Matt Smith began his acting career in the National Youth Theatre after studying Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia in 2005. He eventually gained small roles on television shows such as The Ruby in the Smoke, but was a relative unknown until he was cast as the Eleventh Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who in 2010, which earned him a 2011 BAFTA TV Nomination. Smith was later cast as Prince Philip in Netflix’s The Crown, which earned him a 2018 Primetime Emmy nomination.

Smith went on to play mostly film characters in movies such as Together (a short film), Womb, Terminator Genisys, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Patient Zero, Charlie Says, Last Night in Soho, and Morbius. In 2021, Smith made two music video appearances in songs “Flying on the Ground” and “We’re On Our Way Now,” for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, an English rock band with ties to Oasis.

Next, Smith will play Daemon Targaryen in House of the Dragon, the fantasy drama prequel to Game of Thrones, which will be available on HBO Max later in August 2022. Per Variety, he is also set to star as Richard in the horror film Starve Acre, based on the book of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley, but, as of this writing, the project has no release date set. With over 45 acting credits, 17 award nominations, and 6 award wins to his name, Smith is taking the world by storm. Here are his top performances, ranked.

5 Morbius

     Via: Columbia Pictures / Marvel Entertainment

Even though the film was delayed multiple times and eventually received mostly negative reviews from critics, Smith shined in Morbius. The film received a lot of critiques for its writing style, after-credits scenes, and even its visual effects. In the film, Micheal Morbius (played by Jared Leto) does an experiment using vampire bats to try to cure a blood disease both he and his surrogate brother suffer from. The experiment goes wrong and Morbius essentially becomes a monster. The shining star of the film is Smith as Michael’s brother, who brings levity and kindness to the seriousness of the character’s situation.

4 Terminator: Genisys

     Skydance Productions

Terminator: Genisys is a reboot of the original Terminator trilogy with Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as The Terminator, except it takes things in another direction. This reboot also ignores the events of the original Terminator sequels and television series. The following reboot films were ultimately canceled when the company producing them filed for bankruptcy. Smith’s role in Terminator Genisys is a strange one. He plays Alex, an advanced T-5000 Terminator who embodies Skynet. He does a great job with the character and should be praised for making good use of his unique features and the not-of-this-world demeanor in portraying the Skynet.

3 Last Night in Soho

     Via: Focus Features

Last Night in Soho is a British psychological horror film and Smith’s most daring role, where he plays a pimp named Jack. Last Night in Soho tells the story of Ellie, played by Thomasin McKenzie, a fashion designer who has disturbing dreams of a girl named Sandie, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, being pimped out by Jack and then possibly killed. When Ellie can’t find any information on Sandie’s murder, she tries to get answers, but the truth is not what she expects. Smith does an amazing job of utilizing his unique charisma and facial expressions to showcase who Jack really is. The talent he possesses and showcases by playing such a different character is astounding.

2 The Crown

     Via: Netflix

Smith is only in the first two seasons of Netflix’s The Crown, but with that time he made a huge impact. Smith is playing Prince Philip alongside Claire Foy who portrays a young Queen Elizabeth II (also only in the first two seasons). The Crown is a historical drama based on fact, but employs fiction to tell the story of Queen Elizabeth II and her reign in the British monarchy. The story is told in two season blocks, and after every block, the actors and actresses are changed to mimic the real-life aging process of the Queen and her family.

Smith brought an interesting perspective to the life of the younger Queen by showing what could have happened as he stood by her side in the early days of their marriage. The Crown earned a whopping 63 Primetime Emmy Award Nominations for its first four seasons. Season 5 of The Crown is due to premiere on Netflix in 2022, and the show has already been renewed for a 6th and final season, which is likely to premiere in 2023.

1 Doctor Who

     BBC

Being cast as The Doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who skyrocketed Smith to a household name. As the youngest actor to play The Doctor, he brought a new and fresh perspective to the hundreds-of-years-old Time Lord. Smith’s quirky line delivery and general lightheartedness made him a fan favorite almost instantly. The best part of Smith taking on the role of the Eleventh Doctor was that, when the script called for a serious moment, he could do those just as well as the funnier bits. Working alongside Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Arthur Darvill (Broadchurch) as The Doctor’s companions, Smith was able to refresh Doctor Who and bring in new viewers. His emotional and poignant moments, combined with moments of levity and delight at the most minuscule things, gave Smith the edge over most of the other Doctors. Overall, his work as The Doctor is something to be cherished.