# Great "one off" acting performances **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2019, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653 "2019-03-28T08:03:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/41 "2019-03-29T01:44:32Z")
Jason Statham in _Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels_. I know, I know, now he’s a household name ; but back then he was… pretty much his character in that movie - a street con-man with rugged good looks, who had never acted a day in his life. For that matter, Vinnie Jones was just an asshole footballer back then as well, and he fucking crushed his role. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/42 "2019-03-29T01:47:13Z")
Sting in the movie Dune. Not so good movie, great performance. ---
**Author:** ![Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@Disgruntled\_Penguin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disgruntled_Penguin)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/43 "2019-03-29T01:50:28Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Jason Statham in _Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels_. I know, I know, now he’s a household name ; but back then he was… pretty much his character in that movie - a street con-man with rugged good looks, who had never acted a day in his life. For that matter, Vinnie Jones was just an asshole footballer back then as well, and he fucking crushed his role. Cool, I did not realize that this was THAT Vinnie Jones. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/44 "2019-03-29T02:05:18Z")
Hugh Millais had an impressive turn as a [hired killer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb4dxubPYEs) in _McCabe and Mrs. Miller_. As far as I remember, this was his only scene in the movie and he nailed it. Millais did other roles for Robert Altman films, but this was his first role and is chilling (partly due to Beatty’s acting against him). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/45 "2019-03-29T02:10:36Z")
> [@BeagleJesus](#): > > Mos Def in _Something the Lord Made_. > > Even though he is primarily known for his music, dude held his own with Alan Rickman…that’s saying something. I thought he was also good in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Be Kind Rewind ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/46 "2019-03-29T02:16:33Z")
[Carrie Henn](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001343/?ref_=tt_cl_t2) (Newt from Aliens) has to be the quintessential example. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/47 "2019-03-29T02:19:01Z")
I think an obvious recent one is Lady Gaga in A Star is Born. Also Howie Long in Broken Arrow. He was so memorable, they named the sound effect of him falling off the train the “Howie Scream”, even though it’s been around since the 80s. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/zW7btaVY-Lw/maxresdefault.jpg "Broken Arrow (2/3) Movie CLIP - Fight on the Train (1996) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zW7btaVY-Lw) > [@Poysyn](#): > > Harry Connick Jr in Copycat (I also enjoyed him in PS I Love You, but Copycat was … No love for HCJr in Independence Day? ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/48 "2019-03-29T02:19:33Z")
Dave Bautista gave an excellent, understated performance, playing against type, in _Blade Runner 2049_. ---
**Author:** ![BeagleJesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5daacb/32.png) [@BeagleJesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeagleJesus)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/49 "2019-03-29T12:15:08Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Wasn’t he also in Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy? Indeed he was. It wasn’t the best movie ever made but I thought he was an excellent Ford Prefect ---
**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:** [March 29, 2019, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/50 "2019-03-29T12:29:55Z")
Consider Tatum O’Neal. Fantastic performance in Paper Moon. I don’t recall she did anything else worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2019, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/51 "2019-03-29T12:35:28Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Morris Day as Morris Day in _Purple Rain_. > > I don’t know if he ever acted in any other productions, but he did a good comic job in PR and lightened up the sober mood of the movie. He wasn’t quite as good in “The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine,” but I enjoy the film a great deal. Tom Petty was great as the voice of Lucky in the later seasons of “King of the Hill.” ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/52 "2019-03-30T21:56:56Z")
> [@Terminus\_Est](#): > > Dave Bautista gave an excellent, understated performance, playing against type, in _Blade Runner 2049_. By the time that came out he was as much a full time actor as anything, only making the occasional wrestling appearances. I think Stephen Amell has made more in ring appearances in the last couple years than Dave. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/53 "2019-03-30T23:11:46Z")
Ewen Montagu, the British spymaster who orchestrated the Operation MINCEMEAT deception during WWII, had a cameo in the movie based on the story, _ **The Man Who Never Was** _. According to Wikipedia, he played “a Royal Air Force air vice-marshal who has doubts about the feasibility of the proposed plan. It was described by Ben Macintyre in _ **Operation Mincemeat** _ as a ‘surreal’ moment when the real Montagu addressed his fictional persona, played by [Clifton] Webb.” ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/54 "2019-03-30T23:38:01Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Consider Tatum O’Neal. Fantastic performance in Paper Moon. I don’t recall she did anything else worthwhile. This was the one I was coming in to mention. By objective measures she had a solid Hollywood career, all personal turmoil aside. Scored several roles in which she was reasonably decent( **Bad News Bears** )to pretty mediocre( **International Velvet** , what an utter snooze-fest )and she certainly got enough work to make a living. But she _killed_ it at age nine and thoroughly deserved her Oscar. She never got within sniffing distance of that kind of performance again. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/55 "2019-03-30T23:52:48Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I think a good argument could be made that Tom Arnold isn’t an actor, he’s just a guy that appeared in a bunch of movies. > > A similar argument could be made about categorizing him as a comedian. And he was married for a while to Grossanne Barrf, as MAD dubbed her. I agree about Mos Def’s brilliant performance in “Something the Lord Made.” Matthew McConaghey was also excellent in “We Are Marshall.” ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/56 "2019-03-31T00:40:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Harold Russell in [The Best Years of Our Lives](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036868/). This movie came up in the thread about decades. Harold Russell had never acted before, he played an Army veteran who had lost his hands, exactly what he was. From this role he became the only actor to win two Oscars for the same role, one for Best Supporting Actor and another special Oscar for being an inspiration to returning WWII veterans. I was discussing Harold Russell with a friend of mine a while ago, and over the course of the conversation I discovered that he’s buried in a small town west of Boston that I travel through on occasion. Today was one of those occasions. It was a nice day and I had some free time, so I decided to see if I could find his grave. Took a bit of searching, but I did find it. It’s a fairly simple family plot; nothing to even hint at his place in movie history. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/57 "2019-03-31T01:17:34Z")
> [@BeagleJesus](#): > > Mos Def in _Something the Lord Made_. > > Even though he is primarily known for his music, dude held his own with Alan Rickman…that’s saying something. Seconded. This was an outstanding performance. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/58 "2019-03-31T15:27:23Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I was discussing Harold Russell with a friend of mine a while ago, and over the course of the conversation I discovered that he’s buried in a small town west of Boston that I travel through on occasion. Today was one of those occasions. It was a nice day and I had some free time, so I decided to see if I could find his grave. Took a bit of searching, but I did find it. It’s a fairly simple family plot; nothing to even hint at his place in movie history. Just looked that up. I don’t get up to that area as often as I used to but next time I do I’ll try to stop by there. An unassuming plot for an unassuming man who was quite heroic. He wasn’t so much a war hero, his courage was in showing himself to the world without his hands and how he compensated and continued with his life. That wasn’t the kind of thing seen in movies at the time. His special Oscar was created and awarded because the Academy didn’t think he could win one based on his performance. There were probably sympathy votes for him but I think plenty of Academy members recognized that it actually was a great performance. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/59 "2019-03-31T15:48:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Just looked that up. I don’t get up to that area as often as I used to but next time I do I’ll try to stop by there. You might want to drop me a line if you do. It’s a small cemetery, but I walked around the whole thing twice before I found his plot. There’s not much contrast, so the lettering on the marker doesn’t stand out very well. I could tell you which section to look in. Or you could be like me; I found it rather peaceful and introspective to try and find it myself. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2019, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653/60 "2019-03-31T15:58:22Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You might want to drop me a line if you do. It’s a small cemetery, but I walked around the whole thing twice before I found his plot. There’s not much contrast, so the lettering on the marker doesn’t stand out very well. I could tell you which section to look in. > > Or you could be like me; I found it rather peaceful and introspective to try and find it myself. I think I’ll check with you first. I can’t walk all around a cemetery twice, I’m going to need a Robot Leg soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-one-off-acting-performances/831653.md?page=4)