Every once in a while there is a new, young actor in Hollywood that grabs the hearts of audiences and proves themselves to be an acting force in the industry. In 2010, the young and rising star was Jennifer Lawrence with the release of Winter’s Bone. 2 years later, she won an Oscar for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook and went on to become the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. Timothèe Chalamet is having a similar trajectory with his career.
Chalamet has cemented his status in romantic drama — for more in the genre, explore our picks for the best romance movies of all time.
If you’re drawn to Chalamet’s coming-of-age performances, check out our roundup of the best movies about teenagers — several feature him or actors with similar breakout trajectories.
The release of Call Me By Your Name in 2017 launched Timothèe Chalamet’s career into the spotlight and now he is one of the most prolific actors working today. In 2021, in fact, Chalamet starred in 3 major film releases (Dune, Don’t Look Up, and The French Dispatch).
Chalamet has proven himself to be one of the best actors working today but how does his performances stack up against each other? In this blog post, we rank the 10 best Timothèe Chalamet movies.
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Timothèe Chalamet may have had a minor role in Nolan’s sci-fi movie Interstellar but his performance still managed to have a lasting impact. At 19yrs old, Chalamet plays Tom who is the son of Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey. Interstellar is about a team of explorers who travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival.

In Adam Mckay’s 2021 satire about the end of the world, Timothèe Chalamet plays a delinquent young man who is fascinated by Kate Dibiasky, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Chalamet doesn’t show up until around the 90 minute mark but when he does, his performance is electric. Don’t Look Up is about two low-level astronomers who must go on a giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.

Timothèe Chalamet is no stranger to coming of age films. Even though he is now getting close to 30yrs old, Chalamet still manages to play teenagers with ease. In Lady Bird, he plays Kyle, a high school student who befriends and dates Saoirse Ronan’s character. His performance as the bad boy outsider archetype is fantastic, and he attracts viewers just as he attracts Ronan’s character. and he draws in the audience just as he draws in Ronan’s character. Lady Bird is about an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl in 2002 who comes of age in Sacramento, California.

Timothèe Chalamet may have been featured in the marketing for The French Dispatch a great deal, however, he actually only gets 20 minutes of screentime in the film. Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch is formatted to depict a few short stories like articles in a magazine instead of having just one overarching story. Chalamet gives a charming and whimsical performance as a rebellious student activist.

Saoirse Ronan, Greta Gerwig, and Timothèe Chalamet reunite after Lady Bird to work together on Little Women. After Little Women had been adapted to film 6 times starting from 1917, Gerwig tried her hand at adapting Louisa May Alcott’s novel in 2019. Chalamet portrays Laurie as a sympathetic and flawed individual with an ability to pull at the heartstrings. Little Women is about Jo March as she reflects back on her life and tells the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women, each determined to live life on her own terms.

Timothèe Chalamet elevates what could’ve been a forgettable period piece along with the rest of the cast. His captivating performance as Henry V makes the film much more than just an entertaining medieval drama. The King is about Young Henry V as he encounters deceit, war and treachery after becoming King of England in the 15th century, in the aftermath of his brother’s death.

Dune is a sci-fi epic based on the book with the same name written by Frank Herbert. The breathtaking cinematography and the immersive performances will have you completely engaged in the film. At the core of the film is Timothèe Chalamet, who gives a layered and enthralling performance as Paul Atreides. Dune is about the son of a noble family who is entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.

Miss Stevens could be described as Timothee Chamalet’s first breakout role. Coming out a year before Call Me By Your Name, his performance as the young and troubled Billy is heart-wrenching and he easily stands out amongst the cast. The film is about a heart-broken teacher who chaperones a group of high schooners to a state drama competition.
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Timothèe Chalamet stars opposite of Steve Carrell in Beautiful Boy, a role that is more gripping and dramatic than any other he’s had yet. Based off the memoirs of David Shef and his son Nic Sheff, Beautiful Boy tells the harrowing story of a journey to overcome addiction. The film chronicles the heartbreaking and inspiring experience of survival, relapse and recovery in a family coping with addiction over many years. David Sheff has praised Chalamet on the portrayal of his son.

Call Me By Your Name is one of Chalamet’s most well-renowned performances. It was his breakout performance and he received an Oscar nomination for the role in the romance film. The movie is not only a beautiful tribute to Italy but is also a raw portrait of two people discovering they have a wonderful connection. Call Me By Your Name is about a romance that blossoms between a seventeen-year-old student and the older man hired as his father’s research assistant in 1980s Italy.
Chalamet has had an impressive start to his acting career. And even though he is usually typecast as the boy in a coming of age movie with behavioral issues, he has shown that his acting performances has a range far beyond that. As he grows and matures, time will only tell what opportunities his acting career holds.
This list will be updated as films are released like Wonka (2023) and Dune: Part Two.
Related Reading: best comedy movies of all time
Timothée Chalamet’s career trajectory is unlike almost any other young actor of his era. He didn’t break out through a blockbuster franchise or a splashy superhero role — he emerged through intimate, character-driven dramas that showcased genuine emotional range. His Oscar nomination for Call Me By Your Name at age 22 made him the third-youngest Best Actor nominee in Academy Award history, after Jonah Hill (who was 27) and Jackie Cooper (who was 9 at his nomination).
What distinguishes Chalamet from his peers isn’t just talent — it’s his willingness to take genuine risks. His choices have taken him from Wes Anderson ensemble pieces to science fiction epics, from period dramas to musical biopics. By his late 20s, he had worked with directors including Christopher Nolan, Luca Guadagnino, Denis Villeneuve, Greta Gerwig, Wes Anderson, and James Mangold — a filmography most actors would kill for at 45.
Playing the young Willy Wonka in this prequel/origin story was Chalamet’s first major studio musical and his first true family film. The result was a genuine surprise: a warm, whimsical confection that performed impressively at the box office (over $630 million worldwide) and earned Chalamet critical praise for his physical comedy and his singing voice. His rendition of “Pure Imagination” alone is worth the price of admission. Wonka proved he could anchor a mainstream family franchise while still maintaining his credibility as a serious dramatic actor.
Denis Villeneuve’s epic conclusion to the Dune adaptation found Chalamet deepening his portrayal of Paul Atreides in ways the first film didn’t allow. As Paul transforms from reluctant messiah into something more morally complicated — a religious/military leader who uses his followers’ belief as a weapon — Chalamet navigated the character’s increasingly dark arc with precision. The film earned over $700 million worldwide and cemented both Villeneuve and Chalamet as the defining sci-fi filmmaker/star pairing of the decade.
James Mangold’s biopic about Bob Dylan’s early career gave Chalamet his most technically demanding role to date: he spent years learning to play guitar, harmonica, and piano, and performed all the musical numbers live. His portrayal of the young, pre-fame Dylan — mercurial, brilliant, simultaneously magnetic and frustrating — earned widespread Oscar buzz. The film is a fascinating portrait of artistic ambition and the cost of genius on personal relationships.
| Director | Film(s) | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Luca Guadagnino | Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All | 2017, 2022 |
| Denis Villeneuve | Dune, Dune: Part Two | 2021, 2024 |
| Christopher Nolan | Interstellar | 2014 |
| Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird | 2017 |
| Wes Anderson | The French Dispatch | 2021 |
| Adam McKay | Don’t Look Up | 2021 |
| James Mangold | A Complete Unknown | 2024 |
| Paul King | Wonka | 2023 |
Related reading: 10 Best Steven Spielberg Movies, Ranked | 11 Best Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked
Timothée Chalamet’s best movie by critical consensus is Call Me By Your Name (2017), directed by Luca Guadagnino. His performance as Elio, a 17-year-old who falls in love with an older graduate student during a summer in Italy, earned him an Academy Award nomination at age 22. Dune (2021) and Dune: Part Two (2024) represent his biggest commercial successes and demonstrate his ability to anchor a major franchise. A Complete Unknown (2024) may ultimately be seen as his most technically accomplished performance.
As of 2024, Timothée Chalamet has not won an Oscar but has received one Academy Award nomination: Best Actor for Call Me By Your Name (2017). This nomination came when he was 22 years old, making him the third-youngest Best Actor nominee in Oscar history. He received significant Oscar buzz for A Complete Unknown (2024) for his portrayal of Bob Dylan.
Timothée Hal Chalamet was born on December 27, 1995, making him 28 years old as of 2024. He was born in New York City and grew up between New York and Paris — his mother is American and his father is French. This bicultural upbringing influences his facility with languages and his international appeal. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts in New York City.
As of 2024-2025, Timothée Chalamet’s confirmed upcoming projects include: the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown (2024, directed by James Mangold), and a reported second Guadagnino collaboration. He has been attached to various projects over the years — his slate tends to include a mix of intimate character-driven films and large-scale productions, consistent with the career pattern he established with Call Me By Your Name and Dune.
Yes — Timothée Chalamet performed his own singing in Wonka (2023). He trained extensively for the musical role and his vocals were recorded live on set rather than recorded separately and dubbed over the footage. His performance of Pure Imagination and other songs from the film’s original soundtrack received strong praise from critics. Chalamet also performed all his own musical material in A Complete Unknown (2024), playing guitar, harmonica, and piano as Bob Dylan.