I don't know if I really have a favorite actor. There sure are lots to choose from. I do know that Gary Oldman would most likely be at the very top of that list. He's excellent in just about every role I've ever seen him in. From Jackie Flannery to Lee Harvey Oswald to Drexl Spivey to Stansfield to Sheldon Runyon to Sirus Black to James Gordon and so on. He disappears into these roles. The only problem is the length of time he is on screen in these movies. They are all supporting characters roles.
Sure, Oldman has had some starring turns. Sid Vicious. Ben Chase in Criminal Law. Dracula. Ludwig van Beethoven. All great roles. The most recent being Beethoven in 1994's Immortal Beloved.
1994.
Really? Did Hollywood just forget about him or did they just never figure out how to get this incredible actor a featured role that would fully make use of his talents? I'm not really complaining. He brings so much to even his smallest roles. He was even decent in the awful remake of Lost in Space. That's a miracle!
I find it hard to believe that not only has he never won an Oscar for his work...HE'S NEVER EVEN BEEN NOMINATED! NOT ONCE! There may not be a more deserving actor alive who has never been nominated. It's an absolute crime. Maybe it's because he picks such offbeat roles in heavy-handed genre flicks. Probably because of that. But he's done some nice mainstream work as well. To me, some of his best work was in The Contender. That was a film that garnered some decent Oscar buzz for Joan Allen, but none for Oldman. And he was a force of nature in it!
But he keeps on keeping on. He still seems willing to take a featured role every once in a while (like the mediocre Dead Fish), but they are usually small movies. Where's the big-time director of a big-time movie who is ready to give Mr. Oldman the role all of his fans have been waiting for all these years? The role that will get him his naked golden statue.
In the meantime...enjoy this clip of Gary Oldman in Leon.
PS - I'm giving great thought to posting the first ever bug-eyed pic of yours truly. Well, I posted my tattoo before. Hey...it's right over there in the sidebar. No...this one will have a lot more Earl. I just haven't decided on whether or not I'm gonna do it. Hmmm.
