During the 1990s, actress and blonde bombshell, Sharon Stone, established herself as one of the decade's hottest stars with popular films such as Basic Instinct, Total Recall, and Martin Scorsese's Casino. Born in Pennsylvania, Stone initially worked as a model and appeared in various television commercials before making her feature film debut as an extra in Woody Allen's 1980 film, Stardust. After appearing in several bit roles, Stone earned her breakthrough role in the science-fiction thriller, Total Recall, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Through the years, Stone has continued to successfully captivate audiences with her wide range of roles and stunning performances, most notably the neo-Western, The Quick and the Dead, and the 2006 criminal drama, Alpha Dog. Out of the Oscar-nominated star's impressive list of filmography, including The Mighty and Broken Flowers, these are the top 10 best Sharon Stone movies, ranked!

10 'Lovelace' (2013)

Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

The biopic drama, Lovelace, is a behind-the-scenes look into one of the first major stars of pornography, Linda Lovelace, played by Amanda Seyfried, who found overnight success starring in the film, Deep Throat. Stone takes on the role of Lovelace's mother, Dorothy, who is the traditional strict Christian mother who fails her daughter at a time when she needs her most.

Despite only being a minor role, Stone gives an excellent performance as a naive mother who favors her religious beliefs over her daughter's well-being. Her portrayal successfully gets deep under audiences' skin, and it is impossible not to feel immense frustration towards such a cold, unfeeling character, which is what makes it one of Stone's most marginalized and convincing performances to date.

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9 'Alpha Dog' (2006)

Directed by Nick Cassavetes

In the biopic, Alpha Dog, Stone portrays another mother, Olivia Mazursky, whose life is completely turned upside down when her 15-year-old son, Zack (Anton Yelchin) is kidnapped as a result of a drug rivalry between her older son, Jake (Ben Foster) and another group led by Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch). While Truelove and his friends think they've pulled a harmless prank as fitting payback, it soon takes a dark turn when the authorities become involved, putting Zack's life in immediate danger.

Alpha Dog tells the true story of the 2000 kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz. The entire cast is phenomenal, but Stone's portrayal of a grieving and broken mother is as incredible as it is devastating. Stone's performance was so moving that Markowitz's mother, Susan, embraced her at the end of the film's premiere, which she and her husband, Jeff, were reluctant to attend. At certain points, the movie moves into mockumentary format and features scenes of Stone's character being interviewed about the crime. In these scenes specifically, Stone brilliantly conveys the raw emotion of her character, refusing to sugarcoat a mother's genuine heartbreak.

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8 'The Disaster Artist' (2017)

Directed by James Franco

The Disaster Artist is based on the true story of what many consider the worst movie ever made in history. The film stars Dave Franco as a producer and actor, Greg Sestero, who takes a chance on an aspiring actor, Tommy Wiseau (James Franco), by producing his film, The Room. The dramedy follows the comedic production of the film as well as provides a look into the unusual Wiseau's rocky rise to the silver screen and Sesto's career as well.

Stone takes on the role of Sestero's real-life talent agent, Iris Burton, who is a former Broadway dancer and is also credited for discovering countless child stars during her career. Her uncanny portrayal of a high-strung, classic Hollywood agent is completely on par, adding another outrageous comedic element to the bizarre comedy-drama that already features an array of colorful characters.

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7 'Bobby' (2006)

Directed by Emilio Estevez

Bobby is a historical drama that follows several individuals whose lives seemingly intertwine together on the night of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy's shocking assassination at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The film stars an ensemble of notable names, including Elijah Wood, William H. Macy, Anthony Hopkins, and Demi Moore, and has a plot format similar to the 1932 classic film, Grand Hotel.

Stone plays a charming beautician, Miriam Ebbers, who works at the hotel's high-rated salon and is a ray of sunshine in the rather bleak, ominous film. The actress's genuine glow and natural comedic skills take the traditional image of a beautician to a glamorous level that causes her performance and presence to stand out in a mile-long list of major stars. Bobby received mixed reviews but the film did earn two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Drama Motion Picture and Best Original Song.

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6 'Broken Flowers' (2005)

Directed by Jim Jarmusch

When the girlfriend of a former ladies' man, Don Johnston (Bill Murray), leaves him, he has no ambition to do anything and spends most of his time sitting around his house. One day, Johnston receives a letter from an unnamed old girlfriend who claims that her 19-year-old son is Johnston's child. Initially, Johnston doesn't reply, but when he informs his neighbor about the mysterious letter, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), he encourages him to locate and visit his former lovers with the intention of finding his potential son.

Broken Flowers is an underrated dramedy that follows a veteran womanizer who decides to go on an unusual journey of reconciliation with his former girlfriends who are equally damaged by their relationship with him in one way or another. Stone's performance as one of Johnston's ex-lovers, Laura, is one of the actress's finest and is conveyed with undeniable ease that also creates surprisingly electric chemistry between her and Murray. While the movie has its somber moments, Stone's performance is enough of a reason to pick Broken Flowers for the next movie night.

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5 'The Mighty' (1998)

Directed by Peter Chelsom

Stone stars in the coming-of-age dramedy, The Mighty, as a single mother, Gwen Dillon, who has a young son, Kevin (Kieran Culkin) who suffers from a condition called Morquio's syndrome which stunts the boy's growth and weakens his heart. When Kevin is asked to help Maxwell (Elden Henson), a boy twice the average height, with his reading, the two polar opposites begin to bond and develop an endearing friendship.

The Mighty is based on the 1993 book, Freak the Mighty, written by Rodman Philbrick, and also stars Gillian Anderson, Harry Dean Stanton, and The Sopranos star, James Gandolfini. Stone gives a phenomenal performance, capturing every emotion and authenticity of a mother who would go to the ends of the Earth for their child. Film critic, Roger Ebert, gave The Mighty three out of four stars, noting how the film demonstrates how imagination can be used as a weapon against an unfair reality. Stone's performance was highly praised by overall critics and earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, deeming The Mighty to be one of her most underrated films.

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4 'Total Recall' (1990)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

In her breakout role, Stone stars in the iconic sci-fi film, Total Recall, as the wife of Douglas Quaid (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who is bored with his everyday life and dreams of visiting the colonized planet of Mars. When Quaid visits a company that plants false memories into human brains, he makes the shocking discovery that his current life is all just a false memory.

Total Recall is based on the 1966 short story We Can Remember It for You Wholesale written by celebrated science-fiction author, Philip K. Dick, and is considered to be one of the author's best film adaptations. Stone and Schwarzenegger have undeniable on-screen chemistry, which is one of the main reasons why the unexpected twist about her character is so alluring to audiences. Initially, Total Recall earned mixed reviews but was praised for its special effects and performances by the overall cast. Today, the film is considered a crucial classic of the sci-fi genre as well as one of Stone's greatest performances.

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3 'The Quick and the Dead' (1995)

Directed by Sam Raimi

Stone stars in The Quick and the Dead as an elusive gunfighter known as the Lady, who travels to the town, Redemption, to enter a sharpshooting contest, going up against some of the best shooters in the Wild West. Unbeknownst to the locals and other contestants, Lady's goal isn't to win the contest but instead, to settle a score from her past with the town's corrupt mayor and former outlaw, John Herod (Gene Hackman).

The Quick and the Dead is a highly marginalized Western with a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, and Keith David. Aside from some minor over-the-top special effects, the film is considered to be one of the best Westerns in recent years and is carried by Stone, who gives a showstopping performance as the vengeful Lady. Stone successfully portrays herself as a more than capable woman who can hold her own against any male gunfighter, but while a majority of masculine female characters typically come off as forced, Stone conveys the perfect percentage of both a dream and a nightmare in The Quick and the Dead.

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2 'Basic Instinct' (1992)

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

In one of the best erotic thrillers of all time, Basic Instinct, Stone plays a mysterious crime novelist, Catherine Tramell, who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of a former rockstar. The case is investigated by homicide detective, Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is seduced by Tramell, resulting in the two developing a tantalizing relationship, but as Curran's case becomes more complicated, he starts to believe that his new lover might not be as innocent as she portrays herself to be.

Basic Instinct has all the trimmings of a Hitchcockian mystery and also stars Dorothy Malone, Wayne Knight, and James Rebhorn. Stone portrays the classic femme fatale and gives a knock-out performance as the enigmatic novelist who is both cunning and seductive, making her a dangerous combination for any man to go up against. Audiences and critics gave Stone rave reviews, noting her star-making performance, which Peter Travers of Rolling Stone stated proved the actress' ability to nail a laugh just as well as she can hide an emotion.

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1 'Casino' (1995)

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese's Casino is an essential gangster film that is also regarded as Stone's overall best film. Set in Las Vegas, the film follows Sam "Ace" Rothstein (Robert De Niro) who is a gambling expert hired by the Chicago Outfit to run one of their casino's day-to-day operations. Stone plays Rothstein's trophy wife and former hustler, Ginger McKenna, who is constantly torn between her new life as a married woman and her old life and seedy boyfriend (James Woods).

Out of all the performances in Casino, Stone's is without a doubt one of the greatest and most memorable. Her portrayal of her character's slow burning fall from grace and downward spiral into rock bottom is simply flawless and executed with an authenticity that garnishes immense empathy from audiences. Casino reigns as one of Scorsese's all-time best films and earned Stone an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role, solidifying Casino as Stone's unquestionable signature film to date.

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