Reed John wrote:


People keep saying that. They they usually point to Moonstruck, which was out when Reagan was in office.

Phil Collins, worst singer too!

Worn Old Motorbike wrote:


That just means his standards slipped some decades ago.

He was rather rubbish in Moonstruck as well. People forget that because they don't watch that movie anymore. A terrible movie it was too.

Jonathan Rhys Myers

Haven't seen him in many films but he stunk up all of them

Evening, all.

My vote goes to Ryan O'Neal, seen here in Norman Mailer's film of Norman Mailer's novel Tough Guys Don't Dance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KyBdPeKHg

I don't know they're really candidates for "worst actor of all time," but here are three whose appeal is mysterious to me:

Leonardo DiCaprio: No matter what role he does, he always seems like a boyish Angeleno pretending to be somebody else. I never get the feeling that he "is" who he's playing, as I do with better actors like Robert DeNiro. He's bad at accents, too.

Kevin Spacey: He's technically a pretty good actor, I suppose, but I find him mannered and stagy. I always feel like he practices his lines in front of a mirror more than with other actors.

Charlton Heston: always hamming it up and chewing the scenery. It's entertaining in a campy, ridiculous way, but he always seems like he's dead serious about it.

I find anything with Jim Carrey in, utterly unwatchable!

Squarewheelbike wrote:


Virtually anyone who found themselves in a film on the back of a previous career has a good shout at this. Vinny Jones, Sting, Ringo, David Bowie....

Squarewheelbike wrote:


Agreed

i will nominate Orlando Bloom and Hayden Christensen as contenders for this title.

Leonardo DiCaprio: No matter what role he does, he always seems like a boyish Angeleno pretending to be somebody else. I never get the feeling that he "is" who he's playing, as I do with better actors like Robert DeNiro. He's bad at accents, too.

I'm tempted to agree. While I don't contend he's a bad actor (he's got an actor's chops and is quite watchable), I find myself thinking he's more a supporting role-type of 'star' than a leading-man heavyweight, and are just a tad bemused at Martin Scorcese's insistence at plonking him at the head of every cast in his recent films.

Just as I find myself wondering what exactly Shia LeBeouf did to propel himself to the top billing of some releases. Agreeable performer, but you could find better star quality in your pet goldfish.

DiCaprio is odd. I think he's been fantastic in quite a few roles. But there's definitely the feeling of "that's Leonardo DiCaprio" not "Cobb" or "Billy" or "Frank". So I'd agree that he never really disappears into his role the way others might.

Shia LeBeouf's best movie is Holes. That made him a star (for better or worse).

I'll second Hayden Christensen, as wooden as Pinocchio's stiffy. Also Kristen Stewart.

The guy who played Howie on The Fall Guy.

Julian Sands in everything.

Andie McDowell. Even when playing Andie McDowell: I reckon Roddy McDowell would have made a more convincing Andie McDowell than Andie McDowell.

Christopher Lambert in Knight Moves (amongst others): the fuqer was acted off the screen by a chess-board, which is no mean feat.

Glass Half Empty wrote:

The Mask, The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Dumb & Dumber are all perfectly watchable.

Slightly Brown wrote:


Good call. At least Orlando Bloom looks good on screen.

Glass Half Empty wrote:


Not sure this stands up. For every Sting and David Bowie, there's a Barbra Streisand and a Kris Kristofferson.

Also plenty of former models have made decent actors.

Stumpy Pepys wrote:


Agreed. Especially Kristofferson in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.

I would say Bowie was excellent in The Man Who Fell to Earth, although the role was hardly a stretch for him. That said, he played many musical “characters” fairly convincingly, so maybe he’s better than we give him credit for. Maybe.

Slightly Brown wrote:

Yes, he was good in that, but it did coincide with the peak of his 70s drug habit. Given the nature of the character he was playing, I suggest the two were not unrelated.