Everyone out there knows about the George Clooneys, the Brad Pitts, and the Tom Cruises in the Hollywood world. Pretty boys who can’t seem to stop winning all the damn Oscars despite their sub-par acting abilities are sadly over-saturating Hollywood due to the fact that let’s face it… people love beauty. But for every Oscar hogging actor out there we can take comfort knowing that there are people with real talent acting their hearts out, even if they don’t earn the recognition they deserve. People like…
1. Paul Giamatti
Why He’s Awesome-Everyone who knows me knows that Paul Giamatti just barely eeks out Don Cheadle as my favorite actor of this generation. To say the man is a talented actor is like saying bacon is sort of tasty, it's just plain insulting. Whether playing a struggling author who is trying to piece his life together following his divorce in Sideways, playing founding father John Adams as the man I always imagined him as in John Adams, or playing quite possibly the greatest campy villain of all time in Shoot Em’ Up, every single role he takes on he plays with absolute brilliance. He is one of the few actors out there who is able to take what should be a thankless role and turn them into standout performances like he did in Cinderella Man or Shoot Em’ Up. On top of it all he also happens to be one of the most versatile actors out there as well, playing every role imaginable with equal brilliance.
Why You’ve Never Heard of Him-First of all, look at him.
I love this dude, but he looks like someone cops would shoot at if they saw him within fifty feet of a playground. Perhaps his looks have made him work harder at perfecting his craft, because he can easily act circles around any Oscar winner out there. He has even been nominated for three Oscars, but lost all three times to inferior actors.
Where You Can Next See Him-Win/Win now on DVD
2. Lance Reddick
Why He’s Awesome-Because he’s awesome. There’s a whole slew of reasons why this dude is primed to explode on the big screen, but take one look at that picture and tell me that this isn’t the coolest man who has ever lived. As if he isn’t badass enough he also happens to have one of the most awesome voices in Hollywood, and he’s an accomplished Jazz pianist and vocalist. And oh yeah, he’s also a phenomenal actor. After turning in amazing roles in four of the greatest shows to ever air (Oz, Fringe, Lost, The Wire) you think the guy would be in every damn movie to ever grace the silver screen, but alas, this is not the case. He’s known for his rather intense roles, but when comic relief pops up in any of his shows he handles it with equal skill.
Why You’ve Never Heard Of Him-Despite his serious acting abilities, his true love is music. In fact, he originally got into acting to simply help pay for his true passion, and as much as I’d love to see him on the big screen, it’s hard to deny he doesn’t belong in music after hearing some of his works.
Where You Can Next See Him-The fifth and final season of Fringe has just started, in which he is one of the main characters, but if you want to see what he is REALLY capable of, watch any season of The Wire.
3. Bruce Campbell
Why He’s Awesome-Now this guy you probably know, but not knowing him by name should be a felony. Bruce Campbell first attained his legend with the cult classic Sam Raimi Evil Dead films, and has since continued to grow his legacy to become the undisputed “King of B Movies”. In addition to B-films however, he has leant his talent to endless other projects, including countless big budget films, voice acting, and quite possible the coolest string of commercials ever made.
Not one to ride a legacy however, he is a legitimately awesome actor, turning in an Oscar worthy performance in the indie film Bubba-Ho-Tep. He has such an underground following and is so well liked that he is one of the few actors in the world who has actually played himself in a movie about himself, plus he has the distinction of being the only person on this list who I have had the privilege of meeting.
Why You’ve Never Heard of Him-In addition to being a great actor, he also happens to be a role model for most men. Plus, he also happens to be pretty damn gorgeous, especially in his glory days.
Congratulations ladies, you just got pregnant
So what the hell happened? Well, Bruce himself has said that his presence in any A-list film is inversely proportionate to the film’s success, and while this is quite silly, it’s also sadly true. A big budget film with Bruce in it very rarely does well, and unfortunately, Hollywood has realized this as well. This isn’t all bad though, as it has allowed Bruce to continue his reign in B-movieland unopposed.
Where You Can Next See Him-Bruce has found success on the USA show Burn Notice as a side character named Sam Axe. His character has become so popular in fact that he has managed to spawn his own movie. That’s right, Bruce’s side character has had more movies made about him than the show’s main characters.
4. David Tennant
Why He’s Awesome-Unlike the rest of the actors on this list, Tennant was an accomplished stage actor before breaking into the screen. More importantly however, was the way he broke out, taking on his lifelong fantasy as the greatest incarnation of the Doctor the world has ever seen in Doctor Who. While my wife may not agree, he has consistently been voted as the sexiest Doctor as well, and in case years of Shakespearean stage acting didn’t tip you off, his acting abilities are absolutely top notch. He was the only really watchable thing in last year’s Fright Night remake, and his stage performances are revered as a thing of legend, particularly his performance as Hamlet in Royal Shakespeare Theatre. One critic has even called him “…the greatest thing to happen to Shakespeare since Ian McKellan.”
Why You’ve Never Heard of Him-For one, Doctor Who is the one science fiction property that still manages to maintain something of a cult following, so while the show is the tits for those who know about it, most people in the States have never heard of it. Other than that, he just quite hasn’t had the stateside breakout role that he needs to solidify him in our world.
Where You Can Next See Him-The upcoming series The Spies of Warsaw, and Fright Night now on DVD.
5. Jared Harris
Why He’s Awesome-Son of legendary actor Richard Harris, Jared seems to have inherited his father’s immense acting talents and build upon them to accomplish the impossible… actually surpassing his father’s skills. While usually excelling at playing antagonists due to his menacing looks and sallow complexion, Harris’ range easily extends to play any role imaginable. I’ve always believed the ability to blend to be the hardest thing to master in acting, a trait which has been mastered by exceptional actors such as Meryl Steep, Gary Oldman, and Johny Depp. If Harris’ early career is anything to judge by, he is well on his way to breaking through to fill his talented father’s shoes. Anyone who has seen the film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows can attest how masterfully his perfect interpretation of James Moriarty was in the film.
Why You’ve Never Heard of Him-Hopefully, it’s just too early in his career for him to be a household name, but his older age and somewhat sallow looks certainly aren’t helping in that department. Again, I cannot stress enough that looks shouldn’t matter in the field of acting, yet Hollywood just keeps handing people like George Clooney Oscars for playing… George Clooney in a different shirt. Actors like Tom Hanks and Geoffrey Rush winning awards are a thing of the past, and now it looks like the pretty boy ticket is the way to go if you want a shiny gold Oscar.
Where You Can Next See Him-It looks like Harris may be bucking the system I just described, with increasing appearances in both television and film. You can see him in shows such as Fringe and Mad Men, and of course you can see his great performance as Moriarty in Shelrock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
6. Andy Serkis
Why He’s Awesome-Andy Serkis has played some of the highest profile characters in some of the biggest movies of the past fifteen years, characters that have become Hollywood icons and early screen legends. So why have you never heard of him? Chances are you have, you just know him as the characters he portrays such as Gollum...
King Kong
Archibald Haddock
And Caesar the Ape
Regarded as the greatest motion capture actor of all time, his performances aren’t just limited to this field. He has also performed in small but noteworthy roles in every film he motion captures, and every role he turns in is always outstanding. Of particular note was his portrayal as Mr. Alley, Nikola Tesla’s assistant in the criminally overlooked film The Prestige. He has also performed in many British works as well, such as MI-5 and Einstein and Eddington.
Why You’ve Never Heard of Him-Not surprisingly, Hollywood absolutely loathes any technology that threatens to put a dent in their actor’s salaries. As a result, new and impressive technologies and people such as stop motion characterization actors are often crapped on by studios, no matter how talented they are. Despite all of this resistance however, Mr. Serkis’ skills still shine through, which forced the American Film Institute to have an honest to God debate about whether they could nominate Caesar the Ape for an Oscar or not.
Where You Can See Him Next-Andy Serkis will be reprising his legendary role as Gollum in the upcoming Hobbit trilogy starting this Christmas… provided that pesky impending apocalypse falls through.
