Comedians and Comedy Actors who've gone far

[Bad Ambassador]

And also married the 22 year old Lynne Frederick, it's almost like he had a type or something (the dirty bollocks, etc).

His wife between the two - a relationship so insigificant there's a deleted scene in The Life of Death of Peter Sellers to explain she isn't in the film - was Miranda Quarry. Guess how old she was when they married.

I think it's less that Sellers liked young women and more that he saw people the same way as objects, always trading them in for a newer model. He was also terrified of death, especially after his heart exploded in 1964, so his concept of keeping young might well extend to not letting his wives get any older.

[Blue Jam]

Alfie Allen (now best known for Game of Thrones) pops up as a child in an episode of Spaced.

I remember when he was best known for his sister taking the piss out of him in a song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sr2Grfi3lFg

Was she trying to torpedo his chances of ever being in kids' films here? According to Wikipedia he was really upset by the song despite her protests that it was "affectionate", but she eventually agreed to stop performing it about ten years ago. I can remember thinking it seemed pretty mean-spirited at the time, even without knowing he was trying to make it as an actor.

[Blue Jam]

Nicholas Hoult. I remember watching Max Max: Fury Road and thinking "Oh look, it's Tony Stonem from out of Skins". X-Men after that!

[Leej88]

Jack and James can stay in America if Jack turns out to be as annoying as James has become.

[phantom_power]

A bit out of date now but it was a bit of a shock when Alexei Sayle turned up in Temple of Doom, or was it Last Crusade?

[dead-ced-dead]

I have to say, I think Jack is really good in Fresh Meat, although I've never liked him otherwise.

I remember one scene in season 2 or 3 his character goes through a break up, and I remember tearing up. I then said, "Fuck. Fuck! You win, Jack. I'm now a fan of yours. Albeit only a mild one. Fuck."

[Cold Meat Platter]

Bob Odenkirk's got pretty famous since Better Call Saul. He's in an action film this year.

[paruses]

Has Ed Gamble's rise continued or stalled a bit? As a big fan of Peacock and Gamble I used to have a hipster feeling of liking him before he was thin but not seen much of him lately.
I had it in my head that he was going to crack America.

[letsgobrian]

Jim Carrey fits into this category even though he's now coming back from having gone far.

Having that failed first launch at a big career, following years of being a journeyman impressionist, and then succeeding at the second attempt is certainly a more interesting ascension the usual slow upward trend you can get from working in the Lorne Michaels or Judd Apatow humour factories.

[Pink Gregory]

Has Ed Gamble's rise continued or stalled a bit? As a big fan of Peacock and Gamble I used to have a hipster feeling of liking him before he was thin but not seen much of him lately.
I had it in my head that he was going to crack America.

How popular is Off Menu in America?  More likely to be well known from a podcast than a Netflix special or whatever. 

[Blue Jam]

I have to say, I think Jack is really good in Fresh Meat, although I've never liked him otherwise.

Jack Whitehall was good in that BBC adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Decline and Fall as well. I think he's a really good actor. Alright, I know the only character he does is "Nice But Dim Posho" but he does it very well.

I have deliberately avoided all of his stand-up and panel show appearances to avoid spoiling my enjoyment of Fresh Meat.

[Noodle Lizard]

Jack Whitehall now seems to be well along the James Corden path. Got loads of parts in upcoming family films, I wouldn't be surprised if he was to get a chat show at some point.

Yeah, they brought him over here to host the LA BAFTAs a few years ago, and Netflix were heavily promoting that show with him and his dad. Seemed like he was on Corden's wretched path. I'm not sure it'll pay off, though, as there's very little distinguishing him from countless young US comedians other than his posh accent.

Also Rob Brydon's done that gig multiple times and never really "made it" stateside. I did see The Trip DVD front and center at a remote campground's shop recently, however.

[dead-ced-dead]

Not a comedian, but I always find Tom Hardy's ascent really fascinating because he was blacklisted from Hollywood for getting into fights, taking drugs etc.

I believe his visa was revoked during his first go at it (early 2000s, when he played the baddie in a Star Trek film and showed up in a few Hollywood films), which usually means curtains for a career in America.

He went back to England with his tail between his legs and did cheap British films for a while before getting the lead in Bronson, which was one of those films that caught the attention of America and within a few years of that was in Inception and he got his second shot at Hollywood. That never happens. Ever.

[dead-ced-dead]

Yeah, they brought him over here to host the LA BAFTAs a few years ago, and Netflix were heavily promoting that show with him and his dad. Seemed like he was on Corden's wretched path. I'm not sure it'll pay off, though, as there's very little distinguishing him from countless young US comedians other than his posh accent.

I see Whitehall as more of an actor than Corden is. Despite the Tony, I always got the impression acting was a secondary gig to hosting, writing etc. Whereas with Jack I see him as one of those guys who wants to be an actor first and only did panel shows and stand up as a way of pushing forward his acting.

[olliebean]

Mike Myers - well past his heyday now, but from the Wide Awake Club to Wayne's World, Austin Powers, and Shrek was pretty good going.

[Ignatius_S]

Chaplin's work in Hollywood was shortlived, but as you say, he seems to be more at home in indie films and theatre. Still, even the worst blockbuster is better than Game On.

There was an interview not that long ago with him in the Guardian, where Chaplin discussed his career - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/14/ben-chaplin-the-last-thing-i-wanted-to-be-was-the-new-hugh-grant - dug it out as found it quite interesting.

I had forgotten he co-starred with Emily Watson in Apple Tree Yard, which got a lot of attention... that lad has done okay!

[dead-ced-dead]

There was an interview not that long ago with him in the Guardian, where Chaplin discussed his career - https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jan/14/ben-chaplin-the-last-thing-i-wanted-to-be-was-the-new-hugh-grant - dug it out as found it quite interesting.

I had forgotten he co-starred with Emily Watson in Apple Tree Yard, which got a lot of attention... that lad has done okay!

Certainly better than the rest of the cast of Game On.

[Blue Jam]

Not a comedian, but I always find Tom Hardy's ascent really fascinating because he was blacklisted from Hollywood for getting into fights, taking drugs etc.

I remember reading an interview where the interviewer said something like "...so, you, ah, have a somewhat, erm, chequered past..." and Hardy replied "You mean when I did drugs and fucked men?" Heheheh.

I guess Rob Lowe and Robert Downey Jr. are in a similar boat.

[Ignatius_S]

Steve Coogan

Not as far as he liked.

The Parole Officer, lest we forgot, was a blatant attempt to crack America as a star, which totally failed. For a brief moment, it looked Coogan was going to be a bona fide star when cast as Phileas Fogg in Around the World in 80 Days... until it transpired, he has been cast as a sidekick to Jackie Chan.

In the States, would say he's had most success playing supporting roles in big films (and very well too) but he's had a lot less when being the star - a lot did poor business and had so-so reviews, and quite a few, suspect most people have never heard.

[dead-ced-dead]

I think Coogan is thought of as a supporting character actor in the states.

[Cold Meat Platter]

Philomena was fairly well received, awards, oscar nominations and that. TBH even being an internationally recognised 'supporting actor' is going far in my book.

[Ignatius_S]

I think Coogan is thought of as a supporting character actor in the states.

And that's where he's enjoyed the most success - but there have been several attempts at being the leading man, e.g. Hamlet 2 that just didn't work. The point I was making although Coogan has done incredibly well, in terms of this thread, he was a big comedy star in the UK, who hasn't been able to crack America as a lead.

[BritishHobo]

Yeah, I think, as much as I rag on Gervais, him and Coogan have had similarly interesting career trajectories. They both had that 'break America' phase, which always feels like the aimless dart-throwing of an unseen agent, who just assumes America is the only natural step forward. Lots of bit-parts as the comedy Brit in stuff like Tropic Thunder, Night at the Museum, The Other Guys, fairly underwhelming parts that are a far cry from their homegrown work where they had creative input. A couple of leading roles in things like Hamlet 2 and The Invention of Lying which, again, is plugging them into someone else''s work. I think (again, as much as I slag off Derek and After Life), it's nice that both of them have been able to refocus their energies on creating their own stuff back in dank old Britain. A nice lesson in how going to the States needn't be the inevitable step forward for any successful comedian's career. I think even Russell Brand had a similar thing - stuff like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Disney's Bedtime Stories, which gave way to him creating his own stuff, and coming back to do podcasts with Matt Morgan again.

[edwardfog]

Daisy Ridley has two lines in an episode of Toast of London

[Leej88]

Dev Patel

[Sebastian Cobb]

He did an interview around the time of Dr Strange where he said he was on the verge of packing acting in at one point due to all the roles he was getting offered being stereotypes - then he got the part of Kublai Khan in that Marco Polo show and he's not looked back since.

It seems quite likely based on the description that the role could quite possibly have been one of the Chinese illegal immigrants in the second series of the Pheonix Nights (the same ones that kicked off the Kay/Kitson feud).

[Sebastian Cobb]

If Baynam's getting a mention does Lee and Herring nemesis Patrick Marber get one too?

[Mr Trumpet]

Didn't Hugh Grant start out in a comedy sketch group?

[crankshaft]

Benedict 'Cabin Pressure' Cumberbatch managed to break out of radio comedy fairly well.

Seeing him pop up in Broken News when I saw it years after broadcast was quite a surprise, as he was a superstar by then. Apparently he had his audition for Sherlock during a lunch break whilst recording a Doctor Who audio play, so Big Finish got him right before they could never afford him again.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Alan Cumming?