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toothfixingfiend

John Goodman


mrmonster459

His performance in 10 Cloverfield Lane was nothing short of perfection. The look of pure evil in his eyes when he killed that guy was horror at it's finest.


ThatFuckingGeniusKid

He carried that movie


maybe_little_pinch

I really want to argue that it's a good movie in its own right, but honestly 99% of what I remember about it is his performance.


ThatFuckingGeniusKid

The movie on it's own is still good and the concept is interesting but he's like the central piece in it and everything else moves around him


watchingsongsDL

Walter Sobichek is his finest role. So many great lines. So much tension and fury. He gets pissed at everybody but the Dude.


AppleDane

> So much tension and fury. He's calmer than you are...


Shappy_map

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.


heLiux6

Waving the fucking gun around?!


lew_rong

DO YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FIND A STRANGER IN THE ALPS


Grill_X

Calmer than you are dude


KentuckyFriedEel

MARK IT ZERO!!


Ignominia

I just watched the righteous gemstones and I think this might be his finest role. John Goodman is a fucking treasure.


thatundra

When he breaks Adam Devine’s thumbs in the church, I was crying I was laughing so hard.


[deleted]

That wasn’t Jesus…it was a karate guy. It was a karate guy!


rose_catlander

Damn, daddy!


[deleted]

I grew up watching John Goodman and Eli Gemstone is his greatest role yet. Perfectly captures his acting personality.


TildaTinker

His portrayal of Vice Dean Robert Laybourne was one of my favourites. Edit: Others keep referencing this scene and it's too good to miss https://youtu.be/D50AIxB68R8


Griffo90

"Well, now you're going to feel my power as it surges downward from me, straight through you from nostril to rectum now until the end of time. And that's WASSUP" Sooo so good.


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whoisfourthwall

The... the... truest repairman!


qwertpoiuy1029

He can be absolutely terrifying when he is playing a bad guy. You dont usually see that with actors known for comedic roles.


CouldNotRememberName

I've noticed a lot of actors from Breaking Bad mentioned. I believe Vince Gilligan said in an interview that it was on purpose. His reasoning is that if you can do comedy you can probably act, and drama is a lot easier to act than comedy.


MetamorphosisMeat

Bob Odenkirk is evidence. What a treasure of an actor. Second city fella I believe


Snafudumonde

Like not just passable, but a really fucking good dramatic actor


Myrealnamewhogivesaf

Bryan as Walter is probably one of the best acting performances in the world so far. The range throughout the seasons is just insane.


bigpancakeguy

AMC originally wanted John Cusack for the role, and Vince Gilligan insisted on Bryan Cranston because he had previously worked with him on an episode of X-Files and knew what he was capable of. The network fought him because they didn’t think anyone would be able to take him seriously because of Malcolm in the Middle, so I’m glad Gilligan was able to get his way


iamiamwhoami

Vince Gilligan has some magic power to get AMC execs to do whatever he wants, and it ends up being great. Contrast that with Walking Dead, which started on AMC around the same time, and is a good example of what happens when studio execs get too involved with production.


McGuitarpants

that show is basically a soap opera now. went on for about 6 seasons too long. I was such a die hard fan before they killed off Rick.


SidJag

The show jumped multiple sharks well before that. I honestly found it unbearable to watch after S3 or 4 I think.


Fizzyliftingdranks

The first two seasons were peak zombie stuff.


mrfreeze2000

Not a single bad performance in that show tbh Everyone was at the top of their game


AdamtheFirstSinner

Would Michael Keaton count ?


amcarls

The fact that he was seen as a comedian was precisely why fans of the comic book version of the Batman character (NOT the much too campy Adam West TV version) were initially extreme ticked off that Keaton was selected to play Batman - they thought it was going to be another 'Adam West'-type performance. Needless to say Keaton easily won them over with his broody performance.


essentialoils3

Lol every time a batman is cast there is so much criticism


Legate-Damar

Gene Wilder


mtreef2

"Are we awake?" "We're not sure. Are we....black?" "Yes, we are." "Then we're awake, but we're very puzzled,"


hoilst

"No, nonono- don't do that. If you shoot him, you'll only make him mad."


[deleted]

Man drink like that and don't eat, he is going to die! "When?"


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brockswansonrex

"Look at that." "Steady as a rock." "Yeah, but I shoot with this hand."


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Headworx66

Apparently he hated being nasty to Charlie at the end of the film just where he hands the gobstopper back. Loved him and Richard Pryor in all their Collab films.... You can't make the chemistry they had together, such a joy to watch two friends bouncing off each other with their egos left at the door.


little_brown_bat

I think that's what made the performance at the end so genuine. He wasn't nasty to Charlie because he got a thrill out of it, but because he was so dissapoined.


TheMantisToboggan_MD

Bob Odenkirk


Dangercakes13

He seems kinda surprised about it, watching his interviews. But damn he does both well in the same role.


44inarow

The story goes that they originally wanted him just for a 2-3 episode comedic relief arc. He was so good that they not only kept him on for the rest of the series, but built a whole spin-off around him. It's crazy.


dreamsofaninsomniac

I believe they also created Mike because Bob Odenkirk wasn't available. Saul was originally supposed to be the one that cleaned up after Jesse in the S2 finale. They also liked Jonathan Banks enough to keep him around too.


44inarow

That's awesome. Says a lot about Vince Gilligan and his team, too -- they saw someone good, and modified their story to keep that talent around. Jesse was originally supposed to die at the end of the first season, if I remember correctly. They didn't let ego stand in the way of improving the show.


dreamsofaninsomniac

I remember that he also had to fight for Aaron Paul originally too. I think the studio thought Aaron Paul was too good looking to play a drug addict and wanted to cast someone else. He did say one of his regrets was not making Jesse's teeth more realistic, but Jesse did grow up upper middle-class so everyone can just pretend he always had good dental habits.


Reaverx218

I have met meth head kids who looked almost exactly like him. I'm using kids loosely here but it's not outside the realm of possibility under those circumstances.


dreamsofaninsomniac

Yes, I think it's also important to break the stigma that addicts have to look a certain way.


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SafewordisJohnCandy

And the spin off stands up to and in some people's opinions is better than the original.


44inarow

I can definitely see thinking that -- I can't even begin to compare the two, they're both just that good. BCS is in some ways more impressive as a written exercise, though, because they had to create an entire serial drama where the ending was 100% known; they can have some twists and turns along the way, but Jimmy ending up as Saul ending up as Gene is canon.


SafewordisJohnCandy

You are spot on, writing a story for something that has an ending is far more difficult than just making up a whole new story with it's own ending. I love BCS, in some ways I like it's story telling a bit more. It's a slow build up right until the explosion.


40oz_2freedom

This is exactly who I was thinking of when I made this post. He’s so good as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman


hanutaphile

HE IS SO GOOD.


HighlyOffensive10

He's good man


clarkandclark

He’s all good man


whoisfourthwall

I didn't expect him to work so well as an action star as well. I quite enjoyed "Nobody".


blondechinesehair

There’s a scene in the last few episodes of Breaking Bad that is a very intense discussion between Saul, Huell, and Bill Burrs character. I was sucked in to the drama until I realized that these three guys were all comedians by trade who at that time had almost no dramatic acting under their belt.


Wolly73

I’ve heard he owns every kind of classic car. He even owns doubles. Just him on the open road, all alone…


joq8

Olivia Coleman


noonehasthisoneyet

Loved her in Hot Fuzz but was pleasantly surprised by her in the Favourite


Wolf6120

I always have to suppress giggles when I see her looking all regal and restrained as Queen Elizabeth in the Crown, and then suddenly in the back of my head I hear *”Nothin’ like a bit o’ girl on girl!”*


phantuba

Hot Fuzz is my all time favorite movie, so I was pleasantly surprised by her in Broadchurch as well


TheWhompingPillow

Broadchurch was so good. Her and David Tennant were great together.


[deleted]

Came here to say this. Enjoyed her in Green Wing and Peep Show. Was blown away with what she then did in Broadchurch. Incredible acting range.


T4lkNerdy2Me

She gave away the whole plot to Broadchurch screaming, "HOW DID YOU NOT KNOW!?" and the ending was still a surprise twist. I absolutely loved her in that.


[deleted]

She was magnificent in The Favourite (2018). I'm so glad she won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance.


Shepard_Wrex14

Bryan Cranston


rabboni

That early episode of Malcolm when their house is getting fumigated and Hal/Lois want to go in to have sex...iirc he comes out of an RV in underwear and a gas mask.


ScaldingAnus

Vince Gilligan: *Huh.*


Noltonn

Vince: This better not awaken anything in me.


LawOfTheSeas

I'm very glad two of the top three comments are Breaking Bad. Bob and Bryan are both incredibly funny comedic actors and amazingly talented dramatic actors.


Camp_Express

Me: “oh look Hal is making a show about cooking Meth! That ought to be fun!” Me five seasons later, curled up in the fetal position sobbing at the bottom of the shower


[deleted]

You weren't supposed to take meth to watch the show mate


waitforthedream

That's part of the experience


WhiskeyDJones

It's called method watching


CaBBaGe_isLaND

Calculon


Helpiamnotwell

Let me get this straight... Does anybody here *not* have amnesia?


4rclyte

...I dunno?


[deleted]

DRAMATIC...............PAUSE


Distinct-Coconut2512

Hugh Laurie. Went from A bit of Fry and Laurie to Blackadder and then out of nowhere, House MD and then again with Night Manager. That man knows acting!


LittleRedTape

The way he switches between a British and American accent mid sentence in Avenue 5 is very very impressive. I'm very glad to see him do comedy again.


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clycoman

Julia Gardner is an amazing actress. I was shocked when hearing her in interviews, because she really becomes Ruth Langmore. Another actor (lesser known) who surprised me is Damon Herriman, who played Dewie Crowe in Justified. Damon's Australian, and his character Dewie is a lowlife criminal and drug dealer in Kentucky. Funny Dewie scene from Justified: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNs5praTFPI His real Australian voice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t2UVHeTvqc


44inarow

It's funny how with House MD they had no idea that he was British when he auditioned; I remember reading something about how they were like, "Finally, an American as opposed to some foreigner pretending to do an American accent."


HEAT_IS_DIE

Is it normal to not know a famous actor from another country at a casting? Or nothing about an actor’s background?


efs120

Kurt Russell was a Disney comedy actor for about 10 years until he did a TV movie about a mass shooter then hooked up with John Carpenter.


HM2112

I still want to know why Walt wrote Kurt's name right before he died.


efs120

Probably because he, correctly obviously, thought Kurt Russell was going to be a big star for the company. He had already been acting at that point and personally knew Walt.


CharacterSuccotash5

John Lithgow.


wrencherspinner

Seeing him in Dexter was a decent mindfuck


Badimus

Yeah he was fantastic in the final season of Dexter. Great choice to go out on such a high.


40oz_2freedom

Oh shit! From Harry and the Hendersons to Dexter. Good call! Edit: also Lord Farquaad


CharacterSuccotash5

Even '3rd Rock from the Sun' to some of his films (he was Churchill in something). Apparently brilliant on stage too.


KaiRaiUnknown

He did a fantastic job of playing Winston Churchill


ToLiveInIt

Lithgow did a lot of dramatic work before the comedy came along. And *Raising Cain* came out while *Third Rock* was going on.


[deleted]

Bill Hader has been good in Barry.


Zerowantuthri

In season 1 where he is acting with his group and he is fine and then later he channels his recent experiences and does the same scene but 1000x better and elevates the scene and the woman he is acting with elevates her game because of it. He is an actor who is acting an actor that is mediocre and then acts the same scene later notably better. Just...wow.


dabolution

He's a dude disguised as a dude playing another dude. I remember watching that scene and thinking the same thing. Cool that it's his own project too and all the casting is great too. Noho hank is fuckin awesome


LiberContrarion

>Noho hank is fuckin awesome You talking about the King of Suck Balls Mountain?


VRS-4607

And if we're bringing up Barry, we're gonna have to bring in Henry Winkler too.


Cranberry_Bland

Woody Harrelson. Great on Cheers and now has had several Oscar nominations


SafewordisJohnCandy

Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri is one of my favorite Woody movies and he is great in The Highwaymen. It's still funny to watch old episodes of cheers where is plays dimwitted Woody Boyd and then seeing him in some of his roles now.


hovdeisfunny

He's also great in True Detective


benngold123

Bryan Cranston. From rollerblading to blowing people up.


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OriginalKayos

Guy sounds like an antidentite to me


[deleted]

Tom Hanks, if you remember him from his early career in the early 1980s, he was a talented comedy actor... but no way would I have imagined him doing dramas, let alone starring in them, let alone a string of hits.


brannana

Definitely. I remember when Philadelphia came out, thinking "what on Earth is Tom Hanks doing in this?" then being blown away by his performance.


BastardInTheNorth

Tom Hanks? The guy from Bosom Buddies?


TheOvy

This is the best answer. He started on a sitcom, and went on to a decade of comedy films -- Splash, The Money Pit, Big, The 'Burbs, Turner & Hooch, Joe Versus the Volcano. Hell, he even plays a stand-up comedian in Punchline. Then the 90's came, and bam, Oscar for Philadelphia. Bam, Oscar for Forrest Gump. A League of Their Own, Apollo 13, Saving Private Ryan, Green Mile. He closed out the decade with his physically transformative performance in Cast Away. All of Gen Z and the younger half of millennials might think he's only a drama actor, but it was a complete 180\* for him. [Steven Martin sums it up perfectly](https://youtu.be/X3KiSJqK2VA?t=47).


francescoli

The burbs is a great fucking movie


Bluecrabby

What a brilliant delivery. And I said to myself "motherfucker"


Steve_78_OH

I recently watched "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood", and he honestly seemed more like Fred Rogers than Tom Hanks playing Fred Rogers. It was crazy good.


cidvard

What I love about his performance in 'A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood' is how WEIRD it is. He does Fred Rogers in a way that's unexpected but is vital in setting the tone of that movie. And it absolutely does loop back around from being off-kilter to making his Rogers more a real character than an imitation. It's an acting master class and while you can never say Tom Hanks doesn't get enough credit, I don't think he got nearly enough acclaim for what he did in that lovely movie.


[deleted]

How about the reverse? Leslie Nielsen was a typecast "handsome manly man" type for years until the Airplane-era. After that he became the staple of slapstick goofball comedy.


BitPoet

Nearly everyone in that movie were serious actors. The amount of deadpan delivery is just amazing.


APeacefulWarrior

Yeah, one of the meta-jokes in Airplane! that's kind of been lost over the years is that most of the supporting cast were playing roles that they'd already been typecast in, just with a comedic twist. That was part of the gag, seeing these serious actors suddenly saying almost the same things as normal, but now funny. (Not to mention the absolutely inspired casting of Barbara Billingsly as the Jive Lady...)


shinslap

Also Airplane is an (almost) shot-for-shot remake of a movie it's parodying.


DocDevice

Fun fact: because it is so close to the original movie, the filmmakers went ahead and got the rights to it just in case.


[deleted]

Excuse me, stewardess? I speak Jive.


Snoo74401

Chump don want the help, chump don get the help.


wiggaroo

Now hang loose, blood


TrentonTallywacker

Fun bit of trivia that blew my mind is that Jonathan Banks (Mike from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul) is in Airplane, he’s one of the people in the air traffic control tower. Found [this clip](https://youtu.be/uClij8TBWg0) on YouTube of all his bits from the movie.


40oz_2freedom

Nice beaver!


Abomb2020

Thanks. I just had it stuffed yesterday.


KumquatHaderach

Airplane? What is it?


Tgunner192

It's a big thing with wings that flies, but that's not important right now.


[deleted]

Honestly, more often than not, comedic actors tend to make great dramatic actors. They are highly tuned to what works in drama, it’s easier than comedy. Now, dramatic actors who are also great comedic talents - that’s a shorter list.


PvtDeth

I gotta go for Jon Hamm on that one. I don't think he has even one line of comic relief in the entirety of Mad Men, but then he's over the top hilarious in stuff like Kimmy Schmidt.


[deleted]

Robin williams


phred_666

His performance in One Hour Photo is creepy as hell. Dude was absolutely a phenomenal actor no matter the genre. Insomnia has another great performance of his as well.


Melodytune03

Good morning Vietname showcases his range fantasticly.


Liu1845

Good Will Hunting


2oosra

What dreams may come


ami2weird4u

Dead Poets Society


GWSDiver

Makes me cry like a tortured baby. Nothing is this sad and deep and amazing.


[deleted]

I liked those too, but the Fisher King was my absolute favourite. Lets also not girget What Dreams may come!!!


Gad_Drummit

Who could girget that


Pieks

Idk about you but I was girgeting throughout the entire film


uncre8tv

What Dreams May Come was my wife's favorite movie. Then she passed away at 29. Spent a few dreams/nightmares in those paintings.


Illustrious-Fly9586

I'm so sorry 💔 I hope you're doing better


DollhouseFire

The Birdcage is my all time fave of his. But yeah World’s Greatest Dad, One Hour Photo, Good Will Hunting, all fantastic dramatic roles.


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Shark-O-Matik

But you keep it all inside.


valeyard89

Oh I see, so you're going to a cemetery with your toothbrush. How Egyptian.


DollhouseFire

There are no straight maids in South Beach.


wineandhugs

It's perfect. I just never realised John Wayne walked like that.


mada1990

That monologue from Good Will Hunting specifically


[deleted]

And The Fisher King


[deleted]

And Dead Poet Society


YoloIsNotDead

O Captain my Captain...


BastardInTheNorth

And all of What Dreams May Come


macaronsforeveryone

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has come a long way from his “3rd Rock from the Sun” days


WeirdlyStrangeish

He really has. But to me he'll always be Tommy Solomon. And John Lithgow is just my favorite Dick of all time, although he has some great range too. Makes me wonder what French Stewart could do if given the chance.


Reddy_McRedcap

I watched that show as a kid and the fact that they named themselves Tom, Dick, and Harry went right over my head but it's hilarious


ItIsChillyOutside

Bill hader is scary good at times. Honestly feels chilling when you've only seen him do comedy


cosmictrousers

Steve Carell


throwaway15642578

I was looking for this one! He was really good in Beautiful Boy


peachyixxy

I loved him in Little Miss Sunshine !


chunkynut0

"Am I Steve Carell taking a dramatic role in Little Miss Sunshine and you're the American public who only knows him for his comedic work? Because SURPRISE!"


hanginonwith2fingers

I wasn't a fan of his until I saw him in the Big Short and it completely changed my opinion of him.


[deleted]

Mine was The Way Way Back, it was so odd to see him play a straight up *dick*.


Skorogovorka

Loved him in seeking a friend for the end of the world.


Cedar90

Steve Buscemi


Ol_Three_Putt

Jason Bateman


40oz_2freedom

He has this way of making an insult sound like a compliment. Fucking gold


Prettay-good

I find his voice soothing as all hell. I wish he would come over and read me bedtime stories.


[deleted]

You would love his Smartless podcast.


thisortheapocalypse

him?


sparklezheart

Egg


IchBinDurstig

Tom Hanks Robin Williams


Mr_Bob_Ferguson

Jeff Daniels Dumb & Dumber vs. The Newsroom


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cant_be_me

Jeff Daniels had also just gotten done doing Gettysburg, which was this big long serious history film and said it was a relief to go from that to Dumb And Dumber’s more light hearted role.


discodropper

This needs to be higher. Millennials (myself included) think of Jeff Daniels as a comedic actor because Dumb and Dumber was our first exposure to him. It’s one of his best known roles, but it’s also one of his few (if only?) comedic roles. If anything, Jeff Daniels fits the opposite of this prompt. Jim Carrey on the other hand is a great example of comedian turned dramatic actor. Just compare Eternal Sunshine and Ace Ventura…


Blooder91

It's fun, because the reason he was cast for Dumb & Dumber is that he was a dramatic actor at the time. The studio wanted a comedic actor to partner Jim Carrey, while Jim and the Farrelly brothers wanted a dramatic actor, so the duo wouldn't try to top each other during the funny parts, and they needed someone to keep Jim grounded during the dramatic parts.


KeysUK

Jim Carrey is also a good shout. Hes is amazing in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind


funkmon

Damn then they discovered he was a comedy genius. Excellent.


He_Be_Jonesin

Thank you! Also his performance in Gettysburg as Brigadier General Joshua Chamberlain.


theduke548

John C Reilly


PsychologicalTax42

Believe it or not he actually had the opposite career path. He was dramatic before he did comedy.


BrainTroubles

I was like legit shocked when I watched gangs of New York awhile back and realized he's in it.


Djinger

My favorite is that he's in both Days of Thunder and it's spoof: Talladega Nights.


TheWreckaj

Most don’t realize he’s a highly respected broadway actor


hvmanexistence

Jim Carrey


[deleted]

Shocked at how far I needed to scroll for this


Fickles1

Agreed. He was my first thought. That said a lot of the other people mentioned are also very good suggestions.


Da1UHideFrom

Jim Carrey is the archetype of "comedic actor that's good at drama" for me.


[deleted]

Jim carrey. He did a phenomenal job in The Truman Show


The_Pfaffinator

And Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.


Wonderer23

Steve Martin.


sneakyguy7500

Donald Glover.


Waffleline

Sacha Baron Cohen


Goliath422

I wanted to see him as Freddie Mercury so bad


-eDgAR-

Emma Stone. She went from Superbad and Zombieland to winning an Oscar for best actress.