# Actors whose mere name in the credits will pretty much guarantee a shitty movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315 "2007-06-01T07:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/121 "2007-06-07T21:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Mk VII] …Steve Martin [/QUOTE] I wanted to protest, but for every one of his good films, there are about 5 cruddy ones, at least for the past 15 years. ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2007, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/122 "2007-06-07T22:14:34Z")
Two others : Billy Cristal (as a lead, I can stand him in a supporting role) Tom Arnold ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/123 "2007-06-10T00:36:02Z")
Cynthia Rothrock. Probably not a fair choice since she just makes the same film over and over, and apparently just sells them to Cinemax. Eric Roberts. He’s managed to land some okay parts, but overall, while his name may not guarantee a bad movie, that’s how the smart money will bet. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/124 "2007-06-10T10:56:12Z")
[QUOTE=Hampshire] -Kris Kristofferson "Well, I woke up Sunday morning With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes And found my cleanest dirty shirt. Then I washed my face and combed my hair And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day. " Even if he had never written “Me and Bobby McGhee” and there have been many days when I wish he hadn’t, the above lyrics can overcome a lot of acting errors. But the guy was in “Blume in Love,” “Lonestar,” “Semi-tough,” “Payback” and "Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Maybe the category shoud be one-time cent actors who have lost their mojo as I admit I haven’t seen his last 20 or so flicks. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/125 "2007-06-10T18:58:51Z")
[QUOTE=dennis gallagher] -Kris Kristofferson “Well, I woke up Sunday morning With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt. And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, So I had one more for dessert. Then I fumbled in my closet through my clothes And found my cleanest dirty shirt. Then I washed my face and combed my hair And stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.” [/QUOTE] Did Kris really write that one? I only know the Johnny Cash version. **opens new browser tab, checks [allmusic.com](http://allmusic.com)** Well, I’ll be damned. Ignorance fought, my friend. Thanks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/126 "2007-06-10T19:50:11Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] Cameron Mitchell Udo Kier John Saxon Christopher Lloyd John Carradine Yours? [/QUOTE] Unless some one brings up a defense of the man , that would be William Shatner. While Wrath of Khan may be a good movie , I think that was inspite of Shat ,and not because of him. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/127 "2007-06-10T19:53:12Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] John Saxon [/QUOTE] Are you frakkin’ kidding with this? ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/128 "2007-06-10T21:39:00Z")
[QUOTE=Martin Hyde] I’ll admit, after First Blood I’m not aware of a single Stallone credit which is a good movie (I genuinely enjoyed First Blood.) [/QUOTE] They are mostly pretty stanky, but he had a couple of good ones in there. _Antz_ was entertaining, even if his wasn’t a very big part. _Demolition Man_ managed to transcend its outrageous product placement and become a genuinely funny send-up of the typical Stallone action movie. I also hear _Rocky Balboa_ was much better than one would expect, but I haven’t seen it yet. Personally I didn’t care for _Cop Land_. It had a great cast but not much of a plot. Stallone’s performance consisted of standing around looking pudgy and bewildered until they tacked on the ending from _High Noon_. > [@Solfy](#): > > I could have shortened that - > How to tell if you’re watching a bad Nicolas Cage Movie: Nicolas Cage is in the movie. I cut him a lot of slack because of _Adaptation_. He was excellent in that. _Leaving Las Vegas_ is also defensible, though hard to watch. I agree though that in general one should flee a marquee with his name on it. My nomination was going to be Leslie Nielsen, ever since the second _Naked Gun_ or so. However, it appears he was just in a film called [Music Within](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422783/) which gets good user reviews on IMDB. There are only eight votes and no external reviews so I’m not willing to accept this as an end to his slump just yet. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Hildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Johnny\_Hildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Hildo)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/129 "2007-06-10T21:55:06Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] John Saxon [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Operation Ripper] Are you frakkin’ kidding with this? [/QUOTE] You’re right, I forgot about his tour de force performances in _Zombie Death House, Moonshine County Express_ and _My Mom is a Werewolf._ ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/130 "2007-06-10T22:19:17Z")
[QUOTE=Number] I cut [Nicolas Cage] a lot of slack because of _Adaptation_. He was excellent in that. _Leaving Las Vegas_ is also defensible, though hard to watch. I agree though that in general one should flee a marquee with his name on it. [/QUOTE] I thought he was good in David Lynch’s _Wild at Heart._ ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2007, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/131 "2007-06-10T23:13:40Z")
[QUOTE=Declan] Unless some one brings up a defense of the man , that would be William Shatner. While Wrath of Khan may be a good movie , I think that was inspite of Shat ,and not because of him. Declan [/QUOTE] He has won several Emmys for his role of Denny Crane! in the last few episodes of \*The Practice \* and as a headliner in its far superior spinoff, _Boston Legal_. He’s really great as that character, since he is able to play up his charming, hammy qualities but can show intelligence and gravitas underneath. Better than Captain Kirk or anything else Shatner has ever done, and I’d say the role disqualifies him from being on this list. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2007, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/132 "2007-06-11T01:23:31Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny Hildo] I knew this thing was going to devolve into “Actors I hate.” As to the point of the thread, I was really going for the “certain character actors who appear in movies. They are not untalented, but their script choices are utter horseshit.” [/QUOTE] So, how come you didn’t outline what you were looking for in the OP? Mariel Hemingway. Odds are about 90% it’s going to end up on Lifetime, at best. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/133 "2007-06-12T16:44:32Z")
The one I always think of is also one of my favorite actors. And don’t get me wrong – I LIKE some of the movies he’s done, he’s done some exceptional voiceover work, mostly for kids’ shows and movies… but good God, has **Tim Curry** been in a good movie since **Clue**? ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/134 "2007-06-12T16:50:57Z")
[QUOTE=Little Plastic Ninja] The one I always think of is also one of my favorite actors. And don’t get me wrong – I LIKE some of the movies he’s done, he’s done some exceptional voiceover work, mostly for kids’ shows and movies… but good God, has **Tim Curry** been in a good movie since **Clue**? [/QUOTE] Well, according to IMDB, he provided uncredited extra voices for **The Little Mermaid**. So yes. But just barely. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/135 "2007-06-13T02:18:07Z")
personally I’m holding out for a movie starring Madonna, JLo, and Streisand. What a combined suckfest that would be. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/136 "2007-06-13T02:32:19Z")
[QUOTE=Little Plastic Ninja] The one I always think of is also one of my favorite actors. And don’t get me wrong – I LIKE some of the movies he’s done, he’s done some exceptional voiceover work, mostly for kids’ shows and movies… but good God, has **Tim Curry** been in a good movie since **Clue**? [/QUOTE] Apparently I am the only person in North America who enjoyed **The Shadow**. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/137 "2007-06-13T03:34:14Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] The earlier mention of Martin Henderson brings me to another Shortland Street {a long running New Zealand hospital soap} alumnus, Temuera Morrison. The dude can actually act, as anyone who has seen **Once Were Warriors** can attest. But he _really_ needs a better agent: **Barb Wire** , **Speed 2** , **Six Days, Seven Nights** , the Star Wars prequels… While not being a bad actor, you’re pretty much ensured that his name on the credits guarantees a piece of shit. [/QUOTE] OK, I don’t know enough about his output to comment on the actor, but I think if I was an actor and had an agent, and he got me a job in the Star Wars prequels as a major character, I wouldn’t be firing him any time soon. [Yogurt]Moichendising![/Yogurt] ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2007, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315/138 "2007-06-13T15:55:10Z")
Tom Sizemore and Tim Allen were in _Big Trouble_, which is a fantastic movie. I don’t know if I’ve seen Sizemore in anything else, but Allen is officially forgiven because of _Big Trouble_. Go Netflix it. Now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actors-whose-mere-name-in-the-credits-will-pretty-much-guarantee-a-shitty-movie/406315.md?page=6)