Exceptional Science Fiction Movie Actors

[pogopossum]

I posted this as "Exceptional" actors because "Greatest" would be a huge judgement call and would require a pretty encyclopedia knowledge to have any validity.
So. Use your own criteria and judgment . There are some actors who are, to me, excellent but they seem to be acting the same character in different films. Harrison Ford comes to mind.
So. who do you think is outstanding as an SF or Fantasy actor?

I'll kick it off with Sigourney Weaver.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Rutger Hauer. Something in his eyes and general demeanour screamed 'other/alien'. Most of his roles have been in 'B' movies, but he always put in a sterling performance and elevated it.

 

[BAYLOR]

Arnold Schwarzenegger. He played Coann in two film and sort of plead him in a third film and Terminator in 5 films ( he gave the tin man a Heart) Eraser , Predator, etc.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Arnold Schwarzenegger. He played Coann in two film and sort of plead him in a third film and Terminator in 5 films ( he gave the tin man a Heart) Eraser , Predator, etc.

His version of Total Recall was very good too.

 

[Phyrebrat]

Thomas Jane is an exceptional actor*.
He’s done some outstanding work in The Expanse and his performance at the end of The Mist is heartbreaking. He did great in a shockingly odd movie, Dreamcatcher and I’m delighted that he’s in early talks to get back the rights to one of my favourite Stephen King adaptations, From a Buick 8.

My vote is Thomas Jane.

*His portrayal of the abusive father in 1922 doesn’t fall into the sci fi category but deserves mention.

 

[Harpo]

My nomination is for Simon Pegg.
As well as the Cornetto Trilogy,(including facing zombies and aliens) and several Star Trek films, he’s been in Ready Player One, Paul, and The Force Awakens.
Plus an appearance in Dr Who.

 

[BAYLOR]

His version of Total Recall was very good too.

Overall Arnold is pretty good actor.

 

[BAYLOR]

Rutger Hauer. Something in his eyes and general demeanour screamed 'other/alien'. Most of his roles have been in 'B' movies, but he always put in a sterling performance and elevated it.

If they had ever done a Kane the Mystic Swordsman film. In his prime , he would been my choice to play that character ! He would have been amazing in that role. !

 

[Rodders]

Kurt Russell should be added to this list. Soldier is a great SF movie. The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York. I’m sure there are other great science fiction movies that he has been in.

 

[Harpo]

Kurt Russell should be added to this list. Soldier is a great SF movie. The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York. I’m sure there are other great science fiction movies that he has been in.

And he played Ego The Living Planet in Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2

 

[Swank]

Well, the answer is Harrison Ford, but since we're all going to ignore the obvious, here are some runners up:


Bruce Willis - 12 Monkeys, Fifth Element, Surrogates, Looper, Unbreakable. (He will not be held responsible for Armageddon. That had to be Ben Affleck's fault.)

Angela Bassett - mostly for Strange Days, but Supernova and that MCU crap was good, too.

Scarlett Johansson - Her, Under the Skin, The Prestige

Ian Holm - the Wedge Antilles of SF casting.

Arnold - various Terminations, Predator, Total Recall, Eraser, Junior, True Lies, etc, etc.

Fred Ward - Time Rider, The Right Stuff, Remo Williams Tremors (He's practically the Peter Weller of SF).

Peter Weller - requires no explanation, buckaroos.

Keanu - Johnny Mnemonic, A Scanner Darkly, Bill and Ted, something else...

Zoe Saldanada - various blue or green characters

Tom: Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion, Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, War of Worlds

 

[Rodders]

Bruce Boxleitner is a favourite of mine. Babylon 5 and Tron.

I also want to add Brad Dourif. A brilliant support actor well known for his bad guys.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Kurt Russell should be added to this list. Soldier is a great SF movie. The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York. I’m sure there are other great science fiction movies that he has been in.

All John Carpenter movies. They really hit it off together.

 

[pogopossum]

Nice that we have different opinions. I stated how I felt re Harrison Ford. Interesting (to me anyway) is that I think Aanold can act. He just hasn't shown it in his SF career.
Except for Swank I see few women mentioned. What about Halle Berry? (Ignore Catwoman)
Scarlet Johansson? Gillian Anderson ? (actually better in her non-SF.) Others?

I'll add Andy Serkis, Sam Jackson and Hugo WEaving to the guy list.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I still stand by Rutger as my greatest-ever, if for no other reason than he elevated many a B movie into the limelight, simply by his presence.

Baylor's call of Arnie is a good one, even if only because of the volumevof sci-fi stuff he has done. Nearly all of it is good and rewatchable. And there will never be anyone to portray a relentless killing machine as he did in Terminator - and then turn it all on its head in T2. Remarkable stuff.

If I were to nominate a second actor, it would be one who probably wouldn't instantly spring to mind, although you'd kick yourself when it did. For a last-sane-human-in-a-world-gone-batsh*t, no-one is/was quite as convincing as Charlton Heston. Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man and Soylent Green are quite a trilogy of stone-cold science fiction epics.

Oh, and I would add Rod Serling to the list, because he was simply perfect in his role. He had one job to do, and boy did he do it well.

 

[Orcadian]

Rutger Hauer certainly in the running. I'd add Brent Spiner, particularly in the early series of TNG. I found his acting superb as he depicts the slow, difficult transition from android to human.

 

[Swank]

Nice that we have different opinions. I stated how I felt re Harrison Ford. Interesting (to me anyway) is that I think Aanold can act. He just hasn't shown it in his SF career.
Except for Swank I see few women mentioned. What about Halle Berry? (Ignore Catwoman)
Scarlet Johansson? Gillian Anderson ? (actually better in her non-SF.) Others?

I'll add Andy Serkis, Sam Jackson and Hugo WEaving to the guy list.

Sigourney Weaver gets credit to. Avatar, Alien, Ghostbusters.

 

[CupofJoe]

I'd like to nominate Sheb Wooley originator of the The Wilhelm scream, heard in multiple Star Wars and Indiana Jones films as well as Willow, Gremlins, and The Fifth Element, to name but a few.

 

[KGeo777]

For actors who did a lot of sci-fi--then I would put Peter Cushing as first.
Laurence Olivier said he was the best film actor he knew. He didn't really care about doing sci-fi in particular, he just happened to be hired for it repeatedly.
I don't think there was any sci-fi actor who could so effortlessly make you believe in the character like Cushing could. Whether bad guy or good.

Only exceptions I can think of is his Doctor Who and goofy professor in At The Earth's Core where he deliberately wanted to make it absurd.


Lon Chaney Jr -- given some of the really bad movies he made, he still gave it his best performance. In SPIDER BABY he starts weeping on camera in a single lengthy shot which is pretty amazing.

On the actress side, thinking about ones who did a number of notable genre films as star-- Barbara Shelley would be in the top category. Not only did she star in a few famous genre films but she also played a monster a few times (The Cat Girl, the Gorgon, Dracula Prince of Darkness,) so that's quite groundbreaking. I don't think there is any other actress who had the range. Christopher Lee said she was the best actress he ever worked with.

I think actors working since the SPFX blockbuster era are at a disadvantage because writing isn't as important and they have to compete with FX.
Performances don't drive the films like they did in earlier times.

PS

Cushing never played a monster (maybe he played a vampire in one French movie?).
When told he had played a monster in Tales From the Crypt, he said
"Grimsdyke wasn't a monster."

 

[BAYLOR]

For actors who did a lot of sci-fi--then I would put Peter Cushing as first.
Laurence Olivier said he was the best film actor he knew. He didn't really care about doing sci-fi in particular, he just happened to be hired for it repeatedly.
I don't think there was any sci-fi actor who could so effortlessly make you believe in the character like Cushing could. Whether bad guy or good.

Only exceptions I can think of is his Doctor Who and goofy professor in At The Earth's Core where he deliberately wanted to make it absurd.


Lon Chaney Jr -- given some of the really bad movies he made, he still gave it his best performance. In SPIDER BABY he starts weeping on camera in a single lengthy shot which is pretty amazing.

On the actress side, thinking about ones who did a number of notable genre films as star-- Barbara Shelley would be in the top category. Not only did she star in a few famous genre films but she also played a monster a few times (The Cat Girl, the Gorgon, Dracula Prince of Darkness,) so that's quite groundbreaking. I don't think there is any other actress who had the range. Christopher Lee said she was the best actress he ever worked with.

I think actors working since the SPFX blockbuster era are at a disadvantage because writing isn't as important and they have to compete with FX.
Performances don't drive the films like they did in earlier times.

PS

Cushing never played a monster (maybe he played a vampire in one French movie?).
When told he had played a monster in Tales From the Crypt, he said
"Grimsdyke wasn't a monster."

James Elliot and his equally wretched father Edward Elliot were the monsters . They persecuted and victimized Grimsdyke drove him to suicide and he paid them back for their unkindness.