# If an actor's entire career had to be reduced to one role... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2007, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977 "2007-04-06T15:15:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/21 "2007-04-06T16:25:46Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Yeah, Frank Sinatra thinking you’re an asshole … this is bad, why? [/QUOTE] Can’t think of a good reason! 🙂 Brando lost my worship after _Reflections in a Golden Eye_. I went on a hiatus from movies for several years after that major letdown. I never could see the importance of _Last Tango In Paris_. The million dollar cameos and walkons he did late in his career were pathetic and _The Missouri Breaks_ ought to be banned or left to MST3K. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/22 "2007-04-06T16:26:52Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] No way, IMO. Hopkins is always going to be Hannibal the cannibal. [/QUOTE] I think the OP is asking for a role that encapsulates what they are as an actor, not necessarily what they will be most remembered for. Hannibal was just Hopkins hamming it up and having fun. The roles that show him as probably the best actor around are either _Shadowlands_ or _Remains of the Day_. Both roles show him at his best, quietly and speaking volumes with just a look or a gesture. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/23 "2007-04-06T16:30:32Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Brando lost my worship after _Reflections in a Golden Eye_. I went on a hiatus from movies for several years after that major letdown. I never could see the importance of _Last Tango In Paris_. The million dollar cameos and walkons he did late in his career were pathetic and _The Missouri Breaks_ ought to be banned or left to MST3K. [/QUOTE] I’m not saying he didn’t do a slew of self-indulgent crap – I’m just saying he can’t be reduced to a single brilliant role. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/24 "2007-04-06T16:32:12Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] I think the OP is asking for a role that encapsulates what they are as an actor, not necessarily what they will be most remembered for. Hannibal was just Hopkins hamming it up and having fun. The roles that show him as probably the best actor around are either _Shadowlands_ or _Remains of the Day_. Both roles show him at his best, quietly and speaking volumes with just a look or a gesture. [/QUOTE] You’re right about what I had intended to suggest in the OP. It gets to be hard to isolate the ideal role for actors who were around several decades and who turned in outstanding performances in several roles. It’s also hard for actors to avoid parodying themselves after years in the spotlight. After a while, most of them start phoning it in. Even the greats. Maybe another fun thread could be to isolate the worst roles for big name stars. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/25 "2007-04-06T16:32:16Z")
[QUOTE=Loach] I think the OP is asking for a role that encapsulates what they are as an actor, not necessarily what they will be most remembered for. Hannibal was just Hopkins hamming it up and having fun. The roles that show him as probably the best actor around are either _Shadowlands_ or _Remains of the Day_. Both roles show him at his best, quietly and speaking volumes with just a look or a gesture. [/QUOTE] He was also amazing in **Nixon**. (Plus he and I share a birthday. 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/26 "2007-04-06T16:33:13Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I’m not saying he didn’t do a slew of self-indulgent crap – I’m just saying he can’t be reduced to a single brilliant role. [/QUOTE] And on that score I do agree, which is why I left him off the OP list. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/27 "2007-04-06T16:35:37Z")
Samuel L. Jackson == _Pulp Fiction_. [QUOTE=Zeldar] Name one that isn’t, if you can. [/QUOTE] _Insomnia_, since you asked (I agree on The Godfather, though). ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/28 "2007-04-06T16:36:25Z")
Wait, this thread isn’t about actors who can’t be summed up in one role, but actors who can. Actors that, if you saw them in only that one movie, you’d have a pretty good sample of their entire career distilled down to one role. So, Jack Nicholson in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is a great example. That’s classic Jack Nicholson, and most of his other roles are variations on that theme. That’s Jack Nicholson distilled down to his essence. Jim Carrey in “The Mask” is another example. This role gives both the insane wisecracking talking-out-his-butthole side, and the repressed “nice guy” side. See “The Mask” and you’ve got a pretty good synopsis of Jim Carrey. Adam Sandler. Pick any Adam Sandler movie at random and you’ve got Adam Sandler right there. Same with John Wayne. And “Ben Hur” synopsises Charlton Heston better than “The Ten Commandments”. All you need to watch to “get” George Clooney is “Out of Sight”. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/29 "2007-04-06T16:39:22Z")
[QUOTE=panamajack] Samuel L. Jackson == _Pulp Fiction_. _Insomnia_, since you asked (I agree on The Godfather, though). [/QUOTE] Nicely done on both counts. I have weak memory of another small performance by Pacino, but wasn’t [Two Bits](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114753/) somewhat low volume? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/30 "2007-04-06T16:42:15Z")
[QUOTE=Lemur866] Wait, this thread isn’t about actors who can’t be summed up in one role, but actors who can. Actors that, if you saw them in only that one movie, you’d have a pretty good sample of their entire career distilled down to one role. [/QUOTE] Much better put than the OP. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/31 "2007-04-06T17:03:05Z")
Arnold Schwarzenegger is best summed up by ‘Kindergarten Cop’. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/32 "2007-04-06T17:38:45Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] No way, IMO. Hopkins is always going to be Hannibal the cannibal. [/QUOTE] Can’t argue, never saw it. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/33 "2007-04-06T18:09:50Z")
George C. Scott in “Patton.” ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/34 "2007-04-06T20:55:52Z")
[QUOTE=phungi] Keanu Reeves: _Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure_ [/QUOTE] \*\*Whoa! \*\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/35 "2007-04-06T21:45:15Z")
Harrison Ford as Han Solo in the original _Star Wars_ trilogy. Some might argue for his _Indiana Jones_ persona, but it’s a pretty similar character, really–a swashbuckler and a bit of a scoundrel (with a heart of gold)–and since Han was earlier, I chose him. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/36 "2007-04-06T21:49:41Z")
Tor Johnson–Plan 9. ---
**Author:** ![Delly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Delly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delly)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/37 "2007-04-07T02:37:58Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Let’s don’t limit this to older established actors. Can you pick **one role** for any of these folks: Johnny Depp Russell Crowe Leonardo DiCaprio Ethan Hawke Samuel L. Jackson Uma Thurman Halle Berry Gwyneth Paltrow Angelina Jolie Anna Pacquin Natalie Portman [/QUOTE] Johnny Depp - Jack Sparrow Russell Crowe - Maximus Leonardo DiCaprio - Romeo\* Samuel L. Jackson - Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction) Natalie Portman - either Mathilda from Leon or Padme from Star Wars \*I realise hes done better films then this. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/38 "2007-04-07T02:58:59Z")
Anna Paquin? It would have to be _The Piano_, since I can’t name two other movies she’s been in (I know she was in _Fly Away Home_ but I never saw it). ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/39 "2007-04-07T03:17:50Z")
Anna Paquin played Rogue in the X-Men films. Also a … “Band Aid”? … in “Almost Famous”, albeit a walk-on. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977/40 "2007-04-07T03:19:05Z")
Oh, and more recently something in some horror flik. Don’t watch them, but I saw the commercial. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-actors-entire-career-had-to-be-reduced-to-one-role/398977.md?page=3)