# Have you ever seen an actor who never made a good film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** netflix, movies, actor-characters\ **Created:** [March 22, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203 "2024-03-22T13:35:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/81 "2024-03-23T04:43:08Z")
Brian Dennehy has been in some great movies, in great roles. He was the police chief in **First Blood** which was an excellent movie. He was a aheriff who was an ex-Buddy of Kris Klein in **Silverado** in a standout role in a movie full of scene-stealers. He also co-starred in the **Coccoon** movies. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/82 "2024-03-23T04:45:22Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Kris Klein in **Silverado** Kevin Kline. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/83 "2024-03-23T05:06:42Z")
Right. Sorry, Kev. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/84 "2024-03-23T05:17:21Z")
> [@BrickBat](#): > > I’m not saying these actors aren’t commercially successful; just that I don’t care for most of the films they’re “big” in. So you’re claiming _First Blood_ and _Cocoon_ were not good movies? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/85 "2024-03-23T14:58:05Z")
Not to mention _Presumed Innocent_ — which, granted, was built around Harrison Ford, but (a) it’s a good flick, and (b) Dennehy gets it right. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/86 "2024-03-23T15:07:49Z")
Cocoon was interesting, but it was a long long time ago since I’ve seen it. I didn’t care for _First Blood_: schlocky. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/87 "2024-03-23T15:09:11Z")
**F/X** was an excellent movie. ---
**Author:** ![f.coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eada6e/32.png) [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/88 "2024-03-23T15:16:58Z")
He was in “Gettysburg”, which I thought was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/89 "2024-03-23T15:23:00Z")
Are we all just going to pretend that Tom Arnold movies don’t exist? Because if they do, he has to be a top contender. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/90 "2024-03-23T15:29:51Z")
Even Tom Arnold has Trues Lies. Just a supporting actor, but a major supporting actor. It was a good film and he did a competent job in it. Rotten Tomatoes 71%/76%. Overall Tom Arnold is terrible, but he has that one good role. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/91 "2024-03-23T15:30:42Z")
> [@Steve\_McQwark](#): > > Are we all just going to pretend that Tom Arnold movies don’t exist? I don’t care for him at all. But, he had a significant role as Schwarzenegger’s partner in _True Lies_, and that’s an excellent movie for its genre, IMO. _Edit: I’m slower than @What_Exit_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/92 "2024-03-23T15:34:19Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Even Tom Arnold has Trues Lies. Just a supporting actor, but a major supporting actor. It was a good film and he did a competent job in it. In fact, I contend he was brilliant [in this scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKMSYuzDp5E&ab_channel=NostalgiaofFury) when Arnold thinks his wife is having an affair. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_McQwark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@Steve\_McQwark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_McQwark)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/93 "2024-03-23T16:10:32Z")
It’s a fair cop. I forgot about him being in True Lies. He did do a good job in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/94 "2024-03-23T16:13:19Z")
And to be fair, I can’t think of any other time he wasn’t terrible. Even Jim Belushi has a few exceptions, Tom Arnold has only the one I’m aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/95 "2024-03-23T19:47:27Z")
Well, it’s not hard to find bad actors who have never been in a good movie, but who would be the best actor to never have been in a good or great movie? Bryan Cranston has made a few movies, but nothing has come close to his work in Breaking Bad. What has Liam Neeson done? The ‘Taken’ movies, which are formula thrillers. He’s considered a very good actor. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/96 "2024-03-23T19:54:38Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > What has Liam Neeson done? The ‘Taken’ movies, which are formula thrillers. He’s considered a very good actor. Ummm…he was nominated for an Oscar for the lead role in _Schindler’s List_, which was ranked #9 by the American Film Institute on their “[100 Years…100 Movies](https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/)” list of the greatest American movies of all time. A few other theatrical movies in which Neeson had significant roles, which were very well-received: - The LEGO Movie (87% positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes) - Gangs of New York (81%) - Michael Collins (84%) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/97 "2024-03-23T19:59:17Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Ummm…he was nominated for an Oscar for the lead role in _Schindler’s List_, which was ranked #9 by the American Film Institute on their “[100 Years…100 Movies](https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-movies/)” list of the greatest American movies of all time. Yes, this, at very least blows a giant hole in that statement quoted. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/98 "2024-03-23T20:00:24Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Ummm…he was nominated for an Oscar for the lead role in _Schindler’s List_. And Bryan Cranston was nominated for an Academy Award for _Trumbo_. But neither of these count. This is not “never appeared in a good movie”, but “never appeared in a movie I saw and consider good”, as far as I can tell from the actors that have been named so far. Their overall career and the crtical standing of the movies they have appeared in is irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/99 "2024-03-23T20:22:24Z")
Liam was great in his small role in Ted 2. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2024, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203/100 "2024-03-23T20:25:26Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Liam was great in his small role in Ted 2 Even better than he was in _Schindler’s List_? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-seen-an-actor-who-never-made-a-good-film/999203.md?page=6)