# Movie Marathon (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [June 23, 2023, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988 "2023-06-23T10:14:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 408
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8142 "2025-06-04T23:58:45Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8143 "2025-06-05T00:08:28Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Children of a Lesser God Marlee Matlin is a deaf actress who won an Oscar for her performance of a deaf person. ---
**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:** [June 5, 2025, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8144 "2025-06-05T00:08:53Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ Healey, a blind blues singer/guitarist, plays a similar guitarist who leads the house band in the bar. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8145 "2025-06-05T05:38:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > **Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ that’s weird-- I had Jeff up as my first example, and he vanished. He was 8-yrs-old, and not a trained actor when he played the main character in the movie-of-the-week, along with James Woods & Sally Struthers as his parents. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8146 "2025-06-05T06:03:25Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ As I recall, Sullivan, who is blind, played the piano player aboard the privately-owned 747 in the film. He really could play piano; and elsewhere, composed music and sang on a few recordings, making him perfect for the role. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8147 "2025-06-05T12:24:12Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ 5. Tom Cruise - _Born on the Fourth of July_ ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8148 "2025-06-05T14:55:06Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ 5. Tom Cruise - _Born on the Fourth of July_ 6. Darlene Cates - _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape_ Although she was hired just for her size, the director expanded her role of Mrs. Grape after seeing Cates could act. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8149 "2025-06-05T16:12:54Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ 5. Tom Cruise - _Born on the Fourth of July_ 6. Darlene Cates - _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape_ 7. Tony Cox - _Bad Santa_ I’m not sure if little people are considered disabled or not, but he was fantastic in that movie! ---
**Author:** ![themapleleaf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/themapleleaf/32/14349_2.png) [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8150 "2025-06-05T19:14:56Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ 5. Tom Cruise - _Born on the Fourth of July_ 6. Darlene Cates - _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape_ 7. Tony Cox - _Bad Santa_ 8. Sam Claflin - _Me Before You_ ---
**Author:** ![Skunkdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Skunkdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skunkdog)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2025, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8151 "2025-06-05T22:03:45Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ 5. Tom Cruise - _Born on the Fourth of July_ 6. Darlene Cates - _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape_ 7. Tony Cox - _Bad Santa_ 8. Sam Claflin - _Me Before You_ 9. William Forsythe - _The Waterdance_ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8152 "2025-06-06T02:22:22Z")
**Movies** (including TV movies) **where a non-disabled person plays a disabled person, and cocks it all up; _OR_ an example of a disabled person playing a disabled person, and knocking it out of the park.** 1. Marlee Matlin - _Children of a Lesser God_ 2. Jeff Healey - _Road House_ 3. Jeffrey Bravin - _And Your Name Is Jonah_ 4. Tom Sullivan - _Airport '77_ 5. Tom Cruise - _Born on the Fourth of July_ 6. Darlene Cates - _What’s Eating Gilbert Grape_ 7. Tony Cox - _Bad Santa_ 8. Sam Claflin - _Me Before You_ 9. William Forsythe - _The Waterdance_ 10. [Harold Russell - _The Best Years of Our Lives_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Russell) Next up: **Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ Hilarious as an aspiring young Mafioso. ---
**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:** [June 6, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8153 "2025-06-06T02:43:38Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ The film’s director also served as voice actor for Edna Mode, costume creator for superheroes. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8154 "2025-06-06T02:43:39Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ He played Johnny, the crazy control tower worker. “Oh, it’s a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8155 "2025-06-06T03:07:04Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8156 "2025-06-06T10:28:39Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ 5. Sydney Greenstreet - _The Maltese Falcon_ He did that in pretty much every movie he was in. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8157 "2025-06-06T10:46:40Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ 5. Sydney Greenstreet - _The Maltese Falcon_ 6. Judith Anderson - _Rebecca_ ---
**Author:** ![Skunkdog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Skunkdog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skunkdog)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8158 "2025-06-06T10:47:58Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ 5. Sydney Greenstreet - _The Maltese Falcon_ 6. Judith Anderson - _Rebecca_ 7. Tony Shalhoub - _Galaxy Quest_ ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8159 "2025-06-06T20:48:34Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ 5. Sydney Greenstreet - _The Maltese Falcon_ 6. Judith Anderson - _Rebecca_ 7. Tony Shalhoub - _Galaxy Quest_ 8. Winston Duke - _Black Panther_ _“You cannot talk! One more word, and I will feed you to my children. I’m kidding. We are vegetarians.”_ ---
**Author:** ![knoodler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ccd318/32.png) [@knoodler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knoodler)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8160 "2025-06-06T21:07:03Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ 5. Sydney Greenstreet - _The Maltese Falcon_ 6. Judith Anderson - _Rebecca_ 7. Tony Shalhoub - _Galaxy Quest_ 8. Winston Duke - _Black Panther_ 9. Eddie Murphy - _The Nutty Professor_ Technically, Murphy is the star but in the scenes that feature his family — all played by Murphy, except for Hercules — he steals his show. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2025, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988/8161 "2025-06-07T03:00:51Z")
**Actors and actresses who play secondary characters but steal every scene they’re in** 1. Anthony LaPaglia - _Betsy’s Wedding_ 2. Brad Bird - _The Incredibles_ 3. Stephen Stucker - _Airplane!_ 4. Judd Hirsch - _The Fablemans_ 5. Sydney Greenstreet - _The Maltese Falcon_ 6. Judith Anderson - _Rebecca_ 7. Tony Shalhoub - _Galaxy Quest_ 8. Winston Duke - _Black Panther_ 9. Eddie Murphy - _The Nutty Professor_ 10. Rupert Everett - _My Best Friend’s Wedding_ Early test audiences responded so well to his character, IIRC, that the part was expanded. Pass. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988.md?page=407) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-marathon-part-3/985988.md?page=409)