From his humble beginnings as a leading man in romantic comedies like Princess Diaries 2 and Just My Luck to his current A-list status, Chris Pine has always been an actor to watch. Born in August 26, 1980 to Robert Pine, an actor known for playing Josephy Getraer on CHiPs and Gloria Gwynne Gilford, a retired actress and psychotherapist, Pine grew up in Los Angeles before heading to UC Berkeley for college. Wanting to find a community but knowing a fraternity wasn’t his style, Pine opted to join Berkeley’s theater community instead and found acting a natural fit. Before long, Pine found himself filling a niche in Hollywood by playing good-looking, charismatic lead characters and, while that sounds like most leading men in the industry, Pine is also refreshingly eager to poke fun at his image in films like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Gravitating towards roles where he gets to reexamine toxic masculinity (like his recent turn as a smooth-talking cult leader in Don’t Worry Darling, although the film was a topic of discussion for some other reasons), Pine has proven he’s more multi-dimensional than his image might suggest. While Pine is most known for playing a certain type of character well, one look at his resume and his versatility stands out; among his lead roles in studio blockbusters like the Star Trek franchise and both Wonder Woman films, Pine has taken on indie films, comical TV roles, and even one-man plays during his career.
Pine has been in dozens of projects at this point in his career and a proper ranking of his best performances in TV and film is more than overdue, especially as he gears up to become Disney royalty as King Magnifico in Wish. Here are our top 10 favorite Chris Pine movies and TV shows to celebrate one of the internet’s favorite actors named Chris.
10. I Am the Night (2019)
This TNT Noir-style miniseries went relatively under the radar when it was released in January 2019, but while I Am The Night is one of Pine’s most underrated performances, it’s also one of his best. The six-episode series follows Pine as Jay Singletary, a Korean War veteran and down on his luck journalist who uncovers a conspiracy related to the very article that destroyed his literary reputation. The miniseries, written by Sam Sheridan and partially directed by Patty Jenkins — who worked with Pine on both Wonder Woman films — is loosely based on the memoir One Day She’ll Darken: The Mysterious Beginnings of Fauna Hodel, about the granddaughter of the prime suspect in the Black Dahlia murder case. If you like true crime and drama, you’ll love I Am The Night.
9. SuperMansion (2015-2019)
From the creators of Robot Chicken, SuperMansion is a stop-motion adult series about a league of superheroes who, in X-Men fashion, live together in a giant mansion run by aging superhero, Titanium Rex (played by Bryan Cranston). The group, called the League of Freedom, fights crime and struggles to stay relevant in the ever-changing superhero landscape while their leader attempts to teach his team of young superheroes the most important aspects of being a superhero. Pine plays the supervillain Dr. Devizio, who creates the villainous Injustice Club in the show’s second season as a response to the heroic League of Freedom. While the show doesn’t reinvent the wheel, all three seasons of SuperMansion are worth a watch and Pine’s Emmy-nominated acting as a supervillain is a good preview of what’s coming our way when Wish comes out in November.
8. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
Every leading man has to have a first movie and Pine’s film debut is the sequel to the 2001 hit movie The Princess Diaries. In the film, Pine stars opposite Anne Hathaway as Lord Nicholas Deveraux, one of many eligible bachelors the soon-to-be queen of Genovia must consider while forced to find a suitable husband before ascending to the throne. An outdated law requires princess Mia to marry within one month or she will forfeit the throne to Lord Deveraux, who as the son of Parliament Member Viscount Mabrey, is the next male heir in line for the throne. While Mia searches for a groom, she finds herself pulled toward Nicholas, who doesn’t actually seem all that nefarious the more she gets to know him. The movie is a classic among fans of the genre, and both leads went on to have great careers as Hollywood stars shortly after the film was released.
7. Star Trek (2009)
Pine became a household name when he starred as Captain James T. Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek film. Directed by J. J. Abrams, the film was the first in a trilogy based on the popular 1960s television show of the same name and the origin story follows the crew of the starship Enterprise as they join together. While fans argue over which Star Trek film is the best, we have to give it to the original Star Trek for introducing a new generation of viewers to the fantastical world of Star Trek. While the whole cast is stunning in their roles, Pine shines as the Enterprise‘s captain and is able to portray the character’s recklessness and sense of humor as both strengths and weaknesses when appropriate. Living up to William Shatner’s original portrayal of Kirk was always going to be a challenge, but impressively, Pine was able to make the character his own.
6. Wonder Woman (2017)
In 2017’s Wonder Woman, Pine plays Steve Trevor, a U.S. pilot who works as an Allied spy during World War 1. When he crash lands on the island of Themyscira, the Amazon forces fight off an invasion of German soldiers and Trevor reveals a great war is happening in the mortal world. Believing the war to be the work of the god Ares, Diana goes with Trevor to help stop the war and after humorously butting heads — Diana is incredibly kindhearted and new to the world, whereas Trevor’s a normal mortal man — the two fall in love during their journey. In many ways, Trevor is Wonder Woman’s “damsel in distress” and he plays the character with wit, charm, and a lot of heart. While Wonder Woman‘s future is still in limbo, the movie is always worth a watch.
5. Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Rise of the Guardians was released in 2012 and was the lowest opening weekend for any DreamWorks Animation film since the 2006 film Flushed Away. The film’s lack of profit almost destroyed DreamWorks but over ten years later, Rise of the Guardians is one of the best stories to come out of the studio and has the critical acclaim to back it up. In Rise of the Guardians, Pine plays Jack Frost, who is recruited alongside other childhood entities (called Guardians) like Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman to fight the Boogeyman, who is giving children across the world nightmares. The film is action-packed and fun, and Pine is great in his blockbuster voice acting debut as Frost.
4. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023)
In the first good Dungeons & Dragons movie, Pine plays Edgin Darvis, a bard and leader of a hastily-assembled ragtag crew of adventurers aiming to rescue his daughter from their former party member, a rogue named Forge Fitzwilliam. After their last raid went poorly, Edgin was imprisoned and Forge gained immense power and wealth from partnering with an evil Red Wizard of Thay while taking care of Edgin’s daughter in his stead. The stakes are high but the film never forgets that Dungeons & Dragons should be fun; the fight scenes are well-choreographed, the fantasy setting is well-developed, and the jokes are well-written. Pine seems almost born to play a charasmatic bard and he excels at the role.
3. Unstoppable (2010)
Based on a true story, Unstoppable puts Denzel Washington and Pine together as a veteran railroad engineer and a rookie conductor who must stop a dangerous runaway train full of hazardous materials from derailing in a highly populated area. The film comes in at a short 98 minutes and uses every minute to the fullest, creating a movie full of non-stop, intentional action. Unstoppable is able to capture the danger of the blue-collar profession thanks in part to contributions from real rail workers and while obviously a dramatization of the incident it’s based on, it’s grounded in reality. Pine starred in Unstoppable shortly after starring in the first Star Trek film, further cementing his status as a bankable actor.
2. Into the Woods (2014)
In another role Pine was born to play, he plays Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods, a 2014 film adaptation of the musical. The musical tells the story of several fairy tale characters as they each go through journeys to reach their own happy endings. However, they quickly learn their happy endings aren’t as “happy” as they believed and nothing is as simple as it seems. Into the Woods was a critical and commercial success, achieving the best opening week for any movie musical at the time. Even if the film wasn’t good — and don’t worry, it’s great — it would be worth watching for Pine’s parts alone; he gives one of the best performances of his career as the charming but arrogant Prince.
1. Hell or High Water (2016)
If you like neo-westerns or Yellowstone, you’ll enjoy the Taylor Sheridan-penned Hell or High Water. This 2016 film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and it’s easy to see why; the story is realistic, full of action, and full of heart and performances from Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, and Pine breathe life into the already-great screenplay. Two brothers plan a series of bank robberies to pay off the debt they acquired during their late mother’s long bout of illness and soon, an experienced Texas Ranger sets his sights on catching the robbers. Pine plays the younger brother Toby in his most lifelike role yet and the morally grey nature of the script will make you wonder whose side you should be on throughout the whole film.