Actors whos career paths have strayed from their true potential
by josh_goldstein-34-458070 | created - 04 Sep 2011 | updated - 25 Apr 2012 | PublicThese actors had phenomenal talent and credibility at one point but after appearing in awful movie after awful decision, they stand on the B-list instead of on the A-list where they had the potential to be, some on this list dont deserve to be on it as much as other actors, but thats up for debate.... go ahead..
1. Ray Liotta
Actor | Narc
Intense was the word for Ray Liotta. He specialized in psychopathic characters who hide behind a cultivated charm. Even in his nice-guy roles in Field of Dreams (1989) and Operation Dumbo Drop (1995), you get the impression that something is smoldering inside of him. He was born in Newark, New ...
After goodfellas he was a rising star, he can truly act but has gone down a awful road of b-level cheap action movies
2. Cuba Gooding Jr.
Actor | Jerry Maguire
Cuba Gooding Jr. was born on January 2, 1968, in The Bronx, New York. His mother, Shirley (Sullivan), was a backup singer for The Sweethearts. His father, Cuba Gooding, was the lead vocalist for the R&B group The Main Ingredient, which had a hit with the song "Everybody Plays The Fool". His ...
with his charisma and acting ability the only reason he isn't up there with the best is his awful career decisions
3. Ethan Hawke
Actor | Training Day
Ethan Green Hawke was born on November 6, 1970 in Austin, Texas, to Leslie Carole (Green), a charity worker, and James Steven Hawke, an insurance actuary. His parents were students at the University of Texas at the time but divorced when Ethan was 5 years old. His mother raised him alone for the ...
his career has been on a downward slide since training day
4. Christian Slater
Actor | Very Bad Things
Christian Michael Leonard Slater was born on August 18, 1969 in New York City, to Michael Hawkins, a well-known soap actor, and Mary Jo Slater (née Lawton), a casting agent. Christian started in show business early, appearing on the soap opera The Edge of Night (1956) in 1976 at the age of 7. He ...
he had great performances in the early 90's in "pump up the volume" among others but has done cheap garbage lead roles instead of letting his status develop by taking smaller parts in high quality films, with solid supporting casts
5. Eric Bana
Actor | Dirty John
Eric Bana was born Eric Banadinovic on August 9, 1968, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He is the younger of two brothers. His father, named Ivan Banadinovic, came from Zagreb, Croatia, and worked as a manager for Caterpillar Inc. His mother, named Eleanor Banadinovic, came from a German family ...
With his looks and persona and talent, he should be up there with Pitt and Dicaprio and Clooney, he has all the tools of a true leading man, what a shame, this guy is an Oscar worthy actor
6. Russell Crowe
Actor | Les Misérables
Russell Ira Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand, to Jocelyn Yvonne (Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe, both of whom catered movie sets. His maternal grandfather, Stanley Wemyss, was a cinematographer. Crowe's recent ancestry includes Welsh (where his paternal grandfather was born, in Wrexham),...
I'm a huge fan of his, but his last several movies have tanked, raising questions if his best years are behind him, I'd like to think not..... hopefully with the right project like the upcoming Les miserables' and Noah, he can get back on top
7. Forest Whitaker
Actor | The Last King of Scotland
Forest Steven Whitaker has packaged a king-size talent into his hulking 6' 2", 220 lb. frame. He won an Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland (2006), and has also won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA. He is the fourth African-American male to...
What has he done worth mentioning since his impressive academy award win for playing idi amin?
8. Adrien Brody
Actor | The Pianist
Adrien Nicholas Brody was born in Woodhaven, Queens, New York, the only child of retired history professor Elliot Brody and Hungarian-born photographer Sylvia Plachy. He accompanied his mother on assignments for the Village Voice, and credits her with making him feel comfortable in front of the ...
he has faded into obscurity since his amazing jaw dropping performance in the pianist
9. Nicolas Cage
Actor | Face/Off
Nicolas Cage was born Nicolas Kim Coppola in Long Beach, California, the son of comparative literature professor August Coppola (whose brother is director Francis Ford Coppola) and dancer/choreographer Joy Vogelsang. He is of Italian (father) and Polish and German (mother) descent. Cage changed his...
audiences are tired of seeing him overacting in so many bad mindless action movies, he is now a straight to dvd actor, perhaps taking on another "adaptation" like role will help his cause
10. John Cusack
Actor | Grosse Pointe Blank
John Cusack is, like most of his characters, an unconventional hero. Wary of fame and repelled by formulaic Hollywood fare, he has built a successful career playing underdogs and odd men out--all the while avoiding the media spotlight. John was born in Evanston, Illinois, to an Irish-American ...
same as nicolas cage, bad choices= bad performances
11. Edward Norton
Actor | Fight Club
American actor, filmmaker and activist Edward Harrison Norton was born on August 18, 1969, in Boston, Massachusetts, and was raised in Columbia, Maryland.
His mother, Lydia Robinson "Robin" (Rouse), was a foundation executive and teacher of English, and a daughter of famed real estate developer ...
none of his recent work has been on the groundbreaking level of "american history X" or fight club or even primal fear, wake up dude, get your s*** together and get back on top, he needs to collaborate with a fincher or even alexander payne-like director
12. Colin Farrell
Actor | The Lobster
Colin Farrell is one of Ireland's biggest stars in Hollywood and abroad. His film presence has been filled with memorable roles that range from an inwardly tortured hit man, to an adventurous explorer, a determined-but-failing writer, and the greatest military leader in history.
Farrell was born on ...
although he has had a really succesful career,- phone booth, swat, In Bruges, tigerland, his career right now is nowhere near where it should be with his acting ability, hopefully his upcoming reuniting with martin mcdonaugh for "seven psychopaths" will remind us all how good he is
13. Kevin Costner
Actor | The Postman
Kevin Michael Costner was born on January 18, 1955 in Lynwood, California, the third child of Bill Costner, a ditch digger and ultimately an electric line servicer for Southern California Edison, and Sharon Costner (née Tedrick), a welfare worker. His older brother, Dan, was born in 1950. A middle ...
my god!! this is the guy who brought us "dancing with wolves", untouchables, field of dreams, JFk, his movies of the last 10 years hardly reflects on his true acting abilities, he really needs the right project to get back up
14. Jim Carrey
Actor | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Jim Carrey, Canadian-born and a U.S. citizen since 2004, is an actor and producer famous for his rubbery body movements and flexible facial expressions. The two-time Golden Globe-winner rose to fame as a cast member of the Fox sketch comedy In Living Color (1990) but leading roles in Ace Ventura: ...
hasn't done any quality funny work for a while
15. Thomas Jane
Actor | Boogie Nights
Thomas Jane is an American actor who is known for portraying Frank Castle from the 2004 Marvel Comics film The Punisher and the 2012 fan film Dirty Laundry. He also was in Boogie Nights, The Thin Red Line, Deep Blue Sea, The Predator, 1922, The Mist and Evening Raga of the West.
he should be headlining movie posters not just some sub par HBO show
16. Tim Robbins
Actor | Mystic River
Born in West Covina, California, but raised in New York City, Tim Robbins is the son of former The Highwaymen singer Gil Robbins and actress Mary Robbins (née Bledsoe). Robbins studied drama at UCLA, where he graduated with honors in 1981. That same year, he formed the Actors' Gang theater group, ...
shawshank, mystic river, then what?
17. Joaquin Phoenix
Actor | Walk the Line
Joaquin Phoenix was born Joaquin Rafael Bottom in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Arlyn (Dunetz) and John Bottom, and is the middle child in a brood of five. His parents, from the continental United States, were then serving as Children of God missionaries. His mother is from a Jewish family from New ...
this guy's acting was great however he has gone way off the rails in recent years....
18. Clive Owen
Actor | Children of Men
British actor Clive Owen is one of a handful of stars who, though he is best known for his art house films, can handle more mainstream films with equal measures of grace and skill. Owen is typically cast as characters whose primary traits are a balance of physical strength, intellect, conflicting ...
hes doing okay but can be alot better
19. William Baldwin
Actor | Backdraft
William Baldwin has distinguished himself as an actor/producer/writer who continues to showcase his multitude of talents in the world of film and television.
Baldwin has a busy year ahead starring in several high-profile upcoming projects. He is currently travelling the world shooting back-to-back ...
he was terrific in backdraft and like his brother alec he can definitely act but he is nowhere near leading status today he could have done better.....
20. Kurt Russell
Actor | Escape from New York
Kurt Vogel Russell was born on March 17, 1951 in Springfield, Massachusetts and raised in Thousand Oaks, California to Louise Julia Russell (née Crone), a dancer & Bing Russell, an actor. He is of English, German, Scottish and Irish descent. His first roles were as a child on television series, ...
21. Matthew McConaughey
Actor | Interstellar
American actor and producer Matthew David McConaughey was born in Uvalde, Texas. His mother, Mary Kathleen (McCabe), is a substitute school teacher originally from New Jersey. His father, James Donald McConaughey, was a Mississippi-born gas station owner who ran an oil pipe supply business. He is ...
hes got it all after "a time to kill" he was headed to the top but fell into a hole doing poorly directed movies and bad romantic comedies, he has recently redeemed himself with his success in the lincoln lawyer, but hes failing to live up to his true potential
22. Tobey Maguire
Actor | Brothers
Tobias Vincent Maguire was born in Santa Monica, California. His parents were 18 and 20, and not yet married, when he was born. His mother, Wendy (Brown), did advertising, publicity, and acting in Hollywood for years as she coached and managed Tobey. His father, Vincent Maguire, was a cook and ...
the popular success of spider-man was enough to catapult him to top leading man status, he hasnt though...
23. Jude Law
Actor | The Talented Mr. Ripley
Jude Law is an English actor. Law has been nominated for two Academy Awards and continues to build a prolific body of work that spans from early successes such as Gattaca (1997) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) to more recent turns as Dr. John Watson in Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Sherlock Holmes:...
he is a brilliant actor as shown in mr. ripley and cold mountain, but hes been taking roles based on his looks not based on character suitability, he hasnt done anything remarkable in a while....
24. James McAvoy
Actor | Filth
McAvoy was born on 21 April 1979 in Glasgow, Scotland, to James, a bus driver, and Elizabeth (née Johnstone), a nurse. He was raised on a housing estate in Drumchapel, Glasgow by his maternal grandparents (James, a butcher, and Mary), after his parents divorced when James was 11. He went to St ...
has yet to replicate his performance in the last king of scotland....
25. Barry Pepper
Self | 'Saving Private Ryan': Boot Camp
Barry Robert Pepper was born on April 4, 1970, in Campbell River, British Columbia, Canada. He has two older brothers named Alex and Doug Pepper. The Peppers didn't stick around Campbell River for too long. They had been building a ship in their backyard for years. When Barry was five years old, ...
He has amazing presence, the roles he plays are nowhere near his true potential, he needs to take on bolder roles
26. Benicio Del Toro
Actor | Sicario
Benicio Del Toro emerged in the mid-1990s as one of the most watchable and charismatic character actors to come along in years. A favorite of film buffs, Del Toro gained mainstream public attention as the conflicted but basically honest Mexican policeman in Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000).
...
what has he done recently that equals his earlier stuff?
27. Pierce Brosnan
Actor | Mamma Mia!
Pierce Brendan Brosnan was born in Drogheda, County Louth, Ireland, to May (Smith), a nurse, and Thomas Brosnan, a carpenter. He lived in Navan, County Meath, until he moved to England, UK, at an early age (thus explaining his ability to play men from both backgrounds convincingly). His father left...
his recent movies have been on the sub-par side of average
28. Michael Madsen
Actor | Reservoir Dogs
Michael Madsen is an enigmatic force in the entertainment industry, widely regarded as one of the most intense and compelling actors of our time. With an electrifying presence both on and off the screen, Madsen has captivated audiences worldwide with his mesmerizing performances, making an ...
he had some big hits in the 90's but has faded since, this guy can act!! have you seen donnie brasco???
29. Val Kilmer
Actor | The Doors
Val Kilmer was born in Los Angeles, California, to Gladys Swanette (Ekstadt) and Eugene Dorris Kilmer, who was a real estate developer and aerospace equipment distributor. His mother, born in Indiana, was from a Swedish family, and his father was from Texas. Val studied at Hollywood's ...
same as ray liotta was good stuff once, but has descended into B-level cheap action movie territory
30. Edward Burns
Actor | Saving Private Ryan
Edward Burns was born on January 29, 1968 in New York City. He's the 2nd of 3 children to Molly, who worked for the Federal Aviation Administration at Kennedy Airport, & Edward J. Burns, a police sergeant as well as active spokesperson for the New York Police. He was raised as a Catholic. He as ...
This guy's acting chops are amazing, he has focused on his indie writing/directing career, but he can be a powerful leading man if he alters his career choices...
31. Josh Hartnett
Actor | Lucky Number Slevin
Joshua Daniel Hartnett was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to Wendy Anne (Kronstedt) and Daniel Thomas Hartnett, a building manager. His father is of Irish and German descent, and his mother is of Swedish and Norwegian ancestry. Hartnett graduated from South High School in Minneapolis in June of ...
this guy can act...period, his role choices have lead him away from his real potential.....
32. Casey Affleck
Actor | Manchester by the Sea
An accomplished and striking performer, Academy Award® winner Casey Affleck has established himself as a powerful leading man with performances in multiple projects.
Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts. His mother, Chris Anne (née Boldt), is a school teacher, and ...
his talent was showcased in films like "the assassination of jesse james" and his amazing performance that brought the words of Dennis Lehane to life in "gone baby gone"... he should work more and pursue more of of such roles....
33. Chris Tucker
Actor | Rush Hour 2
At one point in time, Chris Tucker was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.
Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Mary Louise (Bryant) and Norris Tucker, who owned a janitorial service. After graduating from high school, Tucker made a change to move to Hollywood from Georgia to pursue a career in ...
this guy's comic abilities are amazing!, combined with his improvisation, he needs to work more!!!!!!!!!!!
34. Robert De Niro
Actor | Cape Fear
One of the greatest actors of all time, Robert De Niro was born on August 17, 1943 in Manhattan, New York City, to artists Virginia (Admiral) and Robert De Niro Sr. His paternal grandfather was of Italian descent, and his other ancestry is Irish, English, Dutch, German, and French. He was trained ...
it pains me to put a legend like deniro on this list but its a sad truth, his last decent roles were heat and casino or even sleepers, but since then he has gotten very complacent doing subpar comedies and underwhelming genre films
35. Al Pacino
Actor | Serpico
Alfredo James "Al" 'Pacino established himself as a film actor during one of cinema's most vibrant decades, the 1970s, and has become an enduring and iconic figure in the world of American movies.
He was born April 25, 1940 in Manhattan, New York City, to Italian-American parents, Rose (nee Gerardi)...
where do you start with him? a living legend!! perhaps the greatest actor ever in 70's-90's but his choices since donnie brasco or "the insider" have really underwhelmed us all
36. Jason Patric
Actor | The Lost Boys
Jason Patric was born on June 17, 1966 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Lost Boys (1987), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) and The Losers (2010).
this guy works way too infrequently his brilliance has shown in roles like lost boys, narc, or sleepers, he really has the acting potential to be an A-lister (he was the studio's first choice for tom cruise's role in THE FIRM)
37. Kevin Spacey
Actor | L.A. Confidential
Kevin Spacey Fowler, better known by his stage name Kevin Spacey, is an American actor of screen and stage, film director, producer, screenwriter and singer. He began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s before obtaining supporting roles in film and television. He gained critical acclaim in...
frankly just disappointed, his roles have been very subpar since american beauty, usuall suspects, david gale, La confidential, expect more from such a talent! although his recent turn in Margin call has been a refreshing reminder of how good he can be
38. Sean Bean
Actor | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Sean Bean's career since the eighties spans theatre, radio, television and movies. Bean was born in Handsworth, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, to Rita (Tuckwood) and Brian Bean. He worked for his father's welding firm before he decided to become an actor. He attended RADA in London and appeared in a ...
This guy has one of the most striking screen presences of all actors today, yes he has had big successes like LOTR, Sharpe series, Game of Thrones, but he really can be a more of a lead actor that can headline a movie, however he is drawn to playing too many doomed, conflicted characters
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