Three films an actor basically "owned"

Cafe Society
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I was reading the wiki on the film “Groundhog Day”, pretty sure for the first time.

I was a little surprised there was some contention on the screenplay (Rubin and Ramis) yet also that Ramis and Murray, who had worked together since 1974 and had a good relationship and been in several films together - yet Ramis wasn’t all that keen about casting Murray who while not being a Chevy-Chase, can be somewhat difficult to work with. Yet his work - that is what shows up on the movie reels - is often superb and it’s difficult to imagine someone else in the role. Tom Hanks was offered the role, so was Michael Keaton - yet they declined.

A single film might be too simple. Three films can be considered at least a starter in a “body of work” where you or a casting director would think right off, “Tom Hanks is the only guy who can play this role.”

So it is three films that an actor appeared in that you would not think “meh, Mel Gibson could have done that.” Or that in some other reality it would not have mattered if this actor appeared in the films he or she appeared in. I suppose the phrase “they owned the film” applies if that helps.

Remakes/reboots pretty much do not count. And if Zero Mostel is your Tevye on Broadway in “Fiddler on the Roof” you get Chaim Topol in the film.

The Monty Python troupe is right out. We’re not even going to consider replacing any of them.

Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three.

It helps to be the screenwriter, director and star (good luck doing that now)

Great roles by great actors whom it would be (almost) inconcievable to cast another actor in:

Orson Welles - Citizen Kane, The Third Man, Touch of Evil
Jack Lemmon - Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, The Apartment
Jimmy Stewart - It's a Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Rear Window (honorable mentions for Rope and Vertigo)
Gene Wilder - The Producers, Young Frankenstein, Stir Crazy
Bill Murray - Stripes, Ghostbusters, Lost in Translation
Harrison Ford - Han Solo/Star Wars, Indiana Jones/Raiders, Blade Runner
Robert Downey Jr - Less than Zero, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man
Tom Cruise - Risky Business, Top Gun, The Color of Money (lots of hon mentions)
Nicolas Cage - Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Wild at Heart
Keanu Reeves - 	Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, My Own Private Idaho, John Wick/series
River Phoenix - Stand By Me, My Own Private Idaho, Litte Nikita (with Sidney ...)
Sidney Poitier - Blackboard Jungle, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night
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John Wayne in just about every movie he ever made. They were after all referred to as John Wayne movies. But to pick three I’d go with;

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
Sands of Iwo Jima
True Grit

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By contrast, I would say that Jeff Bridges owned it as well. There could be a heated debate on the matter, which would be a major hijack, so it is best not to go there.

I should suggest another angle on the question of the thread. Consider Casablanca, To Have and Have Not and African Queen: Humphrey Bogart did not own those movies but was the foundation upon which Ingrid, Betty Joan and Kathryn took ownership of them. I my estimation.

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I’d argue that Tombstone wouldn’t have been the same without Kurt Russell playing Wyatt Earp, and especially not with him effectively directing the whole thing behind the scenes, even if he wasn’t credited as the director.

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Tommy Lee Jones stole the thunder in The Fugitive.

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That was pretty hinky.

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Gary Oldman:

Leon: The Professional
The Fifth Element
Immortal Beloved

John Malkovich:

Being John Malkovich
Con Air
Making Mr Right

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Henry Fonda:

The Grapes of Wrath
Twelve Angry Men
Once Upon a Time in The West

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Peter Sellers:

Dr Strangelove
The Pink Panther
Being There

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I’d argue that John Travolta is Tony Manero in Saturday Night Fever, and is Danny Zuko in Grease, and is Nicolas Cage as Castor Troy as Sean Archer in Face/Off.

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Jack Nicholson in almost every film he’s made. The top three that come to mind are:
Five Easy Pieces
The Shining
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

And Henry Fonda:
On Golden Pond
The Oxbow Incident
The Grapes of Wrath

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Robert De Niro’s oft-imitated performance in TAXI DRIVER came in between his Oscar-winning role in GODFATHER II and, well, his Oscar-winning role in RAGING BULL…

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Robin Williams in Good Morning Vietnam.

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Isn’t this one kind of a freebie?

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Malkovich owned a movie called 100 Years, but since no one will be able to watch for another 90 years, that is only a guess.

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Wesley Snipes in Blade, and … maybe … New Jack City, though the cast was such an ensemble that it’s hard to say anyone owned it. Passenger 57 there are a few other actors (Samuel L Jackson comes to mind) who might have been able to pull it off, but for the most part I think it’s all him.

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I only have two for Christopher Lloyd, but: there’s nobody I’d swap in as Doc Brown, and nobody I’d swap in as Judge Doom; maybe with an honorable mention for the Emmys he won as Reverend Jim?

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Don’t forget Demolition Man. I’m sure lots of actors could potentially have played the villain but Snipes made Simon Phoenix legendary!