Good actors in bad movies

[oxode]

What makes me wonder over and over again is, that there are a lot of good, some times even excelent, actors stuck on bad movies like chewing gum. For example Donald Pleasence, Michael Caine or even John Vernon. When they got the chance for a good part they were great and some times even saved movies from the splash, especialy Donald Pleasence, but they were wasted on movies east of desaster. How does it come? Is it realy only the work of bad agents? Who would You like to be praised as a jewell in the dust?

[Raffine]

Sir Laurence Olivier was once asked why he agreed to appear in so many lousy big budget films in his last couple of decades of his career. "I'm building up my grandchildren's inheritance" he supposedly replied. 

[joejoeherron]

when I see a good actor in a lousy movie, I just remember;

Actors have car payments too.

[Flick James]

On a related note, Bob Goldthwait once commented on his involvement in the Police Academy movies, not that he's a good actor. He said that in Police Academy 2, he figured people probably thought "Well, he's an unknown, trying to get into the business, I can understand him doing that movie." Then when he did Police Academy 3 he envisioned people saying "Well, maybe his Mom needed an operation." Then, with Police Academy 4 he was pretty much "an out-and-out whore."

Anyway, Meryl Streep, the golden goddess of Hollywood, did films like "She-Devil" and "Death Becomes Her." Some people think the latter is a good movie. I do not.

[JaseSF]

I think almost all notable actors/actresses have appeared in both good and bad films. Years back, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, certainly both talented actors did more than their fair share of bad movies too. Same can be said for most stars if you stop and think about it. John Carradine, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Jack Nicholson...I consider all to be great actors and they've all certainly appeared in their fair share of bad films too sometimes even elevating a bad movie quite a bit by their still quality performances.

[oxode]

I think almost all notable actors/actresses have appeared in both good and bad films. Years back, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, certainly both talented actors did more than their fair share of bad movies too. Same can be said for most stars if you stop and think about it. John Carradine, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Jack Nicholson...I consider all to be great actors and they've all certainly appeared in their fair share of bad films too sometimes even elevating a bad movie quite a bit by their still quality performances.

Well, I agree on Karloff he was a great actor and he tried to get away from his monster image, but he tried and made some real film art. But what I'm talking about are people who never manage to get out of the pig pen, even so they did deserve better. As mentione Donald Pleasence. He was realy great, I'd say one of the great characters of hollywood, but look at his filmographie, it makes me nearly cry! Even in A movies, like "Fantastic Voyage", he was casted as a 100% cliché bad guy, two-faced, cowardly, mentaly challenged, etc.. If he was given a chance to show what he was worth it was only in some TV-shows, mostly britsh. I think I would have loved to see him as King Lear. Have You ever seen "The Caretaker" ? An adaption of a Pinter play. If not get it, but lock away all guns. It is hellish depressing! And Pleasence takes not only the cake . . . but the coffee service and the tablecloth.

[Joe the Destroyer]

Ben Kingsley comes to mind.  Quite a bit, really.