Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1918
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Jon Voight represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 57 years in, and Jon is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Jon Voight appears in 44 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Jon. Heat is the clearest case: a film rated 9.0 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, action, crime. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Bryan Singer, James Bamford, Mike Figgis and others, Jon Voight 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.
Heat (1995) as Nate · Heat (1995) as Nate · Love, Antosha (2019) as Self
Career snapshot
Ranked #1918 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
44
1969–2026
Career length
57 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
9.0
Heat
Average Nutevio score
6.4
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.3
Heat
Most frequent director
James Bamford
3 films together
Longest collaboration
3×
With James Bamford
Most common genre
Drama
21 titles
Average runtime
1h 56m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
7.0
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
7.0
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
1960s
7.3 average MV
The 1960s are where the work and the material meet. Midnight Cowboy — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1960s
7.3
Across 1 catalogue film in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1960s
7.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1960s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Midnight Cowboy.
Most productive era
2020s
15 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 | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 7.31 film | 7.02 films | 7.01 film | 7.05 films | 6.56 films | — | 5.16 films |
| Action | — | — | 7.01 film | 7.84 films | 6.55 films | 5.01 film | 6.16 films |
| Thriller | — | 7.21 film | 7.01 film | 7.16 films | 6.42 films | — | 6.05 films |
| Comedy | — | 6.61 film | — | 6.11 film | 6.44 films | — | — |
| Crime | — | — | — | 7.74 films | 6.31 film | 5.01 film | 6.23 films |
| Romance | — | 6.71 film | — | 6.32 films | 5.81 film | — | — |
| Horror | — | — | — | 5.61 film | — | — | 6.01 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1969Midnight Cowboy
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Joe Buck.
First Nutevio masterpiece · Highest rated performance · Career peak
1995Heat
The first film here to clear 9.0 on our scale — a threshold fewer than one film in ten reaches. 9.0 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
2026Monument
The current state of the argument, as Yacov Rechter.
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 Nate
Directed by Michael Mann
as Nate
Directed by Michael Mann
as Ed Gentry
Directed by John Boorman
as Jim Phelps
Directed by Brian De Palma
as Oscar 'Manny' Manheim
Directed by Andrei Konchalovsky
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 44 titles · 44 total credits · active 1969–2026
Monument
2026 · Yacov Rechter
High Ground
2025 · Ezra Wilcott
Man with No Past
2025 · Sanborn
Megadoc
2025 · Self
The Last GunFight
2025 · Nathaniel Turner
Megalopolis
2024 · Hamilton Crassus III
The Painter
2024 · Byrne
Reagan
2024 · Viktor Petrovich
Strangers
2024 · Richard
Mercy
2023 · Patrick Quinn
Ray Donovan: The Movie
2022 · Mickey Donovan
Dangerous Game: The Legacy Murders
2022 · Ellison Betts
Roe v. Wade
2021 · Justice Burger
JL Family Ranch: The Wedding Gift
2020 · John
I Am Burt Reynolds
2020 · Self - Interviewee
Hal
2019 · Self
Love, Antosha
2019 · Self
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
2016 · Shaw Senior
Getaway
2013 · The Voice
Ray Donovan
2013 · TV · Mickey Donovan
Tropic Thunder
2008 · Jon Voight
Four Christmases
2008 · Creighton
Pride and Glory
2008 · Francis Tierney, Sr.
Transformers
2007 · Defense Secretary John Keller
The defining work
#1
Nate
Heat (1995)
Performance score8.9
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Nate gives Jon Voight a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Nate
Heat (1995)
Performance score8.0
Heat asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Nate is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Ed Gentry
Deliverance (1972)
Performance score7.8
Deliverance asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Ed Gentry is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Jim Phelps
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Performance score7.6
Mission: Impossible asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Jim Phelps 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 Nate
Start here. Heat is the clearest statement of what Jon Voight does — accessible, 170 minutes, and rated 9.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Jon 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.
Deliverance (1972)
Keeps the thriller register of Heat but asks for a colder reading of it.
Runaway Train (1985)
Keeps the adventure register of Deliverance but asks for a colder reading of it.
Heat (1995)
Keeps the action register of Runaway Train but asks for a colder reading of it.
Mission: Impossible (1996)
Keeps the action register of Heat but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Michael Mann
Director
3 films together
Notably Heat
Sean McNamara
Director
3 films together
Notably Reagan
James Bamford
Director
3 films together
Notably Man with No Past
Jon Turteltaub
Director
2 films together
Notably National Treasure
Michael Bay
Director
2 films together
Notably Transformers
Ben Stiller
Director
2 films together
Notably Tropic Thunder
Francis Ford Coppola
Director
2 films together
Notably The Rainmaker
John Schlesinger
Director
1 film together
Notably Midnight Cowboy
Mike Nichols
Director
1 film together
Notably Catch-22
John Boorman
Director
1 film together
Notably Deliverance
Hal Ashby
Director
1 film together
Notably Coming Home
Andrei Konchalovsky
Director
1 film together
Notably Runaway Train
Brian De Palma
Director
1 film together
Notably Mission: Impossible
Oliver Stone
Director
1 film together
Notably U Turn
Luis Llosa
Director
1 film together
Notably Anaconda
Tony Scott
Director
1 film together
Notably Enemy of the State
Brian Robbins
Director
1 film together
Notably Varsity Blues
Simon West
Director
1 film together
Notably Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
Andrew Davis
Director
1 film together
Notably Holes
Jonathan Demme
Director
1 film together
Notably The Manchurian Candidate
Gavin O'Connor
Director
1 film together
Notably Pride and Glory
Seth Gordon
Director
1 film together
Notably Four Christmases
David Yates
Director
1 film together
Notably Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Garret Price
Director
1 film together
Notably Love, Antosha
David Hollander
Director
1 film together
Notably Ray Donovan: The Movie
Kimani Ray Smith
Director
1 film together
Notably The Painter
Mike Figgis
Director
1 film together
Notably Megadoc
Bryan Singer
Director
1 film together
Notably Monument
Robert De Niro
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Al Pacino
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Ted Levine
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Val Kilmer
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Tom Sizemore
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Diane Venora
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Amy Brenneman
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Ashley Judd
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Mykelti Williamson
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Wes Studi
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Dennis Haysbert
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
William Fichtner
Actor
1 film together
Notably Heat
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Michael Mann
Director
3 films together · 7.9 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
HeatJames Bamford
Director
3 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Man with No PastSean McNamara
Director
3 films together · 6.3 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 3 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
ReaganMichael Bay
Director
2 films together · 7.0 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
TransformersJon Turteltaub
Director
2 films together · 6.6 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
National TreasureBen Stiller
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Tropic ThunderFrancis Ford Coppola
Director
2 films together · 6.1 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The RainmakerGarret Price
Director
1 film together · 7.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Love, AntoshaDavid Yates
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemJohn Schlesinger
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Midnight CowboyBrian De Palma
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mission: ImpossibleJohn Boorman
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
DeliveranceTony Scott
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Enemy of the StateAndrei Konchalovsky
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Runaway TrainAndrew Davis
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
HolesDavid Hollander
Director
1 film together · 6.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Ray Donovan: The MovieHal Ashby
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Coming HomeOliver Stone
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
U TurnMike Nichols
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Catch-22Mike Figgis
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MegadocJonathan Demme
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 Manchurian CandidateGavin O'Connor
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Pride and GloryBrian Robbins
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Varsity BluesKimani Ray Smith
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The PainterSimon West
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Lara Croft: Tomb RaiderSeth Gordon
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Four ChristmasesLuis Llosa
Director
1 film together · 5.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
AnacondaBryan Singer
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
MonumentSix 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
Heat
as Nate
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Reagan
as Viktor Petrovich
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Heat
as Nate
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Love, Antosha
as Self
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Heat
as Nate
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. Jon Voight 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 | 7.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Career ranking | #460 of 681 | #486 of 681 |
| Awards on file | Unknown | Unknown |
| Oscar wins | Unknown | Unknown |
| Oscar nominations | Unknown | Unknown |
| Average Nutevio score | 9.0 | 9.1 |
| Genres | Crime, Thriller, Action | Crime, Thriller, Action, Horror |
| Directors | Michael Mann | Michael Mann, Jonathan Demme |
| Performance DNA | Intensity, Screen presence, Villain presence | Intensity, Villain presence, Screen presence |
| Career timeline | 1995–1995 | 1991–1995 |
| Most iconic role | Nate — Heat | Jame Gumb — The Silence of the Lambs |
| Most rewatchable film | Heat | The Silence of the Lambs |
| Filmography | 1 catalogue film | 2 catalogue films |
Films together
Heat
Shared directors
michael-mann
Shared collections
Best Heist Movies, Best Action Movies, Top 100 Crime Movies, Action Movies, Crime Movies, Thriller Movies
Collaborators in common
Michael Mann · Robert De Niro · Al Pacino · Val Kilmer · Tom Sizemore · Diane Venora · Amy Brenneman · Ashley Judd
Our editors cannot separate them on the catalogue as it stands. Jon Voight and Ted Levine score within a rounding error of each other.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
57 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
21 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
Heat
as Nate
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Heat
as Nate
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Roe v. Wade
as Justice Burger
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Pride and Glory
as Francis Tierney, Sr.
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Heat
as Nate
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Transformers
as Defense Secretary John Keller
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Holes
as Marion Sevillo "Mr. Sir"
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Heat
as Nate
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 6 Nutevio collections
Keep reading
theme
Best Heist Movies
Features Heat at #1
Read the collectiongenre
Best Action Movies
Features Heat at #2
Read the collectiongenre
Top 100 Crime Movies
Features Heat
Read the collectiongenre
Action Movies
Features Heat
Read the collectiongenre
Crime Movies
Features Heat
Read the collectiongenre
Thriller Movies
Features Heat
Read the collectionFrom the magazine
If you like this performer
Ted Levine
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Al Pacino
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
Robert De Niro
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
David Krumholtz
Built a career in the same territory: action and adventure
Have your say
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