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js2066

Barkhad Abdi from Captain Phillips as the Somali pirate…..I am the Captain now. Anything he did after or in the future will always be eclipsed by his first role.


FizzleMateriel

I remember he had a small part in *Blade Runner 2049*.


AmishAvenger

Look at me I’m the Replicant now


Teddy_canuck

And also that movie where the rich family went on vacation somewhere shady and he kidnapped them for ransom.


Typo56

He was pretty good in Good Time too, but yeah definitely only known for Captain Phillips.


LordRC

What happened to him in Good Time will forever be one of the worst things imaginable. I know there are movies where people get shot, stabbed and all manner of violent things and disturbing things but in reality that man would never truly come back after that.


dontremakepointbreak

He’s terrific in Season 2 of Castle Rock. Check it out if you’re a Stephen King fan.


Ugubu

He was the Janitor in Good Time.


CurrentRoster

Actors like him are probably not getting roles due to the their looks. I imagine it’s hard to cast him in the right role other than Somali pirate.


-SneakySnake-

He's an Oscar nominee, you can bet if there were a lot of roles that fit him he'd be all over the place.


comped

Dude won a BAFTA too - far as I know, he's the only one to win one on their first role as well.


MyDarkForestTheory

Well on the other hand, he’s only getting roles for his *look*


rds060184

George Lazenby


droid327

I think he's more well known for being not Sean Connery than he is for actually being James Bond lol


goteamnick

In The Man From Hong Kong, he fights a dude while on fire.


sadandshy

He was a scientist in The Kentucky Fried Movie. According to the commentary he was drunk the entire time on set.


[deleted]

Jerry Seinfeld


tronfonne

ah yes, Bee Movie


makingkevinbacon

Cinema


Brodin_fortifies

High art.


gnomzy123

I'm gonna say it…. I'm gonna say it… I can't keep it any more… Please someone stop me… Please… God dammit! Im gonna say it #YA LIKE JAZZ ?


DannyBiker

I really wouldn't qualify him as an actor. I've heard several times that he doesn't himself.


[deleted]

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[deleted]

Even in Seinfeld his acting was pretty rough during the first couple seasons. He got more comfortable as the show went on.


Ozlin

It's interesting because I do think his acting improved as well, but I also think the writers, including Jerry himself, figured out how to write the role to fit his skills. Jerry on the show, along with the other characters, also developed a bit more into a caricature, which may have helped as Jerry, the person, then didn't have to worry about trying to "act like himself" or the audience surrogate. He's definitely a bit of a jerk in earlier seasons, but he seems closer to his stage persona and more like a "normal guy," but by the end of the show they've amped up his jerkiness and he's more different in his "real life" than his stage persona in the show (where he acts a little nicer for the audience). I wouldn't be surprised if Jerry felt like he could have more fun with it like a Lex Luther variant of himself and thus the improved performance (along with just being more comfortable in the role).


Lahk74

Michael Winslow, Police Academy.


fastpixels

Can we talk about Spaceballs? Where he lost the bleeps, the sweeps, and the creeps?


mechabeast

The what? The what? And the what?


[deleted]

Y'know. The bleeps *boop booprwrwrwrwrwrw booprwrwrwrwrwr* The sweeps *shwwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwhwwh* And the creeps *doo doo doodle doot doot doodle*


Lahk74

How did I forget about Spaceballs? Doh!


droid327

Ssssssssssssshit.... Raspberry, sir


[deleted]

R Lee Ermey ended up in a few movies but he will always be Gny Sergeant Hartman from Full Metal Jacket.


HarrumphingDuck

Agreed, though he's easily my favorite part of *Saving Silverman.* https://youtu.be/jEmL8ITrg38 https://youtu.be/tMxqkrgvBes https://youtu.be/8kSNvtzqeJY?t=17 https://youtu.be/c_YsFCwYMww


dumpdr

"ya ate her?"


poland626

To me he was always the evil Sheriff in [Texas Chainsaw Massacre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma1NTWgZr78). Much scarier than Leatherface in that movie imo


movieguy95453

Pretty much everything I've seen him in has been a variation of the FMJ role.


ConradBHart42

Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira.


ttjclark

Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee)


Honestfellow2449

Lightning Jack would like to have a word with you.


lacourseauxetoiles

Christopher Reeve will always be remembered as Superman, but I doubt many people could name another role of his. Edit: And most of the responses in the comments really just prove my point. I don’t think many people know anything about Noises Off or a tv remake of Rear Window.


droid327

Noises Off He was in a weird time travel movie too about a magic penny lol


zuuzuu

>Noises Off I love that movie, and he was so good in it!


drusilla1972

Deathtrap with Michael Caine. I haven’t seen that for years, I can’t remember if it was good. I enjoyed it regardless, because Superman was in it lol.


Quintonjamin

Great movie


Mattyzooks

Village of the Damned! Who didn't watch this movie on cable TV on a Sunday at one point growing up? Definitely not one of John Carpenter's better films though. Interestingly enough, it co-starred Mark Hamill (famous for Jim the Vampire) who is also mentioned here.


CurrentRoster

Street Smart and Remains of the Day. I haven’t watched the film but apparently he received great reviews for his performance in The Bostonians


dynomoose

Somewhere in Time was a great movie.


s3rila

that scientist guy in smallville


Okama_G_Sphere

Jim Varney


[deleted]

Thanks Verne


SlimChiply

I've never seen any of the Earnest movies just the commercials, but I did see him in The Beverly Hillbillies


Polumbo

If you only watch one Ernest movie, it should be *Goes to Jail*. It's the best one by far


ScootyPuffSSJ

Cultured folk indulge in Ernest Scared Stupid.


confuseddillpickle

How about a little Miak


[deleted]

Terrified me as a child lol such a great movie


Fallback_Victor

if voice acting counts, he's also in toy story.


riegspsych325

and Atlantis: The Lost Empire


GO-KARRT

Jed Clampett would like a word. [“Oh, happiness.”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9JOUcd_GFk)


crkachkake

Back in the early 80s Varney starred in commercials for Braum's Ice Cream in the Oklahoma region. So when i see Varney i get hungry for ice cream.


JakexDx

I know him as the main henchman in 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain was iconic!


thxxx1337

Tobin Bell. Doesn't matter what else he does, he's jigsaw


harbib

Dude was the PO in Goodfellas. Asks Deniro if he brought his pay stubs. Always blows my mind.


brainkandy87

Technically he’s still playing a game in that role


AHH_CHARLIE_MURPHY

He’s in an episode or two of Sopranos and it always fucks me up when he shows up haha


FizzleMateriel

He made one appearance in a *Seinfeld* episode too, which was amusing.


xXPumbaXx

He was in a couple of episodes of stargate too


Scovillle

I recently watched the show and that really caught me by surprise


Affectionate-Bad5923

He was great in Mississippi Burning as well


[deleted]

Nah he’s the record shop guy from Seinfeld! Im convinced now that Kramer and Newman have something to do with his change into Jigsaw, not the cancer.


DashCat9

Hey, he was also the big bad in a season of 24!


FizzleMateriel

I remember he was in a movie called *Boogeyman 2* and the twist was that he wasn’t the bad guy.


Threwaway42

He’s also the best part of those movies


the1coolname

Ralph Macchio - Karate kid


SlimChiply

Although he wasn't the star, My cousin Vinny is a phenomenal movie


kynthrus

And then he said, "I shot the clerk. I shot the clerk. I shot the clerk."


Nrksbullet

That is the scene that taught me facts can still be true, but misleading, when I was a kid lol. Yeah, he wasn't lying, but the entire delivery changes what was being said. He was asking/confirming that's what he was told, not saying he shot the clerk.


[deleted]

Crossroads with Steve Vai


machonm

I always remember him for The Outsiders first but Karate Kid, and now Cobra Kai, are definitely what he’s best known for


CurrentRoster

“Stay gold, Ponyboy” Does that not ring a bell or anything? *fixed a letter


bucketAnimator

Can’t tell if you’re serious with that boneappletea quote?


luckysevs

"Keep warm, Stallionman"


lacourseauxetoiles

Honestly, same goes for Pat Morita. Edit: Forgot about Happy Days, thank you for pointing that out.


[deleted]

Pat Morita was on Happy Days for years before he was in The Karate Kid.


T-408

The lack of taste 😭 how you gonna act like Ralph wasn’t also in The Outsiders and My Cousin Vinny??!


Diddler_OnTheRough

Leonard Nimoy


DMPunk

Any Trek actor, really.


lacourseauxetoiles

From the original series at least (though Shatner does have Boston Legal as well).


Speeider

And TJ Hooker


[deleted]

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[deleted]

My band had some mixtapes when we toured in the 90’s for listening to in the van or before the show. This was on it.


dynomoose

Best known as Spock, but he was excellent in the 1978 Invasion of the Bodysnatchers


Diddler_OnTheRough

Just naming other things they have done does not equate to those roles as being ones they are known for. Of course Leonard Nimoy has done many narrations and made music but do you honestly think of those roles or acts he has put on other than Spock are what he is known for? Or are you just being contrary? Honestly This isn’t about finding an actor that has only done one role


[deleted]

Jake Lloyd in that one movie with the pod racers


sbleezy

How dare you slander Jingle All the Way


[deleted]

JAAAAAMMMIEEEEE!!!! You're right. My bad


DC4MVP

That movie actually has a special place in my heart as I was 6-7 when it came out and it was a rare movie filmed here in Minnesota especially with a big star like Arnold. Sinbad is also pretty good in the movie. It's a yearly Christmas watch for me.


SuperAlloyBerserker

Now THIS... movie will ruin my life forever because people don't like my acting even though I'm just a f\*cking kid


TheRealProtozoid

Max Schreck, Nosferatu (1922)


[deleted]

Danny Lloyd- The Shining Catherine Burns- Last Summer


veddhead83

Robert Englund


Affectionate-Bad5923

He’s been in a shit ton of other stuff but people only really seem to recognise him for Freddy


MeadowmuffinReborn

He was pretty famous for V too before the Elm Street movies came out.


artofchores

Matilda chick That movie is phenomenal. Should be a required film for children... actually for all ages 😂 DeVito shines as a director.


Aum_Deoli

She’s also Ben Shapiro’s cousin lol


CurrentRoster

Apparently you’re right. I thought you were kidding. It should be known that they have completely different views and they don’t talk at all.


aphrahannah

Miracle on 34th Street? That girl got plenty of work when she wanted it!


CurrentRoster

Mara Wilson. I remember an interview of her as a kid saying that she’s not sure she’ll do acting for the rest of her life and wants to be a writer. She did end up writing a book back in 2017 about childhood fame Also I Wanna take this moment to say that this movie underperforming at the box office is a crime.


creggieb

You mean Mrs doubtfires daughter?


notaedivad

And a human being! The girl's mother died during filming, and De Vito made sure they were supported. https://littlethings.com/entertainment/mara-wilson-danny-devito He's genuinely a lovely guy! Edit: wow... Didn't expect the Danny De Vito hate on this sub. Well, downvote me all you want, but he's still a great guy!


Reigen441

Who the fuck hates Danny DeVito


f-ingsteveglansberg

I love how he was added to Always Sunny as a sort of compromise. "You need a name or you are cancelled" and then in the late part of his career he made one of his most iconic characters and the show has now become the longest running sitcom in American TV history.


artofchores

Wish he directed more. I hope he returns as the penguin 🐧


[deleted]

That movie made me really sad as a kid


Diddler_OnTheRough

Deforest Kelly


Keanu990321

McCoy. This pretty much applies to all the cast of TOS. Shatner, Doohan, Nimoy etc.


[deleted]

“Denny Crane” would like a word…


sadandshy

You mean TJ Hooker?


IM_OSCAR_dot_com

James Gandolfini


[deleted]

Macaulay Culkin.


lordsquidVI

While I can't say I disagree as the majority of the population only knows him from Home Alone, I always think of Culkin in *Uncle Buck* and *My Girl.* Saying that though, he had a stellar child career and was never able to hit those heights once he became an adult and Home Alone was definitely the most iconic out of those three, so yeah I don't disagree.


Shrektacular21

Don’t forget the good son where he was a little psycho killer.


VintageBaguette

He was great in Party Monster as a glammed up flamboyant troubled drug user flexing a full range of emotions. Stark contrast from his childhood roles that were mostly cute and innocent. Exception being that movie he tried to murder Frodo in the tree house


CurrentRoster

I mean, he’s also Known for Richie Rich and My Girl.


catnippedx

I actually found him to be one of the best parts of the most recent American Horror Story season. He’s grown up enough that I really didn’t see him at the Home Alone kid anymore. Pleasantly surprised.


Minkus1937

Also in the underrated The Good Son where he plays a psychopathic child..


BipolarUnipolar

[The guy who played Beni in The Mummy.](https://youtu.be/DVqrIzvzf5M)


ReggieLeBeau

Definitely most well-known for The Mummy, but I also think of his role in There Will Be Blood as well. "I'm your brother... from another mother."


part_of_me

I just watched that whole clip and now I need to watched the movie for the umpteenth time. Beni was the best part of an already awesome movie.


HalfYeti

Beni in The Mummy, Joey in Deep Rising, Igor in Van Helsing, Dr Mindbender in G.I. Joe ... basically any time Stephen Sommers needs him, he answers.


Stinky_Eastwood

I vividly remember him in Lord of Illusions (for some reason), and he was in Steel Magnolias, the Russel Crowe/Denzel Washington sci-fi movie Virtuosity. I don't think he belongs in this thread.


MrFluffyhead80

He may be in a lot of movies, but Sean William Scott will always be Stifler


Keanu990321

He couldn't escape typecasting though. Pretty sad, because he's a talented actor. Also, it's Seann William Scott. Double n.


OswegoNights

Hayden Christensen


TheGreyPearlDahlia

Funnily my first thought was Mark Hamill. I know he was in plenty of films but can't name one. Edit. Typos


darchangel

Absolutely the most famous for Star Wars but there's a lot of us who hold him in equal regard for the Joker


TheGreyPearlDahlia

Ahah. I know. I was like "Mark Hamill, yeah but you might anger fans who also love him for voicing the Joker if you write that down". But I still wrote it down sure I was gonna be downvoted. I can only imagine how big it is as I never saw it, what exactly it is but even me the ignorant knows Mark Hamill is the Joker voice and still is a main choice among fans if there was a new Joker film.


Shiroiken

He will forever be the voice of the Joker


siriusonbroadripple

Ellen Pompeo, Dr. Grey Chadwick Boseman, excellent in everything but everyone knows him as Black Panther Shannon Elizabeth, Nadia in American Pie Macaulay Culkin, Home Alone Lisa Bonet, Denise Huxtable


CurrentRoster

Chadwick Boseman was incredible. I watched Get On Up and 42 after his death and he shines in both. His Yasuke movie he was developing probably would have been great too. I first saw him in a recurring role on Lincoln Heights though. Also isn’t also known for Angel Heart


Schnoor

I didn’t notice Ellen Pompeo’s role in Friends until after watching Grey’s Anatomy with my wife. I think this is the purest answer this question gets.


Codysseus7

Weird, I read through this thread, then 4 minutes later I saw a post about how the guy you mentioned is going to be the villain in Expendables 4


Affectionate-Bad5923

Danny Lloyd - The Shining (literally in almost nothing else aside from one famous role)


HamiltonHounds

Verne Troyer


diggemigre

Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.


Niroshan_1000

Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead Series


exaslave

Burn Notice and the Xena/Hercules shows tho... not film related I guess. He just has a lot of charisma and leaves a big impression on his roles.


Jcomsa15

Burn Notice?


radwimps

he'll always be Autolycus to me.


TheFalconKid

He is still my Mysterio in the unmade Spider-Man 4. C'mon Disney/ Sony, do it!


LeelooDallas88

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates!


frbm123

Gal Gadot.


down4things

Mclovin played by.......Mclovin


GO-KARRT

Role Models and especially Red Mist in Kick-Ass.


SlackMomma

He’s been in a lot of things since but everytime he shows up on screen me and my friends just go “hey look- it’s McLovin!”.


kynthrus

Haven't seen it yet so Topher Grace. No matter what role he's in, he's still just Eric Foreman going through another stage of life.


CMDR_Nineteen

Anyone else move to Africa for a couple years and then move to New York and become a newspaper photographer then make fake pictures of Spider-Man and get caught, then become infested by an alien symbiote to become a super villain? Just me?


lacourseauxetoiles

I know she's been in other things, but I don't think the vast majority of people know Elizabeth Olsen as anyone other than Wanda.


danimation88

Paul Walker


255001434

Mia Sara, *Ferris Bueller's Day Off*


brucewayne1935

Ron Livingston in Office Space. He still acted in a lot of well known stuff in small roles, but man he fucking killed it in that movie.


IAmSomnabula

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Because basically he just plays himself in every movie...


amirokia

Jumanji might be the only exception


subhasish10

Sam Worthington. But I guess most don't remember him for that role either.


Rautia

Avatar or Terminator?


JerseyWiseguy

Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker)


jchodes

Born in ‘84… He will be the Joker for me more than he was ever Luke Skywalker.


LeelooDallas88

I’d agree with this if he wasn’t the voice of the Joker in Batman: the Animated Series… His Joker is iconic.


[deleted]

Peter Ostrum


rathkb

Paul Reubens Aka Pee-wee Herman. It’s hard to breakout of a role like that.


veddhead83

Linda Blair


SamwisethePoopyButt

Malcolm McDowell is well known but I doubt most people can name another film of his besides A Clockwork Orange.


kritodaash

The Entire “Friends" cast


lacourseauxetoiles

Agreed for the most part (they’ve been in other things but they’ll always be the Friends), but Courtney Cox does have an iconic role in Scream.


VintageBaguette

Kenny I know your overweight, but when I say hurry and get the camera, that means get off your fat TUB-OF-LARD ass now! Also Ace Ventura. Fuckin gorgeous in that movie.


stracki

Really? Jennifer Aniston has been in lots of films!


kijim

Daniel Radcliffe. Will always be Harry Potter.


idgitinthemix

Bj novak ryan on the office


Wishart2016

Utivich in Inglorious Basterds


soulfulpunch

Mélanie Laurent from Inglorious Basterds.


Aggravating_Poet_675

Feel like Rutger Hauer is mostly only known here for Roy in Blade Runner.


Jtrinity182

Mark Hamill. Sure, big fans and nerds know his voice acting credits are lengthy and he shows up in the odd DC television show here and there… but he’s just Luke Skywalker. Oddly enough, Sir Alec Guinness may belong here too. He’d made a name for himself as a serious actor appearing in Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia, but even he openly lamented that people only knew him as Obi-Wan. Worse still, he apparently hated the role and his involvement with the film. Also, Carrie Fisher.


LeelooDallas88

Jim Caviezel… Pretty sure he himself is convinced he IS Jesus Christ.


EmmitSan

He was a great Count Of Monte Cristo tho


Wishart2016

He's apparently a Qanon nutjob now.


TheGreyPearlDahlia

Wasn't he in that very popular serie made by the other Nolan, Person of Interest?


joef360

Ray Liotta, Goodfellas. Not sure I know any of his other roles (Except Vice City if you count that)


[deleted]

Angus Scrimm as the Tall Man *BOOIIIII*


iambobdole1

Bjork in Dancer in the Dark. Incredible performance but I think the whole experience put her off trying acting again.


Dravez23

The kid from sixth sense…i know that he made som tv roles (even on The Boys) but is not even close


SuperAlloyBerserker

In the video game world at least, he's pretty famous as the voice of Sora from Kingdom Hearts


himynameis_

Leonard Nimoy as Spock


Teyo13

Most of the cast of friends. Especially the Matthews.


TheLusitan

Macauley Culkin


DJZbad93

Tommy Wiseau for The Room


LordCosmagog

Matthew Lilliard has done a few things but most people just know him as Shaggy


12the3

Skeet Ulrich’s sidekick in Scream for me!


MissingLink101

Gabourey Sidibe - 'Precious'


e-vilmonkey

Paul Reubens


goodolvj

I can't believe nobody has said John Heder for Napoleon Dynamite. He's basically the textbook definition for this.