# Best films containing lots of famous actors before their peaks or near enough to. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 12, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754 "2017-06-12T04:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/1 "2017-06-12T04:44:06Z")
I give you The Bounty (1984) Anthony Hopkins Mel Gibson Daniel Day Lewis (!) Liam Neeson (!) Laurence Olivier …man this movie is the ultimate trivia question (Yes Larry is after his peak… still) Same with Edward Fox And finally Bernard Hill seen later in Lord of the Rings. Yes, I know Anthony, Mel, Daniel and Liam wern’t completely unknown or even near so, but they hadn’t peaked yet. Watch the film…damn they’re all so young. And sooooo handsome~~! ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/2 "2017-06-12T05:02:14Z")
MASH Donald Sutherland Elliot Could Robert Duvall Sally Kellerman John Schuck Michael Murphy Bud Cory ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/3 "2017-06-12T05:10:39Z")
“Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Sean Penn, Forrest Whittaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicholas Cage. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/4 "2017-06-12T05:22:32Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Sean Penn, Forrest Whittaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicholas Cage. Ha!! I think Oscar winners Whittaker and Cage have maybe three lines between them! ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/5 "2017-06-12T05:33:50Z")
I submit **Next of Kin** 1989 Patrick Swayze Liam Neeson Adam Baldwin Helen Hunt Bill Paxton Ben Stiller and Ted Levine Although I highly doubt it will be ranked as ‘best.’ ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/6 "2017-06-12T05:47:37Z")
> [@E-DUB](#): > > “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. Sean Penn, Forrest Whittaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nicholas Cage. And Judge Reinhold. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/7 "2017-06-12T06:01:35Z")
American Grafitti Harrison Ford Ron Howard Richard Dreyfus Mackenzie Philips Cindy Williams Charles Martin Smith And a whole lot of lesser knowns ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/8 "2017-06-12T06:34:33Z")
Not in contention, but worth mentioning: [Flirting](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101898/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_73), with Naomi Watts, Nicole Kidman, and Thandie Newton. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/9 "2017-06-12T06:50:21Z")
Two very good films from 1981: 1. **Excalibur** Helen Mirren Gabriel Byrne Liam Neeson Patrick Stewart Ciarán Hinds 2. **Ragtime** Brad Dourif Elizabeth McGovern Mandy Patinkin Mary Steenburgen Debbie Allen Jeff Daniels Fran Drescher Samuel L. Jackson Michael Jeter John Ratzenberger _Plus:_ _Actors way, way past their peak:_ James Cagney Donald O’Connor _Not actually an actor:_ Norman Mailer ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/10 "2017-06-12T14:25:15Z")
I’ve always heard _The Outsiders_ bandied about in discussions like this. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/11 "2017-06-12T14:44:29Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > I give you The Bounty (1984) > > Anthony Hopkins > Mel Gibson > Daniel Day Lewis (!) > Liam Neeson (!) > Laurence Olivier …man this movie is the ultimate trivia question (Yes Larry is after his peak… still) > > Same with Edward Fox > > And finally Bernard Hill seen later in Lord of the Rings. > Yes, I know Anthony, Mel, Daniel and Liam wern’t completely unknown or even near so, but they hadn’t peaked yet. Watch the film…damn they’re all so young. And sooooo handsome~~! Liam Neeson wasn’t really in the public eye, but he wasn’t exactly unknown. He was also in **The Mission** (1986), along with the already well-known Robert de Niro and Jeremy Irons. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/12 "2017-06-12T15:08:28Z")
> [@zoogirl](#): > > American Grafitti > Harrison Ford > Ron Howard > Richard Dreyfus > Mackenzie Philips > Cindy Williams > Charles Martin Smith > > And a whole lot of lesser knowns You forgot Suzanne Somers! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/13 "2017-06-12T16:10:39Z")
Just yesterday, on TCM - ‘Sense and Sensibility’ (1995) had Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Grant, Gemma Jones - probably many others famous but unknown to me - all of them so young and easy on the eyes! ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/14 "2017-06-12T16:38:17Z")
Animal House had a few, Tom Hulce, Karen Allen, Kevin Bacon, as well as others that achieved less fame but still frequently recognized like Bruce McGill, Peter Riegert, Stephen Furst, as well as past actors getting new notice like John Vernon, Verna Bloom and Cesare Danova, and Tim Matheson. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/15 "2017-06-12T17:01:02Z")
Wet Hot American Summer 2001 Janeane Garofalo David Hyde Pierce Paul Rudd Christopher Meloni Molly Shannon Joe Lo Truglio Ian Michael Black Amy Poehler Bradley Cooper Elizabeth Banks Judah Friedlander ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/16 "2017-06-12T22:54:33Z")
“Diner” had Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Paul Reiser, Ellen Barkin and Steve GUttenberg. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/17 "2017-06-12T23:05:36Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > “Diner” had Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Paul Reiser, Ellen Barkin and Steve GUttenberg. And Tim Daly! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/18 "2017-06-12T23:24:44Z")
I had trouble following _Black Hawk Down_ when I first saw it because I had trouble telling the actors apart. Now many have since become famous so I might need to watch again: Josh Hartnett Ewan McGregor Tom Sizemore (okay, all somewhat famous at the time, but then:) Hugh Dancy Ioan Gruffudd Jason Isaacs Tom Hardy Matthew Marsden Orlando Bloom Eric Bana Nikolaj Coster-Waldau ETA: _Wet Hot American Summer_ is by David Wain, so he and a lot of other people from _the State_/_Viva Variety_/_Reno 911_ overlap, though I agree about many of the others, especially Bradley Cooper who was pretty unknown then. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2017, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/19 "2017-06-12T23:31:14Z")
Silverado 1985 Kevin Kline Scott Glenn Kevin Costner Danny Glover John Cleese Rosanna Arquette Jeff Goldblum Brian Dennehy Linda Hunt The cast list is enormous, actually. I’m sure I missed a few others that people would know. ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/20 "2017-06-13T02:56:21Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > You forgot Suzanne Somers! :eek: Sort of - I remembered her and then forgot to put her on the list! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754.md?page=2)