F. Murray Abraham has been an actor since the 1970s and rose to fame with his role as Antonio Salieri in the film Amadeus (1984). For his work spanning decades, Abraham has received accolades, awards and nominations from the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Obie Awards, Critics Awards, and more. He has also garnered recognition and awards for his work performing in theater and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2015.
Abraham has continued working as an actor in television and films throughout the years, and recently starred in Moon Knight and The White Lotus (2022). The list below includes F. Murray Abraham's best movies as ranked by ratings, reviews, box-office earnings, accolades, and awards received, including each film's cinematic impact. From his early roles and career beginnings, to his current performances and success as an actor, here are F. Murray Abraham’s all-time best movies ranked.
10 Joshua (2002)
Joshua is a drama film about a mysterious man who begins to change the lives of everyone he meets by merely interacting with them. Abraham appears in Joshua as Father Tordone, a church member who hires Joshua to carve a statue but becomes suspicious of his abilities and motives. Joshua was considered a failure at the box-office for total earnings and low-budget production, but received mixed reviews from critics, and a 77% audience score.
9 Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Star Trek: Insurrection is a science fiction film about the USS Enterprise-E crew rebelling against Starfleet to steal Ba'ku's planet for its rejuvenating resources. Abraham stars in Star Trek: Insurrection as Ru'afo, the exiled leader of the Son'a, who betrayed the Ba'ku in objection to the species' anti-technology policy. Star Trek: Insurrection earned accolades and awards including the International Film Music Critics Awards' Best Original Score for a Fantasy/Science Fiction Film, and more.
8 Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Inside Llewyn Davis is a periodical comedy music drama film about the life of Llewyn Davis, a folk singer struggling to achieve musical success. Abraham appears in the film as Bud Grossman, co-founder of Chicago's Gate of Horn Club and one of the most prominent managers in folk music. The film was nominated for Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, voted 11th-best film released since 2000, and ranked as "50 Best Movies of the 2010s".
7 The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
The Grand Budapest Hotel is a comedy-drama film about solving the murder investigation of a wealthy dowager that occurs at a twentieth-century mountainside resort. Abraham appears in the movie as Zero, the owner who visits the deceased's estate and steals a priceless Renaissance painting he hides at the resort. The Grand Budapest Hotel received accolades and awards for craftsmanship, acting, cinematography, editing, costumes, makeup, production design, direction, musical score, visuals, screenplay, comedy, and more.
6 Goltzius and the Pelican Company (2012)
Goltzius and the Pelican Company is a historical film about the life of Hendrik Goltzius, a late 16th-century Dutch printer and engraver of erotica. Abraham appears in the film as the Margrave of Alsace, who is convinced by Goltzius into providing funding for a printing press to publish illustrated books. Peter Greenaway earned the Federazione Italiana Cinema d’Essai award for Best European Director and nominations for Best Motion Picture at the Catalan International Film Festival.
5 All the President’s Men (1976)
All the President’s Men is a biological political drama-thriller film about journalists investigating the Watergate scandal that evoked the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Abraham appears as Sergeant Paul Leeper, an officer traveling to Georgetown when receiving a dispatch of "open doors" and a possible burglary at the Watergate complex. The film received accolades, awards, and was preserved in the Library of Congress' United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
4 The Big Fix (1978)
The Big Fix is a political comedy-thriller film about a private investigator who reveals the involvement of a campaign coordinator rigging an election. Abraham appears in The Big Fix as Howard Eppis, a member of the notorious radical group the California Four, who has been in hiding for years. The Big Fix received positive critical reviews, an audience score of 51%, and was nominated for the 1979 Edgar Allan Poe Awards' Best Motion Picture.
3 The Name of the Rose (1986)
The Name of the Rose is a historical mystery film about a Franciscan friar who is summoned to solve a murder in a medieval abbey. Abraham stars in The Name of the Rose as Bernardo Gui, an inquisitor of the Roman Catholic Church who serves as a torturer and interrogator. The film received mixed to positive reviews and earned the César Award for Best Foreign Film and BAFTA's Best Actor and Best Makeup Artist.
2 Amadeus (1984)
Amadeus is a biographical drama film about when Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart left Salzburg, conveyed as a "fantasia on the theme of Mozart and Salieri". Abraham stars in Amadeus as Antonio Salieri, who is committed to a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt and confesses to murdering Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Amadeus received nominations for 53 awards, winning 40 of them, including Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Directors Guild of America awards, and more.
1 Scarface (1983)
Scarface is a film about a Cuban refugee in Miami during the Mariel boat lift, who attains wealth and power by becoming a drug lord. Abraham stars in Scarface portraying Omar Suarez, the right-hand man of drug lord Frank Lopez, and the quaternary antagonist, suspected of conspiring with law enforcement. Al Pacino said in Vulture, “When Scarface first came out, it was extremely controversial… But it stays in our lexicon… It’s part of our culture.”