sing 2
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
7.8
Sing 2
Most frequent director
Will Gluck
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Will Gluck
Most common genre
Comedy
33 titles
Average runtime
1h 44m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.9
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.4
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2010s
6.5 average MV
The 2010s are where the work and the material meet. Motherless Brooklyn, The Jesus Rolls, Ant-Man and the Wasp — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2010s
6.5
Across 18 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1990s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. The Bone Collector, Gloria.
Most productive era
2010s
18 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.42 films | 6.35 films | 6.48 films | 6.05 films |
| Action | — | 5.52 films | 6.76 films | 6.23 films |
| Thriller | 6.42 films | 5.51 film | 6.71 film | 6.62 films |
| Comedy | — | 5.99 films | 6.413 films | 6.411 films |
| Crime | 6.42 films | 5.51 film | 5.83 films | 6.62 films |
| Romance | — | 6.22 films | 4.41 film | 6.73 films |
| Horror | — | 5.62 films | — | — |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Steve, Amelia's Boyfriend.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2021Sing 2
7.8 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2026One Night Only
The current state of the argument, as Detective Sannogale.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
48 of 48 films
as Mr. Crystal (voice)
Directed by Garth Jennings
as Bobby (voice)
Directed by Unknown
as Martin Maddox
Directed by Craig Gillespie
as Max Bernal
Directed by Tony Goldwyn
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Mr. Crystal (voice)
Sing 2 (2021)
Performance score7.8
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Mr. Crystal (voice) gives Bobby Cannavale a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Bobby (voice)
Under the Boardwalk (2023)
Performance score7.6
Under the Boardwalk asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Bobby (voice) is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Martin Maddox
I, Tonya (2017)
Performance score7.6
I, Tonya asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Martin Maddox is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Joe Oramas
The Station Agent (2003)
Performance score7.6
The Station Agent asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Joe Oramas is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Mr. Crystal (voice)
Start here. Sing 2 is the clearest statement of what Bobby Cannavale does — accessible, 110 minutes, and rated 7.8 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Bobby at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Station Agent (2003)
Keeps the comedy register of Sing 2 but asks for a colder reading of it.
I, Tonya (2017)
Keeps the comedy register of The Station Agent but asks for a colder reading of it.
Under the Boardwalk (2023)
Keeps the comedy register of I, Tonya but asks for a colder reading of it.
Ezra (2024)
Keeps the comedy register of Under the Boardwalk but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Peyton Reed
Director
2 films together
Notably Ant-Man
John Turturro
Director
2 films together
Notably Romance & Cigarettes
Ben Falcone
Director
2 films together
Notably Superintelligence
Richard Linklater
Director
2 films together
Notably Blue Moon
Will Gluck
Director
2 films together
Notably One Night Only
Sidney Lumet
Director
1 film together
Notably Gloria
Phillip Noyce
Director
1 film together
Notably The Bone Collector
Tom McCarthy
Director
1 film together
Notably The Station Agent
Brad Silberling
Director
1 film together
Notably 10 Items or Less
David R. Ellis
Director
1 film together
Notably Snakes on a Plane
Alec Baldwin
Director
1 film together
Notably Shortcut to Happiness
David Wain
Director
1 film together
Notably The Ten
Steven Conrad
Director
1 film together
Notably The Promotion
Adam McKay
Director
1 film together
Notably The Other Guys
Woody Allen
Director
1 film together
Notably Blue Jasmine
Taylor Hackford
Director
1 film together
Notably Parker
Brett Ratner
Director
1 film together
Notably Movie 43
Ross Katz
Director
1 film together
Notably Adult Beginners
Jon Favreau
Director
1 film together
Notably Chef
Dan Fogelman
Director
1 film together
Notably Danny Collins
Paul Feig
Director
1 film together
Notably Spy
Rob Burnett
Director
1 film together
Notably The Fundamentals of Caring
Craig Gillespie
Director
1 film together
Notably I, Tonya
Carlos Saldanha
Director
1 film together
Notably Ferdinand
Jake Kasdan
Director
1 film together
Notably Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Edward Norton
Director
1 film together
Notably Motherless Brooklyn
James DeMonaco
Director
1 film together
Notably This Is the Night
Tim Story
Director
1 film together
Notably Tom & Jerry
Garth Jennings
Director
1 film together
Notably Sing 2
Andrew Dominik
Director
1 film together
Notably Blonde
Bill Burr
Director
1 film together
Notably Old Dads
Tony Goldwyn
Director
1 film together
Notably Ezra
Dave Chernin
Director
1 film together
Notably Incoming
Michael Dowse
Director
1 film together
Notably Trap House
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Peyton Reed
Director
2 films together · 7.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Ant-ManWill Gluck
Director
2 films together · 6.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
One Night OnlyRichard Linklater
Director
2 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Blue MoonBen Falcone
Director
2 films together · 5.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
SuperintelligenceJohn Turturro
Director
2 films together · 5.2 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Romance & CigarettesGarth Jennings
Director
1 film together · 7.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sing 2Craig Gillespie
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I, TonyaRob Burnett
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Fundamentals of CaringTom McCarthy
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Station AgentCarlos Saldanha
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FerdinandJon Favreau
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ChefWoody Allen
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Blue JasmineTony Goldwyn
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
EzraTim Story
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tom & JerryJake Kasdan
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Jumanji: Welcome to the JunglePaul Feig
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SpyPhillip Noyce
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Bone CollectorMichael Dowse
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Trap HouseEdward Norton
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Motherless BrooklynDan Fogelman
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Danny CollinsDave Chernin
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
IncomingAdam McKay
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Other GuysBill Burr
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Old DadsBrad Silberling
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
10 Items or LessTaylor Hackford
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ParkerSidney Lumet
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
GloriaAndrew Dominik
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BlondeAlec Baldwin
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Shortcut to HappinessDavid R. Ellis
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Snakes on a PlaneJames DeMonaco
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
This Is the NightRoss Katz
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Adult BeginnersSteven Conrad
Director
1 film together · 5.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The PromotionDavid Wain
Director
1 film together · 4.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The TenBrett Ratner
Director
1 film together · 4.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Movie 43Six degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Sing 2
as Mr. Crystal (voice)
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Under the Boardwalk
as Bobby (voice)
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Sing 2
as Mr. Crystal (voice)
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
The Ten
as Marty McBride
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Sing 2
as Mr. Crystal (voice)
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Bobby Cannavale has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
27 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
33 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Sing 2
as Mr. Crystal (voice)
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
The Bone Collector
as Steve, Amelia's Boyfriend
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Under the Boardwalk
as Bobby (voice)
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
The Bone Collector
as Steve, Amelia's Boyfriend
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Ant-Man
as Paxton
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Ant-Man and the Wasp
as Paxton
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Blue Moon
as Eddie
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Ant-Man
as Paxton
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
David Krumholtz
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Cillian Murphy
Built a career in the same territory: drama and history
Have your say
Community
Which Bobby Cannavale performance holds up best?
Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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