14 Actors Who Played Al Capone
Celebrities | June 24, 2020
The legend of Al Capone goes much further than his prominent role in the annals of American crime; the man nicknamed “Scarface” helped shape the myth of the cinematic gangster. The notorious Chicago crook (and occasional altruist) not only inspired the films that adopted his famed sobriquet – with Paul Muni playing a thinly veiled portrait of the underworld icon in Howard Hawks’s 1932 Scarface and Al Pacino taking on the same challenge in the 1983 remake – but has repeatedly had his own story told over the years. Decades after his passing, he remains one of the most well-documented figures in true crime history.
Of the actors who played Al Capone, perhaps none is more notable than Robert De Niro in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables. In 2020, however, Tom Hardy set his sights on that legacy with Capone, Josh Trank’s quasi-biopic of the mobster’s delirious final years. Those tough-guy titans are far from the only actors to take on this legendary figure, who was a regular on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire (brought to life by Stephen Graham) as well as a number of features and made-for-TV movies dating back to the 1950s.
Which of these Al Capone actors delivered the most memorable performances? Even leaving Capone’s countless cameo appearances in movies and TV episodes out of the equation, there’s plenty of interpretations to choose from. Vote up your favorites.
