Favorite Comedic Performance by a "Serious" Actor

Timothy Dalton as a gypsy in Jane Eyre 1983

True, Howard. But Kind Hearts and Coronets is probably the greatest of all his comedic performances, no?

Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder” ftw

Blue K, you are probably right.

About George C. Scott’s perfomance in " Dr Strangelove" Kubrick said that George thought that his army character was a “serious” one, and K. didn’t contradict and let him run in 1rst degree representation…ha, ha. But he catched up later with " Patton" !!

Is James Bond serious? If so, then Pierce Brosnan in The Matador.

Timothy Dalton was a Shakespearean actor who appeared in two James Bond movies, The Living Daylights and The License to Kill.

double post

Aside from the aforementioned De Niro performances, Peter O’Toole in The Ruling Class is a really spectacular comedic turn by a usually more serious actor. One of the best performances I’ve seen, for that matter.

Patty Duke in Valley of the Dolls.

I love Anne Bancroft in the prisioner of 2nd avenue, also Jack Lemmon who went back and forth (Drama to Comedy) I mean in Some Like It Hot. DeNiro in most of his later films, now that is a joke, ditto for Al Pacino another Joke. Maggie Smith can do comedy and Drama, ditto for Kristin Scott Thomas.

Yes, Jack Lemmon is a forever great actor.

Kevin Kline. Fish Called Wanda.

Al Pacino in Author! Author!

Al pacino in glengarry glen ross
Mark Walhberg in I <3 Huckabess
Sam Rockwell in Confessions of a dangerous mind
Jeff Bridges in Big Lebowski

Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest :)

@ Ryan: Tom Cruise is not a serious actor.

[flames out]

Hackman in Royal Tenenbaums is my pick. But Rickman is awesome in Galaxy Quest too. And Hoffman is the only good part of Along Came Polly.

“LET IT RAIN!!!!”

@Josh Ryan: Come on now, “Magnolia” is the shit. He owned every scene he was in in that movie

“WHITE CHOCOLATE!!” :D gets me every time

Jerry Lewis in KING OF COMEDY. Oh wait, that’s my “favorite serious performance by a comedic actor”.

Gerard Depardieu in Green Card

I second that Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder, as well as Robert Downey Jr.

Gérard Depardieu in La Chèvre (English title: Knock on Wood, 1981 by Francis Veber)

A comedic performance by Gérard Depardieu in the sense that he plays a role of an exasperated private detective opposite Pierre Richard in a slapstick comedy…