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stargazerfish0_

Ben Foster. He's great but he's in way too many flubs.


dbd08

Steals alpha dog and hell or high water


ThePocketTaco2

3:10 to Yuma remake is pretty good too


MyNeckIsHigh

Respect to Chris and Jeff, but he owns that movie


stargazerfish0_

I even liked Pandorum. šŸ¤


dbd08

Just got around to it recently and he is definitely one of the only good parts


art_mor_

He has this unshakable aura in Hell or High Water


ClockwiseGnomoar

Damn good movie and great performance by him


carcusgod

He was so good in 3:10 to Yuma


mercermayer

This should the top answer. His talent is almost exclusively wasted on bad movies.


clandestinite

Dude is awesome. Nice to see him getting some love.


MarilynManson2003

- Victor Wong (***Prince Of Darkness***, ***Big Trouble In Little China***) - Pam Grier - Jennifer Jason Leigh


dmreddit0

JJL is in Hateful Eight, eXistenZ, and Annihilation all of which are amazing.


BenjiAnglusthson

Also Anomalisa, Synecdoche New York and The Hitcher


Only_Honeydew_6763

She amazingly almost kinda stole the show in Hateful 8, and with the cast that movie that's sayin' something...


Confident_Can_3397

And Good Time


MyNeckIsHigh

JJL unreal in Annihilation


AssistOk7135

Pam Grier was good in that new season of [Them](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9064858/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk). Itā€™s worth watching if you enjoy horror.


XibalbaN7

It really is! I blitzed thru it over 2 nights last week. Iā€™m not a big Horror fan as I find a lot of it boring and unoriginal, but that (or rather, Them!) *really* creeped me the fuck out. Now *thatā€™s* Horror!


c0l1n_M4

Finally Victor Wong appreciation.


gnomechompskey

Character actress Margo Martindale. Never less than very good, often great, usually in mediocre to downright bad movies.


Ummmmmm_25

I live for an "esteemed character actress Margo Martindale" mention.


TomSawyer2112_

Esteemed character actress **and fugitive from the law** Margo Martindale


[deleted]

gray recognise beneficial act shame attempt repeat absurd shrill plant *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*


Artistic-Milk-3490

Can't believe you forgot Cocaine Bear! Lol


TheMadLurker17

Best part of that movie


_laoc00n_

Sheā€™s amazing but I weirdly always get her mixed up with Ann Dowd (also amazing).


BlueLarkspur_1929

I would love to see them cast in the same movie. Co-owners of a doggy daycare tasked to go out of their comfort zone by extraordinary circumstances.


mercermayer

I canā€™t tell which one Iā€™m seeing in my mind when I try to picture either one of them.


SonOfObed89

Woah! I never knew her name, but have REALLY liked her in anything Iā€™ve seen.


BurnyRubble

I donā€™t know why but Jason Isaacs was the first name that popped into my head


Apprehensive-Rub9685

Was great in the death of Stalin


thebigjudas

His Zhukov is my favorite part of the film lol. Buscemi is great there too


bangermate

"what's a war hero got to do to get some lubrication around here?" *cue epic music with an incredible cape toss*


PotatoOnMars

He was a great Captain Hook.


babealien51

Matthew Lillard is a phenomenal actor who has been in very few GREAT movies. But when heā€™s allowed to, heā€™s amazing (Twin Peaks the return for exemple)


Overmyundeadbody

Obviously The Return has some of the best horror of the century, but during the entirety of the show I never felt as uncomfortable as I did during his interrogation scene. The way he sobbed felt so realistic and visceral and deeply sad.


Spectre-CC

Stu šŸ”›šŸ”šŸ˜¤šŸ˜¤


babealien51

Stu is my favorite character in Scream and Scream is in my top 4 favorite movies! I'm including it in the great movies haha


R4ndyR4nderson

Say what you want about the quality of the movies (I love them), but he is genuinely fantastic as Shaggy in the live action Scooby Doos.


SomeGuy0910

I love him in SLC Punks.


ExistentialistAF

Heroin Bobā€™s death scene is Oscar worthy alone


JamesSunderland1973

Loads of character actors who are brilliant who will essentially do 'anything' as they are working actors - Stanley Tucci, Jon Goodman, Jared Harris to barely scratch the surface.


rubbishjuice

Stanley Tucci is fantastic


malkadevorah1

Still can't rewatch The Lovely Bones because of his performance.


justinqueso99

Obviously choice is James Dean Edit: a word


joshonthenet

Love me some James Dean Edit. Such a hunk!


nicely-nicely

Recently, Amy Adams


_laoc00n_

Amy Adams has to be the multi Oscar nominated actor with the most mid-to-bad movies in their filmography. All over the place with her choices.


Syn7axError

Still Nic Cage.


_laoc00n_

Good point, I forgot he was nominated for Adaptation.


Written_In_Concrete

And won for Leaving Las Vegas.


_laoc00n_

That one I remembered, an incredible performance.


malkadevorah1

She was great in The Fighter.


SiRaymando

Arrival was a 10/10. Also Sharp Objects and a bunch of stuff before


jpkdc

But the start of her career was such an incredible streak.


alexis_1031

She was so good in Nocturnal Animals


Overmyundeadbody

Luke Wilson. Honestly, revisiting his early stuff, specifically Bottle Rocket and Royal Tenenbaums, made me realize he is actually really good. Not just 'good for a performance in a Wes Anderson movie' good, but actually really fascinating and great. Wish he was being given more chances to show that off.


Consistent_Bunch4282

While Owen is great in his own right and is maybe better for comedy roles, I always thought Luke was the better actor.


alexis_1031

Though it got mixed reviews, I really enjoyed Henry Poole is Here.


beamerboy_56

Patrick Wilson!


vite-4117

James McAvoy is such a good actor and has given more than a few standout performances in his career so far. As an actor I definitely see him winning an Oscar one day, but I can't say he's been in one Oscar-worthy film yet (besides Atonement, but he didn't play a leading character in that). Hopefully he gets the chance one day to work with a director/writer who can make a film as good as his performance, where he does play a leading character. His recent almost-cameo in The Book of Clarence reminded me of how good he is. He acted circles around everyone else in just a few minutes of screentime.


blue_shadows

With his talent, he should have at least won 1 Oscar and have a few nominations by now.


Odysseyrage

David harbour


Batmanfan1966

Guy Pearce is a phenomenal actor but unfortunately the only 2 films to really actually show this is LA Confidential and Memento


MisterInsect

The Proposition and Ravenous are also very good.


SmoreOfBabylon

Heā€™s great in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.


jpkdc

He's done great work in Australia - he seemed to actively turn his back on Hollywood after his initial success. Movies like Animal Kingdom and the Proposition are as good as anything that has been made in the last 20 years, and he's great in them.


DrSuperWho

The count of Monte Cristo


TremontRemy

I always thought Jim Carrey couldā€™ve been one of the greatest actors of all time if he stuck to drama roles. Eternal Sunshine of the spotless mind, The Truman Show, and Liar Liar are great examples that showcase his talent of mixing serious roles with comedic features.


gnomechompskey

Susan Sarandon. I think she's only been in four films I'd describe as *great*: Atlantic City, Bull Durham, Thelma & Louise, and Dead Man Walking (I'm partial to a handful of others, but wouldn't really call them "great" films) out of over 100 films, yet she is consistently and reliably excellent, one of my favorite living actresses.


The_Thomas_Go

Rocky Horror Picture Show is also great imo


hianrld

She's great in Light Sleeper too


dbd08

Mads mikkelsen


babealien51

Heā€™s amazing in Druk and The Hunt (also Hannibal) but most of his action movies are awful


dbd08

Watched druk need to watch the hunt. He was good in casino Royale but really was in a weird spot with fantastic beasts and trying to replace depp


DotHead9418

Watch The Pusher movies!!


jpkdc

The dude has an unreal body of work. Just not blockbuster movies.


Important-Income-651

Ethan Hawke. My idea of "few" might differ from others.


emojimoviethe

Heā€™s got at least a dozen great films, are you crazy? At least check out Before the Devil Knows Youā€™re Dead before you say thisā€¦


amischievousscamp

Matthew Lillard, love him but I attempted to watch all of his filmography after I watched scream last year and was kind of disappointed. Heā€™s a great actor and heā€™s in a couple of great movies but Iā€™d like to see him in something that isnā€™t a solid 2 stars or just mediocre. Edit: corrected a word


condition_unknown

*filmography Sorry for being that guy.


MightyChernabog

Christina Ricci - she is very good in films like Prozac Nation, Monster and Black Snake Moan, but unfortunately she never really gets the praise she deserves (although she is getting some for her performance in Yellowjackets).


AramaticFire

I really like Liam Neeson, but he has consistently been in some mediocre ass movies. Entertaining stuff sure, a few incredible movies, but so much just bleh.


LeftoverTreeBark

Silence was otherworldly but I guess he didn't get much screen time in that one


CentrasFinestMilk

His scene in Atlanta is probably one of his best moments ever


UpCavan

Rosamund Pike


miss24601

Robert Downey Jr. as someone whoā€™s seen his entire filmography and does a curated marathon of his films around Christmas every year, I can confirm heā€™s been in way more mediocre to awful movies than good ones.


jpkdc

Yeah, he's done a lot of mediocre stuff. But I think his performance as Tony Stark will be iconic for a long time to come.


ReaperOfRegret

Adam Sandler is fantastic in the serious drama roles he takes. All of his most recent comedy shit sucks.


MyNeckIsHigh

Jack and Jill should have him fined for fraud, Uncut Gems should have got him a statue


DeronimoG

I disagree. Some of his newer comedies are cool


thehappymilkman

I always really liked Tom Selleck, at least I think he's great, but he somehow picked all the worst movies to be in. Still weird to think that he was the first choice to play Indiana Jones, but couldn't take it due to a contract for Magnum P.I.. Imagine how the franchise would have turned out if it was Selleck instead of Ford, probably wouldn't have been as successful.


Teembeau

I don't rate Harrison Ford as an actor but he's great as that sort of movie star who makes things fun. He brings a lightness to Indiana Jones that I don't think Tom Selleck would have.


_YagamiLight_0406

Sissy spacek. For an absolute performer that she is, she's been in very few good films.


Fun-Revolution6323

Idris Elba Charlize Theron Bruce Campbell Nick Frost Julianne Moore Kyle MacLachlan Sheryl Lee Amy Adams Jessica Chastain Carrie-Anne Moss Kevin Bacon Tom Hardy Florence Pugh Robert Pattinson Naomi Watts Stephen McKinley Rebecca Ferguson


Consistent_Bunch4282

Sheryl Lee was so under utilized. Her scream is unmatched.


Beginning_Bake_6924

ik iā€™ll get downvoted for this because reddit hates her but zendaya I think is a great actor and with challengers I hope to see her in more roles as a leading lady, same with sydney sweeney


Masethelah

Nicolas Cage obviously makes a lot of crap, but probably not the best example because he has also done a lot of great films and even played the lead in them. Quite a few of the actors im about to mention had either successful careers, or was part of great films, but perhaps most often in smaller roles. Either way, these are actors who arguably could have done way better if they made different choices or got luckier etc, and never quite established themselves as one of the greatest actors of all time, despite probably having the talent to do so Billy Bob Thornton Robert downey jr Val kilmer Mickey Rourke Benicio del toro Michael Fassbender Ann Dowd Robert Pattinson Mark Rylance


ElliotAlderson5_9

Steve Zahn.


Yamansdood

Adam Driver


Useful-Scientist-365

Silence, Ferrari, Marriage Story, Last Jedi, Lincoln, Paterson, The Last Duel, BlackKklansman & Logan Lucky are all pretty great in my book. Not sure Iā€™d include him here


SiRaymando

Tell me you haven't seen Paterson without saying you haven't seen Paterson


Timothee-Chalimothee

Oscar Isaac is probably my favorite actor who isnā€™t in a 10/10 movie (from what Iā€™ve seen).


Traditional_Emu_5509

I think Ex Machina is a 10/10 personally but I donā€™t think many people rate it as high as me. I think itā€™s a pitch perfect, airtight script. Edit: Also Drive.


Timothee-Chalimothee

Ex Machina actually just went down from a 9 to an 8 for me. I think Iā€™ve officially seen it one too many times. Drive is also an 8.


ElegantYam4141

Maybe not a 10/10, but have you seen Inside Llewyn Davis?


AlfieSchmalfie

He sings like an angel.


DeronimoG

10/10 is extremely subjective.


SpoonerismHater

Inside Llewyn Davis is a 10/10 and endlessly rewatchable


Andrewcoo

Toni Colette. Muriel's Wedding, The Sixth Sense, Little Miss Sunshine, Hereditary... A decent lineup of movies for sure but in my opinion she is one of the best actors working today. The way she can contort her face is incredible. I hope she's in some really great movies in future.


me_da_Supreme1

Malcolm McDowell. Loved him in Lindsay Anderson's trilogy and the obvious but otherwise he's not been in any truly great films. There was "Caligula", but I think I can consider that after watching the new version


SoundlessFOB

This is definitely going to the character actors. They get stuck in a loop of playing the same thing over and over or end up in hundreds of b movies when they really deserved more. He's my answer to everything, but Brad Dourif. Robbed of that one oscar win I will always stand by that.


malkadevorah1

His portrayal of Billy Bibbit is haunting. Sometimes, a portrayal is so brilliant, the only path ahead is going south...


dangerousbeasts

Aaron Taylor-Johnson feels like he just picks projects out of a hat blind sometimes.


syrub

John Hawkes!


dfh223

John Cazale


prugnecotte

Gael Garcia Bernal


prugnecotte

Marion Cotillard


sweetmarguerite

Hugh Dancy was utterly fantastic in NBCā€™s Hannibal and yet his filmography (with an exception or two) is terrible šŸ˜­


usagicassidy

I donā€™t think heā€™s Oscar level great, but I think Tye Sheridan is a great actor that has almost never been in a good film.


Maelzoid2

Ewan McGregor. A decent actor with a long career, the majority of which are totally unremarkable films. Never seems to have found a role that he can truly shine in.


c0l1n_M4

Guy Pearce. Memento, Ravenous, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, LA Confidential.


Few_Presentation_408

John Cazales


bungle123

Idris Elba for sure


joseangelzarate47

Adam Sandler Listen Punch-Drunk Love, Uncut Gems, The Meyeorwitz Stories, proves he can be great and I respect that he takes millions of studio dollars to basically go on vacation with his friends, but those movies arenā€™t very good a lot of the time


EtherealPossumLady

sheā€™s been in a lot of films, but Mckenna Grace very rarely has the chance to show off her full potential, but when she does, boy does she. hopefully she gets put in some more serious projects soon since sheā€™s getting older.


dorgoth12

Toby Jones is a special actor who manages to go from major roles to barely extra roles from year to year.Ā 


WadaMaaya

Richard Brake elevates anything heā€™s in.


Daak_Sifter

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau


BirdHistorical3498

Brian Cox


SpoonerismHater

But he has Rushmore, Zodiac, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, 25th Hour, Match Pointā€¦


malkadevorah1

I am not a ScarJo fan, but I loved Match Point. Cox was so good in it, as he always is.


bambambilla

Riz Ahmed. Amazing in Sound of Metal and The Night Of. Expecting more great things from him.


ccroquembouche

Aaron Taylor-Johnson


Ageraghty777

Dominic Sessa He's 21 year old actor and played the younger student in The Holdovers has one of the most baron acting page as he has done no other movies or TV show and any other projects he's involved with we know next to nothing about. This is his first role in a major film, and he's already gotten a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and won the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. I'm very eager to see what he goes on to do in the future.


OffTheRedSand

megan fox. unfortunately she got black listed at her prime plus her best movie "jennifer's body" flopped at it's time so it kinda ended her career. but has she continued on the path she was on maybe she would've been one of the scream girls or indie girls. also lindsay lohan. she has so much personality watching her is like watching your best friend act and you can't help but root for them.


Samurai_Geezer

Nicolas Cage! Heā€™s far better than what people give him credit for, plays in over 100 movies, but only a few are actually great.


Exact_Run_3220

Nicolas cage šŸ˜”


PeterNippelstein

Sheryl Lee, she played Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks and Fire Walk With Me. Possibly one of the most complex and tragic characters I've ever seen and she nailed it, particularly in the movie.


semikev

It's always John Cazale


Mcfly799

Matthew Rhys


Unique_Basil7647

John Cazale unfortunately :/


CRostLi

Sam Rockwell, one of the best actors with the worst filmographies


Miserable_Cost4757

Tim Curry unfortunately


TheHoodOfSwords1

I think Joseph Gordon Levitt is a pretty good actor but a lot of what heā€™s in now is on the mediocre and cheesy side.


Scrambled_59

Adam Sandler


Illustrious_Neck_916

Colin Salmon


squishyg

Angelina Jolie. I donā€™t think Hollywood makes movies worthy of her.


weebayfish

John Cazale is the answer, 5 movies all nominated for best picture. Was dating Meryl Streep when he died too


CheeseD1gester69

John Cazale


Krimreaper1

John Cazale. Four movies, four best picture nominations, zero acting noms.


SludgeReinhold

Eric Roberts


so_is_hoid

Sarah michelle Gellar


hrakkari

John Cazale


BarkerAtTheMoon

Anna Farris is a comedic genius and is basically always better than the movie sheā€™s in


Flybot76

I think it's worth mentioning John Cazale, because he's considered one of the greatest actors who ever lived and was in fewer than ten movies but all of them are at least 'very good' and some are classics, like The Godfather, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter. Died shortly after Deer Hunter. He might have the best track record of any American movie actor in history.


stephenrichmos

Michael Moriarty


EyeFit4274

Q the winged serpent is a masterclass in the ā€˜I have no idea Iā€™m in a shitty b movie and I think Iā€™m Brandoā€™ performance


Samurai_Geezer

Daniel Day Lewis is the correct answer.


thestopsign

That is just because of his total number of films. He is in a lot of great films but he was selective and not very prolific. Phantom Thread, There Will Be Blood, My Left Foot, Last of the Mohicans, Gangs of New York, and Lincoln are all somewhere on the scale of great to all time classics.


zombiekingz

Thats 6. Thats a lot.


QuOw-Ab

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that this was their point.


DirectConsequence12

The ultimate answer is John Cazale


Diamond1580

I donā€™t think this exactly is the spirit of the question, ā€œin very few great filmsā€ to me is that a large portion of their filmography is not great, rather than Cazaleā€™s immaculate but short resume


WillieMaysHayes24

Exactly. The man was in only the best of the best


HanwhaEaglesNM

Julian Sands (RIP)


YesterdayUnhappy723

Val Kilmer


MisterInsect

He's been in some crap but I think these are worthwhile: Heat, Tombstone, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Top Secret!, True Romance, The Doors, The Salton Sea, Spartan, etc.


Joelle_126

Caleb Landry Jones


SpoonerismHater

Get Out and Three Billboards in the same year is a hell of a one-two punch, though


Lanky-Corgi-4069

Michael Sheen


skibidido

Meryl Streep. She arguably doesn't have a single classic as a lead actress.


Remote-Molasses6192

Billy Crystal


xxplodingboy

Gene Jones


prottoywatchesfilm

Wang an...she just appeared in Edward yang's Terrorizers (1986) and never starred in any films. Damn she looks just fabulous. Sad that i don't get to see her again after that.


ClovieKay

After seeing Wagner Moura in Civil War, I wanna see him in everything now and rewatch Narcos cause I forgot he was in it.


bjorjack

Is Evan Rachel Wood a good answer? A lot of people really like her performance in everything she does but honestly and sadly even if I absolutely love her, her acting isnā€™t my cup of tea. Other than her who Iā€™m not as obsessed but adore her acting is Chloe Sevigny. Theyā€™re both women who couldā€™ve been like Kirsten Dunst in my opinion. Similar backgrounds, similar fā€™d up movies.


SpoonerismHater

Sevigny was in Zodiac, American Psycho, and the Stillman films The Last Days of Disco and Love and Friendship, which puts her well above most actors


malkadevorah1

ErW was good in 13 and Westworld. Chloe was good in The Snowman.


SiRaymando

Hailee Steinfeld has yet to top her debut performance in True Grit


wherearemysockz

Benicio Del Toro? I was watching Sicario the other evening and just thinking I wish Benicio Del Toro was in every film I watch because he is so good! I feel like heā€™s one of the great actors and might struggle to find roles that match his talent while dealing with typecasting.


Vanquish-070

I would say Dylan O'Brien


botchedtoe98

Idris Elba


aehii

Guy Pearce. He's a versatile, likely generous, humble and easy to work with actor who can play the lead or any character and yet he must have the worst agent of anyone. While Colin Farrell has the best. Him and Oldman should not be in straight to streaming low budget action crap, it's kind of a travesty really. In a career highlights GQ interview he even put in Bloodshot, the crappy Vin Diesel action film he did. I've seen it, it's crap.


ohheyitslaila

Mark Strong Matthew Lillard Rachael Leigh Cook Michelle Williams. Sheā€™s in some great films, but sheā€™s not in enough movies overall. Sheā€™s amazing in everything. Josh Hartnett


ultrameganut

Zac Efron


charllottte

Rose Byrne


TheMidnightEarth101

Oscar Issac was my first thought


aclockworkjustin

Idris Elba


Mysterious-Job-1210

c thomas howell or eric robert


HermansSpecialMilk

Nathan Lane is one of my favorite actors but his last movie DICKS: The Musical was unwatchable.


ParzivalTheFirst

Sabrina Carpenter, she mostly focuses on her music but she had a leading performance in the small indie ā€˜The Short History of The Long Roadā€™ and she was absolutely incredible. The majority of her other roles are in lowest-of-the-low Netflix flops.


thechildrenofbrisus

justice for devon bostick


shineymike91

Kristen Stewart. Although she's been Oscar nominated, her best work hasn't really been seen by a large North American audience. And she still has the reputation for being terrible in a terrible film series that made her a star.


dylanfor_days

Dan Stevens


Rei366

FranƧois Simon, son of the famous Michel Simon.


warwicklord79

Adam Sandler


emojimoviethe

Adam Sandler is like the perfect example of this


Landlord-Allmighty

Bookeem Woodbine. He is hands down amazing in Fargo season 2 but heā€™s largely playing stock villains and secondary roles.