Following up on my post about the greatest Hollywood movies, who fits into that category of actor—unable to turn in a bad performance? In the post or in comments I pointed to two: Claire Trevor, Claude Raines, and Edward G. Robinson. If you don’t believe it just watch a few of their movies. They elevate everything they’re in simply by being in it.
That isn’t true of some of the biggest stars. Take Spencer Tracy, one of my favorite movie actors. He turned in a lot of fabulous performances but he also turned in some lousy ones. Ironically, one of his Academy Award-winning roles fits into that latter category: Captains Courageous. He should have taken the dialect coach’s advice. Or have you ever seen Plymouth Adventure?
Who else fits into that category? I would name:
- Paul Muni
- Fredric March
- Many, many Brits including Robert Donat, Victor McLaglen, Sidney Greenstreet, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Cate Blanchett (Aussie), Alec Guiness, Ralph Richardson, and too many others to name
- Tom Hanks
- Olivia DeHavilland
- Paul Henreid
- Gene Wilder
What other actors never turn in a bad performance, always elevating whatever they appear in?
Not Marlon Brando, Laurence Olivier, Peter Sellers, Dustin Hoffman, Marilyn Monroe, any Fonda, Jimmy Stewart (much as I love him), John Wayne. Each of those actors turned in some fine performances but they also turned in some real dogs.
Since you nominated Tom Hanks, may I add his frequent co-star Meg Ryan?
I am tempted to add Clint Eastwood.
Olivier, Plummer, Laughton. I am thinking these guys have a large portfolio and I could have easily missed their clunkers.
Steve
Olivier is a ham. Laughton’s not a bad pick. I’m not particularly fond of Plummer but he might fit. My off-hand assessment is that he’s competent but doesn’t elevate the production. What I mean by “elevate” is to bring something special that makes all of the other performers do better, look better.
I agree with you on Olivier and Laughton. Olivier was awful in all his films. Stage performances don’t transfer to film at all. I’m not a fan of Plummer. Perhaps Jeremeny Irons?
If elevation is the criterion, how about Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre?
I’m tempted to add Elisha Cook, Jr., but he has too few films.
PS Mary Astor was an appallingly bad casting choice in The Maltese Falcon. Spade’s attraction to her is impossible to believe.
What list would you add Meryl Streep to?
“What list would you add Meryl Streep to?”
Based on Don’t Look Up, also ran actress in dumbest movies.
bob sykes:
Agree on Sidney Greenstreet (note: he’s a Brit). Also on Elisha Cook, Jr. Too few credits? At 220 credits to his name that’s more than Spencer Tracy, Robert Donat, and Fredric March combined. Disagree about Mary Astor. You should see more of her movies. My all-time favorite anecdote about the movie business came from her—the stages of being a movie actor:
Stage 1: Who’s Mary Astor?
Stage 2: Send for Mary Astor!
Stage 3: What we need is a Mary Astor type.
Stage 4: What we need is a young Mary Astor.
Stage 5: Who’s Mary Astor?
MBcomber:
IMO Meryl Streep is greatly overrated. Dialect specialist (I AM one, too, so I recognize the type). Turns in a good performance every now and again.
I’d like to nominate Gene Hackman.
If you’ve seen “Scarecrow “ Hackman carried it by himself.
Yeah, Hackman definitely. Too bad he’s retired.
I re-watched The Night of the Hunter last week for the first time in decades. Laughton deserves points as a director, even though he only directed one and it was initially a flop. Robert Mitchum seems overrated, or his performance is enhanced by the bottle.
Speaking of The Night of the Hunter Lillian Gish is a performer who elevates a production just by being in it.
There is also the opposite: performers who detract from an otherwise good production simply by being in it even when they’re not that bad themselves. Ted McGinley is the classic example of that but I can think of others. Pauly Shore. Jamie Kennedy. Sonny Tufts.
For me, it’s often difficult to distinguish a bad performance from a flawed movie, script, or character. In short, I think there are some roles that no amount of acting talent can save. So I wonder if this is as much about skill in selecting roles as acting skill.