# Best Performance By An Actor Whose Face Remains Wholly Unseen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 10, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564 "2012-11-10T10:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/1 "2012-11-10T10:08:30Z")
And the award goes to Hugo Weaving as V in _V For Vendetta_: the Wachowski brothers had the good sense to stick with David Lloyd’s iconic mask design, but I swear that Weaving gave the damn thing expressions. Runner up? Peter Wyngarde’s uber-louche drawling as Klytus in \* Flash Gordon\*: “Interesting girl. I think she found it rather enjoyable”. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/2 "2012-11-10T10:22:13Z")
Where’s the love for Darth Vader? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/3 "2012-11-10T10:45:41Z")
Andy Serkis as Gollum. ---
**Author:** ![abel29a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@abel29a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel29a)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/4 "2012-11-10T10:51:02Z")
I opened this thread to hand the award to Hugo as V as well, so good job OP 🙂 It’s freaky how he give that lifeless mask life. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/5 "2012-11-10T11:07:12Z")
John Hurt got an Oscar nomination for his performance as John Merrick, in _The Elephant Man._ ---
**Author:** ![Beastly\_Rotter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/45deac/32.png) [@Beastly\_Rotter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beastly_Rotter)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/6 "2012-11-10T11:26:47Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Where’s the love for Darth Vader? Terrible, watch him over-acting dreadfully as he shakes his finger in Princess Leia’s face. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/7 "2012-11-10T11:31:31Z")
> [@abel29a](#): > > I opened this thread to hand the award to Hugo as V as well, so good job OP 🙂 It’s freaky how he give that lifeless mask life. Also agreed, fantastic performance, in both voice and mannerisms. Interesting factoid: Some of the scenes in the final film are actually from the original actor chosen for V, and no Hugo. ---
**Author:** ![Pitchmeister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pitchmeister/32/3459_2.png) [@Pitchmeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pitchmeister)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/8 "2012-11-10T11:40:31Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Where’s the love for Darth Vader? The question is: do you nominate David Prowse? I think not. Do you nominate James Earl Jones? Then you might as well nominate every other voice over actor in the world. Do you nominate Hayden Christensen? :ducks and runs: ---
**Author:** ![AlohaBear32](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47774/32.png) [@AlohaBear32](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlohaBear32)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/9 "2012-11-10T12:14:54Z")
Yep…good to see great minds thinking alike. I was coming in to say Hugo Weaving as well… Question: Does Motion Capture count? (Woundn’t think so) If it did, the Award would be a tie for me between Doug Jones (Pan’s Labrynth) and Andy Serkis (R.O.T.P.O.T.A.) ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/10 "2012-11-10T13:14:16Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Where’s the love for Darth Vader? She “died of a broken heart”, followed by her space doctor’s credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/11 "2012-11-10T13:24:11Z")
Mary Tyler Moore. > **[Richard Diamond, Private Detective (TV Series 1957–1960) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050056/)** > > Richard Diamond, Private Detective: With David Janssen, Roxane Brooks, Russ Conway, Regis Toomey. Richard Diamond is a suave private investigator who at first walks the mean streets of New York City, then later packs up and moves to Los Angeles,... Great legs. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/12 "2012-11-10T13:24:32Z")
In FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, the actor playing Blofeld gives a marvellous performance, although his face is never seen. He radiates evil. I think it’s a different actor in THUNDERBALL, but that guy also does a very threatening job. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/13 "2012-11-10T13:26:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Andy Serkis as Gollum. Technically, many of Gollum’s expressions are that of Serkis which were then computer-transmogrified. He probably still qualifies in a broad sense. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/14 "2012-11-10T14:40:10Z")
“Hello, this is Carlton, your doorman…” ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/15 "2012-11-10T15:00:24Z")
I’ll nominate Jeremy Bulloch as Boba Fett in ESB and (original, not SE) RotJ. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2012, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/16 "2012-11-10T15:07:18Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Andy Serkis as Gollum. The winner by quite a bit, for me. [Here he is performing the role, with the final version below it.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbW-Zv_kR5Q) ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/17 "2012-11-10T15:15:20Z")
[Carol Ann Susi](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcvr8Sp3rXk) as Mrs. Wolowitz from _The Big Bang Theory_. ---
**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:** [November 10, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/18 "2012-11-10T15:26:47Z")
Not a best, but Mila Kunis’ first film role was in Krippendorf’s Tribe. Her face wasn’t seen but her voice was unmistakeable. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/19 "2012-11-10T15:55:29Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Andy Serkis as Gollum. +1 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564/20 "2012-11-10T16:45:38Z")
Edward Norton as Baldwin IV in Kingdom of Heaven. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-by-an-actor-whose-face-remains-wholly-unseen/640564.md?page=2)