Actors who steal the show

As in, those who weren’t the “star” but ended up stealing the screen completely.

Paul Bettany in Knight’s Tale, Master and Commander, and Iron Man.
“Chaucer’s the name. Writing’s the game”

Rickman in almost anything. Well, just for being Rickman, really.

Others?

Rickman in Robin Hood.

Peter Capaldi in Local Hero

Jonny Depp in pretty much everything he is in.
Javier Bardem.
John Malcovic

Oooh, another on tonight!

Timothy Dalton in Hot Fuzz.

Gary Oldman in airforce one.

Well Gary Oldman in anything really.

I was gonna say De Niro in anything, but he doesn’t steal the show, he’s better than that.

Heath Ledger as the joker in Batman. I can’t remember who else was in the film.

Mark Strong.in pretty much everything he’s been in.

Rik Mayall of course.

Nick Cage 😉

John Goodman

Vincent Price

Jack Nicholson

Margaret Lockwood

Jack Lemmon

Javiar Bardem in ‘No Country for Old men’

^ he was also very good in Skyfall.

The guy who plays mclovin in superbad and red mist in kick ass.

He often IS the star, but Daniel Day Lewis. Gangs of New York springs to mind.

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[list]Senor j, I was just thinking Mark Strong too. He even steals the show from op’s show-stealer Paul Bettany and Brian bleddy Cox in “Blood”.

Also but in a much funnier way, Jemaine Clement.

He kind of was the star, but Leonardo di Caprio acting Matt Damon off the screen in The Departed.

Bill Murray In Caddyshack. Classic 🙂

Christopher Waltz in Inglorious Basterds (and Django Unchained)

Thats just reminded me…Christopher Walken. Also Donald Sutherland.

I can’t believe nobody had mentioned Denholm Elliott !!
He stole the show in Trading Places, Indiana Jones etc etc.

Someone somewhere in Apocalypse Now, but not certain who or at what point.

You’re all wrong.

The correct answer is, of course, Andy Serkis.

Christopher Waltz in Inglorious Basterds

While he was excellent, Brad was still the star in my eyes. Brilliant performance. A quality film all round though.

Harry Dean Stanton
Appeared in loads of films but always excellent

+1 for Donald Sutherland. In anything where he’s not the main star, the bits he’s in are always the best bits (sometimes the only good bits).

JFK and National Lampoon’s Animal House jump to mind.

steve buscemi…in oh so many things …..The Big Lebowski…Reservoir Dogs

Mark Ruffalo…foxcatcher and loads more

Tim Roth….Pulp fiction reservoir dogs rob roy

Jk Simmons…pretty much everything

William H macey……Boogie Nights and everything else

Joan Cusak…… grosse point blank and so many more

Andy Serkis……agreed and brilliant as Ian Dury

On one of those occasions he wasn’t the centre of attention….

I’m with Mikewsmith on Philip Seymour Hoffman. My favourite actor ever.

He was amazing in Twister

That Christopher Walz GIF is spooky, I’m just catching up with some of the last Later… that I hadn’t got around to watching, and War On Drugs are playing, Walz shoulders are moving exactly in time with the music! 😯

Rorschach – Member

Christopher Waltz in Inglorious Basterds (and Django Unchained)

I could have watched him forever in Django Unchained, fantastic.

I feel ridiculous for saying this, but Matt Damon in the Bourne films. Probably just that it was such perfect casting “Right Matt, remember you’re an amnesiac who has skills they don’t understand until they use them, which makes the world an incredibly confusing place, so basically just act really autistic.” “Matt… Damon?” “Perfect! And action!” There’s a scene early in the first where he’s just improvising his way out of trouble and it really looks like Damon has no idea what’s going to happen next, it’s perfect.

In my opinion actors who steal the show can’t be famous leading men (cameos aside). It has to be a supporting actor, minor character, cameo or breakout role. IE such and such stole that scene / film from the lead actor.

Examples that spring to mind:

Keanu reeves also achieves this in the matrix

be a bit wooden and confused and like you should not be there/dont quite fit will you. This is lucky as this is what happens to him when someone shouts “action” at him.

I dont think Damon is that bad tbh
Clint
James Stewart
Audrey Hepburn