Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1413
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Guy Pearce represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 30 years in, and Guy is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Guy Pearce appears in 44 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Guy. Memento is the clearest case: a film rated 8.9 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 drama, science fiction, adventure. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Danny Boyle, Ridley Scott, David Cronenberg and others, Guy Pearce 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.
Memento (2000) as Leonard · Memento (2000) as Leonard · L.A. Confidential (1997) as Edmund 'Ed' Exley
Career snapshot
Ranked #1413 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
44
1997–2027
Career length
30 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.9
Memento
Average Nutevio score
6.2
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.4
Memento
Most frequent director
Ridley Scott
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With Ridley Scott
Most common genre
Drama
22 titles
Average runtime
1h 52m
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
6.6
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
1990s
7.3 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Ravenous, L.A. Confidential — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
7.3
Across 2 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1990s
7.3
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. Ravenous, L.A. Confidential.
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 | 6.71 film | 6.86 films | 6.511 films | 4.84 films |
| Action | — | 6.71 film | 6.42 films | 6.64 films |
| Thriller | 7.81 film | 7.55 films | 5.96 films | 5.47 films |
| Comedy | 6.71 film | 6.21 film | 5.11 film | 7.61 film |
| Crime | 7.81 film | 6.32 films | 5.53 films | 6.52 films |
| Romance | — | 6.21 film | 6.11 film | — |
| Horror | 6.71 film | — | 6.54 films | 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 Edmund 'Ed' Exley.
Highest rated performance · Career peak
2000Memento
8.9 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
2027Ink
The current state of the argument, as Rupert Murdoch.
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.
44 of 44 films
as Leonard
Directed by Christopher Nolan
as Leonard
Directed by Christopher Nolan
as Edmund 'Ed' Exley
Directed by Curtis Hanson
as Fernand Mondego
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
as Ebenezer Scrooge
Directed by Nick Murphy
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Showing 24 of 47 titles · 48 total credits · active 1997–2027
Ink
2027 · Rupert Murdoch
The Dog Stars
2026 · Pops
The Shrouds
2025 · Maury Entrekin
Killing Faith
2025 · Bender
The Woman in Cabin 10
2025 · Richard Bullmer
The Brutalist
2024 · Harrison Lee Van Buren Sr
The Convert
2024 · Thomas Munro
The Clearing
2023 · TV · Dr. Bryce Latham
Memory
2022 · Vincent Serra
The Infernal Machine
2022 · Bruce Cogburn
Neighbours Made Me a Star
2022 · Self
A Spy Among Friends
2022 · TV · Kim Philby
Back to the Outback
2021 · Frank (voice)
Tom Clancy's Without Remorse
2021 · Thomas Clay
The Seventh Day
2021 · Father Peter · Executive Producer
Mare of Easttown
2021 · TV · Richard Ryan
Bloodshot
2020 · Dr. Emil Harting
Disturbing the Peace: A Small Town Standoff
2020 · Self (archive footage)
The Last Vermeer
2019 · Han van Meegeren
FX's A Christmas Carol
2019 · Ebenezer Scrooge
Domino
2019 · Joe Martin
Mary Queen of Scots
2018 · William Cecil
The Catcher Was a Spy
2018 · Robert Furman
Spinning Man
2018 · Evan Birch
The defining work
#1
Leonard
Memento (2000)
Performance score9.3
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Leonard gives Guy Pearce a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Leonard
Memento (2000)
Performance score8.8
Memento asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Leonard is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Edmund 'Ed' Exley
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Performance score8.1
L.A. Confidential asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Edmund 'Ed' Exley is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Fernand Mondego
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Performance score7.9
The Count of Monte Cristo asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Fernand Mondego 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 Leonard
Start here. Memento is the clearest statement of what Guy Pearce does — accessible, 113 minutes, and rated 8.9 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Guy 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.
L.A. Confidential (1997)
Keeps the mystery register of Memento but asks for a colder reading of it.
Memento (2000)
Keeps the mystery register of L.A. Confidential but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
A deliberate change of key after Memento — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
FX's A Christmas Carol (2019)
Keeps the drama register of The Count of Monte Cristo but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Ridley Scott
Director
3 films together
Notably Prometheus
Christopher Nolan
Director
2 films together
Notably Memento
Curtis Hanson
Director
1 film together
Notably L.A. Confidential
Antonia Bird
Director
1 film together
Notably Ravenous
William Friedkin
Director
1 film together
Notably Rules of Engagement
Kevin Reynolds
Director
1 film together
Notably The Count of Monte Cristo
Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Director
1 film together
Notably Traitor
Kathryn Bigelow
Director
1 film together
Notably The Hurt Locker
Adam Shankman
Director
1 film together
Notably Bedtime Stories
Rowan Woods
Director
1 film together
Notably Winged Creatures
John Hillcoat
Director
1 film together
Notably The Road
Tom Hooper
Director
1 film together
Notably The King's Speech
Roger Donaldson
Director
1 film together
Notably Seeking Justice
Shane Black
Director
1 film together
Notably Iron Man 3
Liza Johnson
Director
1 film together
Notably Hateship Loveship
David Michôd
Director
1 film together
Notably The Rover
Ben Lewin
Director
1 film together
Notably The Catcher Was a Spy
Brian De Palma
Director
1 film together
Notably Domino
Nick Murphy
Director
1 film together
Notably FX's A Christmas Carol
Dan Friedkin
Director
1 film together
Notably The Last Vermeer
David S. F. Wilson
Director
1 film together
Notably Bloodshot
Stefano Sollima
Director
1 film together
Notably Tom Clancy's Without Remorse
Harry Cripps
Director
1 film together
Notably Back to the Outback
Martin Campbell
Director
1 film together
Notably Memory
Lee Tamahori
Director
1 film together
Notably The Convert
Brady Corbet
Director
1 film together
Notably The Brutalist
David Cronenberg
Director
1 film together
Notably The Shrouds
Danny Boyle
Director
1 film together
Notably Ink
Carrie-Anne Moss
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Joe Pantoliano
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Mark Boone Junior
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Russ Fega
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Jorja Fox
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Stephen Tobolowsky
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Harriet Sansom Harris
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Thomas Lennon
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Callum Keith Rennie
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Kimberly Campbell
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Marianne Muellerleile
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Larry Holden
Actor
1 film together
Notably Memento
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Ridley Scott
Director
3 films together · 4.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
PrometheusChristopher Nolan
Director
2 films together · 8.7 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
MementoCurtis Hanson
Director
1 film together · 7.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
L.A. ConfidentialTom Hooper
Director
1 film together · 7.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The King's SpeechHarry Cripps
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Back to the OutbackKevin Reynolds
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Count of Monte CristoKathryn Bigelow
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 Hurt LockerNick Murphy
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
FX's A Christmas CarolBrady Corbet
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The BrutalistJohn Hillcoat
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The RoadStefano Sollima
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 Clancy's Without RemorseShane Black
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Iron Man 3Martin Campbell
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MemoryDavid S. F. Wilson
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BloodshotJeffrey Nachmanoff
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
TraitorAntonia Bird
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
RavenousDan Friedkin
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Last VermeerDavid Michôd
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 RoverWilliam Friedkin
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Rules of EngagementBen Lewin
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Catcher Was a SpyAdam Shankman
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Bedtime StoriesLee Tamahori
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The ConvertDavid Cronenberg
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The ShroudsRoger Donaldson
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Seeking JusticeRowan Woods
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Winged CreaturesLiza Johnson
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Hateship LoveshipBrian De Palma
Director
1 film together · 4.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DominoDanny Boyle
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
InkSix 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
Memento
as Leonard
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
The King's Speech
as King Edward VIII
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Memento
as Leonard
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
The Catcher Was a Spy
as Robert Furman
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Memento
as Leonard
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. Guy Pearce has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
| Nutevio Performer Score | 8.0 | 9.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Career ranking | #421 of 681 | #1 of 681 |
| Awards on file | Unknown | 3 recorded |
| Oscar wins | Unknown | 1 |
| Oscar nominations | Unknown | 5 |
| Average Nutevio score | 8.9 | 9.1 |
| Genres | Mystery, Thriller | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, History |
| Directors | Christopher Nolan | Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese |
| Performance DNA | Screen presence, Intensity, Charisma | Transformation, Drama, Screen presence |
| Career timeline | 2000–2000 | 2006–2026 |
| Most iconic role | Leonard — Memento | Odysseus — The Odyssey |
| Most rewatchable film | Memento | Interstellar |
| Filmography | 1 catalogue film | 4 catalogue films |
Films together
Nothing in common in the library yet.
Shared directors
Christopher Nolan
Shared collections
Top 100 Mind-Bending Movies, Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked, Thriller Movies
Collaborators in common
Christopher Nolan
Matt Damon edges ahead here — a higher floor across a comparable body of work.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
30 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.
Drama Legend
Awarded
22 catalogue titles in drama, 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
Memento
as Leonard
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Memento
as Leonard
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
The King's Speech
as King Edward VIII
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Memento
as Leonard
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Memento
as Leonard
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Bloodshot
as Dr. Emil Harting
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Ravenous
as Boyd
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Memento
as Leonard
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
Across the library
Every Nutevio collection this name turns up in, and how high they rank there.
Collection footprint
Appears in 5 Nutevio collections
Keep reading
theme
Top 100 Mind-Bending Movies
Features Memento
Read the collectiongenre
Mystery Movies
Features Memento
Read the collectiongenre
Best Psychological Thrillers
Features Memento
Read the collectiondirector
Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked
Features Memento
Read the collectiongenre
Thriller Movies
Features Memento
Read the collectionFrom the magazine
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Have your say
Community
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