# Best vocal performances by actors. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 19, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972 "2008-03-19T18:47:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972/41 "2008-03-22T04:27:39Z")
[QUOTE=Eyebrows 0f Doom] Hugo Weaving in **V For Vendetta**. His face is never seen and the mask he wears has a fixed expression and yet he is still able to portray a full range of emotions & reactions. It’s _all_ based on voice & small body movements. [/QUOTE] This is who I came in to mention. I saw a post by someone here once who said they could swear Weaving wore a dozen masks with different expressions in this movie, so good was he at conveying emotion with only his voice, bearing and gestures. An amusingly captioned sample containing a couple of wonderful scenes can be found [here](http://youtube.com/watch?v=OXEIwEc1dxY).\* \*(Contains minor spoilers - action takes place shortly after the movie begins.) ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972/42 "2008-03-22T09:56:04Z")
Not doing an accent but just Pete Serafinowics brilliant diatribe in Shaun of the Dead(He was the sensible house mate)just before he goes Zombie plus his long suffering plea earlier in the film including the immortal "That was funny once,about ten years ago…for about twenty minutes…(Not verbatim) For accents though Miranda Richardson(Queenie in Blackadder2),amongst others she does the spoiled grown up little girl,the suave British upper middle class and the hard bitten Ulster Woman in the crying game. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972/43 "2008-03-22T10:01:04Z")
Oh I forgot Telly Savalas plays to a T the Wise cracking, no nonesense wheeler and dealer from Brooklyn in er… every single thing he ever appeared in,including no doubt Hamlet and The Life of Wagner. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972/44 "2008-03-22T11:43:44Z")
I never thought anybody would surprise me like Bob Hoskins did; I didn’t find out he was British until many years after I’d seen _Roger Rabbit_. But Carla Jean?? Wow. I never saw that coming. I’ve seen Alfred Molina play a British character (the lead in a play called _Howard Katz_) and I didn’t know/forgot he was British. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2008, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972/45 "2008-03-22T15:16:39Z")
Any time I heard John Lithgow and especially Jason Alexander sing, my mouth falls open. Neither of their speaking voices gives a clue to their marvelous tenor abilities. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2008, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972/46 "2008-03-22T15:28:28Z")
I can’t believe no one’s mentioned Andy Serkis’ tour de force as Gollum. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-vocal-performances-by-actors/441972.md?page=2)