# Most powerful portrayal of a biblical figure by an actor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 19, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311 "2005-12-19T16:53:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/1 "2005-12-19T16:53:39Z")
Having seen 100’s of biblical movies over a half-century, The most powerful performance of a biblical character that impressed me the most would be Michael York’s portrayal of John the Baptist in, Jesus of Nazereth. I did not see, “The Last Temptation” but I read that Jim Caviezel performance was so realistic that many of the extra’s treated him as if he were Jesus. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/2 "2005-12-19T18:23:14Z")
Well, I think Graham Chapman got his biblical character absolutely right. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/3 "2005-12-19T18:28:54Z")
As far as I am concerned, Charlton Heston \*is \*Moses. ---
**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:** [December 19, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/4 "2005-12-19T18:52:52Z")
> [@Mr. Roboto](#): > > I did not see, “The Last Temptation” but I read that Jim Caviezel performance was so realistic that many of the extra’s treated him as if he were Jesus. Caviezel was Jesus in _Passion of the Christ_, Willem Dafoe was Jesus in _Last Temptation of Christ_. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/5 "2005-12-19T19:18:55Z")
Not sure if this is quite the OPs question…but I thought Robert DeNiro played a wonderful Satan in Angel Heart. ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/6 "2005-12-19T20:44:09Z")
Since the OP only mentioned “biblical characters”, my vote goes to Christopher Walken as Gabriel in **The Prophecy**. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/7 "2005-12-19T22:43:23Z")
Among the worst biblical portrayals of all time would be the entire cast of John Huston’s THE BIBLE. Among the best, Burt Lancaster as Moses in a TV miniseries. And Yul Brenner as the pharoah of the Exodus, in the DeMille epic. ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/8 "2005-12-19T23:42:43Z")
Oh, if we’re going to talk about the **worst** , my vote is for [Edward G. Robinson](http://imdb.com/name/nm0000064/) as Dathan in The Ten Commandments. I don’t know if Dathan is actually biblical or not, but apparently he was a 1930’s gangster. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/9 "2005-12-19T23:59:43Z")
Best, I agree with … Himself … in choosing Yul Brynner from [_The Ten Commandments_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/), especially the scene where he prays to Osiris to save his son. Heston is _good_, but Brynner is far more essential to the drama of the movie. Worst, Robert Powell as Jesus in Zeferelli’s [_Jesus Of Nazareth_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075520/). ---
**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:** [December 20, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/10 "2005-12-20T01:21:33Z")
Then again, I liked Carl Anderson as Judas in _Jesus Christ Superstar_. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/11 "2005-12-20T02:00:00Z")
I’ve always found Max Von Sydow’s portrayal of Jesus in _The Greatest Story Ever Told_ to be highly affecting. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-powerful-portrayal-of-a-biblical-figure-by-an-actor/336311/12 "2005-12-20T15:31:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Well, I think Graham Chapman got his biblical character absolutely right. Reality…What was the movie?