# Have you ever seen an actor who never made a bad film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [November 16, 2023, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268 "2023-11-16T22:20:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/21 "2023-11-17T07:22:25Z")
Agreed, definitely not a bad film. Probably my favourite Bruce Willis performance. Where’s my wife? We took her to the morgue, sir. The _morgue_?! She’ll be furious!! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/22 "2023-11-17T08:16:38Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Daniel Day-Lewis I haven’t watched all of _Stars and Bars_ but I’ve watched clips of it on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1W0LDJzLp0) and it looks pretty awful. And Day-Lewis was the lead so it’s not like he was a minor part of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/23 "2023-11-17T15:59:38Z")
I was going to mention John Cusack, but then I looked up what movies he has been in. Turns out he’s never made a bad film _that I’ve seen._ ---
**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:** [November 17, 2023, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/24 "2023-11-17T16:02:38Z")
How about Helen Gahagan? She starred in Merian C. Cooper’s **She** in 1935. It’s regarded as the definitive version of H. Rider Haggard’s novel. Then she never made another movie. This offer invalid if you think the 1935 **She** was a Bad Film. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/25 "2023-11-17T16:03:49Z")
The kid who played Charlie in _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ never acted again. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/26 "2023-11-17T16:13:40Z")
Jaye Davidson? The trouble is, everyone has made a bad film. It’s the nature of the business. I loved Bachelor Party when it was new. I tried to watch it again, and I’m like, what did I ever see in this? So, Tom Hanks is out. Not to mention The Polar Express. Sully. Bonfire of The Vanities. Punchline. Cloud Atlas. And I think Hanks is our generation’s Jimmy Stewart! Denzel Washington is good, but did we really need remakes of Taking of Pelham 123 and The Manchurian Candidate? ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/27 "2023-11-17T17:22:09Z")
I know some people will disagree with this but IMHO **Jean Claude Van Damme** has NOT made a film that wasn’t entertaining to watch in someway. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/28 "2023-11-17T17:25:57Z")
How about Gene Hackman? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/29 "2023-11-17T17:32:33Z")
Superman IV? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/30 "2023-11-17T17:47:57Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > The kid who played Charlie in _Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory_ never acted again. That would be > [@Loach](#): > > Peter Ostrum. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/31 "2023-11-17T17:49:15Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > How about Gene Hackman? The Poopsidedown Adventure? I mean, I enjoy it, but I like Airport 75, so… ---
**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:** [November 17, 2023, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/32 "2023-11-17T18:17:15Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > How about Gene Hackman? Besides **Superman IV** , he appeared in **Lucky Lady** , which I don’t think is on anyone’s “Best Films” list. > [@](#): > > ### Reception[[edit](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucky_Lady&action=edit§ion=10)] > > [Roger Ebert](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Ebert) gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and called it “a big, expensive, good-looking flop of a movie; rarely is so much effort expended on a movie so inconsequential.”[[21]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-21) [Vincent Canby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Canby) of _[The New York Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times)_ called the film “ridiculous without the compensation of being funny or fun. This is difficult to understand, considering the people who are involved.”[[22]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-22) [Pauline Kael](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Kael) of _[The New Yorker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Yorker)_ wrote, “This mercenaries’ film is so coarsely conceived it obliterates any emotion, any art.”[[23]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-23) Arthur D. Murphy of _[Variety](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variety_(magazine))_ called the film “strident, forced hokum. Stanley Donen’s film caroms from one sequence to another with pointless abandon … This is a major disappointment.”[[24]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-24) [Gene Siskel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Siskel) of the _[Chicago Tribune](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Tribune)_ gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and stated, “There’s an arrogance to this project I don’t like. Apparently the filmmakers believed that the public would be sufficiently impressed with the antics of Gene, Liza, and Burt that it wouldn’t care if the story made sense.”[[25]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-25) [Charles Champlin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Champlin) of the _[Los Angeles Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times)_ declared, “By squinting hard in the mind’s eye, you can almost make out what it was that made ‘Lucky Lady’ seem worth doing. The movie we actually see is a cynical, vulgar, contrived, mismated, violent, uneven and uninteresting disaster.”[[26]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-26) Gary Arnold of _[The Washington Post](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post)_ wrote, “If you were looking forward to an entertainment with a little class … ‘Lucky Lady’ … is likely to prove a resounding letdown. Despite all the big-time reputations involved, class is the last word that would spring to mind while one was watching the film.”[[27]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady#cite_note-27) > **[Lucky Lady](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Lady)** > > Lucky Lady is a 1975 American comedy-drama film directed by Stanley Donen and starring Liza Minnelli, Gene Hackman, Burt Reynolds and Robby Benson. Its story takes place in 1930 during Prohibition in the United States. > The film is notable for serving as a storefront\[clarification needed\] for George Lucas and Gary Kurtz who were looking for crew to assist with the look of Star Wars. Both visited the set during production and were impressed with what they saw. Several of the predominantly British ... ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/33 "2023-11-17T18:25:59Z")
Bolaji Badejo – Brilliant in the title role of _Alien_ (1979), his only feature role. Bobby Henrey – Child actor in 2 films: _The Fallen Idol_ (1948) and _Wonder Boy_ (1951). Skipper the dog (3 credits) – Based solely on _The Monster and the Girl_ (1940), I can only assume his other two movies - _The Eve of St. Mark_ (1944) and _The Enchanted Valley_ (1948) - are similarly high-quality. Oskar Werner (30 credits) – No film he starred in is ranked below 6.1 on IMDB and most are quite a bit higher. Louis Jouvet (33 credits) – Famous French theatre actor. No film with him is ranked below 5.9 on IMDB and most are higher. Conrad Veidt (120 credits) – Probably made very few bad movies. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/34 "2023-11-17T18:35:00Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > How about Helen Gahagan? > > She starred in Merian C. Cooper’s **She** in 1935. It’s regarded as the definitive version of H. Rider Haggard’s novel. Then she never made another movie. > > This offer invalid if you think the 1935 **She** was a Bad Film. - And she got a mention by [Tom Lehrer.](http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/georgemu.htm) > Hollywood’s often tried to mix > Show business with politics > From Helen Gahagan > To Ronald Reagan? ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/35 "2023-11-17T20:05:45Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > _The Equalizer_ was a well crafted action thriller. He’s done much worse. He’s had some bad movies early on in his career. I don’t think he’s been bad in anything. He’s made the bad movies he’s been in watchable. I thought the first _Equalizer_ was an adequate timewaster, but the first sequel was absolutely terrible. Never bothered with part 3. As for the Meryl Streep question, I’ll chime in on the side of _Death Becomes Her_ being terrific. But she has done some bad flicks, unless your mileage varies on _She-Devil_. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/36 "2023-11-17T20:12:06Z")
Leonardo Dicaprio has a very high good films to bad films ratio. ---
**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:** [November 17, 2023, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/37 "2023-11-17T20:57:56Z")
At a certain point in his career Leo seemed to have decided to only work with talented directors, never to do genre films, and never to be involved in franchises. Since then, he’s worked with Scorcese (obviously), but also Tarantino, Nolan, Spielberg, Eastwood, Luhrman and Iñárritu, and while not all of them have been great, they’ve all been passion projects, and not necessarily _his_ passion projects. That takes an extraordinary level of discipline and a certain lack of ego, and I respect him immensely for it. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/38 "2023-11-17T22:09:27Z")
Jackie Chan’s worst films are still Jackie Chan flicks so…Jackie Chan. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2023, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/39 "2023-11-18T03:38:34Z")
Ke Huy Quan has a pretty damn good track record. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268/40 "2023-11-20T11:14:10Z")
Counterpoint: He was in _Encino Man_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-bad-film/993268.md?page=3)