64. JEAN-PIERRE LEAUD
The 400 Blows (1959)

Leaud rarely smiles in Francois Truffaut's heartbreaking milestone, but when he does, it's startling — a rare moment of color in the all-gray tones of adolescent frustration. As a 12-year-old schoolboy at odds with his distant parents and teachers, he inhabits the role with the wisdom — and self-defeating sadness — of an actor twice his age. He skillfully conveys the aching desperation that fuels his instinctive need to run free.