# Once promising actors who went off the rails later in their careers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 21, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237 "2020-05-21T12:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/1 "2020-05-21T12:54:12Z")
Inspired by the [“Great Movies Marred By One Bad Performance”](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=22313617&posted=1#post22313617) thread in which I mentioned Nicholas Cage. I think Nick Cage is a pretty good example of this, but his acting always had an eccentric quality to it, so when he started to enthusiastically chew the scenery in later movies it doesn’t seem like it was all \*\*\* that\*\*\* surprising. I think the real poster boy for this would be Al Pacino. His performance in “The Godfather” was perfectly restrained and low-key. But somewhere along the line, his acting style transformed into the over-the-top caricature of itself we all know so well: “HOO RAH!!”. Makes me wonder when the transformation began to take place. Was it “Scent of a Woman”? Seems like it was already well established by then. I’m sure there are many more, but after those two I’m having trouble thinking of more good examples. Maybe Marlon Brando? He was considered a great actor in his prime I believe, but later in his career he turned into a bloated, lazy mess, hard to work with and phoning his performances in. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/2 "2020-05-21T13:01:57Z")
Ill add, in the same vein as Pacino, Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro. They are two of the finest actors ever. But later in their careers they began to play roles based on caricatures of themselves. Loud, overblown and kinda embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/3 "2020-05-21T13:28:07Z")
Randy Quaid? I don’t know how more [off the rails you can get](https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/randy-quaid-wife-seek-asylum-canada-save-lives/story?id=11961414) and not be in custody. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/4 "2020-05-21T13:41:47Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Ill add, in the same vein as Pacino, Jack Nicholson and Robert DeNiro. They are two of the finest actors ever. But later in their careers they began to play roles based on caricatures of themselves. Loud, overblown and kinda embarrassing. Yeah, these are good ones. Though DeNiro, he’s certainly done some bad movies, but his acting style I don’t think ever went \*\*\*that \*\*\*off the rails. Debatable. > [@Patch](#): > > Randy Quaid? I don’t know how more [off the rails you can get](https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/randy-quaid-wife-seek-asylum-canada-save-lives/story?id=11961414) and not be in custody. His personal life certainly went off the rails, but I’m looking more for once well-regarded actors whose _ **acting style** _ went off the rails. Plus, I don’t think Randy Quaid was ever considered a great actor. Another example of an actor who doesn’t fit the criteria would be Tom Cruise: his personal life has gone off the rails at times (couch jumping, Scientology cheerleading), but as an actor he’s always been pretty much the same: not great, but a dependable A-lister who brings box office $$. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/5 "2020-05-21T13:42:01Z")
Randy Quaid? I don’t know how more [off the rails you can get](https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/randy-quaid-wife-seek-asylum-canada-save-lives/story?id=11961414) and not be in custody. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/6 "2020-05-21T13:51:01Z")
Gary Busey ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/7 "2020-05-21T14:41:31Z")
John Travolta -twice. Once after Saturday Night Fever and then again after some successful movies starting with Pulp Fiction. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/8 "2020-05-21T14:55:16Z")
Dennis Hopper. But he pulled himself back from the precipice and had an excellent later career. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/9 "2020-05-21T14:59:30Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yeah, these are good ones. Though DeNiro, he’s certainly done some bad movies, but his acting style I don’t think ever went \*\*\*that \*\*\*off the rails. Debatable. > > Plus, I don’t think Randy Quaid was ever considered a great actor. Stop whatever you’re doing right now, and go watch _The Last Detail_. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/10 "2020-05-21T15:11:44Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Stop whatever you’re doing right now, and go watch _The Last Detail_. Can I wait until after 5pm? I’m supposed to be working right now 😃 Is this offered as an example of Randy Quaid as a Promising Young Actor? Interesting, a movie I’m not familiar with, starring Randy Quaid and Jack Nicholson. Definitely sounds like one to watch if I can find it streaming somewhere. Incidentally, got nothing against Randy Quaid as an actor-- loved him in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/11 "2020-05-21T15:14:54Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Can I wait until after 5pm? I’m supposed to be working right now 😃 > > Is this offered as an example of Randy Quaid as a Promising Young Actor? Interesting, a movie I’m not familiar with, starring Randy Quaid and Jack Nicholson. Definitely sounds like one to watch if I can find it streaming somewhere. > > Incidentally, got nothing against Randy Quaid-- loved him in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”. It’s for Quaid. Nicholson was nominated for Best Actor and Quaid for Best supporting Actor. Its on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, ITunes etc. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/12 "2020-05-21T15:40:17Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Dennis Hopper. But he pulled himself back from the precipice and had an excellent later career. Yeah, his performance in “Blue Velvet” was Cage-worthy. > [@madsircool](#): > > It’s for Quaid. Nicholson was nominated for Best Actor and Quaid for Best supporting Actor. > > Its on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, ITunes etc. Huh. Not that I’m that much of a movie buff, but odd that a movie that was so well regarded in its time is so off my radar. Definitely on my watch list. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/13 "2020-05-21T15:49:26Z")
> [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](#): > > John Travolta -twice. Once after Saturday Night Fever and then again after some successful movies starting with Pulp Fiction. Maybe. But in my opinion he’s always been more just a bad actor, and he lucked out in “Saturday Night Fever” with a role that suited his limited acting range-- he was basically a darker, less silly Vinnie Barbarino. Then his role in “Pulp Fiction” was a bit of ironic stunt-casting by Tarantino that clicked. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/14 "2020-05-21T15:51:09Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Huh. Not that I’m that much of a movie buff, but odd that a movie that was so well regarded in its time is so off my radar. Definitely on my watch list. The brilliant Nicholson films from the 70s seem to have disappeared. I blame the studios for not promoting them. Carnal Knowledge, 5 Easy Pieces, The Last Detail, Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest are all awesome films. Most are character driven rather than action flicks so maybe the studios think they wont be popular? ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/15 "2020-05-21T16:19:57Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > The brilliant Nicholson films from the 70s seem to have disappeared. I blame the studios for not promoting them. Carnal Knowledge, 5 Easy Pieces, The Last Detail, Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest are all awesome films. Most are character driven rather than action flicks so maybe the studios think they wont be popular? I don’t know, I’m familiar with all those other movies, and especially _Chinatown_ and _OFOTCN_ I would say are considered iconic, classic movies, and rightly so. But for whatever reason _The Last Detail_ has stayed off my radar all these years. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/16 "2020-05-21T17:15:02Z")
Around the time of _The Pope of Greenwich Village_, it looked as though both Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke were headed for stardom. Whatever happened with Roberts, the problem wasn’t his work ethic. He now has 577 credits on IMDB. When I saw _Dead Calm_ in 1989, I though Billy Zane was headed for much bigger things. He’s had a decent career and I suppose he never went completely off the rails, but I had him pegged for better, leading-man roles. It turns out I should have been paying closer attention to the 21 year-old Nicole Kidman. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/17 "2020-05-21T17:24:56Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > When I saw _Dead Calm_…It turns out I should have been paying closer attention to the 21 year-old Nicole Kidman. I was paying close attention to her 😛 ---
**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:** [May 21, 2020, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/18 "2020-05-21T17:37:44Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’m sure there are many more, but after those two I’m having trouble thinking of more good examples. Maybe Marlon Brando? He was considered a great actor in his prime I believe, but later in his career he turned into a bloated, lazy mess, hard to work with and phoning his performances in. I’ve read that part of the reason that Brando gained weight was an intentional choice on his part – he felt that, due to his good looks, people didn’t take him seriously for his acting skills, and so, he got fat in order to no longer be attractive. And, his example reminds me of Val Kilmer, who, too, was known, as a younger actor for his looks as much as his acting skills (he was, in fact, a very good actor). But, from what I’ve gathered over the years, Kilmer grew increasingly difficult to work with and eccentric. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/19 "2020-05-21T17:53:20Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’ve read that part of the reason that Brando gained weight was an intentional choice on his part – he felt that, due to his good looks, people didn’t take him seriously for his acting skills, and so, he got fat in order to no longer be attractive. from _The Onion_ archives, July 27, 1956: [**President Orders Brando to Gain 250 pounds Star’s Raw Sexuality Too Dangerous At Present Weight, Ike Says**](https://www.theonion.com/july-27-1956-1819587873) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237/20 "2020-05-25T21:36:20Z")
Hey! A thread about Johnny Depp! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-promising-actors-who-went-off-the-rails-later-in-their-careers/854237.md?page=2)