Top of the Popes: 10 Actors Who Would Ace Our Conclave

Let the conclave begin. On Wednesday, the archaic ritual to elect the next leader of the Roman Catholic Church kicks off in Vatican City. And as we know from the wildly popular film Conclave, everything about the papacy is cinematic: the mystery, the sacred vestments, and, above all, the dramatic way a recent pontiff’s selection is announced via the release of white smoke.

Plenty of great films have focused on the process of announcing a recent pope. But even more movies (and at a few TV shows too) have focused more broadly on charismatic pontiffs played by a variety of actors at the top of their game. Jonathan Pryce was witty; Jeremy Irons was scheming; Peter O’Toole was corrupt, Liv Ullmann was secretly a woman; and Jude Law made history as the first Holy Father to rock a Speedo. When the pope is relegated to a secondary or supporting role, though, he’s often portrayed as an antagonist. Such was the case with Rex Harrison, who, in The Agony and the Ecstasy, played a stiff and blunt Julius II—a character constantly berated by Charlton Heston’s Michelangelo.

As we wait for the white smoke to rise, let’s look back at the 10 best actors who have played the pope—starting with Harrison.

10. Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II in The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

Harrison plays the austere and lifeless Warrior Pope in Carol Reed’s film. His character duels with Heston’s impetuous Michelangelo, who is engaged in the titanic task of painting a fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

9. Raf Vallone as Pope John Paul I in The Godfather Part III (1990)

Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) confesses his gravest sins to Cardinal Lamberto, a fictional character deeply troubled by the crimes he haers about. He eventually becomes a fictional version of Pope John Paul I, someone determined to confront the scandals and corruption rocking the Vatican, just as his real-life namesake did—or at least tried to.

8. Michel Piccoli as the Pope in Habemus Papam (2011)