Seasoned actors with the best filmographies

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

There's the famous story about Paul Newman buying a full page of Variety or another Hollywood trade paper to apologise for The Silver Chalice, his film debut, that was about to be broadcast on TV.

James Stewart did a ton of lacklustre westerns at the end of his career, like The Rare Breed, and Night Passage, the project that had him break up his partnership with Anthony Mann, because the script offered him an opportunity to play the accordion.

Gary Cooper has a somewhat interesting track record.

DiCaprio and Cruise are notorious for courting talented directors to handle the project they're developing, but it has allowed a few more stinkers, such as Lions for Lambs.

[Ignatius_S]

There's the famous story about Paul Newman buying a full page of Variety or another Hollywood trade paper to apologise for The Silver Chalice, his film debut, that was about to be broadcast on TV.

James Stewart did a ton of lacklustre westerns at the end of his career, like The Rare Breed, and Night Passage, the project that had him break up his partnership with Anthony Mann, because the script offered him an opportunity to play the accordion.

Gary Cooper has a somewhat interesting track record.

DiCaprio and Cruise are notorious for courting talented directors to handle the project they're developing, but it has allowed a few more stinkers, such as Lions for Lambs.

IIRC, Mann was very unhappy about the casting of Murphy and there were other issues with the project. From what I've read, Mann had absolutely no wish to do The Glenn Miller Story but agreed to do it as a favour but subsequently didn't wish to work on a project he had not enthusiasm for. IIRC, the Munn biography of Stewart (which was well received but concerns over Munn's later books have probably tarnished it) made much of the accordion but I wonder if it was something that Mann cited to symbolise his frustration and the problems were far more deep-rooted.

Re: his later Westerns – this was in a period when the genre was in terminal decline so think that needs to be kept in mind. Something like The Rare Breed is what I would say is competently made and perfectly decent but very uninspired. However, I do rate quite a few of his later Westerns and in particular – one that I've banged on before – Firecreek, which I believe in criminally underrated.   

[Dr Rock]

In the spirit of the thread, it's interesting to ask 'whose career has the fewest duds' but that's not the question. So if you had to pick one 'seasoned actor' and only have their filmography on a desert island to the exclusion of all others, who would you pick? Newman would come close, James Stewart is tempting, you'd be quite well served by Harry Dean Stanton (or Sigourney Weaver), Woody Allen hasn't done badly, but it would be either Mitchum or Eastwood for me. I think I'd go for Clint. You get all the westerns, Dirty Harry AND Kelly's Heroes.

[Ignatius_S]

In the spirit of the thread, it's interesting to ask 'whose career has the fewest duds' but that's not the question. So if you had to pick one 'seasoned actor' and only have their filmography on a desert island to the exclusion of all others, who would you pick? Newman would come close, James Stewart is tempting, you'd be quite well served by Harry Dean Stanton (or Sigourney Weaver), Woody Allen hasn't done badly, but it would be either Mitchum or Eastwood for me. I think I'd go for Clint. You get all the westerns, Dirty Harry AND Kelly's Heroes.

Joseph Cotton – my favourite film of all-time is The Third Man and as he said:

"Orson Welles lists Citizen Kane as his best film, Alfred Hitchcock opts for Shadow of a Doubt and Sir Carol Reed chose The Third Man - and I'm in all of them."

Prolific, varied filmography and he was always brilliant.

Second would probably be Peter Lorre – again, prolific, varied filmography and he was always brilliant and in some of my favourite films.

If I had to pick a UK actor, it would be Alec Guinness... again prolific, varied filmography and he was always brilliant. Lots of brilliant films and Star Wars!

If we can include directorial credits as well as acting credits, then I suspect, it would Ida Lupino.

[Dr Rock]

Joseph Cotton – my favourite film of all-time is The Third Man and as he said:

"Orson Welles lists Citizen Kane as his best film, Alfred Hitchcock opts for Shadow of a Doubt and Sir Carol Reed chose The Third Man - and I'm in all of them."

Prolific, varied filmography and he was always brilliant.

I can see I've only seen a handful of his films, mainly the three you mention (and Heaven's Gate and Soylent Green, though I don't remember him in either of those as its been so long since I saw them) - and I do like him a lot in all three. Can you recommend some of his other winners? Ta!

[Ignatius_S]

I can see I've only seen a handful of his films, mainly the three you mention (and Heaven's Gate and Soylent Green, though I don't remember him in either of those as its been so long since I saw them) - and I do like him a lot in all three. Can you recommend some of his other winners? Ta!

That will be a pleasure - will chip in later!

[Bazooka]

Jim Varney:

Ernest Goes To Camp (1987)
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Ernest Goes To Jail (1990)
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)
Ernest Rides Again (1993)
Ernest Goes To School (1994)
Slam Dunk Ernest (1995)
Ernest Goes To Africa (1997)
Ernest In The Army (1998)

[Ant Farm Keyboard]

I can see I've only seen a handful of his films, mainly the three you mention (and Heaven's Gate and Soylent Green, though I don't remember him in either of those as its been so long since I saw them) - and I do like him a lot in all three. Can you recommend some of his other winners? Ta!

Try Niagara (a terrific film noir in colour starring Marilyn Monroe) or The Scientific Cardplayer, an Italian dark comedy/drama by Luigi Comencini, starring Bette Davis, Silvana Mangano and Alberto Sordi.

Which reminds me that there are more than a few Italian actors who could apply to this exercise. Mastroianni, Gassman, Claudia Cardinale...