Monday, September 12, 2011

Top 10 Television Actors Who Flopped In Movies

A tribute to those actors and actresses who've proven to be television gold, but barely score tin on the big screen.

10. Ashton Kutcher - star of That 70's Show and Punk'd, Ashton's best role in Hollywood seems to be the boy toy of much older Demi Moore. Ashton's film history includes such stinkers as The Butterfly Effect, Dude, Where's My Car, and Killers. Recently, his role in the successful No Strings Attached may turn things around for this actor. Time will tell.


9. Richard Grieco - Richard proves his worth in various television roles. Most noted for his work on 21 Jump Street, he's also been in other series like Marker and Booker. He was also made appearances in One Life To Live, The Facts Of Life, and Who's The Boss. But he's left little impact on film. If Looks Could Kill, a James Bond spy spoof was probably his best work. He had a supporting role as himself in Night at the Roxbury. Other than that, every other movie he's been in has  been forgettable.

8. Matt Le Blanc - Remembered best as the lovable heartthrob Joey from Friends, his charm just couldn't win us over in film. Scoring a supporting role in Lost In Space, and a small role in Charlies Angels, both of which enjoyed moderate success, the films where he was front and center absolutely tanked. Ed, a baseball movie where he stars next to a monkey, was abysmal.

7. Elizabeth Berkley - Best known as the pro feminist character Jessie Spano on Saved by the Bell, she shocked us al by baring it all, a lot, in Showgirls. Sadly, the film tanked, proving once again that decent boobs without a decent plot, is just decent boobs. She did have small roles in moderately successful films like Any Given Sunday and The First Wives Club. However the rest of her body (of work) leaves something to be desired. Ever hear of The Shipment, Cover Story, or The Real Blonde? Didn't think so.

6. Matthew Perry - Another Friends alumnus, Perry's most notable film was the moderately successful Whole Nine Yards. But his failures are a resume of disasters. Serving Sara, Three To Tango, Almost Heroes, and Fools Rush In, round out a less than stellar film career. Recently with the release of 17 Again, Matthew enjoys some success, even if the majority of his character is played by Zac Efron.

5. Alyssa Milano - We watched her grow up on tv's Who's The Boss, and had many teenage boys hearts racing, but her transition to film has been terrible. Embrace of the Vampire was her first grown-up movie, and Milano showed us her cookies. Still, it was a bad film, and subsequent films only got worse. Glory Daze, Poison Ivy 2, and Below Utopia barely hit the radar. She had a supporting role in Fear, who's success had everything to do with lead actors Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg. She wisely returned to the small screen, enjoying renewed success in the tv series Charmed


4. Michael Richards - Forever immortalized as the lovable Kramer from Seinfeld. This physical comedian and character actor has been in a slew of films, many of which reached low to moderate success. However, his presence in them have been in supporting roles. UHF, Airheads, Problem Child, So I Married An Axe Murderer, and Coneheads are just a few. He has yet to prove himself in a lead role, other than the poorly received Trial and Error. Unfortunately, with his recent outburst using the "N" word, he seems to have been blacklisted from film and television as he makes his way around the apology circuit. Once again proving that it isn't what you say, only what color you are when you say it.

3. David Schwimmer - Rounding out our Friends cast, this actor, who like fellow Friends co-stars, commanded a million dollars per episode, has yet to prove his value in the big leagues. Breast Men, Kissing A Fool, Six Days, Seven Nights, Apt Pupil, and Hotel were films better left forgotten. His best known film work is voice acting in Madagascar. Sorry Ross.

2. Roseanne Barr/Arnold - Her television show was a landmark on the little screen. But on the big screen America's "real woman" was absolutely forgettable. She-Devil, Nightmare on Elm Street 6: The Final Nightmare, and Blue In The Face. She did lend her voice talents to the moderately successful sequel Look Who's Talking Too. Roseanne has returned to television as actress and producer, but her claim to fame will always be "Roseanne."


1. Bill Cosby - Head of arguably the best sitcom ever, The Cosby Show, Bill Cosby enjoyed unparalleled success on the small screen. He also gave us successful television series like Fat Albert and I Spy. But when it comes to movies, Bill Cosby fails on an epic level. Ghost Dad, The Devil and Max Devlin, Meteor Man, and Leonard Part 6. His Jell-O Pudding commercials were more captivating.

1 comment:

  1. I 100% agree with your list, particularly Bill Cosby at #1. I think part of what made the Cosby Show so successful was that Cosby had complete control and the scenes were often improvised with lots of ad-lib in them. In a film, you're stuck to a more linear narrative with less time from frivolous character development and side-jokes.

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