# 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:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/21 "2017-06-13T07:44:18Z")
Dazed and Confused Matthew McConaughey Ben Affleck Milla Jovovich Parker Posey Rory Cochrane Adam Goldberg And others P.S. I had to copy and past Matthew McConowhatever because, man, that’s hard to spell. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/22 "2017-06-13T12:02:05Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > 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. You forgot John Belushi and Donald Sutherland. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/23 "2017-06-13T12:05:43Z")
Apocalypse Now, which features Larry Fishburne. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/24 "2017-06-13T12:16:33Z")
\*\*Big Chill \*\*1983 Glen Close Tom Berrenger Jeff Goldblum William Hurt Kevin Kline Meg Tilly Mary Kay Place Jo Beth Williams …And they cut out Kevin Costner, although he was the dead guy. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/25 "2017-06-13T12:35:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve al7ways heard _The Outsiders_ bandied about in discussions like this. Also, Lords of Flatbush ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/26 "2017-06-13T12:39:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve always heard _The Outsiders_ bandied about in discussions like this. The only star was Leif Garrett - who’s teen heart-throb days were ending. Matt Dillon had a couple of films in but the others were virtually unknown. C. Thomas Howell Patrick Swayze Tom Cruise Rob Lowe Ralph Macchio Emilio Estevez Diane Lane Michelle Meyrink Sofia Coppola Tom Waits Also cameos from: Flea Cam Neely S.E. Hinton herself ---
**Author:** ![SykoSkotty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c0e974/32.png) [@SykoSkotty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SykoSkotty)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/27 "2017-06-13T12:47:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve always heard _The Outsiders_ bandied about in discussions like this. Winner. Especially considering the thread title of “before their peaks or near enough to.” The Outsiders (1983) Rob Lowe Tom Cruise C. Thomas Howell Patrick Swayze Diane Lane Emilio Estevez Matt Dillon Leif Garrett Ralph Macchio Glenn Withrow Also…Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers has an un-credited cameo. NINJA’D!!! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/28 "2017-06-13T14:09:11Z")
[The Color Purple](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Color_Purple_(film)#Cast) deserves a mention. Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Laurence Fishburne and Rae Dawn Chong. The movie was also nominated for eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress for Goldberg and Best Supporting Actress for both Avery and Winfrey (though not for Best Director for Steven Spielberg. Who did the Academy think put the whole movie together?) It failed to win any of them, tying the record set by 1977’s The Turning Point for the most Oscar nominations without a single win ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/29 "2017-06-13T14:53:32Z")
You might look at teen coming of age movies like the Breakfast Club starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy… > **[The Breakfast Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakfast_Club)** > > The Breakfast Club is a 1985 American teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes. It stars Emilio Estevez, Paul Gleason, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, and Ally Sheedy. The film tells the story of five teenagers from different high school cliques who serve a Saturday detention overseen by their authoritarian vice-principal. > The Breakfast Club premiered in Los Angeles on February 7, 1985, and was theatrically released by Universal Pic... ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/30 "2017-06-13T15:26:59Z")
You’ll never top The Longest Day. John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Eddie Albert, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Rod McDowell… the list goes on. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/31 "2017-06-13T15:34:54Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Apocalypse Now, which features Larry Fishburne. You fool! The OP said “lots” of actors, not just one! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/32 "2017-06-13T15:41:30Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > You’ll never top The Longest Day. John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Eddie Albert, Red Buttons, Peter Lawford, Rod Steiger, Rod McDowell… the list goes on. Umm…I think we’ve drifted off the “before their peaks” criteria… ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/33 "2017-06-13T18:35:19Z")
Might be stretching a bit but Citizen Kane had a lot of [people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_Kane#Cast) who became fairly to very well known. Most had been in theater with little to no film acting behind them. There’s Welles, of course. Agnes Moorehead. Joseph Cotten. Plus a lot of people who were frequent secondary characters in movies and on TV for many years. E.g., recognize [Gus Schilling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Schilling)? Or [Ray Collins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Collins_(actor)) who played Lt. Tragg on _Perry Mason_? Of course several of them found their careers hampered during the 50s due to their association with organizations like the Mercury Theatre and such. Some might have been significantly well known if not for that. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/34 "2017-06-13T19:32:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Apocalypse Now, which features Larry Fishburne. “Larry” was also in Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, along with Phil Hartman, S. Epatha Merkerson, Natasha Lyonne, and guests Jimmy Smits and Sandra Bernhard. Music by Danny Elfman and Mark Mothersbaugh, who were both in popular bands but not yet known for their solo work as soundtrack powerhouses. Also music by the Residents(!), though doubt they’re household names. ---
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2017, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/35 "2017-06-13T22:34:39Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > You might look at teen coming of age movies like the Breakfast Club starring Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy… > [The Breakfast Club - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breakfast_Club) Sixteen Candles came out a year earlier with Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Gedde Watanabe, and John Cuzack. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2017, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754/36 "2017-07-04T05:00:14Z")
A 1975 film with some actors who were just breaking through is _Report to the Commissioner_: > **[Report to the Commissioner (1975) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073620/?ref_=nv_sr_1)** > > Report to the Commissioner: Directed by Milton Katselas. With Michael Moriarty, Yaphet Kotto, Susan Blakely, Hector Elizondo. Police officer Patty Butler, alias "Chicklet," is the live-in girlfriend of Thomas 'Stick' Henderson to gather evidence.... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-films-containing-lots-of-famous-actors-before-their-peaks-or-near-enough-to/788754.md?page=1)