Only A True Movie Fan Can Name These Super Popular Actor's Lesser Known Movies
- by Jacob Ormrod
- – on
- in Movies and TV
While there's certainly an element of Hollywood that comes down to talent, we can't underestimate the amount of money that gets put into making sure you recognize some of the main faces. If we, the audience, know who these people are then we're more likely to see their next movie, whether it's something worth seeing or not. That's why even the best actors have absolute stinkers, as somebody out there decided having a huge name on the bill will make sure that people get to the cinema. Either that or they needed the money when they were less famous.
It's for this reason that we don't think you'll be able to get 100% on this quiz no matter how hard you try because there are some movies out there that none of us know about. Even though they contain huge names, they've been placed into the furnace to never darken a theatre again, and that's often a good idea. That being said, maybe there are a few huge movies fans among you who will be able to get some of the cult movies we've included in this quiz. While the average punter out there will be surprised to see their favorite actor appeared in something they've never heard of, you will know the film off by heart.
So, are you ready to see if you know everything about these well-known faces? Think you know all the niche films out there? Well then, let's find out!
Ben Affleck
Like many other men in showbiz, Affleck has recently found himself in the middle of a scandal regarding his conduct around women. It's such a shame that in the modern world, women feel as though they can't pursue the same careers as men for the fear they'll be treated differently, despite the fact that they should have every right that men do. If you really think that we have true equality, you've clearly not been reading the news for a long time now.
Brad Pitt
Pitt is quite possibly one of the most attractive men in Hollywood and has spent decades having women lusting after him. You would've thought that his popularity with women might have dampened as he got older, but it would seem that a lot of the people lusting after him love an older man just as much as they do a younger man. There are some people out there who will look good till the day they die, and we envy them.
Leonardo DiCaprio
We've always thought that DiCaprio was a bit of an odd one, in the sense that it's hard to pin him down. He claims that he hasn't taken drugs before, but does live a life that you'd expect of a rich man with no responsibilities or ties. The guy seems to spend his whole life acting it up in great films, spending his money on lavish parties with women and giving speeches on the importance of environmentalism. He's normal and yet unusual.
Harrison Ford
Ford is an actor that shows us all we can become the thing we most desire, no matter where we are in our lives or how far away we may feel from finally achieving our goals. This guy was a carpenter in his thirties when he scored the part on Star Wars, a part that shot him into the big time and made his career. You are never too old to follow your dreams. Always remember that from now on.
Johnny Depp
We've honestly never understood what the big deal with Johnny Depp is. Despite his fantastic appearance as Hunter S. Thompson in Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, he's never been able to fit a role as well as that either before or since. His acting career is nothing but moderate success in alright movies and we feel like we're going insane when people talk about how much they love him. This guy has done nothing impressive in the world of cinema if you ask us.
Tom Hanks
There are some people out there who gain a certain reputation that they deserve, as their fantastic personality shines through their work in showbiz. Hanks is not only known for being a superb actor who has appeared in numerous hits, he's also known for being an all-round good guy. He's willing to have a laugh at his own expense and wants to go the extra mile to show people that he's not just a celebrity. The guy is a real person and is killing it.
George Clooney
We're not saying this guy isn't good, as Clooney has proven himself to be a great actor when he's on form, but we don't understand why people rave about him as much as they do. He's often great in Coen Brother's films, but he's never the best, proving that there are others in the same generation as him that deserve much more credit for their ability. Maybe you disagree, but beyond his fantastic looks, we don't know why he's been in the press as much as he has.
Tom Cruise
Look, there's no getting around the fact that we think this guy is totally insane and will never be able to respect him due to his opinions on pretty much everything, which actually comes in handy because we're not too keen on his acting style either. He's tailormade to appear in purely action movies for the rest of his career, which he seems perfectly happy to do, but we think this shows his inability to properly act in a way that touches people.
Nicolas Cage
Where do you even begin with a man like Nicolas Cage? He's known around the world for being a completely insane person, but we think we like the way that one article described it, which is that he's essentially a geek who has had a taste of the good life in which he can buy whatever he wants and essentially do whatever he wants as well. To keep this up, he appears in whatever movie is handed to him and take that money.
Robert De Niro
It's always sad to see a great knocked down from where they once were, but with De Niro, you feel a little less sympathy for him knowing that he had a hand to play in his own fall from grace. Somewhere along the line, De Niro started to appear in horrendous movies. It's not like he didn't know they were terrible as he'd been appearing in fantastic productions for years. He stopped caring and just went for the money instead.
Al Pacino
Would you look at that boyish face?! Can you believe that this man would one day embody pure drugged up evil in the form of Scarface? We don't think that even he knew where his career would one day take him at this point. Insane to think that any one of us could end up being honored for our work despite the fact that we all have to start at the bottom. Quite inspirational to see where all these actors started out.
Denzel Washington
There's an amazing interview with Denzel Washington in which he outlines a movie role he turned down that he thinks has shaped how well his career has gone ever since. It's a great insight into why careers can turn bad if you take on every opportunity that is open to you. Sometimes, no matter how much you think you need it, you've got to go with your gut feeling. You may end up regretting it, but you may have regretted taking it as well.
Robert Downey Jr.
If you ever needed an insight into how the world of showbiz can completely warp the mind of a young man into something that it wasn't before, then you don't need to look much further than Robert Downey Jr. This man ended up falling into a world of drugs and debauchery, picking up a reputation that has followed him to this day. By the looks of recent interviews, he doesn't like to talk about his younger mistakes either, so don't ask him.
Matt Damon
This is the sort of image that you don't want to see once you're older, as it reminds you that no matter how good looking you get as a man, you were once that fresh-faced boy that had yet to shed the puppy fat. We all have these stages so it's not that shameful, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt to take a look back into the archive of youthful shots. We feel like burning every photograph of us as a child.
Will Smith
If his co-stars are to be believed, Will Smith was pretty difficult to get on with back in the day, specifically during his time on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, but then wouldn't we have all been difficult to get along with at that age? It would seem that the man has since grown up and now has a lot of people following him for his positive exploits throughout the showbiz world. Many people even watch him put up videos on the internet.
Samuel L. Jackson
Jackson is one of those people who never seems to stop working, putting out insane numbers of movies throughout the year. Sadly, this means that they won't always be up to the standard of, say, Pulp Fiction. Once you've established your name in the world of showbiz, you can take on whatever you want if you're happy to take the hit when it comes to how your audience sees you. This man must be absolutely rolling in it at this point.
Jack Nicholson
Just like many actors before him, Nicholson has managed to get himself typecast but has made it work incredibly well for him. The man may usually play men with mental problems or anger issues, never really know what his character will do next has given him a huge amount of respect in the world of acting. Sure, he usually only plays one thing, but he plays that one thing so well that you often forget that he's done it before.
Liam Neeson
We're not sure we've actually sat down and watched a full movie that has this guy in as he seems to usually appear in movies that we've got no interest in. Sure, we'll watch the odd action movie from time to time, but they've really got to be bringing something interesting to the table if they want us to stick around for any great length of time. Otherwise, we just end up getting bored of whatever is happening on the screen.
Bruce Willis
This is the guy who manages to find himself in action movies that actually have something interesting or positive about them, but he's also just had to take on roles that don't offer him much of a chance to show off his acting chops. Like we said, these guys need to make money, but it's a shame to know that they can't always just take on characters that are good or scripts that are well written. It would be a much better system!
Gary Oldman
Oldman is a fantastic character actor and has proven on many occasions that he can take on roles that have nothing to do with what he has done before and still smash it out of the park. This is the sort of thing we need more of in the world of acting, people whose talent don't put them into a box but show that they can break out into whatever sort of characters they want. That's where you get the really interesting stuff.
Morgan Freeman
When you look at the age Freeman was able to break into the world of showbiz, he was actually pretty old compared to most other actors. It's a young man's business really, so you've got to make sure that you get your foot in the door as young as possible, otherwise, somebody else is going to manage to get the part before you and win the awards. Thankfully, Freeman's talent meant that he was able to make a name for himself.
Christian Bale
If you take a look at his career, you may be surprised to find out how long Bale has actually been in showbiz, having appeared in movies since he was just a child. Since he's grown up, he has gathered a reputation for taking on roles that pretty much force him into insane daily regimes to change and morph his body to what the character needs. This must have an insane tole on him physically and mentally, so we have a lot of respect for him.
Matthew McConaughey
It's a rare sight to see an actor manage to pull themselves from the grips of certain roles, as they become typecast and are forced to take on jobs that make them seem like a one trick pony to keep the money coming in. This is their job after all! However, actors like McConaughey manage to throw away what they've been handed by Hollywood and take on difficult roles to show that they do have a fantastic acting ability underneath the typecast schlock.
Marlon Brando
When you look at the various roles that this man took on, it's crazy to think how many women swooned at the mere sight of him. The guy didn't seem to be on the screen for a long time unless he was playing a character that had some sort of mental health problem or was beating a woman, often a mixture of the two. We know this was just acting, but you'd think it would turn some women off of him.
Jim Carrey
It's no surprise when you take a look at this image of a young Jim Carrey that he got the nickname of the man with the rubber face. It's insane to see what sort of variations he could contort his face into. We don't think there have been many other actors out there that have managed to hit this level of distortion when it comes to how they look. If you think anybody else has managed it, please let us know.
John Travolta
We know that Travolta has been in various movies throughout his career, but if we're being honest, we're only really interested in Pulp Fiction. Crazy to think that Tarantino was able to revive this aging actor's career with just one movie. Also crazy to see how well Travolta was able to completely ruin the goodwill that was handed to him because of the film. His actions over the past couple of decades make it seem as if he doesn't want to be rich and famous.
Kevin Spacey
It's difficult to talk about this man's various movie roles now, as, despite the fact that he clearly has some great acting prowess that has shown itself on numerous occasions, the guy is still a horrible human being who really deserves nothing other than our hate. If you can do the sort of things this man has done to others, then you should probably be hounded out of your job, whether that job takes place in the world of Hollywood or not.
Hugh Jackman
While he's known now as a wonderful man who spends his time singing and getting into insane shape for his various movie roles, there was a time when Jackman wasn't known in the public eye at all. Sure, he's going to find it difficult to cast off the specter of Wolverine as he continues to move forward throughout his career, but we don't think he's that bothered by that if we're being honest. He seems pretty chilled out about everything.
Bryan Cranston
There's pretty much nobody out there that saw this guy coming when he went on the warpath in Breaking Bad. There is something special about him, some sort of depth and acting ability that can only come out when it's properly prodded into doing so. That's the sort of actor that you want to see flourish, the sort that can show you things you never thought possible on screen. If you haven't watched Breaking Bad, you should just for the acting in it alone.
Keanu Reeves
Is there anybody out there that actually enjoys this guy's films? We're sorry if you're a Reeves fan because we know all this stuff is entirely subjective, but we just can't believe anybody watches this man in a film and thinks that his wooden acting is anything worth talking about. If there was any justice in the world, this man would be unable to get a job in Hollywood for the rest of his life! If you can't tell, we don't like Reeves.
Sylvester Stallone
It must be weird to come to a point in your career when you realize that you've decided to head down a path that others would scoff at. Just like many writers would laugh at someone for being in it purely for the money, many "serious" actors must look down on Stallone for seemingly only wanting to appear in huge blockbusters as an action star and make some money while he does it. There's nothing wrong with this really, but people still judge him for it.
Robin Williams
While he started his career out as a comedian, this guy started to appear in more serious movies, showing people that he was more than just a clown and actually had a depth to pull from whenever he wanted to make us cry as well as laugh. Sadly, he chose to end his life a few years ago, and his loss has been felt by anyone who was even a cursory fan. This guy did a lot while he was alive and will not be forgotten.
Christopher Walken
Walken is yet another odd character in the world of acting, a man who has appeared in numerous sorts of projects and has such a distinctive voice that he has become a favorite for many impressionists. In a way, this is a positive, as it means that your style can never be replicated. If somebody wants someone like you in their movie, then they have to book you, as nobody else is going to be able to do it justice.
Bill Murray
We don't think that Murray can do wrong if we're being totally honest with you, despite the fact that he has definitely appeared in some stinkers throughout the years. If it turns out that this guy has been badly treating women in the world of showbiz then we're not sure what we're going to do, as it would totally devastate us to find out. It's like finding out one of your heroes is actually this horrible person you have to hate now.
Sean Connery
While he is certainly most famous for playing James Bond, that doesn't mean Connery hasn't appeared in other movies throughout his career as well. That being said, we're not sure we could name more than a couple that wasn't connected to the James Bond franchise. The James Bond actors are a perfect example of how people become typecast into playing a certain role or get known for playing just one character for their entire lives. That must be so annoying.